MINOT, ND - The Minot State Beavers baseball team is back in action this weekend as they travel to Milroy, Minnesota, to take on Southwest Minnesota State University in a 4-game NSIC series. Although the Beavers are on the road, they will be playing as the home team as the Beavers home-opener will have to wait at least one more week due to weather. The Beavers will face the Mustangs in a doubleheader on Thursday, March 27, with game one starting at 1:30 pm and game two starting shortly after the conclusion of game one. The two teams will square off again in another doubleheader on Friday, March 28, with game one beginning at 12:00 pm and game two starting shortly after the conclusion of game one.
Minot State enters the weekend with an overall record of 12-8, and a 7-5 record in conference play, currently sitting in a tie for third place in the NSIC standings. SMSU comes into the series with an overall record of 12-7 and a 7-5 record in NSIC play, good for a tie for third place in the NSIC standings.
SMSU is coming off of a 4-game NSIC series sweep over Bemidji State and a loss to South Dakota State, while Minot State is coming off of a 4-game NSIC series split against Wayne State College.
Historically, the matchup between Minot State and SMSU has favored Minot State as the Beavers hold an overall record of 15-9 against the Mustangs. The Beavers and the Mustangs last met back on March 12, 2025, in Tucson, Arizona, where the Mustangs defeated the Beavers by a final score of 3-4 in 8 innings.
Offensively, SMSU currently holds a team batting average of .282, with a .865 OPS, and have hit 26 home runs this season. Leading the way at the plate is Jared Cortez, who enters the weekend hitting .424, followed by Levi Lampert, batting .397, and Cory Bantam, batting .298.
Minot State's offense boasts a team batting average of .314, an OPS of .847, and 15 home runs on the year. Leading the way at the plate is
Brent Riddle with a .419 batting average, followed by
Michael Williamson, batting .394, and
Connor Hill, batting .371.
On the mound, the Mustangs have a team ERA of 3.90 and has allowed a .228 batting average against. The three pitchers with the most innings pitched for SMSU are Carter Petron, Ryan Chmielewski, and Jameson Quinn. Petron currently holds a 0.43 ERA, Chmielewski holds a 2.96 ERA, and Quinn holds a 6.04 ERA. Cameron Jensen leads the team in saves with 2.
Minot State's pitching staff holds a 7.03 team ERA and a .326 batting average against. The top three arms making starts for the Beavers this weekend are
Anthony Disantis,
Jacob Thompson, and
Griffin Shearon. Disantis currently holds a 1.93 ERA, Thompson holds a 4.42 ERA, and Shearon holds a 4.70 ERA. In the bullpen,
Ayden Sauerbrei leads the team with 3 saves, while
Noah Balandran holds 2 saves and
Conner Meldrim has recorded 1 save.
Following this 4-game NSIC series against Southwest Minnesota State University, the Beavers will return to action next week for a mid-week, non-conference matchup against the University of Mary on Wednesday, April 2, at 2:00 pm in Bismarck, North Dakota.
