CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston baseball series against Upper Iowa University originally scheduled for Saturday, March 26 and Sunday, March 27 has been moved due to the weather forecasts in Fayette, Iowa. The Golden Eagles and Peacocks will now play a doubleheader Sunday, March 27 at 12 and 2 p.m. UMN Crookston and Upper Iowa will also play Monday, March 28 at 12 p.m. in a single game.

The Golden Eagles come into the series with an unblemished 9-0 (5-0 NSIC) mark. UMN Crookston is tied with Minnesota State University for the top spot in the NSIC. Upper Iowa enters Sunday with a 3-5 (2-2 NSIC) record. The Peacocks two wins came against Southwest Minnesota State University.

Minnesota Crookston at Upper Iowa
Sunday, March 28 – 12/2 p.m.
Fayette, Iowa – Robertson Woods Fields
Live Stats - https://uiupeacocks.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary
Audio - https://www.spreaker.com/user/uiupeacocks

Monday, March 29 – 12 p.m.
Fayette, Iowa – Robertson Woods Fields
Live Stats - https://uiupeacocks.com/sidearmstats/baseball/summary
Audio - https://www.spreaker.com/user/uiupeacocks
 
Minnesota Crookston
UMN Crookston is off to their best start in the program's history in NCAA Division II. The Golden Eagles have had one of the best offenses in the country. UMN Crookston is ranked 12^th in home runs in NCAA Division II and fourth in home runs per game. The Golden Eagles are third in the country in scoring, and sixth in on-base percentage. In addition, they are seventh in slugging percentage in NCAA Division II.
For individuals, Brock Reller (Sr., OF, Grand Forks, N.D.) is second in the country for home runs per game and seventh for home runs overall. He is also fifth in the nation for RBIs per game and eighth for slugging percentage. Will Zimmerman is fourth in the country for runs per game.

Reller has led the way for UMN Crookston. He is a two-time NSIC Player of the Week and has also earned NCBWA Central Region Player of the Week accolades. Reller is hitting .361 with 16 runs scored, one doubles, two triples, eight home runs, and 22 RBIs. Reller leads the NSIC in home runs. He has an astonishing 1.677 OPS and a 1.167 slugging percentage.

Parker Stroh (R-Fr., C, Grand Forks, N.D.) leads the team with a .429 batting average with two runs scored and three RBIs. Scott Finberg (R-Sr., 3B, Stillwater, Minn.) is also off to a great start, hitting .395 with 14 runs scored, five doubles, one triple, three home runs, and 16 RBIs. Zimmerman is also contributing in great ways. The Arkansas State University transfer is batting .382 with a team-high 19 runs scored. He has five doubles, three home runs, and 15 RBIs.

The Golden Eagles are hitting .323 on the season. They have scored 123 runs on the season. UMN Crookston has tallied 51 of their runs with two outs. Minnesota Crookston has scored 41 percent of their runs with two outs. The Golden Eagles come into Sunday with 24 doubles, six triples, and an NSIC high 25 home runs. They also have 106 RBIs on the year. Minnesota Crookston is just 13 home runs shy of breaking a school-record 37 home runs set during the 2016 season. Minnesota Crookston comes into Sunday with a .656 slugging percentage.

On the mound, Minnesota Crookston comes into Sunday with a 6.66 ERA and a 1.69 WHIP. The Golden Eagles had one of their best days on the mound on Thursday in a sweep of University of Sioux Falls. UMN Crookston has been led by the play of transfer Jake Dykhoff (Jr., RHP, Wadena, Minn.). Dykhoff is 1-0 with a 0.64 ERA in 14.0 innings of work. Dykhoff added a save against USF. He has struck out 21 and walked just four on the year. Brody Sorenson (Fr., RHP, Grand Forks, N.D.) has also had an impressive debut. Sorenson is 1-0 with a 2.08 ERA in 4.1 innings pitched. He also has a save. Alex Koep (Fr., LHP, Parkers Prairie, Minn.) made his first career start Thursday against Sioux Falls. Koep is 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA in six innings of work. Jayden Grover (R-Sr., RHP, Cooperstown, N.D.) has also been off to a solid start. One of the team's all-time best pitchers, Grover has a 4.00 ERA in nine innings pitched.

Upper Iowa
The Peacocks are 3-5 on the 2021 season. Upper Iowa is in their third season under Head Coach Jeremy Ische. The Peacocks went 1-13 in the shortened 2020 season. Upper Iowa's best season under Ische was a 12-28 mark in 2019.

Upper Iowa is hitting .259 on the season with 40 runs scored, eight doubles, one triple, three home runs, and 35 RBIs. Upper Iowa has a .714 OPS with a .370 on-base percentage. The Peacocks are led by Alex Greene. Greene is batting .429 with five runs scored, two doubles, and nine RBIs. In addition, Jake Hilmer comes in with a .308 batting average with six runs scored, one double, and four RBIs. Noah Gyldenvand has also been off to a strong start. He is hitting .286 with three runs scored, one double, and an RBI.

Upper Iowa's pitching staff comes in with a 6.18 ERA. The Peacocks have a 1.71 WHIP on the season. Upper Iowa has 65 strikeouts to 41 walks on the year. The Peacocks have been led in their starting rotation by Jarrett Ramer. He is 1-2 with a 3.86 ERA in 11.2 innings pitched with 13 strikeouts and six walks. Also in the starting rotation, Duncan Snider is 1-0 with a 3.97 ERA in 11.1 innings pitched with 11 strikeouts and seven walks.

In the bullpen, the Peacocks have looked to Chris Webber with a 0.00 ERA in five innings pitched. Webber has six strikeouts to just three walks with one save. In addition, Keaton Parker has a 3.52 ERA in 7.2 innings of work with nine strikeouts and just three walks.