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On Tap: Fourth-ranked Minnesota State received the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Division II Central Region Tournament and will play fifth seeded Missouri Southern State in the first round of the tournament. The game will be played on Thursday at Joe Faber Field in St. Cloud, Minn. First pitch is slated for 3 p.m.

The Mavericks have won the past three central region tournaments and four out of the past five. The last time MSU fell in the tournament was when it was held in St. Cloud during the 2011 season.

NCAA Central Region Tournament First Round Schedule
No. 3 Emporia State vs. No. 4 Southern Arkansas               11:00 a.m.   Joe Faber Field
No. 2 Minnesota State vs. No. 5 Missouri Southern State    3:00 p.m.    Joe Faber Field
No. 1 St. Cloud State vs. No. 6 Henderson State                   7:00 p.m.    Joe Faber Field

Last Time on the Diamond: Last week the Mavericks took part in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D. MSU won its first round game over Winona State but lost its next two games against Augustana and Northern State.

The Purple and Gold fell behind 4-0 against Winona State but were able to close the gap after scoring three runs in the fifth inning. Senior Kevin Kramer hit an RBI single while fellow senior Connor McCallum hit a sacrifice fly. Later, senior Max Waletich grounded out, but Kramer came in to score. Another senior in Nolan Johnson evened the score in the seventh inning with a sacrifice fly and junior Taylor Branstad singled up the middle to put the Mavericks ahead 5-4.  Freshman Christian Howell pitched one scoreless inning and picked up the win while junior Dakota Belter picked up his 11th save of the year. Freshman Dalton Roach pitched the first six innings and allowed four runs, three earned and struck out eight batters.

In game two against Augustana, the Vikings took a two run lead going into the eighth inning. Waletich evened the score with a two-run home run, but that was the only offense generated. In the bottom of the tenth, the Vikings were able to score two runs to defeat MSU 4-2.

In game three, Northern State and MSU went back and forth all game. The Purple and Gold held a 6-5 lead until the Wolves took the lead for good in the seventh inning as they knocked MSU out of the tournament with final score of 7-6.

Scouting the Lions: Missouri Southern State was awarded the fifth seed in the tournament after winning both the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association regular season and conference championships. The Lions own a 40-12 overall record and were 26-6 in MIAA action.

MSSU Leaders: Leading the offense for MSSU is junior Chris Hoffman (OF, 6-1, 175, Lake Villa, Ill.) who is batting .431 with 39 RBI, 55 runs, 15 doubles, three triples and eight home runs. Junior Jesse Rall (IF, 6-3, 220, Lincoln, Neb.) leads the team with 16 home runs and is batting .387 with 60 RBI, 12 doubles and has scored 46 runs. On the hill the lions are led by junior Cody Hutchinson (RHP, 6-1, 185, Owasso, Okla.) who has pitched seven complete games in 11 starts. He is 10-0 and owns a 2.99 ERA. Junior Payton Walker (LHP, 5-1, 165, Carl Junction, Mo.) is 8-2 and also has pitched seven complete games. He owns an ERA of 2.78 and batters are hitting just .226 off him.

Inside the MSU vs. MSSU Series: The Mavericks and Lions have met two times before, with MSU holding a 2-0 edge. The last time the two teams met was during the NCAA tournament in 2013. MSU won a thrilling pitching dual in 14 innings, 1-0.

Rest of the Field: St. Cloud State, the host of this year's regional tournament, won the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Regular Season Championship as well as the NSIC Tournament Championship. They enter the NCAA tournament with a 51-3 overall record and finished with a 31-3 conference record. Junior Kyle Leiser (IF, 6-0, 190, St. Martin, Minn.) and senior Michael Jurgella (C, 6-1, 195, Plover, Wis.) lead the Huskies offense. Leiser is batting .422, with 10 doubles, 29 RBI and 33 runs scored while Jurgella is hitting .421 with 16 doubles, two triples, 14 home runs, 67 RBI and 60 runs scored. On the mound, freshman Sheldon Miks (P, 6-4, 210, Shakopee, Minn.) is 10-0 with a 0.92 ERA  while junior Reese Gregory (P, 6-0, 195, St. Cloud, Minn.) is 11-0 with a 1.78 ERA.

Henderson State will be making its first ever appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Reddies finished the season with a 27-19 mark and 16-10 in Great American Conference play while losing in the finals of the GAC postseason tournament. They only played 10 home games this season while participating in 36 road games. Offensively HSU is led by sophomore Jordan Taylor (INF, 6-1, 195, Bryant, Ark.) who is hitting .363 with 10 doubles, 28 RBI and 23 runs scored. Claude Johnson (1B, 6-0, 215, Pine Bluff, Ark.) has nine home runs, 12 doubles, 37 RBI and 37 runs scored with a batting average of .354. On the mound sophomore Chris Hunt (RHP, 6-2, 170, Greenwood, Ark.) is 5-3 with a 2.99 ERA. Junior Nick Vanthillo (RHP, 6-4, 205, Brasschatt, Belgium) is 5-1 with 11 saves and a 1.73 ERA.

Southern Arkansas University is making their eighth-straight trip to the NCAA tournament after winning its fourth-straight Great American Conference Tournament Championship.  SAU finished the season 39-16 in 20-10 in GAC play. They are led at the plate by senior Chris Quinn (UTL, 6-0, 170, El Campo, Texas) who owns a .342 batting average with 10 doubles, four home runs, 30 RBI and 29 runs scored. Junior Billy Germaine (OF, 6-4, 225, Aldergrove, B.C.) has hit 11 home runs with 62 RBI, 48 runs, 15 doubles and an average of .333. Junior Landon Simpson (P, 5-10, 185, Magnolia, Ark.) is 9-4 on the bump with a 2.69 ERA. He has pitched five complete games, four shutouts and has 72 strikeouts. Senior Preston Gray (P, 6-0, 205, Heflin, La.) is 7-4 with a 4.28 ERA.

Emporia State is making their 10th trip in the last 12 seasons to the NCAA tournament. They own a record of 39-16 and earned the automatic bid after defeating Henderson State in the GAC postseason tournament. Senior Dean Long (INF, 6-3, 2015, Lebanon, Mo.) is hitting .363, with 19 doubles, 23 home runs, 80 RBI and 63 runs scored. Senior Travis Hendry (LHP, 6-3, 200, Las Vegas, Nev.) is 9-1 with a 3.97 ERA and 51 strikeouts.


Minnesota State History: The 2015 season marks the 75th for Maverick baseball. MSU owns a 1,663-833-7 (.666) all-time record in 2,503 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 34 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, 2015) 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.