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On Tap: No. 3 Minnesota State will close out its eight-game home stand when they host the Wolves of Northern State for a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference doubleheader on Wednesday at 1 p.m. at the MSU Baseball Complex. The Mavericks will then hit the road for a pair of twinbills against the University of Sioux Falls on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's twinbill is slated to begin at 1:30 while Sunday's doubleheader is scheduled for a noon start.

The Purple and Gold ran their winning streak to 12 games last week after picking up two wins against Upper Iowa on Wednesday and then sweeping a four-game set against Concordia-St. Paul on Friday and Saturday.

Last Time on the Diamond: The Mavericks took four games away from Concordia St. Paul on Friday and Saturday at the MSU Baseball Complex. MSU outscored CU 29-9 in the series.

In game one, freshman southpaw Brody Rodning pitched a complete game two-hitter and struck out five batters without allowing a walk to pick up his sixth win of the year. Senior Max Waletich hit a walk-off single to the fence in right field to give the Mavericks a 1-0 win. Another freshman in Dalton Roach took the mound for game two and also pitched a complete game two-hitter with five strikeouts but did allow four walks as the Mavericks took game two 10-0. Sophomore Eric Peterson hit a home run and finished 2-3 with two RBI and three runs scored while Waletich and junior Taylor Branstad each went 3-4 in the win.

In the third game of the series the Mavericks scored five runs in the first inning and never looked back as they won 8-5. Peterson and Waletich finished 3-4 in the win freshman Aaron Rozek picked up his fourth win of the year. In the final game of the series, the Purple and Gold were up 3-0 before the Golden Bears hit a grand slam to reclaim the lead in the third inning. MSU rallied back though with five runs in the eighth inning to take the final game of the series 10-4. Sophomore Mitchell Bauer picked up the win junior Dakota Belter tallied his seventh save of the year.

Looking at the Wolves: Northern State stands 19-17 overall and are 13-11 in the NSIC. Most recently the Wolves took three out of four games from Minot State.

Redshirt freshman Jack Schmidt (OF, 6-1, 180, Forest Lake, Minn.) leads the Wolves with a .396 batting average. He has 14 doubles, 1 triple, two home runs and 28 RBI. Senior Mark Abrahamson (6-3, 200, Pipestone, Minn.) is hitting .330 with a team high seven home runs and 38 RBI.

On the hill, junior Colton Boucher (6-2, 195, Chehalis, Wash.) is 5-3 with a 4.35 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 49.2 innings pitched. Senior Cody Johns (6-0, 160, Naches, Wash.) stands 4-4 with a 6.57 ERA in 49.1 innings pitched.

Inside the MSU vs. NSU Series: The Mavericks hold the edge in the all-time series against the Vikings holding an 18-2 record.

Scouting the Cougars: The University of Sioux Falls owns a 15-23 overall record and are 12-10 in league play. They will play a series against Wayne State before hosting the Mavericks this weekend.

Freshman Matthew Minnick (OF, 6-1, 185, Rapid City, S.D.) leads the team in virtually every offensive category. He is batting .391 with 15 doubles, two triples, six home runs and 36 RBI. Sophomore Austin Richey (C, 5-9, 200, Winner, S.D.) is batting .380 and has 17 RBI and 12 runs scored.

On the bump freshman Kacey Myrlie (RHP, 6-6, 175, Lester, Iowa) is 3-1 with a 4.82 ERA and has 33 strikeouts to lead USF.

Inside the MSU vs. USF Series: The Mavericks and Golden Bears have met 6 times with MSU holding a 5-1 advantage in the all-time series.

Minnesota State History: The 2015 season marks the 75th for Maverick baseball. MSU owns a 1,651-830-7 (.665) all-time record in 2,488 total games. Minnesota State has five Northern Intercollegiate Conference titles (1968, 1969, 1979, 1980, 1981), 19 North Central Conference championships (1970, 1971, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2007) and four Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference crowns (2010, 2011, 2012,2014). The program has 33 appearances in the NCAA Division II National Tournament (1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014) and eight in the NCAA Division II World Series (1971, 1979, 1980, 1986, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014) including third-place finishes in 2012 and 2014 and a national runner-up performance in 2013.

Additionally, nine Mavericks have been selected All-Americans.