PREVIEWING THE WEEKEND
•The Southwest Minnesota State University baseball team (12-24, 5-19 NSIC) concludes its 10-game homestand this weekend with a three-game series versus Bemidji State University (5-34, 2-23 NSIC). Saturday's doubleheader (7-9) begins at 12 p.m., while Sunday's single-game also begins at 12 p.m.
•Following the weekend, SMSU closes the season with a doubleheader at Minnesota Duluth on Tuesday and a three-game series at Northern State on May 6-7.
 
            GAME COVERAGE
•Live video and stats for this weekend's three games will be available at SMSUmustangs.com.
 
            SERIES HISTORY VS. BEMIDJI STATE
•SMSU and BSU have met 173 times since the first meeting in 1970 with SMSU holding a 107-66 all-time advantage, including 43-19 in Marshall.
•SMSU, which defeated BSU earlier this season on March 11 in Tucson, Ariz., won two of three games in last season's three-game set played in Marshall.
•SMSU is 12-7 in the series since the 2015 season with 13 of the games being played in Marshall, four in Tucson and two in Bemidji.
 
SMSU HEAD COACH
•Paul Blanchard, the all-time leader in victories at SMSU, is in his 26^th season as head coach and has an overall record of 559-554-2, including 319-320 in conference play.
•Blanchard has led the program to one NCAA Tournament appearance, one NSIC championship, three NSIC Tournament championships, 15 appearances in the NSIC Tournament and four 30-win seasons.
•Named the fifth coach in SMSU history on July 14, 1996, Blanchard has coached two NSIC Players of the Year, one NSIC Pitcher of the Year, 21 all-region honorees, two Academic All-Americans, one NCAA All-American and two Major League Baseball draft picks.
 
SMSU SEASON NUMBERS & NOTES
•SMSU, which has won four of its last five games, swept UMary in a doubleheader at Legion Field on Wednesday, 5-2 and 8-7. Max Kalenberg snapped a 2-2 tie in the fifth in game one with a solo home run, while Keenen Wenzel later in the frame belted a 2-run homer. In game two, SMSU rallied to tie the game with three runs in the ninth and then used a Jaxon Haase two-out run-scoring single in the bottom of the 10^th to secure the victory.
•SMSU is averaging 4.8 runs per game, batting .279 with 52 doubles, eight triples and 20 home runs.
•The SMSU pitching staff has an 8.37 ERA in 274 1/3 innings with 249 strikeouts.
•Sophomore Jaxon Haase is batting .333 with six doubles, two home runs and ranks second on the team with 22 RBIs. He reached base in a team-leading 16 straight games earlier this season.
•Junior Keenan Wenzel is tied for the team-lead with six doubles and ranks fourth in batting at .306.
•Sophomore Isaac Nett is hitting a team-high .361, is tied for first with six doubles, tied for first with five home runs and is the team leader with 24 RBIs. Earlier this season he had an 11-game hitting streak and is tied for second on the team with 11 multi-hit games.
•Sophomore Chase McDaniel is batting a .325 with five doubles, one triple and eight stolen bases. He has a team-high 13 multi-hit games.
•Freshman Owen Latendresse is tied for the team lead with five home runs and is third with 21 RBIs.
•Sophomore left-hander Kobe Lovell is 1-1 in a team-high 11 relief appearances with a 5.40 ERA in 21 2/3 innings with 18 strikeouts.
•Sophomore right-hander Craig Lasley has a 3.00 ERA in 10 appearances with 10 strikeouts. He recorded his first career save and victory in Wednesday's games versus UMary.
•Freshman righty Brady Petron has pitched 11 1/3 innings in eight games with 13 strikeouts and a 1.59 ERA.
•Senior right-hander Andy Andresen has appeared in 10 games and tossed 9 2/3 innings with one save.
•Freshman lefty Ryan Chmielewski is tied for the team-lead with nine starts and has three victories in a team-high 48 2/3 innings with 37 strikeouts. He tossed a seven-inning complete game four-hitter versus Minnesota Crookston (April 23) allowing zero earned runs while striking out a career-high 11.
•Sophomore righty Kolby Kiser has made nine starts and leads the team with 40 strikeouts in 36 innings.
•Sophomore right-hander Ansen Dulas has pitched six innings in each of his last two starts.
 
          MORE MUSTANG STATS
•For career statistics and single-game highs for each Mustang player go to SMSUmustangs.com/baseballcareer.
 
            MUSTANG HISTORY
•Southwest Minnesota State is in its 53^rd season of baseball in 2021.
•SMSU has played 2,129 games compiling an all-time record of 989-1,137-3.
•SMSU has won four NSIC regular season championships, four NSIC Tournament titles and has played in one NCAA Tournament.
 
ABOUT BEMIDJI STATE
•BSU is 5-34 overall, 2-23 NSIC, and enters the weekend having lost nine straight, including at Northern State on Wednesday, 4-0 and 4-3.
•BSU is batting .223, averaging 3.5 runs per game and have a team ERA of 7.57 in 296 innings with 242 strikeouts.
•Parker Borg (five) and Sam Kalberer (four) have combined to hit nine of the team's 11 home runs.
•Matt Ellinghuysen, a former SMSU assistant in 2017 and 2018, is in his first season as head coach of the Beavers.