CROOKSTON, Minn.- The University of Minnesota Crookston baseball team's games this weekend have been moved up due to inclement weather in the forecast. The Golden Eagles will play Bethany College Fri, Feb. 20 at 12 and 3 p.m. at Philip Anderson Baseball Field in Lindsborg, Kan. UMC will then head south to Wichita, Kan. to wrap up their series against Washburn University Sat., Feb. 21 at 12 p.m. The game was moved to a neutral site due to the weather and will be played at Lawrence-Dumont Stadium, the home of the Wichita Wingnuts, an independent baseball team that plays in the American Association. The stadium has been open since 1934 serving as a home for minor league baseball teams affiliated with the Kansas City Royals, San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, Montreal Expos, Texas Rangers, Chicago Cubs and Cleveland Indians.

The Golden Eagles come into the weekend with an 0-1 overall mark after losing the first game of their season series against Washburn. UMC lost 20-2 but also utilized their whole pitching staff to get a glimpse of everyone. The Golden Eagles were strong at the plate, batting .321 as a team with two runs scored and two runs batted in. UMC is led by Ryan Haggstrom (Jr., 1B/P, Apple Valley, Minn./Accounting), who is hitting .750 with three hits and one RBI. On the mound, UMC had four pitchers throw shutouts in their innings on the mound. Richie Navratil (Sr., RHP, Blansko, Czech Republic/Management) is 0-1 with a 0.00 ERA, while Trevor Buttermore (Jr., RHP, North St. Paul, Minn./Criminal Justice), Jarad Nelson (Jr., RHP, Karlstad, Minn./Elementary Education) and Nolan Wahlberg (Jr., RHP, Blaine, Minn./Criminal Justice) all are 0-0 with 0.00 ERA's.

The Swedes of Bethany College, an NAIA affiliate, come in with a 6-3 mark on the season. They are led so far by Raymond Vasquez, who is hitting .579 with four runs scored and eight RBI's, while Nicholas Ceccarelli is batting .444 with eight runs scored and seven RBI's. On the mound, right hander Andrew Gomez leads the way with an 0-1 mark and a 1.59 ERA in 11.1 innings pitched.

Washburn comes in with a 3-0 mark on the season. The Ichabods swept NSIC foes UMC and Bemidji State last weekend. They are led by Tanner Johnson, who is hitting .667 with six runs scored and four RBI's, while Parker Gibson is hitting .571 with seven runs scored and four RBI's. Mike Hefferan and Maustin Otterstatter lead the Ichabod pitching corps with matching 1-0 records and 1.80 ERA's in five innings pitched.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at www.goldeneaglesports.com.
 
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The University of Minnesota, Crookston is an NCAA Division II Institution and a member of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). The Golden Eagle Equestrian team is a member of the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA).