LEADING OFF
•The Southwest Minnesota State University baseball team (18-10, 10-8 NSIC) will have its home opener this Wednesday with a 1:30 p.m. doubleheader versus Minnesota State University (24-10, 14-5 NSIC) at Legion Field in Marshall.
•SMSU is currently in eighth-place in the NSIC standings, while MSU is in second-place.
•SMSU is coming off a three-game road sweep over the University of Mary on Sunday and Monday, while MSU lost three straight home games to Augustana last weekend. MSU lost two games on Friday and dropped the third game on Monday.
•Following Wednesday's two games, SMSU will host a three-game series versus Bemidji State University this Saturday and Sunday.
GAME COVERAGE
•Live stats and video for both games will be available at SMSUmustangs.com.
SMSU HEAD COACH
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Paul Blanchard, the all-time leader in victories at SMSU, is in his 27th and final season as head coach and has an overall record of 582-568-2, including 334-330 in conference play.
•On Feb. 19, Blanchard announced he will retire from coaching following the conclusion of the 2023 season.
•During his tenure, 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.
SERIES HISTORY VS. MINNESOTA STATE
•SMSU and MSU have meet 78 times since the 1973 season with MSU holding a 68-10 all-time advantage.
•MSU has won the last 16 games with SMSU's last victory on March 21, 2014.
•SMSU defeated MSU, 11-3, at the 2009 NCAA Regional Tournament, but since then MSU has won 34 of the last 35 games.
MUSTANG EXTRA BASES
•SMSU is averaging 7.9 runs per game and batting .318.
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Jaxon Haase leads the club with seven home runs and ranks first with 30 RBIs. He is currently on a team-high 12-game hitting streak.
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Chase McDaniel is batting .381 with a team-leading 43 hits and a team-high 16 multi-hit games.
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Isaac Nett is hitting .363 and ranks fourth on the team with 33 hits and is second with five home runs.
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Owen Latendresse has eight multi-RBI games and is second the team with 29 RBIs, while batting .343.
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Peyton Nash is hitting .377 in 19 games with seven doubles, 17 RBIs and has seven multi-RBI games.
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Keenan Wenzel is batting .360 in 21 games with 27 hits, including four doubles and 18 RBIs. Wenzel had six RBIs in a win over Dakota Wesleyan on March 6 becoming the first SMSU player since 2020 to drive in six runs.
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Robbie Smith has four triples, 10 hit by pitches and has walked 10 times in 27 games. He tied a program single-game record with four walks in a win over Sioux Falls on March 29. He also tied a school single-game record with two triples versus Malone on March 10.
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Max Kalenberg tied a school record with five runs scored in a win over Dakota Wesleyan on March 6. He is the eighth Mustang all-time and the first since the 2004 season to score five runs in a game.
•SMSU opened the season winning eight of 10 games at the Tucson Invitational from March 4-13. The 8-2 start following 10 games is the program's best since beginning the 2009 season with a 9-1 record.
•SMSU's victory on March 10 versus Malone (Ohio) was the 1,000
th in program history.
NOTES FROM THE BUMP
•SMSU has a team ERA of 5.04 in 225 innings with 222 strikeouts with opponents averaging 5.4 runs per game and batting .270.
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Ansen Dulas (3-1) has a 3.00 ERA in 33 innings in six starts with 22 strikeouts.
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Brady Brosz has a 4.22 ERA in 10 2/3 innings with 13 strikeouts, one victory and three saves.
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Kolby Kiser (2-1) leads the team with 48 strikeouts in 30 2/3 innings. He has struck out a career-high 10 in two games this season.
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Ryan Chmielewski (2-1) is second on the team with 37 strikeouts in 33 2/3 innings.
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Shay Endres fired four shutout innings of relief to earn the victory at Upper Iowa on April 3. He is 2-3 on the season 18 innings.
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Carter Petron is 2-1 with a 3.90 ERA in 27 2/3 innings with 16 strikeouts.
•SMSU has used 18 pitchers this season.
DULAS & WENZEL HONORED BY NSIC; DULAS ALSO PICKS UP NCBWA WEEKLY AWARD
•SMSU senior second baseman
Keenan Wenzel and junior right-handed pitcher
Ansen Dulas were named the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Player and Pitcher of the Week, respectively, on March 13.
•Wenzel batted .625 with 10 hits in 16 at bats in four games, with two doubles, a triple, and nine RBI. He finished with 14 total bases, adding a pair of walks and a hit by pitch. He compiled a .684 on base percentage and .875 slugging percentage.
•Dulas allowed just one hit over seven innings in a 7-0 win over Concordia-St. Paul on March 10. He struck out seven batters and retired 13 straight hitters from the second through sixth innings. He faced just one batter over the minimum in his seven innings of work, while firing just 80 pitches, including 52 for strikes.
•Dulas was also named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Central Region Pitcher of the Week on March 15.
MORE MUSTANG STATS
•For career statistics and game-highs for each Mustang player go to SMSUmustangs.com/baseballcareer.
SMSU PICKED 15TH IN NSIC POLL
•Southwest Minnesota State University was picked to finish 14th in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
•SMSU junior outfielder
Isaac Nett and sophomore left-handed pitcher
Ryan Chmielewski were both named "Players to Watch" in the conference this season.
MUSTANG HISTORY
•Southwest Minnesota State is in its 54th season of baseball in 2023.
•SMSU has played 2,164 games compiling an all-time record of 1,012-1,149-3.
•SMSU has won four NSIC regular season championships, four NSIC Tournament titles and has played in one NCAA Tournament.
