On Tap: Eighth-ranked Minnesota State (3-0) will open up play for their annual Spring Trip at the Russ Matt Invitational this Thursday, March 3rd, for a double-header match up against Embry-Riddle University, followed by a one-game tilt vs. the Eagles on Friday at SLIWA Stadium.  The first pitch on Thursday is slated for 3:00 p.m. 

Last Time on the Diamond:  Two and a half weeks ago, the Mavericks broke open their 2016 season with three-straight wins at Arkansas-Monticello February 12-13.  MSU took the three-game series by scores of 3-2, 3-1, and 12-11 in 10 innings on day two.  

In game one on Friday, February 12, Minnesota State found themselves tied at 1-1 with the Weevils heading into the top of the ninth inning.  Starting pitcher, sophomore Dalton Roach had thrown five innings giving up one hit and no runs while striking out five hitters.  Junior reliever Josh Matheson collected the win with three innings of work, allowing two hits and one run in the sixth frame. Deadlocked at one, the Mavericks cemented the win with two runs in the top of the final-regulation inning. Junior catcher Hunter Harnisch collected his second of two RBI in the game while going 2-4 at the plate.  Freshman Jordan Hart and sophomore Luke Waldek also recorded two hits in four at bats in game one.

In the second game, sophomore Josh Wenzel helped lead the offense going one for three at the plate with two RBI and a double. Senior Taylor Branstad also helped lead the way with two hits in three at bats and one run scored with a triple.  On the bump, sophomore starting pitcher Brody Rodning kept the Weevil offense off balance fanning 11 batters in seven innings of work for the complete-game win.  Rodning gave up one earned run, scattering five hits and walking three batters in all seven innings. 

In game three, it was all offense as the Weevils out hit the Mavericks by a clip of 17-11. UAM was able to capture a lead right away in the bottom of the first inning when they went up 1-0.  Minnesota State was able to respond with three runs of their own over the next two innings, but could not sustain as Arkansas-Monticello tallied six runs in the bottom of the third to go up 7-3.  The Weevils would manage to hold a lead until the top of the eight inning when The Mavericks had their biggest inning of the weekend, generating four runs to take an 11-9 lead.  The Maverick's lead was short lived as the Weevils answered right back in the bottom of the eighth with two, tying the game at 11. In the lone-extra inning, it was Branstad who would claim the game's final marker with a blast over the left-field wall in the top of the 10th, solidifying the game at 12-11 for MSU.  Minnesota State closer, senior Dakota Belter claimed the win in 2.1 innings of work, allowing one hit and striking out two batters. Branstad ended the contest with three hits in four at bats, batting in two runs and scoring four himself.  Sophomore Dylan Dresel also contributed recording two hits in four at bats and scoring three runs while Wenzel belted two hits, and knocking in three.

Eyeing Up the Eagles: The Embry-Riddle Eagles come into the Russ Matt Invitational with a 9-5 record.  Most recently, the Eagles were ousted by Rollins College in a three game series 2-1, losing the first two games by scores of 6-5 and 11-6.  The Eagles defeated the Tars in the third game 7-4.  ERU's offense is lead by senior outfielder Liam Goodall who is batting .375 with 21 hits and seven RBI and 13 runs.  Senior Corey Tufts is leading the Eagle's pitching staff with a 2.67 ERA in 33.2 innings of work collecting 35 strikeouts and forging a 3-1 record.

Scouting the Panthers: The Ohio Dominican University Panthers enter the Russ Matt Invitational with 3-0 record after sweeping Wheeling Jesuit in a three-game series February 20-21. The Panthers out scored the Cardinals by a score of 26-5 over the three game stretch. Senior Ian Huss leads the team with a .600 batting average, two runs, six hits and one double. Sophomore Matt Kittelberger has started one game and hasn't allowed a run through seven innings pitched while striking out four batters. The Mavericks and Panthers will battle Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. in Winter Haven, Fla.

Looking at the Mocs: Florida Southern owns an 8-6 record Coming into the Russ Matt Invitational. Following Florida Southern's game vs. Notre Dame (Ohio) on Thursday, Minnesota State will square up with the Mocs on Sunday, March 6th, at Henley Field in Lakeland, Fla.

Scouting the Timberwolves: The Northwood University Timberwolves will enter the Russ Matt Invitational with an overall record of 2-3, having most recently split a four-game series with Carson-Newman February 19-20. NU is led by senior Nick Black who is batting .500 with six hits in 12 at bats and seven RBI and two runs scored.  The Timberwolves have used a buffet of pitchers in their first five games this season with Alex Lewandowski leading the staff in innings pitched with six. Lewandowski has not allowed a run and has a record of 1-0. The Mavericks will play the Timberwolves March 7th at 11:00 a.m.

Taking a Look at the Cavaliers: Walsh University comes into the Invitational with a record of 2-5 on the young 2016 season, most recently having lost to Travecca Nazarene 8-2 and Quincy 15-4.  The Cavaliers will match up thee more times before drawing Minnesota State at 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, March 8th at Chain of Lakes Park in Winter Haven, Fla.

