On Tap:  No. 19 Minnesota State baseball is slated to face Upper Iowa for its final regular season-home series of 2017 this weekend. The two teams will play a four-game Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference series with doubleheaders scheduled for Saturday at 1:30 p.m., and Sunday at noon.
                  
Last Time on the Diamond: The No. 19-ranked Mavericks (34-7, 29-3 NSIC) finished last week 6-0 in NSIC play — sweeping a home doubleheader against Northern State (5-1, 13-1) on Tuesday and a four-game series at Bemidji State (2-1, 11-6, 7-6, 4-3) on Friday and Saturday in Bemidji, Minn. 
 
Senior Day: Minnesota State is celebrating senior day on Sunday. Six seniors will be honored in an on-field ceremony: infielder Eric Peterson, first baseman Hunter Walsh, left-handed pitcher Austin Franzen, right-handed pitcher Trevor Patterson, right-handed pitcher Mitchell Bauer and catcher Hunter Harnisch.
 
Leading the NSIC: With a 6-0 week in NSIC play, the Mavericks remain atop the conference standings with a 29-3 conference record — five games ahead of Augustana in the win column and three games ahead in the loss column.
 
One of the Top Pitching Staffs in NCAA DII: The Maverick pitching staff has been one of the best in NCAA DII — ranking fourth in hits allowed per nine innings (7.43), third in strikeout to walk ratio (3.44), 11th in strikeouts per nine innings (9.5), tied for 11th in shutouts (6), 12th in walks allowed per nine innings (2.76) and second in WHIP (1.13).
 
Senior right-hander Mitchell Bauer (7-0, 2.31 ERA) and junior right-hander Dalton Roach (7-0, 2.22 ERA) are tied for the team lead with seven victories each. Bauer leads the Mavericks and is second in the NSIC with a career-high 62 1/3 innings pitched in 2017. Roach leads the NSIC and is tied for 16th in NCAA DII with 87 strikeouts on the season. Junior southpaw Brody Rodning (5-3) leads the Mavericks with a .196 batting average against on the season. 
 
NSIC Sluggers: The Mavericks lead the NSIC in home runs (48) and slugging percentage (.478) in 2017. Infielder Dylan Dresel and outfielder Josh Wenzel — both juniors — share the team lead in home runs (9).
 
All-Time Maverick: Senior infielder Eric Peterson scored eight runs on the week to increase his career runs scored total to 208. Peterson — the Mavericks' all-time leader in career runs scored — is the only Maverick to eclipse 200 runs scored. He also ranks fourth in program history with 53 career stolen bases, third in hits (232), tied for sixth in doubles (42), tied for fourth in triples (9), sixth in at-bats (676) and seventh in games played (188).
 
Minnesota State in the Polls: The Mavericks remained ranked No. 19 in the April 18 edition of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association NCAA Division II poll.
 
Scouting Upper Iowa: The Peacocks (16-22, 12-18 NSIC) enter the four-game series with the Mavericks after facing Southwest Minnesota State in a home doubleheader on Wednesday. Last weekend, Upper Iowa split a four-game series at Sioux Falls (6-1, 13-9, 2-20, 1-11).
 
The Upper Iowa offense boasts four student-athletes that are batting over .300. They are: Anthony Calton (.361), Jacob Greco (.344), Zackary Cain (.321) and Alex George (.319).
 
On the mound, Brett Fanning (5-2) has been the Peacock's ace — leading the team in wins (5), ERA (2.29), complete games (6), and innings pitched (51).
 
Facing the Peacocks: Last season, the Mavericks split a doubleheader at the Peacocks. The Mavericks lost game one 3-0 before winning game two 21-3.