MINOT, N.D. – It's crunch time for the Minot State baseball team with the final week of the regular season on tap and the Beavers still chasing a possible playoff spot.
The playoff chase continues on the road Wednesday in a doubleheader pushed back one day as the Beavers play at Bemidji State starting at 1:30 p.m.
A big twinbill for Minot State (15-29 overall, 12-22 NSIC) which needs to sweep this week on the road to keep its hope of a postseason berth in the 8-team NSIC Tournament alive. The NSIC Tournament will be hosted by the University of Mary, May 8-11 in Bismarck, N.D.
Taking care of their business on the diamond will be key for Minot State in this Battle of the Beavers as Bemidji State (1-44, 0-35) comes in having lost 34 straight.
Not surprisingly, Bemidji State is last in both hitting with a .231 team batting average, and in pitching with a 14.88 team ERA.
Minot State's offense has been strong this season as the Beavers are fourth in the NSIC with a .315 batting average led by designated hitter
Ricky Apodaca, who is third in the league with his .443 average.
The challenge for Minot State has been a hot-and-cold pitching staff as the Beavers are just ahead of Bemidji State with an 8.71 team ERA.
But over the past weekend, the guys on the hill led the charge for the Beavers in a series against visiting Saint Cloud State as senior
Craig Schmich had a career-high 10 strikeouts in 6 1/3 innings in a hard-luck 5-2 loss Saturday while
Jonah Prokott allowed just 3 hits in 7 innings in a 5-3 win Sunday.
This coming Friday and Saturday, Minot State closes the season in a much tougher battle, playing a doubleheader at league-leading Augustana (36-8, 27-6) on Friday and a final single game Saturday against the Vikings, who are eyeing their third-straight NSIC crown.
Offensively the Vikings sit right in front of Minot State with a .316 batting average, though Augustana averages 9.2 runs per game compared to the Beavers 7.0.
The big difference, though, has been the Vikings performance on the mound as they dominate the league with a 3.94 team ERA – more than a run better than No. 2 ranked Saint Cloud State (5.07) – and they have allowed just 3.8 runs per game total this season.
Jack Hines leads Augustana's offense as the NSIC's triple-crown threat with league-highs of 20 home runs and 71 RBIs, while he also hits for average as he is fourth in the NSIC with a .427 batting average.
On the mound, Ashton Michek leads the NSIC with a 2.58 ERA in 10 starts and a 7-2 record, while teammate Caleb Saari is fourth in the league with a 2.97 ERA in 9 starts and a 6-1 record.
