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Southwest This Week: Southwest Minnesota State University (17-15, 7-9 NSIC) continues Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference this week with six games including two on the road and a four-game series in Marshall. SMSU will travel to Aberdeen, S.D., for a doubleheader at Northern State University (8-24, 6-18 NSIC) beginning at 2 p.m. at Fossum Field in Aberdeen. SMSU will then conclude its home schedule this weekend with a four-game series versus Bemidji State University (12-17-1, 10-6 NSIC) on Saturday and Sunday, Apr. 26-27. Doubleheaders both days will begin at 12 p.m. at Alumni Field.
Keeping Up With the Mustangs: For the latest news, roster information, game statistics and season statistics log onto to the official Web site of SMSU athletics www.SMSUmustangs.com. Live statistics will also be available for all home games in 2008.
SMSU Head Coach: Paul Blanchard, the winningest coach in Southwest Minnesota State baseball history (by percentage), is in his 12th season as head coach where he has compiled a record of 315-225-1. He was named the fifth coach in SMSU history on July 14, 1996.
During his tenure SMSU has captured one NSIC championship and three NSIC tournament championships while his .586 winning percentage entering this season ranks 44th among active coaches in NCAA Division II.
Mustang Diamond Notes: Lex Reinke ranks fourth all-time with 383 assists ... Andrew Kinney leads the team with eight multi-RBI games and is second with 13 multi-hit games ... Greg Laughlin is batting a team-high .432 and has a team-high 14 multi-hit games ... Kinney and Derek West are tied for the team lead with five home runs ... Kinney has a team-high 32 RBI and team-high 12 doubles ... Derick Swenson leads the team with 10 stolen bases in 14 attempts ... Laughlin has a team-high 48 runs scored ... Laughlin's career .358 batting average ranks 14th in school history ... SMSU is hitting .321 with 21 home runs and is averaging 6.5 runs per game ... the SMSU pitching staff has an ERA of 6.00 ... Aaron Johnson has pitched a team-high 40 innings ... Brandon Wilhelmi has appeared in a team-high 16 games on the mound and leads the team with three saves ... Jared Pick is 4-0 in six starts with a 4.46 ERA ... Adam Schrader has recorded a team-high 41 strikeouts in 38.2 innings.
Series History: Southwest Minnesota State holds a 75-28 all-time series lead versus Northern State. The two teams split a doubleheader on Apr. 3 in Chamberlain, S.D., with SMSU winning 7-0, before losing 3-2. SMSU has won four straight in Aberdeen, S.D., including twice last season 9-5 and 4-2.
Southwest Minnesota State is 82-50 all-time versus Bemidji State including 38-13 in Marshall. This will be the first time the two teams have played in Marshall since 2004 when SMSU swept a four-game series. SMSU has won five straight in the series and 11 of the last 14. SMSU head coach Paul Blanchard is 37-7 all-time versus Northern State and 29-10 versus Bemidji State.
First NCAA Regional Poll: SMSU was ranked eighth in the first NCAA Division II Central Regional rankings released on Thursday, Apr. 17 by the NCAA national committee. The rankings are through games of Sunday, Apr. 13 when SMSU had an overall record of 15-9 and 9-5 in region games.
SMSU is one of three NSIC schools to appear in the regional rankings with No. 3 Wayne State and No. 7 Concordia-St. Paul. The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association also has three teams in the regional rankings with No. 1 Emporia State, No. 2 Central Missouri and No. 5 Northwest Missouri State. The North Central Conference has two teams ranked this week with No. 4 Nebraska-Omaha and No. 6 St. Cloud State.
The top six teams in the region will advance to the NCAA regional tournament on May 15-18. Automatic bids are granted to the winners of the NSIC, NCC and MIAA postseason tournaments, with the remaining three spots awarded on an at-large basis.
NCAA Statistics: The following is where SMSU and Mustang individuals rank among the top 50 and in the latest NCAA national statistics released on Wednesday, Apr. 16 (through games Apr. 13). The next ranking will be released on Apr. 23.
SMSU: doubles per game (19th, 2.29), batting average (30th, .337), slugging percentage (33rd, .501), triples per game (38th, 0.33), scoring (40th, 7.9).
Individuals: Derick Swenson (8th, runs per game, 1.46), Derick Swenson (9th, hit by pitch, 0.46), Derick Swenson (27th, on base percentage, .528), Greg Laughlin (29th, batting average, .440), Josh Nolan (42nd, triples per game, 0.13).
The complete national statistics can be found at www.ncaasports.com
Smith Named NSIC Pitcher of the Week: Freshman Curtis Smith was named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Pitcher of the Week on Mar. 18 for his performance in Ft. Myers, Fla.
Smith tossed a three-hit shutout in his first career start in SMSU's 8-0 victory over Lock Haven University (Pa.) on Mar. 20 in Ft. Myers, Fla. He struck out three batters, walked one and allowed just three singles in his seven innings of work. He finished SMSU's 10-game Florida trip with a 2-0 record while not allowing a run in 11 innings pitched. He pitched four innings of shutout relief to earn the victory in SMSU's 4-3 victory over University of Charleston (W.Va.) on Mar. 9 allowing four hits while striking out four and walking one.
Mustangs Picked to Finish Third in NSIC Preseason Poll: Southwest Minnesota State was picked to finish in third place in the preseason NSIC coaches' poll. Defending league champion Wayne State was picked to win the league with 78 points, three ahead of second place Winona State (75). WSC earned six first place votes (coaches can't vote for their own team) while Winona State was checked for the remaining three first place votes. SMSU finished with 57 points, two ahead of Upper Iowa and Mary who were picked to finish fourth with 55 points. Concordia (54), Bemidji State (39), Northern State (31) and Minnesota, Crookston (24) rounded out the poll.
Home Sweet Home: Southwest Minnesota State was scheduled to play 20 home games at Alumni Field this year but nine games have already been cancelled or moved to another location. A season ago SMSU played just six home games and didn't play at home until Apr. 25. SMSU's first 32 games were played outside of Marshall. The Mustangs have played home games exclusively at Alumni Field since the 2003 season and have compiled a record of 48-23 during that stretch.
Mustang Success in the NSIC: Southwest Minnesota State has had tremendous success in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference in recent years. SMSU has finished either first, second or third place in the league standings in 13 of the last 15 seasons and hasn't finished lower than fourth place since the 1989 season.
The 2008 season marks the 39th year that SMSU has competed in the NSIC compiling an all-time record of 372-333 in 705 conference games. SMSU has won four conference championships and has finished second in the conference standings seven times. SMSU has a current streak of 15 straight years of recording a winning record in conference play.
Mustangs Sign Seven Players: SMSU head coach Paul Blanchard has signed seven student-athletes for the 2009 season. The list includes four high school standouts Brian Ness from Rochester, Minn. (John Marshall HS), Tyler Flattum from Clarkfield, Minn. (Dawson-Boyd HS), Corby McGlauflin from Sioux City, Iowa (Sioux City North HS) and Adam Thygesen from Red Wing, Minn. (Red Wing HS).
Also signing from Ridgewater College were infielder Matt Bauer along with pitchers Brad Haag and Mike Locnikar.
Northern Sun Conference Schedule for 2008: The Northern Sun Conference is scheduled to play a 32-game schedule in 2008 for the second straight season. The nine teams in the NSIC will play each team in the conference four times for a league schedule of 32 games. One change this season will be that the top SIX teams in the conference standings, up from four previously, will compete in the NSIC tournament hosted by the regular season champion. The winner of the NSIC tournament will receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA regional. It will be the first time six teams have competed in the NSIC tournament since 1998.
