On Tap: The Minnesota State baseball program, now 17-10 (8-5 NSIC) on the 2016 season, is preparing for the Vikings of Augustana University this week.  The Mavericks and Vikings will square off on April 13, with a double header taking place at the MSU Baseball Complex in Mankato, Minn., starting at 1:30 p.m.

Last Time on the Diamond:  Almost one week ago, the Mavericks were scheduled to play a Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference double header at No. 1 St. Cloud State.  The duel was changed to a single nine-inning game due to frigid weather conditions.

Both team's starting pitchers were relentless to begin, with only three runs scored combined in the first seven innings of play at Joe Faber Field.  In the bottom of the fourth and fifth innings, the St. Cloud State Huskies scored one in each stanza off of a combined three hits to go up 2-0.  The Mavericks responded with one in the top of the seventh when sophomore Josh Wenzel tagged his first-home run of the year on a solo shot for Minnesota State's lone run of the game. 

St. Cloud State cemented their 22nd win of the season with three more runs in the bottom of the eighth inning off of Minnesota State relief pitcher, senior Dakota Belter.

Maverick starting pitcher, red-shirt freshman Jon Ludwig (0-2) threw six-complete innings in the contest, taking his second loss of the year. The Plymouth, Minn., native gave up two runs on seven hits in the game while striking out four and walking two. 

Minnesota State bounced back from the loss to the first-rated Huskies by taking three of four from the Marauders of the University of Mary on Saturday and Sunday.  

The Mavericks started the four-game series off with two wins on Saturday before splitting with the Marauders on Sunday.  

In Saturday's game one, MSU took a 2-0 lead in the third inning and scored two more runs in the top of the sixth to garner a 4-0 led heading into the seventh frame.

In the top of the third, Minnesota State senior Kyle Toth and junior Eric Peterson both singled and scored off of two more hits and one error committed by the Marauders while sophomore Luke Waldek hit his second home run of the season in the top of the sixth on a two-run shot for the 4-0 lead.  The Mavericks scored their last run of the game when Peterson hit his third homer of the season to left field to go up 5-0. 

Maverick starting pitcher, sophomore Dalton Roach went the distance throwing the complete game in pitching seven-innings.  Roach was garnering a perfect-game before he hit U-Mary's lead off hitter in the bottom of the seventh and his no-hit bid was ended in the inning with one out as U-Mary's Will Pettener hit a two-run home run for the Marauders.  Roach ended the game giving up two runs on one hit and striking out nine hitters with zero walks.

In game two on Saturday, the Mavericks used 12 runs on 14 hits to beat the Marauders 12-8 in nine innings.  The game was high-lighted by Waldek's 4-5 performance that included two runs and two batted in along with his third home run of the season.  Sophomore Dylan Dresel hit his team-leading fourth homer of the season as he recorded two runs and three more batted in throughout the contest.  Freshman Jordan Hart made his performance known as well in going 2-4 with two runs and two batted in with a triple and a walk while Toth collected three hits as well.

Staring pitcher, sophomore Brody Rodning got the win, improving his record to 3-1 on the year, striking out 13 and giving up five earned runs on seven hits in six innings pitched.

Game one on Sunday featured a pitcher's duel as junior Mitchell Bauer threw six innings for the complete game.  Though Bauer threw a gem, there were two unearned runs given up in the bottom of the fifth that allowed the Marauders to claim a 2-1 victory.  Bauer's record moved to 3-2 on the year in fanning six and walking just one and giving up six hits. 

The Mavericks lone run came in the top of the fourth inning when senior Taylor Branstad led off with a walk and was moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Wenzel.  Branstad then came around to score on a triple to right center from Hart. 

In game four, Minnesota State bounced back to get their third win of the series.  Junior pitcher Josh Matheson claimed his third victory of the season in upping his record to 3-0.  The right-hander threw seven innings allowing just one-earned run on five hits while striking out seven and walking zero. 

The Mavericks generated 14 hits to push 11 across for the 11-3 win.  Hart and Branstad both homered in the contest combining for five runs batted in and three runs while Peterson went 3-5 with four runs scored and two batted in.

Scouting the Vikings: Most recently, the Augustana University Vikings conjured a four-game sweep over Northern Sun foe Northern State on the road. The Vikings defeated the Wolves by a combined score of 47-12 in the four-game set, scoring 11 or more runs in each of their victories.

