CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston baseball program will host No. 5 St. Cloud State University in a three-game series this weekend at UMC Baseball Field in Crookston, Minn. The games have been adjusted due to precipitation earlier this week. Minnesota Crookston will play a single nine inning game with St. Cloud State at 4 p.m. Sat., April 19. On Sat., April 20, the Golden Eagles will take on the Huskies in a doubleheader at 12 and 2 p.m., at the UMC Baseball Field.

Minnesota Crookston will look to build on one of their best starts in program history. The Golden Eagles recently reached 20 wins for the fourth-consecutive season. Minnesota Crookston currently has a 20-14 (13-7 NSIC) mark on the 2019 season. The Golden Eagles need just five wins to tie their school record of 25 wins and 18 conference wins set during the 2016 season.

Minnesota Crookston last defeated the Huskies Mar. 20, 2009 in a 6-5 victory in 12 innings. The Huskies enter the weekend with a 29-6 (17-4 NSIC) as they sit in second in the conference standings.

Minnesota Crookston vs. St. Cloud State
Fri., April 19 – 4 p.m.
Sat., April 20 – 12/2 p.m.
UMC Baseball Field, Crookston, Minn.
Live Stats - https://goldeneaglesports.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary
Video - https://portal.stretchinternet.com/crk/#liveEventsTab

Minnesota Crookston Preview
Projected Starters
So. C 29 Ben Thoma, .259 avg., 17 runs, 5 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 17 RBIs
Sr. 1B 33 Reed Hjelle, .346 avg., 31 runs, 2 2B, 3 3B, 9 HR, 31 RBIs
Jr. 2B 21 Mason Ruhlman, .194 avg., 15 runs, 1 2B, 2 3B, 4 HR, 12 RBIs
Jr. 3B 18 Scott Finberg, .234 avg., 19 runs, 7 2B, 6 HR, 23 RBIs
R-So. SS 9 Griffin Fussy, .281 avg., 14 runs, 3 2B, 1 3B, 13 RBIs
Jr. LF 6 Bryce Jorgenson, .280 avg., 32 runs, 12 2B, 8 RBIs
Jr. CF 1 Landyn Swenson, .281 avg., 21 runs, 4 2B, 1 HR, 16 RBIs
So. RF 20 Brock Reller, .254 avg., 24 runs, 10 2B, 2 3B, 7 HR, 34 RBIs
R-So. DH 31 Travis Conoryea, .308 avg., 7 runs, 8 RBIs
or Sr. DH 16 Jonathan Lund, .321 avg., 4 runs, 1 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBIs

Top Pitchers
R-So. LHP 36 Dalton Grose, 2-1 2.33 ERA, 27.0 IP, 32 K, 17 BB, 8 saves
Fr. RHP 17 Conner Richardson, 1-0 2.89 ERA, 28.0 IP, 10 K, 4 BB
Sr. RHP 37 Louis Gerzin, 3-0 3.68 ERA, 14.2 IP, 19 K, 12 BB
Sr. LHP 30 Nate Albrecht, 2-2 3.86 ERA, 39.2 IP, 29 K, 12 BB
Jr. RHP 35 Jayden Grover, 4-2 4.89 ERA, 38.2 IP, 27 K, 25 BB
Sr. LHP 24 Zach Rustad, 4-5 4.94 ERA, 47.1 IP, 38 K, 24 BB

The Golden Eagles are looking to improve on a 3-2 mark in their last five games as they look to make the final push toward the NSIC Tournament in St. Cloud, Minn. Minnesota Crookston has a 2.66 batting average with 199 runs scored, 51 doubles, 10 triples, 29 home runs and 173 RBIs. The Golden Eagles have a .412 slugging percentage on the year as they have continued to showcase their power. Minnesota Crookston currently owns a .377 on-base percentage.

The Golden Eagles are guided by 2018 NSIC Player of the Year Reed Hjelle (Sr., 1B, East Grand Forks, Minn.), who is batting .346 with 31 runs scored, two doubles, three triples, nine home runs and 31 RBIs. Hjelle has a .683 slugging percentage. Senior Jonathan Lund (1B/3B, Tolna, N.D.) has been coming on as of late. Lund is batting .321 with four runs scored and three RBIs. Lund had the game-winning home run against Southwest Minnesota State University on Tuesday as he belted the first pitch he faced as a pinch hitter over the fence for a 2-1 win.
In addition, Travis Conoryea (R-So., OF/C, Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) comes in batting .308 on the season. Landyn Swenson (Jr., OF, Devils Lake, N.D.) is hitting .281 with 21 runs scored, four doubles, one home run and 16 RBIs. Bryce Jorgenson (Jr., UT, Thunder Bay, Ontario) has been a facilitator at the top of the order, hitting .280 with a team-high 32 runs scored and 12 doubles.

