WINONA, Minn. - After what seems to be the final winter storm of the spring, the Warriors are back home and ready for baseball. Winona State (12-13, 11-7 NSIC) will play host to Southwest Minnesota State (9-17, 4-12 NSIC) in a four-game weekend series. Game times for Saturday are 2/4 p.m. with Sunday's doubleheader slated for 12/2 p.m.
The last time the Warriors took the field was just over a week ago in a doubleheader sweep against Upper Iowa. Southwest faced off against No. 3 Augustana this past Thursday in Omaha, Nebraska and lost both games. With two weeks left in the regular season, Winona State looks to maintain their spot as one of the top eight teams in the conference to make the postseason tournament.
Live stats and video will be provided for the entirety of the four-game series with KQAL radio providing play-by-play on Sunday.
NOTES
LAST TIME OUT: Sandwiched between a couple series that were canceled due to weather, the Warriors found a way to fit in a doubleheader a week ago Thursday. The offense shined that day as the Warriors scored a combined 20 runs on 25 hits in the two games. A pair of Winona State starting pitchers also remained undefeated on the season. Dillon Whittaker improved to 4-0 on the season, winning the opener 13-2. Austin Savary (3-0) was awarded the game two win as he pitched 7.0 innings of four hit ball in the Warriors ,7-1. Third baseman Kipp Youngquist had himself a day at the plate collecting five hits in seven at-bats with five RBI and three runs scored over the course of the doubleheader.
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS: Southwest has dropped six straight decisions in the past couple weeks. The Mustangs' last win came on March 30th versus Concordia – St. Paul. Southwest has a trio of hitters that have done consistent damage this season. Ben Heichel (.531), Jayden Fleck (.505), and Shane Sellner (.448) lead the Mustangs in both slugging percentage and RBIs. Fleck leads the way with 25 RBI. John Bezdicek has been the go-to guy on the mound this season sporting a 3.33 ERA and 46 strikeouts.
HOT CORNER: Senior Kipp Youngquist has found his groove as of late at the plate and in the field. The third baseman improved his batting average to over .300 for the first time since early this season collecting eight hits over his last five games. He now ranks fourth on the team in batting average (.304), second on the team in slugging percentage (.464), and third in on base percentage (.424). Youngquists' defense has also been on display recently, showing off his range at third base making some difficult plays look easy on screaming balls hit down the line.
PICTURE PERFECT: Dillon Whittaker (4-0) and Austin Savary (3-0) remain undefeated on the mound for the Warriors this season. Whittaker on the year has accumulated a .306 opponents' batting average in 30.2 IP. Savary leads the starting staff with a 2.22 ERA. The duo has collected 27 strikeouts and 10 walks apiece this season. Out of the pen, Jacob Watzka has been nearly flawless in this 15.0 IP giving up four runs on eight hits and striking out 21.
JUMPING OUT THE GATE: The Warriors are 10-2 when leading after four innings of play this season. Complementing this record is the Warriors ability to score first and hold the lead. The Warriors have outscored their opponents in the first inning of games this year, 16-9. Consequently, when trailing after five innings, Winona State is 1-8 and has been outscored by the opposition, 31-3, in the eighth and ninth inning of ballgames.
LEAD BY EXAMPLE: Sophomore Sam Kohnle has asserted himself as a silent leader in the Warrior lineup. The first baseman has led the team with a .362 average throughout the majority of the season. Kohnle has collected 34 hits in 94 at bats, and currently sits second on the team in RBIs (16). In the field, Kohnle is second on the team in fielding percentage (.988) and has only committed two errors this season.
