What's on Tap: Minnesota State will face Augustana in a mid-week doubleheader Wednesday in Sioux Falls, S.D. Game times will be 4:00 p.m., and 6:00 p.m. The Mavericks will then turn their attention to Concordia-St. Paul for a three-game weekend series on Saturday and Sunday. Games will begin at 1:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m., on Saturday and then 12:00 p.m., on Sunday.

Last Time on the Diamond: Minnesota State won two out of three in a weekend series against Wayne State. The Mavericks won the first two games 11-2 and 4-3 in 10 innings last Friday before dropping the finale 9-5 on Saturday.

Single Season Records: After claiming two career records at MSU this season, senior outfielder Jordan Hart is closing in on two single season records as well. Hart currently has 60 RBI this season, which is one away from tying Patrick Dockendorf (2012) at 61 in a season. Hart has also blasted 15 home runs over three fence in 2019, which is three away from tying Kevin Dixon (2005) at 18 in a season.

Walk-off Magic: Junior infielder Ty Buck gave the Mavericks a win in extra innings for the second time this season. In the second game of the doubleheader against Wayne State, Buck sent a ball right back up the middle in the bottom of the 10th inning to score Hart from second base for the walk-off win. Buck's other walk-off hit came in the game against Findlay on the Florida Trip, where MSU won 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth. 

Scouting Augustana: The Vikings currently sit with a 30-12 record and are on top of the NSIC with a 23-4 mark. Most recently, the Vikings took three out of four against Winona State over the weekend. Augustana won the first three games 4-2, 10-5 and 16-11 before dropping the finale 10-7. As a team, the Vikings are hitting .324, slugging .455 with 124 extra base hits and have an on-base percentage of .412 through 42 games. As a pitching staff, Augustana has a 3.77 earned-run average with 326 strikeouts and allowing 174 walks.

Junior outfielder Riley Johnson leads the way offensively by batting .399 with 13 doubles, two triples, four home runs and 37 RBI. Junior right-hander Max Steffens (5-0) has made 10 starts for the pitching staff and sits with a 1.49 ERA. In 66.1 innings of work, he has 47 strikeouts and seven walks.

Facing Augustana: MSU leads the all-time series versus the Vikings with a 61-19 record. The last time the two teams faced off was April 28-29, 2018 when the Mavericks took three out of four games against the Vikings. MSU won the first game 4-3, dropped game two 4-2 and continued to win the next two 3-1 and 13-10.

Scouting Concordia-St. Paul: The Golden Bears currently sit with a 19-18 record including a 10-15 mark in the NSIC, good for ninth place. Most recently, CSP split a mid-week doubleheader with Upper Iowa. The Peacocks won game one 11-1 and the Golden Bears won game two 3-2. As a team, CSP is hitting .252, slugging .330 with 61 extra base hits and have an on-base percentage of .331 through 37 games. As a pitching staff, the Golden Bears have a 4.62 earned-run average with 288 strikeouts and allowing 126 walks.

Sophomore outfielder Ryan Christopher leads the way offensively by batting .319 with seven doubles, four triples and 25 RBI. Junior right-hander Louie Varland (3-4) has made seven starts for the pitching staff and sits with a 3.61 ERA. In 42.1 innings of work, he has 52 strikeouts and 12 walks.

Facing Concordia-St. Paul: MSU leads the all-time series versus the Golden Bears with a 15-5 record. The last time the two teams faced off was the first round of the 2018 NSIC Tournament when CSP defeated MSU 7-4.

Up Next: Minnesota State is scheduled to wrap up NSIC regular season play with a road series against Sioux Falls and a home series against Winona State. A doubleheader will be played in Sioux Falls, S.D., on May 1 against the Cougars with games beginning at 1:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m. A three-game set will be played on May 3-4 at Bowyer Field with games beginning at 1:30 p.m., and 3:30 p.m., on Friday and a single game beginning at 12:00 p.m., on Saturday.