FAYETTE, Iowa – It's becoming an all-too-familiar phrase: The Minot State baseball team is back on the road.

The Beavers head out for yet another series away from home, this time traveling to Upper Iowa for a doubleheader starting at noon on Friday, then a single game Saturday at noon.

After a brief break to celebrate Easter, the Beavers then wrap up their most recent road trip with a mid-week doubleheader at Wayne State on Wednesday starting at noon.

With 25 games away from home under their belt – and none yet at Corbett Field in Minot – the Beavers (16-9 overall, 7-6 NSIC) look to shake out of a recent slump as Minot State has dropped 5 of its last 7 contests.

Despite a few recent setbacks, Minot State remains one of the power-house offensive programs in the NSIC as they are hitting .320, which is third best in the league, and are second in the NSIC in home runs with 43.

Pitching-wise, the Beavers also are one of the top teams as their 5.13 ERA is sixth-best in the league, and the staff's 207 strikeouts are fifth-most in the conference.

The big difference has been timely hitting for the Beavers in their most recent losses with 46 runners left on base in the five setbacks.

With the offense still clicking, and pitching still strong, it's only a matter of a few timely base hits falling to get the Beavers on a roll.

That could start at Upper Iowa (10-15, 6-8) as the Peacocks' pitching staff is 11^th in the league in ERA at 6.90 and opponents are hitting .291 against them.

While that should benefit the Beaver batters, the Minot State pitching staff will face an offense from Upper Iowa that is 14^th in the NSIC in batting average at .256 and averages just 5.76 runs per game.

Giving Minot State the opportunity, with solid all-around play, to start a win streak.

If the Beavers get on a roll over the weekend, they'll look to keep that streak rolling at Wayne State on Wednesday against a Wildcats pitching staff that is 12^th in ERA at 7.93 and allowing foes to hit .317 this season.

Offensively, Wayne State (11-15, 5-7) is 13^th in the NSIC hitting .256 and averaging just 5 runs per game.

Keys for the Beavers continue to be balanced from an offense led by Mark Ossanna, who is sixth in the NSIC hitting .398 with 9 home runs and 24 RBIs, while Brent Riddle is hitting .373, has 7 homers, and is sixth in the NSIC in RBIs with 31, and Derek Kay is batting .363 with 7 homers and is eighth in the league with 29 RBIs.

While they lead the offense, the Minot State pitching staff continues to depend on depth as well with Bryant Bagshaw leading the way with a 2.73 ERA, third-best in the NSIC, 5 wins, and opponents are hitting just .188 against him. Trevyn Badger has been equally tough on opposing hitters allowing just a .198 average, and has a 4.28 ERA, and Craig Schmich has a 5.02 ERA and foes hit just .273 against him. Both Badger and Schmich also have 2 wins each and share the team lead with 33 strikeouts.

Following this week's games at Upper Iowa and Wayne State, and after 30 games on the road, the Beavers are scheduled to play at home next weekend hosting Northern State on Saturday and Sunday, April 15-16, weather permitting.