Scouting the Golden Rams: West Chester University enters the invitational  with a 3-0 record having beaten Philadelphia University (Va.), Saint Thomas Aquinas College (Va.) and Slippery Rock (Va.) and outscoring their opponents by a clip of 31-11. The Golden Rams will play three more games before taking on Minnesota State Tuesday, March 8th at 2:30 p.m.

The Eagle Report: The Ashland University Eagles will enter the Russ Matt Invitational with a 1-2 overall record, taking a loss to Missouri-St. Louis 11-4 before recording their first win against Souther Indiana 11-6. The Eagles took their second loss to St. Joseph's (Ind.) on Sunday, Feb. 28, 4-2.  The Eagles will play five games in the Invitational before meeting up with Minnesota State on Wednesday, March 9th at 11:00 a.m. in Winter Haven, Fla.

Looking at the Lakers: Grand Valley State University owns a 4-3 overall record to start out the 2016 season and will play one game against Ohio Dominican before squaring up with the Mavericks on Thursday, March 11th in Winter Haven, Fla. at 4:00 p.m.

Minnesota State History: The 2016 season marks the 76th for Maverick baseball. MSU owns a 1,668-835-7 (.666) all-time record in 2,510 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, 10 Mavericks have been selected as All-Americans.

Quick Hitters (2016): 

• Minnesota State is off to a 3-0 start for the 12th time since 1964, and the second time under head coach Matt Magers
• Two players are hitting over .400 for the Mavericks thus far in sophomore Josh Wenzel and senior Taylor Branstad
• The Purple and Gold are out scoring their opposition 18-14 in the young 2016 season
• The Maverick's lineup is batting .400 against left-handed pitchers as opposed to .234 against right-handed pitchers
• When the leadoff runner reaches safely, MSU is batting .462
• The Mavericks outscored their opponent in every regulation inning last season for total clip of 429-213 runs scored, including a 55-18 (37 runs) mark in the fourth inning and a 60-27 (33 runs) margin in the seventh.

Leading the Herd: Senior Taylor Branstad and sophomore Josh Wenzel are both hitting over .400 thus far for Minnesota state. Wenzel is averaging .444 while Branstad is a .417, respectively.  Branstad is also leading the team in hits and runs with five, as well as slugging percentage at .833 while Wenzel has collected five RBI to lead the Mavericks. 
On the mound, sophomore Brody Rodning is off to a hot start having tossed a seven inning complete game for a 1-0 start in 2016.  Rodning has also struck out 11 batters, while his opposition has only culminated a .192 batting average off of the left hander.

Setting the Standard: Minnesota State finished in the top-10 of the NCAA DII circuit in four different categories in the country last season, including a number one ranking in batting average at .355. The Mavericks also finished fourth in win-loss percentage at 82.7%, in a tie for eighth with 621 hits, and in a tie for ninth with a 42% on base percentage. 

Sensational Skipper: Head coach Matt Magers is in the start of his eighth season at the helm of the Mavericks program. Magers has produced a 309-86 (.782) record and now sits in second for all-time wins at Minnesota State behind his predecessor Dean Boyer (1977-2008/ 990 wins). Magers is one of three coaches at MSU who has passed the 200 wins mark (Jean McCarthy: 1964-76/ 250 wins).

40+: Minnesota State as recorded eight 40-or-more-win seasons in its 76 seasons of competition. Six of those seasons have come under the watch of head coach Matt Magers. 

Preseason Prognostications:  Minnesota State was selected to finish in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll garnering 5 of the 15 first place votes. Nationally, the Mavericks were ranked No. 9 in the NCBWA Preseason poll and were No. 2 in the regional poll.

Senior Taylor Branstad and sophomore Dalton Roach were selected to the NSIC Players to Watch List while Branstad garnered NCBWA All-Central Region Preseason Team honors.

Position Breakdown:  The 2016 Minnesota State baseball roster features a total of 18 pitchers. Of the 305.1 innings accumulated by the Mavericks' top-six pitchers last season, five are retuning who accounted for 260 IP. MSU's pitching arsenal won't be missing much as the five pitchers who are gone after last season accounted for just five wins in 2015. Of the 18 pitchers on the roster, four of them are southpaws and of the 13 position players on the roster, eight of them are infielders. The Mavericks have four outfielders and will carry six catchers along with two utility players.

Minnesota State in the Polls: Currently, the Mavericks hold a #2 ranking in the baseballnews.com DII National Poll, #8 in the NCBWA Poll, #4 in the ABCA National Poll and ranks 2nd in the NCBWA Central Region Poll.

Welcome to Minnesota State: The Maverick's roster this season features 17 newcomers including 16 freshman on the squad.  Along with 17 fresh faces on the roster, the Mavericks also acquired the assistance of newly-hired Assistant Coach P.J. McIntee.  McIntee joins the program this season after serving as an assistant at Morehead State (Ky.) in 2015, helping  the Eagles claim an Ohio Valley Conference tournament title in 2015.

What Lies Ahead: After the 10-game road trip at the Russ Matt Invitational, Minnesota State will open Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference action  a four-game series against Minnesota Duluth at home March 25-26.  

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