CROOKSTON, Minn.- The University of Minnesota Crookston baseball team will lift the lid on their 2015 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) slate Sat., March 21 and Sun., March 22 against Concordia University-St. Paul. The Golden Eagles play the Golden Bears at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Sat., March 21 at Veterans Field in Minnetonka, Minn. Minnesota Crookston will take on Concordia-St. Paul at 12 and 2 p.m. Sun., March 22 in Minnetonka, Minn.

The Golden Eagles come into the weekend with a 6-9 mark on the season after going 3-3 during their Spring Trip in Clearwater, Fla. Minnesota Crookston is hitting .327 as a team coming into the weekend. The Golden Eagles have been led by Ethan Mushitz (Fr., 2B/SS, East Grand Forks, Minn./Criminal Justice), who is hitting .418 with 16 runs scored and 12 runs batted in. In addition to Mushitz, Colton Haight (Jr., C, Rogers, Minn./Sports and Rec mnaagement) is hitting .417 with 12 runs scored and eights runs batted in. Haight is among the conference leaders in on-base percentage getting on at a .521 clip.

The Golden Eagles have also got great support in the middle of their line-up from Kenny Perez (Jr., DH/1B, Orlando, Fla./Health Science) and Ryan Haggstrom (Jr., 1B/P, Apple Valley, Minn./Accounting). Perez is hitting .356 with seven runs scored and 17 RBI's. Haggstrom is batting .375 with 19 runs scored, which leads the team, and is second on the team with 16 RBI's.

On the mound, the Golden Eagles have been led by Nolan Wahlberg (Jr., RHP, Blaine, Minn./Criminal
Justice), who is 3-1 with a 2.93 earned runs average (ERA) in 27.2 innings pitched. In addition to Wahlberg, Richie Navratil (Sr., RHP, Blansko, Czech Republic/Management) is 0-1 with a 3.75 ERA in 12 innings pitched. Out of the pen, Cody Pamperin (So., RHP, Shakopee, Minn./Golf and Turf Management) is 0-1 with a 3.38 ERA in eight innings pitched.

The Golden Bears are 2-6 on the season with two wins over Minot State University. Concordia-St. Paul has swung the bat well this season, hitting .327 as a team. The Golden Bears have been led by Kyle Dalton, who is hitting .472 with eight runs scored and four RBI's. Eric Fasnacht is hitting .370 with 11 RBI's and six runs scored.

Concordia-St. Paul has been led on the bump by lefty Kody Knaus, who is 0-0 with a 2.70 ERA in 10 innings pitched with opponents hitting at a .250 clip. In addition to Knaus, Josh Lenz, another lefty, is 0-0 with a 4.15 ERA in 8.2 innings pitched. Their ace from last season, Zach Rengel. has struggled a bit this season with an 0-1 mark and a 13.50 ERA in four innings pitched.

The Golden Bears won last year's game against the Golden Eagles 3-0 and 16-1.

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).