MANKATO, Minn. – The Minnesota State Mavericks (7-1, 3-0 NSIC) are set for a four-game Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference series against the University of Mary (3-5, 1-2 NSIC). The teams will play doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday at Bearcat Baseball Field in Maryville, Mo. Friday's games are scheduled for noon and 2 p.m., while Saturday's contests are slated for 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Last Time on the Diamond

The Mavericks are coming off a dominant four-game sweep of Jamestown.

On Monday, MSU opened conference play with an 8-1 win before following with a 16-0 victory, with both games shortened to seven innings. Brandon Vlcko and Ethan Bowers each hit their first home runs of the season in game one. Bowers launched a two-run shot in the second inning, while Vlcko added a solo home run in the third. Louis Magers later drove in Jake Berkland as the Mavericks built a 6-0 lead.

Sam George (2-0) earned the win, tossing 4.0 shutout innings with six strikeouts. Gannon Reidinger closed out the final three innings. Vlcko and Logan Miller each tallied two hits as MSU finished with 10 hits in the opener.

Game two featured an offensive explosion as the Mavericks posted 16 runs on 16 hits. Vlcko went 3-for-3 with five RBI and added his second home run of the day. CJ Trask recorded three RBI, including a home run, while Owen Sikkink added an RBI double. Daniel Zang struck out six over 3.0 hitless innings, and Brody Schulte earned his first win of the season.

On Tuesday, the Mavericks secured two more wins, 15-4 and 8-5, again in seven innings.

In game one, MSU launched three consecutive solo home runs in the fifth inning from Vlcko, Cole Yearsley, and Pambos Nicoloudes. It marked three straight games with a home run for Vlcko, who totaled seven RBI the day prior. Ethan Bowers collected three hits and three runs scored from the leadoff spot, while Berkland drove in three runs. CJ Trask also homered and finished with three hits and three runs scored. Mack Crowley (2-0) earned the win with 5.0 innings pitched.

The Mavericks closed the series with an 8-5 non-conference victory. Minnesota State broke the game open with a four-run second inning highlighted by Bowers' triple and Berkland's sacrifice fly. Jamestown threatened late, but Cale Haugen secured the final strikeout to seal the sweep. Ben Irsfeld (1-0) earned the win in relief.

Facing the Marauders

The University of Mary split its four-game series last weekend against Sioux Falls, winning 3-2 and 8-3 while falling 6-2 and 6-3 in the other two contests.
Senior Kalem leads the Marauders with a .346 batting average and nine hits. On the mound, senior Ryan Chamberlain owns a 0.00 ERA over 8.1 innings pitched.
Minnesota State holds a 59-9 all-time record against UMary. The last meeting between the two programs came on May 7 in the NSIC Tournament, where MSU earned a 10-2 victory.