MANKATO, Minn. – Minnesota State baseball (34-16, 29-10) earned the No. 2 seed and will play No. 7 seed University of Mary (23-25, 19-19) to open the double-elimination Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference tournament on Wednesday, May 8 at 6 p.m.
 
The Mavericks and Marauders play at BNC Field in Mandan, N.D. after splitting a four-game series in Elkhorn, Nebraska February 23-25. The Marauders won the opener 17-7 before MSU claimed a 13-5 win. UMary won game three 11-6 but the Mavericks evened the series in the final game 18-8.
 
NSIC tournament games are streamed live on NSIC Network via paid subscription for a charge of $10 per game or $30 for a tournament pass.
 
Tournament website
Live statistics
 
#1 seed Augustana (32-6, 41-8)
#2 seed Minnesota State (29-10, 34-16)
#3 seed Minnesota Crookston (28-10, 34-14)
#4 seed St. Cloud State (28-11, 32-17)
#5 seed Wayne State College (21-16, 26-21)
#6 seed Southwest Minnesota State (20-19, 26-22)
#7 seed UMary (19-19, 23-25)
#8 seed Concordia-St Paul (19-19, 27-20)
 
NSIC BASEBALL TOURNAMENT RETURNS TO BISMARCK-MANDAN

• The 2024 Northern Sun baseball tournament is returning to the Bismarck and Mandan communities for a second straight year. Hosted by the University of Mary, the top eight teams in the final NSIC regular season standings will participate in the double-elimination tournament running Wednesday through Sunday, May 8-11, at Veterans Memorial Ballpark at BNC Field in Mandan, ND, and Municipal Ballpark at Dakota Community Bank & Trust Field in Bismarck, ND.

LET IT BYRNE

• Leadoff hitter and starting shortstop Aidan Byrne ranks seventh in the NSIC with a .399 batting average, including 14 doubles, three triples and six home runs with 48 runs batted in.
• Byrne also ranks third in the league with 23 stolen bases in 24 attempts.
• Byrne owns a .966 fielding percentage to go along with 80 put outs and a team-leading 116 assists in the field, while committing just seven errors. Byrne has also taken part in 19 of MSU's 27 double plays this season, leading to his selection as All-NSIC Defensive Team and All-NSIC Second Team.

WICKMAN, WALKOFF, WINNING

• An outfielder from Spring Green, Wis., Ryan Wickman has played and started in 48 games for the Mavericks this season. He is batting .358 on the season with 64 hits, including 14 doubles, two triples and three home runs.
• He has scored 57 runs and has driven in 52. Wickman leads the team in stolen bases with 23 and boasts a team-leading .676 slugging percentage.
• Wickman's walk-off home run against Wayne State College lifted the Mavericks to a 5-4 win on April 30.
• He was named All-NSIC First Team on Tuesday. 

MR. VERSATILITY

• A pitcher and infielder from Mankato, Minn., Louis Magers has started in all 50 games for the Mavericks this season. He is batting .313 with 51 hits, to go along with 51 runs scored and a team-leading 58 RBI.
• He also leads the team in home runs with 14 and a .477 on-base percentage.
• Magers has also made 10 appearances on the mound this season. In 41.2 innings, he has put together a 3-2 record, to go along with a 4.32 ERA and 31 strikeouts.
• He was named All-NSIC First Team on Tuesday.

GO WITH STROH

• An outfielder from Elk River, Minn., Zach Stroh has played and started in 46 games for the Mavericks this season, while batting .376. He has scored 45 runs this season and ranks second on the team in runs batted in with 54.
• Stroh has recorded 19 extra base hits, including 11 doubles and seven home runs.
• He was name All-NSIC Second Team on Tuesday.

POSTSEASON PROGNOSTICATIONS

• The winner of the NSIC Baseball Tournament will earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Central Region Tournament. The 38-team NCAA Central Region is made up of teams from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference, the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) and the Great American Conference (GAC).
• Automatic bids are awarded to the tournament champions from each conference with the final five spots awarded on an at-large basis.

SCOUTING THE MARAUDERS

• The Marauders went 1-4 on the road during the final week of the regular season. The Marauders dropped two games at Minnesota Crookston (L 11-4, L 11-10) and 2-of-3 at Minnesota Duluth (L 4-1, W 7-2, L 5-2).
• The Marauders lead the NSIC for the second straight season with 69 home runs and rank No. 19 in the country in the category with 1.44 HR per game. They slugged 72 a year ago.
• Tanner Spencer is in his fifth season as head coach and moved into second place in career coaching victories at UMary.
• Mark Schommer has been excellent out of the bullpen. As a senior, he has allowed just one run over 21 innings. With 31 strikeouts and nine hits, he holds a 3-0 record and 0.43 ERA.
• Outfielder Carter Beck (Carnduf, Saskatchewan) is hitting .362 with a 1.076 OPS in his first season at UMary.
• In 46 games, he has amassed 49 runs, 10 doubles, three triples and 11 home runs with 49 runs batted in.
• Senior first baseman Noah Hull is third in UMary history with 31 home runs.
• Mike Polson is hitting .366 with eight doubles, four triples and seven home runs with 26 runs scored and 24 runs batted in.
• UMary finished the 2023 season 23-27 overall and 16-19 in the NSIC. The Marauders were projected to finish ninth in the NSIC Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll. Augustana was the preseason favorite, followed by Minnesota State.