CROOKSTON, Minn. - The University of Minnesota Crookston baseball team will head to Sioux Falls, S.D. Tues., March 31 to take on the University of Sioux Falls. The two Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) foes will face-off at Harmodon Park at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.

The Golden Eagles come into Tuesday with a 7-16 (1-7 NSIC) mark as they picked up their first conference win of the season against Upper Iowa University Saturday. The win snapped a 49-game conference losing streak dating back to a win over University of Minnesota Duluth April 27, 2013. The Golden Eagles have already found a lot of success in their first season under Head Coach Steve Gust and are looking to show even more improvement as the season moves along.

Minnesota Crookston has been led by their play at the plate as the team is hitting .298 as a team coming into Tuesday. Jesse Jennings (Sr., OF, Robbinsdale, Minn./Criminal Justice) leads the team with a .380 batting average. He has 11 runs scored and eight RBI's on the season and is reaching base at a .523 clip. Kenny Perez (Jr., DH/1B, Orlando, Fla./Health Science) has been UMC's go-to player when looking for a player to drive in runs. Perez leads the team with 21 runs batted in (RBI's) and is in the top 10 in the conference for that stat, as well. Perez has four home runs on the year and has scored 12 runs on the year while hitting .349. Ryan Haggstrom (Jr., 1B/P, Apple Valley, Minn./Accounting) is also off to a strong start for the 2015 season. Haggstrom is hitting .337 with 21 runs scored and 19 RBI's.

On the mound, Nolan Wahlberg (Jr., RHP, Blaine, Minn./Criminal Justice) has been the top starter for UMC with a 3-3 mark and a 4.76 earned runs average (ERA) in 39.2 innings pitched. Out of the bullpen, Cody Pamperin (So., RHP, Shakopee, Minn./Golf and Turf Management) has been productive with a 1-1 mark and a 2.61 ERA in 10.1 innings pitched. Wyatt Huso (R-Fr., RHP, Eagan, Minn./Agricultural Systems Management) has also been strong out of the pen with a 0-0 mark and a 1.50 ERA in six innings pitched.

Sioux Falls comes into Tuesday with a 7-17 (4-4 NSIC) mark coming into Tuesday. The Cougars have been led by Matthew Minnick, who comes in hitting .440 with 26 runs scored and 26 RBI's. In addition to Minnick, Connor Merriam is hitting .318 with six runs scored and 10 RBI's. Sioux Falls is hitting .271 as a team.

On the mound, the Cougars have looked to Alex Wall, who is 2-4 with a 5.51 ERA in 32.2 innings pitched. Patrick Anderson has been strong, mostly pitching out of the bullpen, with a 1-0 mark and a 2.93 ERA in 15.1 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 a NCAA Division II university located in the Red River Valley of Northwest Minnesota. UMC sponsors 11 intercollegiate athletic teams with membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate conference (NSIC) and the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA). The NSIC is a 16-team conference with schools situated in Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Nebraska.