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On Tap: No. 3 Minnesota State will look to gain its fifth Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference title in six years as they close out the regular season this week with a doubleheader against Wayne State and a pair of twinbill's against Winona State this weekend.

The Mavericks will play the Wildcats on Wednesday with the opening pitch slated for 1:30 p.m. MSU will then travel back to Mankato to take on Winona State on Friday (1:30 p.m.) and Saturday (12 p.m.). The Purple and Gold will honor their senior's in between games on Saturday.

Last Time on the Diamond: The Mavericks took four games away from Sioux Falls on Saturday and Sunday on the road. MSU outscored USF 40-6 in the series.

The Purple and Gold scored the first nine runs of game one and defeated USF 9-3. Senior Nolan Johnson belted his fifth home run of the season and senior Joey Reed picked up his first win of the year after scattering five hits over five innings without allowing a run. Sophomore Mitchell Bauer shutout the Cougars in game two pitching a complete game and allowing just two hits and one walk while striking out four batters. Johnson paced the offense going 3-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Senior Max Waletich, junior Taylor Branstad along with redshirt freshmen Dylan Dresel and Luke Waldek each had two RBI in the 13-0 win.

Game three of the series was a pitcher's duel between redshirt freshman Aaron Rozek and USF's Eric Brothers. Rozek ended up being the better of the two pitching a complete game two hitter allowing one run, zero earned runs, one walk and striking out six in the 3-1 win. Waletich hit an RBI single in the seventh and Johnson an RBI double to push the Mavericks ahead. The offense came out in full force in the final game of the series as MSU won, 15-2. Dresel finished 2-5 with a triple, five RBI and two runs scored. MSU used five different pitchers in the win.

Looking at the Wildcats: Wayne State comes into the series owners of a 23-20 overall record and are 18-12 in the NSIC. WSC had won seven straight before dropping its most recent game to Upper Iowa.

Junior Nathan Ackerman (6-2, 215, Langley, B.C.) paces the Wildcat offense batting .348 with 14 home runs, 15 doubles, five triples, 47 RBI and 42 runs scored. Senior John Roberts (LHP, 6-4, 225, Merill, Wis.) owns a .404 batting average with five home runs and 18 RBI.

Senior Dylan McGill (P, 5-10, 195, Wahoo, Neb.) owns a 6-0 record on the hill with a 3.88 ERA in 51 innings pitched.

Inside the MSU vs. WSC Series: The Mavericks hold the edge in the all-time series against the Wildcats holding an 22-7 record.

Scouting the Warriors: Winona State stands at 19-24 overall and own a 17-13 mark in the NSIC. They will host Upper Iowa before traveling to Mankato this weekend.

Sophomore Jesus Cazares (INF, 6-4, 205, Appleton, Wis.) leads WSU with a .358 batting average and has six doubles, five home runs, 29 RBI and 31 runs scored. Senior Travis Evanson (1B, 6-4, 250, Lakeville, Minn.) is batting .335 and has nine doubles, 11 home runs, 34 RBI and 37 runs scored.

Senior Chase Blazier (RHP, 6-5, 195, Harvard, Ill.) stands 4-3 with a 3.06 ERA in 53 innings. Freshman Mitchell Stalsberg (LHP, 6-1, 175, Viroqua, Wis.) has a team high 69 strikeouts and is 3-2 with a 3.95 ERA.

Inside the MSU vs. WSU Series: The Mavericks and Golden Bears have met 83 times with MSU holding a 59-24 advantage in the all-time series.

Minnesota State History: The 2015 season marks the 75th for Maverick baseball. MSU owns a 1,657-830-7 (.666) all-time record in 2,494 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.