WINONA, Minn. – The Warriors' homestand continues as Minnesota Duluth visits Loughrey Field this weekend for a pair of doubleheaders. Once again, weather in the northern part of the state has forced the relocation of this series to Winona and the Warriors will serve as the visiting team on the scoreboard all weekend on their home turf for the second straight series. The series opens on Saturday afternoon with a 2 p.m. first pitch.
The four-game set will be played Saturday and Sunday with three of the four games being official NSIC games. Sunday's finale will be played as a non-conference game as the teams look to make up games lost earlier this season.
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SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS:Minnesota Duluth (5-17, 3-10 NSIC) travels to Winona currently second-to-last in the NSIC standings. UMD has one win in their last 10 games as the team salvaged a series split with Minnesota State this past Tuesday, winning the first game, 10-6, and losing the finale in six innings, 17-4. The Bulldogs own a .243 batting average which is 12th in the conference. The UMD pitching staff holds a 7.97 ERA. Opposing batters are hitting .332 off the Bulldog's and have launched 16 home runs.
PRODUCTION AT THE PLATE: As the weather continues to warm up, so have the Warrior bats. Winona State is averaging 10 hits/game over their last seven contests batting .310, and the offensive production has translated into success as WSU is 5-2 over that stretch.
Sam Kohnle batted .583 in the three-game series vs. SMSU two weeks ago, collecting four RBI including a walk-off RBI single to secure the series sweep.
Chad Herbst collected four hits in eight trips to the plate against Bemidji earlier this week and tallied an RBI. The Warriors success at the plate can also be attributed to seeing the ball well as WSU is tied atop the league for fewest strikeouts (147).
MR. CONSISTENT: When first baseman
Sam Kohnle steps to the plate, odds are that he is going to end up on base somehow as the redshirt junior sports a .454 OBP. Kohnle is one of the toughest batters in the country to strike out only being sent down on strikes three times this season, a mark that has him inside the top-5 (3rd) on the "toughest to strike out" list. He leads the Warriors with a .398 batting average which is also among the conference best (7th). Kohnle leads the team in hits (33), doubles (6) and is second in RBI (16).
ARMS A PLENTY: The Warrior pitching rotation has plenty of velo to go around with
Aaron Mutter and freshman
Kyle Gendron at the forefront. Mutter (2-1) has given WSU back-to-back quality starts against SMSU and Bemidji State, pitching six innings in each game giving up a combined three runs on eight hits to tally his first two wins of the year. Gendron has a 3.16 ERA and a .205 opponent batting average this year.
Dillon Whittaker has emerged as the workhorse of the staff, leading the team in strikeouts (34) while collecting an 8.5 strikeout/walk ratio – a mark that is 10th in the country.
Caleb Schoenholz holds the best ERA for the WSU starters (4.50) in 26.0 IP striking out 15 and giving up just seven walks. As a staff the Warriors have issued a conference-low 57 walks so far this season, a number that equates to 2.76 walks per nine innings which is seventh in the nation.
LATE-INNING LOCKDOWN: The Warriors have had a lock down bullpen through the first half of the season. The trio of
Jacob Watzka,
Parker Holmstrom and
Nicolas Herold have been lights out when called upon in the late innings helping WSU to an 10-0 record when leading after the sixth. Watzka continues to pitch effectively for the Warriors in his senior campaign holding opposing hitters to just .182 at the plate in 9.1 IP. Holmstrom has been WSU's go-to hold man in the late innings sporting a 2-1 record striking out 10 in 10.1 innings of work. Herold has emerged as the WSU closer and one of the best in the NSIC. The sophomore is tied for the conference lead in saves (6) holding opposing batters to a .139 average while striking out 17 in 11.1 IP.
SURE-HANDED D: The Winona State defense is much improved this season as the team ranks fifth in the nation in fielding percentage (.978). The Warriors have committed an NSIC-low 17 errors to this point in the season which is 16 less than the team had at this point last year (33).
Derek Martin has made tremendous strides in his fielding this season committing just three errors so far this season compared to last season's 18 and has helped WSU turn seven double plays.
NSIC POLL: Winona State was tabbed seventh in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll at the beginning of the 2019 campaign. The Warriors leapfrogged Concordia, St. Paul in the standings with the sweep of Bemidji State on Tuesday and sit as expected in the seventh position. Reaching the midway point in the season, WSU still can climb the ladder in the NSIC with three of its final eight scheduled opponents currently sitting in front of the Warriors.
