Winona, Minn. - The Winona State University baseball team will host Bemidji State University in a double-header today, Wednesday March 24 at Loughrey Field.
The Warriors (3-5 / 0-3 NSIC) will look to rebound from their weekend NSIC opener against the red-hot Minnesota-Crookston Golden Eagles, where UMC captured wins in all three contests. The Beavers (1-7 / 0-3 NSIC) are also looking to crack the conference win column, having dropped their opening three-game series to Minnesota State - Mankato by 13-0, 14-11 and 13-0 scorelines.
With first pitch scheduled for 1:30pm, WSU will look to replicate their strong offensive performances from earlier in the season, while shoring up their defensive decisions and pitching. Winona State has scored eight or more runs in four of their eight contests so far and been shut out only once. In comparison, the Beavers have suffered two goose eggs so far this year, both at the hands of the MSU Mavericks.
For Winona State, fans and followers will have their eye on
Derek Baumgartner, who is currently hitting .346 on the season, with two home runs and triple. He has earned six walks, scored six times, and collected 10 RBI's. The Almond, Wis. product backstopped several of the Warriors' games to start the season, and has appeared in right field lately, often batting in the sixth slot.
Sam Kohnle's .469 season average so far is tops among Warrior hitters and he is third on the team in at-bats, with 32. With 15 hits on the year to date, the Tisch Mills, Wis. infielder has been the most productive batter in that category. Heading into today's double-header,
Joe Ihrke has a hot hand, having gone 5-for-13 against UMC, with five RBI's. Also swinging well is
Derek Martin, who went 6-for-13 against the Golden Eagles and drove in a pair of runs in the series.
On the mound, Winona State will hope to regain the form that saw the squad go 3-2 to start the series, where the Warriors received some strong performances from
Kyle Gendron, a junior from Silver Lake, Wis. Gendron currently sits at 2-1 on the season for Winona State, having thrown 14 total innings and is credited with 18 strikeouts compared to only eight walks.
Dillon Whittaker has appeared three times, all starts, and
Bailey Banaszynski picked up a win in a pitchers 2-1 dual against Maryville (Mo.) earlier this season. Banaszynski, from Milwaukee, struck out eight and walked just one in the stellar six-inning outing on March 7. When the game is on the line late, head coach
Kyle Poock has looked to
Nicolas Herold to close out Warrior wins, and the senior from Coon Rapids, Minn. has earned two saves so far this year. Middle-reliever
Justin Firpo has worked eight innings for WSU so far, holding opponents to a team-best .111 batting average.
Today's double-header provides the Warriors a chance to get back on track in the NSIC standings; Bemidji State will be looking to jump-start their 2021 campaign as well, creating an exciting atmosphere for the WSU-BSU match-up.
NSIC Network Live Stream:
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Live Stats:
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More on Bemidji State Baseball:
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For the most up to date news in Warrior Athletics, please visit:
www.WINONASTATEWARRIORS.com and
@WinonaStateATH.
About Winona State University Athletics:
The Winona State University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, as an integral part of the educational mission of the institution, is committed to offering opportunities to experience academic and athletic excellence for our student-athletes through two simple words:
Graduate Champions.
Fourteen Warrior programs compete at the NCAA Division II level within the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Winona State University competes as an affiliate member of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) in the sport of women's gymnastics.