Minnesota Crookston has a 5.26 ERA as a team. The Golden Eagles have been led by their closer Dalton Grose (R-So., LHP, Waterville, Minn.), who has stepped right in to the spot vacated by former Golden Eagle and current Atlanta Braves farmhand Zach Seipel. Grose is 2-1 with a 2.33 ERA with a league-leading eight saves with 32 strikeouts to just 17 walks.

Freshman Conner Richardson (RHP, Grand Forks, N.D.) has been impressive in his first season with a 1-0 mark and a 2.89 ERA in two starts with 10 strikeouts. Louis Gerzin (Sr., RHP, Ely, Minn.) has been a staple in the bullpen with a 3-0 mark and a 3.68 ERA with 19 strikeouts. Nate Albrecht (Sr., LHP, Wahpeton, N.D.) has been strong in a starting role with a 2-2 mark and a 3.86 ERA with 29 strikeouts, while Jayden Grover (Jr., RHP, Cooperstown, N.D.) is 4-2 with a 4.89 ERA in 38.2 innings pitched with 27 strikeouts.

St. Cloud State Preview
Projected Starters
Sr. C/1B 7 Mathew Meyer, .358 avg., 38 runs, 7 2B, 3 HR, 30 RBIs
or Sr. C 3 Toran Shahidi, .313 avg., 20 runs, 3 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 24 RBIs
Jr. 1B 31 Matt Quade, .213 avg., 10 runs, 2 @b, 1 HR, 13 RBIs
Jr. 2B 17 Aaron Hammann, .292 avg., 15 runs, 8 2B, 2 HR, 14 RBIs
Sr. 3B 33 Ethan Ibarra, .298 avg., 17 runs, 6 2B, 1 3B, 13 RBIs
Sr. SS 15 Jordan Joseph, .349 avg., 25 runs, 11 2B, 3 HR, 31 RBIs
Sr. LF 25 Caeden Harris, .270 avg., 24 runs, 3 2B, 4 2B, 1 HR, 21 RBIs
Jr. CF 23 Najee Gaskins, .379 avg., 42 runs, 10 2B, 4 3B, 3 HR, 20 RBIs
Sr. RF 21 Mitch Mallek, .402 avg., 45 runs, 8 2B, 1 3B, 8 HR, 37 RBIs
Jr. DH 14 Lenny Walker, .328 avg., 27 runs, 10 2B, 1 HR, 34 RBIs

Top Pitchers
Jr. RHP 8 Blake Flint, 5-1 2.20 ERA, 24.0 IP, 44 K, 9 BB
Sr. RHP 20 Matt Butler, 1-1 1.40 ERA, 25.2 IP, 5 saves, 26 K, 5 BB
Sr. RHP 4 Dominic Austing, 5-0 2.40 ERA, 41.1 IP, 60 K, 9 BB
So. LHP 12 Matthew Osterberg, 3-1 3.30 ERA, 30.0 IP, 34 K, 13 BB
Sr. LHP 16 Sheldon Miks, 6-1 3.33 ERA, 45.0 IP, 55 K, 7 BB

Seeded second in the conference with a seven game win streak are the St. Cloud State Huskies.  They come into the weekend series against Minnesota Crookston with a 29-6 record and an NSIC record of 17-4.  The weekend series will be one to watch as two of the top teams in the conference battle it out to snag a sweep from each other.

The Huskies have had an outstanding 2019 season so far.  Their record, stats, and consistency of being a top NSIC baseball team in the past has earned them a spot as one of the NCBWA (National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association) Top 25 teams in the nation.  Nationally, they are ranked fifth and regionally, they are ranked sixth. 

St. Cloud State's batting will be a challenge for the Golden Eagle's defense.  As a team, they have an average of .321 with 270 runs scored.  Senior Mitch Mallek, from Plover, Wis., is one of the top batters for the Huskies.  His average is .431, with eight homeruns and 36 RBI's.  His teammate from Vail, Ariz., Najee Gaskins, has been another key offensive player as well.  The junior outfielder is batting .384 with 13 extra base hits and 19 RBI's.

The Huskies pitching staff has a team ERA of 3.00, and altogether win – loss record of 30-6.  Senior, left – handed pitcher, Sheldon Miks, has had six of the 30 wins this season.  In 46 innings, he has an ERA of 3.33 and 55 strikeouts.  Senior reliever, Matt Butler, has had five saves this season.  In 25 innings, he has an ERA of 1.40 and 26 strikeouts.