Independent file photo SMSU’s Kip Gronholz denies a University of Mary baserunner from reaching third safely during their first game on May 1, 2021. SMSU will face MSU Mankato today.

MARSHALL — The Southwest Minnesota State University baseball team (8-13, 1-8 NSIC) continues Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play today with a doubleheader versus Minnesota State University (16-4, 9-2 NSIC) in Sioux City, Iowa. The two games will be played at Bishop Muller Field on the campus of Briar Cliff University.

•The games were scheduled to be played at Legion Field in Marshall, but were moved due to poor weather and field conditions in Marshall.

•SMSU has now had four games canceled and five games relocated during NSIC play due to poor weather.

Game coverage

•Live stats and video for both games will be available at SMSUmustangs.com.

Series history vs.

Minnesota State

•SMSU and MSU have met 76 times since the first meeting in 1973 with MSU holding a 66-10 all-time advantage.

•MSU has won 32 of the last 33 games since the 2010 season. SMSU defeated MSU on May 14, 2009, at the NCAA Tournament in Grand Junction, Colo. SMSU’s only victory since then occurred on March 21, 2014, in Sioux City, Iowa.

About Minnesota State

•MSU is 16-4 overall, 9-2 NSIC, and has won five straight games, including sweeping a three-game series versus Minnesota Duluth last weekend in Mankato.

•Matt Magers is in his 14th season as head coach of the Mavericks.

•Through 20 games, MSU is batting .326, averaging 9.6 runs per game and have a team ERA of 2.78 in 165 innings with 207 strikeouts.

SMSU season numbers

•Through 21 games, SMSU is averaging 6.0 runs per game, batting .308 with 38 doubles, eight triples and 11 home runs.

•The SMSU pitching staff has an 8.67 ERA in 155 2/3 innings with 146 strikeouts.

•Sophomore Isaac Nett is hitting .406 with three doubles and three home runs with a team-leading 18 RBIs. He leads the club with six stolen bases and earlier this season had an 11-game hitting streak. He ranks second on the club with eight multi-hit games.

•Sophomore Chase McDaniel is batting a .387 with one double, one triple and five stolen bases. He has a team-leading 10 multi-hit games.

•Sophomore Jaxon Haase is batting .354 with five doubles and 14 RBIs. He reached base in a team-leading 16 straight games earlier this season.

•Freshman Owen Latendresse has belted a team-high four home runs, ranks second on the team with 16 RBIs and is hitting .333 with eight multi-hit games.

•Junior Keenan Wenzel is tied for the team-lead with five doubles and his batting .391.

•Freshman Caleb Gardow is batting .317 with four doubles and home run.

•Sophomore Kobe Lovell is 1-0 in five relief appearances with a 3.00 ERA in 11 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts.

•Senior Andy Andresen has appeared in seven games and has a 3.18 ERA in 5 2/3 innings with one save.

•Freshman Ryan Chmielewski has two victories in a team-high 30 innings with 22 strikeouts.

NCAA statistics

•In the latest NCAA statistics (March 30), Isaac Nett ranks 12th in batting average (.455), 12th in on-base percentage (.559) and 18th in toughest to strikeout at (18.3).

•Chase McDaniel ranks fifth in hits per game (1.8) and 36th in batting average (.422).

•Jaxon Haase ranks 48th in on-base percentage (.515).

•SMSU’s .323 batting average ranks 28th in country, while its .406 on-base percentage ranks 60th.

SMSU diamond notes

•SMSU lost two of three games at the University of Sioux Falls last Saturday and Sunday. After being shutout and limited to one hit in the series opener, the Mustangs cracked out 14 hits and won 11-6 in game two.

•Owen Latendresse had three hits (including two home runs), scored four runs and drove in three runs in the victory. Chase McDaniel collected three hits, while Max Kalenberg, Jake Tauer and Nick Brown each had two hits.

•Ryan Chmielewski would get the win after going 5 1/3 innings, giving up a pair of earned runs on a season-low four hits and four walks while striking out five.

•Keenan Wenzel hit a two-run homer in Sunday’s loss. SMSU trailed 4-3 in the fifth inning before USF scored 11 runs to blow the game open.

•SMSU has double-figure hits in 10 of 18 games.

•The SMSU pitching staff has struck out 10 or more batters in five games.

•SMSU finished its spring trip to Tucson, Ariz., with a 6-2 record. It’s was the program’s best spring break trip since finishing 8-4 in 2014.

— Content courtesy

of SMSU Athletic

Communications