MARSHALL, Minn. -- The Southwest Minnesota State University baseball team returns Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play this weekend for a four-game series against St. Cloud State University on Saturday and Sunday at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
 
The Mustangs and Huskies will play doubleheaders beginning at 5 p.m. each day.
 
SMSU is 2-2 all-time playing inside US Bank Stadium splitting doubleheaders with Minnesota Duluth in 2020 and 2022.
 
SMSU enters the series 7-3 overall and 2-2 in NSIC. The Mustangs finished with a 5-1 record earlier this week during non-conference play in Tucson, Ariz. SMSU opened league play on Feb. 25-26 in Norwalk, Iowa, splitting a four-game series with Minnesota Duluth.
 
SCSU is 6-8 overall and 2-2 in NSIC play. The Huskies split a four-game NSIC series at Augustana on Feb. 24-25.
 
As a team, the Mustangs are batting .281 and scoring 6.8 runs per game. SMSU pitchers are carrying a 3.11 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 81 innings of work.
 
The SMSU pitching staff ranks fourth in Division II (as of March 12) in ERA and ninth in hits allowed per nine innings (7.67).

Freshman second baseman Jared Cortez is batting a team-leading .483 with a team-high 14 hits with seven runs scored and six RBIs. Junior outfielder Levi Lampert is hitting. 382 with two home runs, two doubles and eight RBIs. Junior outfielder Henry Hammrich and junior third baseman Chuck Hackett both have a team-high 10 RBIs, while Hammrich leads the club with four home runs.
 
Senior left-handed pitcher Ryan Chmielewski is 2-0 and has not allowed a run in two starts with 20 strikeouts in 15 innings.  
 
SMSU is scheduled to have its first home games of the season next weekend facing Bemidji State on March 22-23 in a four-game series at Legion Field.