CROOKSTON, Minn.- The University of Minnesota Crookston baseball team will play six games in Clearwater, Fla. at Jack Russell Stadium, the former Philadelphia Phillies Spring Training complex, from March 13-17 as part of the Winning Inning Invitational. The Golden Eagles have played games in the Winning Inning Invitational in each of the previous three seasons.

Minnesota Crookston enters the week's games with a 3-6 mark overall on the season, already surpassing their win total over the previous two seasons as they are in their first season under Head Coach Steve Gust. The games in Florida will serve as their final six non-conference games before opening NSIC play with a four-game series against Concordia University-St. Paul May 21-22 in St. Paul, Minn.

The Golden Eagles have been led by the play of freshman Ethan Mushitz (2B/SS, East Grand Forks, Minn./Criminal Justice), who is hitting .481 with eight runs scored and six runs batted in (RBI). Mushitz has done a great job at getting on the base path, with a .622 on-base percentage and nine walks. In addition to Mushitz, Colton Haight (Jr., C, Buffalo, Minn./Sports and Rec Management) has had a breakthrough season at the plate with a .400 batting average with seven runs scored and two RBI's. Jesse Jennings (Sr., OF, Robbinsdale, Minn./Criminal Justice) has also found success at the plate, hitting .381 with three runs scored and six RBI's.

On the mound, Nolan Wahlberg (Jr., RHP, Blaine, Minn./Criminal Justice) leads the way with a 1-1 mark and a 2.25 earned runs averaged (ERA), with opponents hitting just .206 against him. In addition to Wahlberg, Alan Frank (Sr., LHP, St. Michael, Minn./Applied Studies) is 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA, with opponents hitting just .207 against him.

UMC will open up their trip March 13 with games against Kentucky Wesleyan College and Ohio Valley University. The Golden Eagles will play Kentucky Wesleyan at 1 p.m. C.T. on Friday. The Panthers are 7-4 on the season. Kentucky Wesleyan has been led by Dennon Koziol, who is hitting .438 with six runs scored and four RBI's and Johnathan Eberhardt, who is hitting .435 with five runs scored and four RBI's. On the bump, Kentucky Wesleyan looks to Matt Pobereyko, who is 2-0 with a 3.09 ERA in 11.2 innings pitched. Kentucky Wesleyan went 31-16 in 2014. Kentucky Wesleyan is located in Owensboro, Ky. and is a member of NCAA
Division II and the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC)

The Golden Eagles will face Ohio Valley at 5 p.m. C.T. on Fri., March 13 at Jack Russell Stadium. The Fighting Scots are 0-2 on the season, as they have struggled to get games in this season. Ohio Valley went 19-31 on the 2014 season. They were led by Marlon Bellmas, who was 3-of-6 with one run scored in their two games, and Tyler Proctor, who was 3-of-7 with one RBI in their two games. On the mound, Eric Schweitzer went six innings and gave up three earned runs on six hits against Seton Hill University. Ohio Valley is located in Vienna, W.V. and is a NCAA Division II affiliate in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference (G-MAC).

Minnesota Crookston will take on NSIC rival Upper Iowa University March 14 at 9 a.m. C.T. in a non-conference tilt. The Peacocks are 2-4 on the 2015 season. Upper Iowa is led by Eric Cottrell, who is hitting .500 with three runs scored and three RBI's. Luis Ravelo is hitting .421 with four runs scored and six RBI's. Their pitching staff has been led thus far by Mason Buster, who is 0-0 with a 1.86 ERA in 9.2 innings pitched.

The Golden Eagles will have an off-day Sunday, before taking the field again for a doubleheader against Saint Michaels College with games at 10:30 a.m. C.T. and 1 p.m. C.T. at Jack Russell Stadium. Saint Michaels is 0-3 on the 2015 season. The Purple Knights have been led by George Buteau, who is hitting .500 with one run scored. On the mound, they look to Curt Echo, who is 0-1 with a 2.84 ERA in 6.1 innings pitched. The Purple Knights went 7-25 in 2014. Saint Michaels is an NCAA Division II school and member of the Northeast-10 (NE-10) located in Colchester, Vt.

UMC will wrap up their Florida trip March 17 at 5 p.m. C.T. against Clearwater Christian College. The Cougars are 0-11 on the 2015 season. They have been led by Jake Reidy, who is hitting .407 with six RBI's and two runs scored. In addition, Victor Monroig is hitting .333 with two RBI's and two runs scored. On the bump, they will look to Ryan Broaderick, who is 0-2 with a 3.95 ERA in 13.2 innings pitched.

For more information, visit the Golden Eagle Athletics website at www.goldeneaglesports.com.
 
Follow the Golden Eagles on Facebook at Golden Eagle Sports and on Twitter at @UMCAthletics.
 
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).

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