Setting up Shop

Rated tied for 11th in last week's NCBWA DII Top 25 Poll, Minnesota State (28-6, 24-5 NSIC) wraps up Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference regular season action this week hosting Sioux Falls for a 7/9-inning doubleheader Wednesday at noon, before taking on Winona State in another doubleheader Friday at 2:30 p.m. and concluding the three-game series Saturday at noon.


Facing Sioux Falls (May 5)

The Mavericks are 21-1 in an all-time series against the Cougars that dates back to March 30, 2012. The series features MSU on an 18-game winning streak against USF.

With a 19-16 overall record and 14-16 conference mark this season, Sioux Falls stands tied for eighth in the NSIC. The Cougars own a team batting average of .275 and .412 slugging percentage. When pitching, USF sports a team earned run avergae of 5.84 and an opponent batting average of .272.


Facing Winona State (May 7-8)

The Mavericks hold an all-time record of 73-27-1 against the Warriors in a series that dates back to earlier than 1964. After riding an 11-game winning streak against the Warriors from 2015-19, MSU dropped its last two contests to WSU (May of 2019).

The Warriors are 21-14 this season with an 18-12 record in the NSIC that has them at sixth in the conference standings. WSU is batting .281 as a team and slugging .409. On the mound, they have a team ERA of 4.71 and opponent batting average of .248.


Last Time on the Diamond

Minnesota State now owns a 28-6 overall record this season and leads the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference behind a 24-5 mark in league play. After Minnesota State dropped a pair of decisions, being shutout by Augustana 0-1 and 0-7 April 28, the Mavericks bounced back to sweep Concordia St. Paul in a three-game series with 4-3 and 7-1 wins Sunday before claiming an 18-4 win in seven innings, Monday at Bowyer Field.


Mavericks Ranked 11th in the NCBWA Poll

The Minnesota State baseball team moved up the ranks to a season-best rating of 11th in last week's National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association Division II Top 25 Poll. It marked MSU's fifth consecutive week in the poll since breaking into the Top 25 ranking for the first time since Feb. 5, 2020, (No. 25 in 2020 NCBWA DII Preseason Poll).


The Big One

Maverick senior outfielder Joey Werner has been named NSIC Player of the Week twice this season (March 22 & 28). The Hastings, Minn., native batted 14-for-30 (.467) during the hot stretch with a home run in five-straight games that helped him rake in 17 RBI and the back-to-back weekly honors. 

This season, Werner leads the Mavericks in batting average (.446), home runs (9), RBI (44), total bases (86) and slugging percentage (.768). Werner's team-high 40-game on-base streak was snapped last week in MSU's 1-0 loss to Augustana, April 28.


Take Two (or Four)

Teddy Petersen leads MSU with 24 free passes this season in the form of 17 walks and seven times being hit by a pitch. A native of Glencoe, Minn., Petersen, sports a .383 batting average, owns the Mavericks' second-most hits (46), home runs (5), RBI (25) and total bases (71).


The Maverick Staff

The MSU pitching staff owns the nation's best ERA in DII baseball so far this season at a 2.65 mark. Over 34 games, opponents are batting .222 against MSU. Minnesota State leads the NSIC in both categories.


The MSU Rotation

The Mavericks have had six different starting arms this season. All together, MSU starters have combined for 34 starts and 43 appearances mustering 201 innings pitched. In that span, Maverick starting arms have struck out 240 of 908 opposing batters faced.


Minnesota State Ace

For the second time in his career, senior right-handed pitcher Jon Ludwig was named NSIC Pitcher of the Week (Week One - March 8) after allowing one run to Missouri-St. Louis in his Opening Day start on Feb. 26. Last weekend, Ludwig pitched five complete innings of two-run (one earned) four-hit baseball to move to a 7-1 record with a win in game one against CSP, May 2.

The Osseo HS product has a team-best 81 strikeouts against 199 batters faced this season. In nine starts, which leads the Mavericks, Ludwig has MSU's most innings pitched (52) while garnering a 1.90 earned run average, .180 opponent batting average and .73 WHIP this season.


Dirty Denk

Sophomore right-handed pitcher Collin Denk has the Mavericks' best ERA among the MSU starting rotation at 1.29. In the NCAA DII, Denk's ERA is eighth in the rankings. This season, the Lakeville, Minn., native owns a .216 opponent batting average and a perfect 7-0 record in seven starts.


You Don't Knoll Me

Junior right-handed pitcher Brendan Knoll garners the Mavericks' second-best ERA of any starting arm this season at 1.57. In 34.1 innings over nine games he's appeared in this season, the Kasson-Mantorville HS product owns MSU's third-best opponent batting average among starting arms at .218.


Can You "Zig" It?

Sophomore right-hander Jack Zigan has pitched in 16.2 innings this season over 10 games which featured one start (March 25). A product of Eden Prairie HS, Zigan sports a 2.70 ERA and .323 opponent batting average.


Maverick Closer

Senior right-handed reliever Hunter Even is the Mavericks closer. Even leads MSU with eight saves this season. Last week, the Maverick closer allowed his first earned run of the season. Even owns the Mavericks' best ERA at .60 over 15 innings pitched. He has allowed only six hits and and walked four while striking out 22. He owns a .065 opponent batting average in 12 appearances this season.


Fantastic Freshman 

Leading Maverick youngsters this season is freshman infielder Adam Schneider. In 31 games, Schneider has made 27 starts this season and owns the Mavericks fourth-best batting average at .297.


Maverick Two-Way Players

Minnesota State baseball has a pair of two-way players this season in junior Cam Kline and sophomore Nick Altermatt. Kline has six starts on the mound and sports a 4.45 ERA while Altermatt has pitched six  starts on the hill for a 1.74 ERA. With the bat, Altermatt is hitting .281 this season while Kline carries a .229 batting average.


Big-Time Hitters

Among Minnesota State's best extra-base hitters this season are outfielder Teddy Petersen and Ty Denzer, who lead the Mavericks with eight doubles, catcher Ben Livorsi, who leads Maverick triples with a pair, and outfielder Joey Werner, who leads MSU with nine home runs in 2021. Werner frontruns the slugging percentage effort at a .768 mark.


Maverick Ironmen

Among the Mavericks roster are two players who have appeared in each of MSU's 34 games this season. They are Nick Altermatt and Jack Waletich. Among the two of them, Altermatt is the only Maverick player with starts in each of MSU's 34 games this season.


Sensational Skipper

Head coach Matt Magers is in his 13th season at the helm of the Mavericks. Magers has produced a 494-157 (.758) record and sits in second place for all-time wins at Minnesota State behind his predecessor Dean Boyer (1977-2008 / 990 wins). Magers is 1-of-3 coaches at MSU who has passed the 200-win mark (Jean McCarthy: 1964-76 / 250 wins).


2021 Maverick Captains

The Minnesota State Maverick baseball captains for the 2021 season are Petersen and Waletich.


Preseason Prognostications

Minnesota State, which garnered 2 first-place votes and 181 voting points, was selected to finish second in the 2021 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll.


Looking Back at 2020 

Minnesota State finished the 2020 season with an 8-5 record after the season was shortened due to the COVID-19 virus. All of the Mavericks' games were nonconference games as the season stopped right before NSIC play began.


Returning Player Breakdown

The 2021 Minnesota State baseball roster features 34 previous letterwinners. The Mavericks return 15 pitchers from last year's staff and in the field they return 19 position players (10 infielders, six outfielders and three catchers).


40-Win Club

Minnesota State has recorded nine 40-or-more-win seasons in its 80 previous seasons of competition. Seven of those seasons have come under current head coach Matt Magers.


Minnesota State History

The 2021 season marks the 81st for Maverick baseball. MSU owns an 1,848-883-7 (.675) all-time record in 2,738 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 five Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament crowns (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017). The program has made 37 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, 2016, 2017 and 2019) 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, the Mavericks have earned All-American selections 19 times.

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