Head coach Tim Huber is in his eighth season at the helm of the program, boasting a 258-148 (161-73) record in his time. Huber is also the all-time wins leader in the program's history, having made two consecutive appearances in the NSIC Tournament Championship game and winning the title in 2014.

Offensively, the Vikings are led by Tyler Field and Patrick O'Donnell. Field boasts a .487 batting average in 16 games played with 19 hits in 39 at bats while O'Donnell is hitting .453, leading the team with 43 hits and 15 walks while scoring 24 runs and batting in 25. On the hill, Ryan Hamilton has produced a 1.99 ERA in six starts and 31.2 innings pitched. The right-hander stands 4-0 on the season giving up seven-earned runs and serving up 29 strikeouts while opponents are batting .193 against.

Last Matchup: The last time the Mavericks and Vikings faced off, Augustana bested Minnesota State 4-2 in the 2015 NSIC Tournament in Sioux Falls on May 7. During the regular season in 2015, Minnesota State got the best of Auggie as the Mavericks swept the Vikings 9-7 twice in Sioux Falls on April 8, 2015.

Minnesota State History: The 2016 season marks the 76th for Maverick baseball. MSU owns a 1,682-845-7 (.665) all-time record in 2,534 total games. Minnesota State has five Northern Intercollegiate Conference titles (1968, 1969, 1979, 1980, 1981), Nineteen 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.

Leading the Herd: Offensively, Waldek is leading the lineup batting .370 while freshman Jordan Hart is leading the team with .600 SLG% and four triples (T2nd NSIC) and ranks second with a .356 batting average.  Eric Peterson ranks in the top five in  average (3rd/.344), slg% (3rd/.548), OBP (1st/.496), runs (1st/37/ 2nd NSIC), hits (T3rd/32), HBP (1st/12/1st NSIC), walks (1st/17/T3rd NSIC), total bases (3rd/51), doubles (4th/6), and home runs (T2nd/3).  

Dresel leads the team and conference with 213 putouts while boasting a .991 fielding percentage. Toth leads the team and is tied for third in the NSIC with 68 assists through the Mavericks first 27 games.  As a team, Minnesota State ranks first in the conference with 975 chances in the field, 665 putouts, 268 assists, and 24 double plays turned, while fielding a .957%.
 
On the mound, junior Mitchell Bauer leads the starting corpse with a 3.00 ERA composing a 3-2 record in six starts. Four other Mavericks have also collected three wins on the year while sophomore Brody Rodning is pacing the staff in strikeouts with 45 in 36.2 innings pitched.  Senior reliever Peter Gaustad and red-shirt freshman Daniel Feneis have made a team-high 10 appearances with Guastad having not allowed an earned run in his 13 innings of work and Feneis with just one given up in his 10 innings of work thus far.

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 his eighth season at the helm of the Mavericks baseball program. Magers has produced a 323-96 (.778) 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. 

Left-Right: MSU is Batting .342 against left-handed pitchers while the lineup is hitting .281 vs. right handers.  Pitching-wise, the Maverick staff is dealing . 234 batting average to left-handed hitters vs. a .298 batting average to right-handed hitters.

Runners On vs. Empty Pond: The Mavericks are batting .308 with runners on base while batting .289 when the bases are empty.

Ducks On the Pond: Minnesota State is hitting .304 with runners in scoring position while the pitching staff is serving up a .259 average to opposing hitters when there are runners in scoring position.

Streaking: In the first 22 games of the season Eric Peterson had reached base and at one point rode a team-high 12-game hitting streak. Jordan Hart has the highest-current hitting streak of nine games as well as reaching base in his last 19 games.

Get 'Em In: The Mavericks are batting a solid .699 with runners on third and less than two outs.

Preseason Prognostications:  Minnesota State was selected to finish second 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 Central Region 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 returning 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:  The Mavericks rank 9th in the most recent NCBWA DII 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 Maverick's two games this Wednesday vs. Augustana, they will embark on a 12-game road stand beginning next Wednesday, April 20, at Upper Iowa for two games before playing a pair of double headers against Concordia-St. Paul on April 23-24, a two-game set at Northern State on April 27, and another pair of double headers at Winona State on April 30-May 1.

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