CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston baseball team is set to take on Augustana University Wed., April 10 at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m., at the UMC Baseball Field in Crookston, Minn. The Golden Eagles are looking to build on last weekend's series win over Upper Iowa University as they take on the defending NCAA Division II National Champions.

The Golden Eagles enter the week in fifth place in the NSIC standings, while Augustana is currently in the top spot in the conference standings.

Augustana at Minnesota Crookston
Wed., April 10 – 1:30/3:30 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, .280 avg., 14 runs, 5 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 16 RBIs
Sr. 1B 33 Reed Hjelle, .333 avg., 26 runs, 2 2B, 3 3B, 6 HR, 25 RBIs
Jr. 2B 21 Mason Ruhlman, .174 avg., 11 runs, 2 3B, 3 HR, 9 RBIs
Jr. 3B 18 Scott Finberg, .220 avg., 14 runs, 6 2B, 5 HR, 19 RBIs
R-So. SS 9 Griffin Fussy, .270 avg., 11 runs, 2 2B, 1 3B, 8 RBIs
Jr. LF 6 Bryce Jorgenson, .298 avg., 27 runs, 10 2B, 8 RBIs
Jr. CF 1 Landyn Swenson, .281 avg., 16 runs, 3 2B, 11 RBIs
So. RF 20 Brock Reller, .241 avg., 17 runs, 7 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 28 RBIs
R-So. DH 31 Travis Conoryea, .375 avg., 6 runs, 7 RBIs
or Jr. DH 19 Bobby Chu, .279 avg., 5 runs, 2 2B, 3 RBIs

Top Pitchers
Fr. RHP 17 Conner Richardson, 1-0 1.88 ERA, 24.0 IP, 6 K, 4 BB
R-So. LHP 36 Dalton Grose, 2-0 2.38 ERA, 22.2 IP, 26 K, 13 BB
Jr. RHP 35 Jayden Grover, 3-2 4.81 ERA, 33.2 IP, 19 K, 22 BB
Sr. LHP 24 Zach Rustad, 4-4 4.89 ERA, 42.1 IP, 33 K, 21 BB

The Golden Eagles are looking to build on the positive momentum following last Saturday's walk-off win over Upper Iowa to pick up the Saturday sweep and the series win. Minnesota Crookston comes in with a 16-11 (9-4 NSIC) mark. The Golden Eagles are nine wins from their school record of 25 wins set during the 2016 campaign.

Minnesota Crookston comes in hitting .266 on the season with 158 runs scored, 42 doubles, 10 triples, 20 home runs and 139 RBIs. The Golden Eagles are swinging for power as they have a .406 slugging percentage with a .377 on-base percentage.

Minnesota Crookston is guided by 2018 NSIC Player of the Year and 2019 NSIC Preseason Player of the Year Reed Hjelle (Sr., 1B, East Grand Forks, Minn.), who is hitting .333 with 26 runs scored, two doubles, three triples, six home runs and 25 RBIs. Travis Conoryea (R-So., OF/C, Inver Grove Heights, Minn.) has come on as of late for the Golden Eagles, as he is hitting .375 with six runs scored and seven RBIs, including a key hit in the ninth inning against the Peacocks Saturday.

Bryce Jorgenson (Jr., UT, Thunder Bay, Ontario) has been crucial at the top of the order for the Golden Eagles. Jorgenson is batting .298 with 27 runs scored, 10 doubles, and eight RBIs. Landyn Swenson (Jr., OF, Devils Lake, N.D.) enters the week with a .281 average with 16 runs scored, three doubles, and 11 RBIs.

The Minnesota Crookston pitching staff comes in with a 5.42 ERA with 165 strikeouts to 116 walks. Zach Rustad (Sr., LHP, Blaine, Minn.) is coming off a great start against Upper Iowa as he tossed a one-hit shutout. Rustad is 4-4 with a 4.89 ERA in 42.1 innings pitched with 33 strikeouts to 21 walks. Conner Richardson (Fr., RHP, Grand Forks, N.D.) has made an instant impact in his rookie campaign. Richardson is coming off the first start of his young career last weekend. He is 1-0 with a 1.88 ERA in 24.0 innings pitched with six strikeouts.

Out of the bullpen, Dalton Grose (R-So., LHP, Waterville, Minn.) is tied for the NSIC lead in saves with six, following in the footsteps of former Golden Eagle and current minor league pitcher Zach Seipel. Grose is 2-0 with a 2.38 ERA in 22.2 innings pitched with 26 strikeouts to just 13 walks. Opponents are hitting just .210 off Grose.

Augustana Preview
Projected Starters
So. C/DH 9 Will Olson, .365 avg., 19 runs, 7 2B, 4 HR, 28 RBIs
or Sr. C 17 Lucas Wylie, .212 avg., 11 runs, 3 2B, 6 RBIs
R_Jr. 1B 7 Ford Schroeder, .271 avg., 7 runs, 1 2B, 6 RBIs
or So. 1B 31 Jordan Barth, .439 avg., 29 runs, 13 2B, 6 HR, 31 RBIs
So. 2B 2 J.T. Mix, .373 avg., 23 runs, 4 2B, 14 RBIs
So. 3B 35 Ryan Nickel, .355 avg., 34 runs, 14 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 26 RBIs
Jr. SS 14 Sam Baier, .339 avg., 24 runs, 9 2B, 1 3B, 29 RBIs
Sr. LF 11 Michael Svozil, .303 avg., 22 runs, 4 2B, 2 HR, 17 RBIs
Jr. CF 22 Riley Johnson, .413 avg., 42 runs, 11 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 31 RBIs
Sr. RF 1 Nate Crossman, .234 avg., 11 runs, 2 2B, 2 3B, 11 RBIs
DH Seth Miller, .315 avg., 8 runs, 8 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 11 RBIs

Top Pitchers
Jr. RHP 21 Max Steffens, 3-0 1.61 ERA, 50.1 IP, 36 K, 7 BB
So. LHP 20 Tanner Brown, 2-0 3.25 ERA, 27.2 IP, 31 K, 15 BB
So. RHP 32 Evan Furst, 3-0 3.25 ERA, 27.2 IP, 26 K, 13 BB

The Vikings enter the week with a 22-9 (15-2 NSIC) mark. Augustana is currently the top seed in the NSIC, as they are looking to get back to the NCAA Tournament after claiming the 2018 NCAA Division II National Championship. Augustana went 2-2 last weekend against Minot State University.

The Vikings are hitting a blistering .332 as a team with 251 runs scored, 80 doubles, eight triples, 18 home runs and 219 RBIs. They have a .476 slugging percentage on the 2019 season. Augustana is paced by Jordan Barth, who is hitting .439 on the season with 29 runs scored, 13 doubles, six home runs and 31 RBIs. Barth has missed the last three games for the Vikings.

Riley Johnson is batting .413 on the year with a team-high 42 runs scored, with 11 doubles, two triples, two home runs and 31 RBIs. Will Olson is hitting .365 with 19 runs scored, seven doubles, four home runs and 28 RBIs.

Augustana has a 4.05 ERA in 255.1 innings pitched with 248 strikeouts to 133 walks. The Vikings pitching staff is led by Max Steffens, who is 3-0 with a 1.61 ERA in 50.1 innings pitched with 36 strikeouts to just seven walks. Tanner Brown is 2-0 with a 3.25 ERA in 27.2 innings pitched with 31 strikeouts to 15 walks, while Evan Furst is 3-0 with a 3.25 ERA in 27.2 innings pitched with 26 strikeouts to 13 walks.