MINOT, ND - The Minot State Beavers baseball team is set to travel east for a 4-game NSIC weekend series against the University of Minnesota Duluth. The series will be played at Wade Stadium in Duluth, Minnesota, with doubleheaders scheduled for Friday, April 18 and Saturday, April 19. Game one on Friday is set to begin at 10:30 am, and game two is set to begin at 6:30 pm. Game one on Saturday is scheduled to begin at 12:00 pm with game two to follow shortly after the conclusion of game one. Only the first 3 games of the series will count towards the NSIC standings as game 4 is set to be a non-conference matchup.
The Beavers (14-21 overall, 9-18 NSIC) enter the series looking to build momentum following their midweek series split against the University of Mary. The University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs (16-20 overall, 12-15 NSIC) will be looking to defend their home field against Minot State. Historically, the Beavers are 15-19 against Minnesota Duluth, so it is expected to be a tightly contested matchup between the two teams.
Offensively, the Beavers have been paced by consistent production from standouts such as
Connor Hill (.357 AVG),
Brent Riddle (.346 AVG), and
Michael Williamson (.317 AVG). As a team, Minot State owns a .292 batting average and an OPS of .816, with 34 home runs on the year.
The Bulldogs bring a strong offensive lineup of their own into the series, led by Joey Flom (.385 AVG), Troy Lynch (.364 AVG), and Nathan Rosenberg (.339 AVG). Minnesota Duluth currently sports a team batting average of .286 and an OPS of .803, with 24 home runs.
On the mound, Minot State's pitching staff is anchored by
Connor Hill (4.74 ERA),
Hayden Bode (5.48 ERA), and
Conner Meldrim (6.5 ERA), while
Ayden Sauerbrei leads the bullpen with 4 saves. As a staff, the Beavers have posted a team ERA of 8.16, with opponents hitting .325.
Minnesota Duluth counters with a pitching group led by Henry Wilkinson (4.12 ERA), Brayden Buttweiler (4.38 ERA), and Caden Klebba (6.43 ERA), and Jalen Pascal as the primary closer with 2 saves. The Bulldogs hold a team ERA of 7.31 with opponents hitting .316.
Following the road trip to Duluth, Minot State will return home for a NSIC midweek series doubleheader against Northern State University on Wednesday, April 23, with game one starting at 12:00 pm with game two to follow shortly after the conclusion of game one.
