PREVIEWING THIS WEEKEND
•The Southwest Minnesota State University baseball (8-8, 2-6 NSIC) returns to Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play this Thursday and Friday with a four-game series versus Minot State University (7-11, 4-4 NSIC). 
•Due to expected poor weather in the Marshall area, the teams will play a doubleheader on Thursday in Wayne, Neb., at Hank Overin Field starting at 2:30 p.m., while on Friday, the two clubs will play a doubleheader in South Sioux City, Neb., at Klasey Park starting at 1:30 p.m.
 
            GAME COVERAGE
•Live video and stats for all four games will be available at SMSUmustangs.com.
 
            SMSU HEAD COACH
•Jeremy Ische is in his first season as head coach after being named to the position on June 15, 2023. He is the sixth head coach in team history.
•Ische spent the previous five seasons (2019-23) as head coach at Upper Iowa University compiling a record of 57-125. 
•UIU had its best season under Ische in 2023, finishing with a 19-27 record, including 15-19 in NSIC play.
•He was an assistant coach at UIU for two seasons (2017-18) prior to becoming head coach.
•Ische was also an assistant coach at Luther College (2015-16), SMSU (2013-14) and St. Cloud Tech (2012).
 
            SERIES HISTORY VS. MINOT STATE
•SMSU is 9-16 all-time versus MSU, including 5-9 in NSIC games.
•SMSU swept a doubleheader last season in Minot, winning 8-7 and 15-14.
•Prior to last season, MSU had won 14 of the 18 meetings since 2013.
 
            KISER SETS SCHOOL SINGLE-GAME RECORD; TEAM BREAKS RECORD
•Senior Kolby Kiser set a team single-game record with 16 strikeouts in eight innings earning a no-decision in a 2-1 loss versus Walsh (Ohio) on March 9. Kiser broke the previous record of 15 strikeouts set by Adam Schrader during the 2009 season.
•The 16 strikeouts ranks as the third highest in Division II this season.
•Kiser, along with Shay Endres and Cameron Jensen, combined to strikeout 19 batters in the loss settting a team record for strikeouts in a single-game.
 
            KISER IN THE NCAA STATS
•Senior Kolby Kiser ranks first in Division II (March 19) in strikeout-to-walk ratio (18.0) and is third in walks allowed per nine innings (0.68).
 
            MUSTANG EXTRA BASES
•SMSU returns to action after finishing 6-2 during its spring trip to Tucson, Ariz., from March 2-10. SMSU had two games canceled due to rain.  
•SMSU is averaging 6.7 runs per game and batting .302 on the season.
•SMSU has a team ERA of 5.91 in 126 1/3 innings with 152 strikeouts. Opponents are averaging 5.6 runs per game and batting .293.
•Chase McDaniel is batting a team-high .394 with a team-leading 19 RBIs. He has a team-high three home runs and is tied for the club lead with five doubles.
•McDaniel hit an inside-the-park grand slam in a win over Dakota Wesleyan on March 3. It was SMSU's first inside-the-park home run since Jarred Carlson versus Bemidji State on March 11, 2015.
•McDaniel leads the club in both multi-hit games (nine) and multi-RBI games (six). He had a nine-game hit streak earlier this season which is the longest by a Mustang player this season.
•Entering this week's games, Nett has reached base in 12 straight games, while Max Kalenberg and Jake Tauer have reached base in 11 straight games.
•Keenan Wenzel was named the NSIC Player of the Week on March 4. He batted .583 (7-for-12) with one double, two triples, one home run and 10 RBIs in SMSU's first three games in Arizona. He racked up 15 total bases and a 1.250 slugging pct., while scoring four runs.
•Wenzel is batting .314 with three triples and 14 RBIs.
•Isaac Nett ranks second on the team with a .333 average with four doubles and two home runs.
•Kiser is 2-1 in four starts with a 2.03 ERA in 26 2/3 innings with 36 strikeouts.
•Ryan Chmielewski has a 2-1 record in four starts with 21 strikeouts in 22 innings.
•Carter Petron has a 4.11 ERA in 15 1/3 innings with 16 strikeouts, while recording a 2-1 record in four starts.  
•Shay Endres has recorded a 3.78 ERA in four appearances with 16 strikeouts in 16 2/3 innings.
•SMSU is coming off its best season in nine years, finishing 27-17 overall last seson, including finishing fifth place in the NSIC with a record of 19-13. Head coach Paul Blanchard retired following the season after 27 seasons as head coach.
•It was SMSU's highest finish in the NSIC standings since placing fourth in 2010. 

            MUSTANGS EARN POSTSEASON HONORS IN 2023
•SMSU had several players receive accolades following the 2023 season.
•Chase McDaniel was named All-NSIC first team, while Kolby Kiser, Ansen Dulas and Keenan Wenzel were all named All-NSIC second team.
•Ryan Chmielewski was selected to the NSIC All-Defensive team and was also named to the ABCA Central Region All-Defensive team.
•McDaniel and Kiser were both named NCBWA All-Region honorable mention, while McDaniel picked-up CCA All-Region second team honors.
 
            NETT NAMED ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICAN
•Isaac Nett was named to 2023 College Sports Communicators Academic All-America® Division II baseball first team as selected by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) last June.
•It's the 28th time in school history and the sixth Mustang baseball student-athlete to earn CSC Academic All-American accolades.  
 
            NSIC SCHEDULE
•The 14-team NSIC schedule will have a different look this year featuring a variety of four-game, three-game and two-game series during the season.
•The schedule format allows for each team to play every opponent at least twice during the regular season.
•SMSU will play five four-game series (SCSU, UMD, MISU, BSU, CSP), four three-game series (UMC, WSU, UMary, MSU) and doubleheaders versus (WSC, NSU, AU, USF).
•All weekday match-ups will be doubleheaders with one seven-inning game and one nine-inning game.
•SMSU is scheduled to play 40 conference games this season.
 
             MORE MUSTANG STATS
•For career statistics and game-highs for each Mustang player go to SMSUmustangs.com/baseballcareer.
 
            SMSU PICKED FIFTH IN NSIC POLL
•SMSU was picked to finish fifth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
•Mustang senior shortstop Chase McDaniel and senior right-handed pitcher Kolby Kiser were both named 'Players to Watch' in the conference this season.
 
             NSIC TOURNAMENT RETURNS TO NORTH DAKOTA
•The 2024 NSIC Tournament will be held on May 8-11 and hosted by the University of Mary at Veterans Memorial/Municipal Ballparks, in Mandan and Bismarck, N.D.
•The top eight teams in the final regular season standings will qualify for the tournament with the champion earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
 
            MUSTANG HISTORY
•SMSU is in its 55th season of baseball in 2024.
•SMSU has played 2,196 games compiling an all-time record of 1,029-1,164-3.
•SMSU has won four NSIC regular season championships, four NSIC Tournament titles and has played in one NCAA Tournament.