CROOKSTON, Minn. - The University of Minnesota Crookston baseball team is set to open home action this week at the Minnesota Crookston baseball field. The Golden Eagles will play four games against No. 20 Augustana University. Minnesota Crookston will face the Vikings Thursday, March 28 at 3:30 p.m. They are set for a doubleheader Friday, March 29 at 1 and 3 p.m., and a finale Saturday, March 30 at 12 p.m.
The Golden Eagles come into the week in a tie for seventh place in the NSIC standings, while the Vikings sit at the top of the standings. Augustana has won the last eight games in the series. Minnesota Crookston's last win in the series came March 30, 2021.
Augustana at Minnesota Crookston
UMN Crookston Baseball Field, Crookston, Minn.
Thursday, March 28 - 3:30 p.m.
Friday, March 29 - 1 and 3 p.m.
Saturday, March 30 - 12 p.m.
Live Stats - TeamA 0 TeamB 0 Top 1 0 Outs (goldeneaglesports.com)
Live VIdeo - University of Minnesota Crookston on the NSIC Network
Minnesota Crookston
Projected Starters
Jr. C 29 Kodi Miller, Grand Rapids, Minn., .275, 12 R, 3 2B, 3 HR, 8 RBI
Sr. 1B 18 Teddy Giefer, Courtland, Minn., .402, 14 R, 8 2B, 5 HR, 33 RBI
R-So. 2B 20 Kobe Senn, Fargo, N.D., .206, 10 R, 1 HR, 4 RBI
R-So. 3B 2 Sawyer Satrom, Portland, N.D., .342, 17 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 12 RBI
R-Sr. SS 10 Mitch Goodwin, Prior Lake, Minn., .262, 16 R, 2 2B, 2 3B, 5 HR, 18 RBI
R-Sr. LF/RF 8 Jake Hjelle, East Grand Forks, Minn., .261, 25 R, 7 2B, 1 3B, 4 HR, 13 RBI
Or R-So. LF 5 Angelo Pacyga, Sunfish Lake, Minn., .364, 3 R, 1 HR, 2 RBI
R-Jr. CF 9 Caden Headlee, Fargo, N.D., .393, 21 R, 5 2B, 3 HR, 20 RBI
Sr. RF/C 19 Danny Wensloff, Roseau, Minn., .282, 13 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 3 HR, 13 RBI
So. DH 32 Josh Dykhoff, Wadena, Minn., .298, 22 R, 7 2B, 4 HR, 16 RBI
Top Pitchers
Sr. RHP 7 Brody Sorenson, Grand Forks, N.D., 3.1 3,79 ERA, 35.2 IP, 41 K, 7 BB
R-Sr. RHP 24 Jake Osowski, East Grand Forks, Minn., 4-0 3.98 ERA, 31.2 IP, 31 K, 11 BB
Fr. LHP 41 Nate Benning, Browerville, Minn., 2-1 4.07 ERA, 24.1 IP, 16 K, 16 BB
So. RHP 32 Josh Dykhoff, Wadena, Minn., 1-1 7.71 ERA, 25.2 IP, 24 K, 11 BB
So. RHP 3 Isaac Wensloff, Roseau, Minn., 1-1 9.75 ERA, 12.0 IP, 14 K, 3 BB
Jr. RHP 13 Jacob Mathiason, Rockford, Minn., 0-0 4.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 8 K, 7 BB
Sr. RHP 25 Nate Grafsgaard, Devils Lake, N.D., 0-1 0.00 ERA, 6.0 IP, 11 K, 6 BB
R-So. RHP 15 Max Weber, St. Paul, Minn., 0-1 5.40 ERA, 1.2 IP, 1 K, 2 BB
The Golden Eagles are coming off a 3-1 series win over Concordia University-St. Paul last weekend in Beatrice, Neb. They come into the week with a 12-10 (6-6 NSIC) record. The Golden Eagles are hitting .300 as a team, they are tied for third in home runs in the NSIC with 32 home runs. Minnesota Crookston has been led by the bat of Teddy Giefer (Sr., 1B, Courtland, Minn.), who has put together his best season as a Golden Eagle. Giefer is hitting .402, with 14 runs scored, eight doubles, five home runs, and a team-high 33 RBIs. He is third in the league for RBIs. Caden Headlee (R-Jr., OF, Fargo, N.D.) comes in swinging .393, with 21 runs scored, five doubles, three home runs, and 20 RBIs. Sawyer Satrom (R-So., IF, Portland, N.D.) is hitting .342, with 17 runs scored, two doubles, one home run, and 12 RBIs. Josh Dykhoff (So., RHP/DH, Wadena, Minn.) is hitting .298, with 22 runs scored, seven doubles, four home runs, and 16 RBIs.
Minnesota Crookston is seeking consistency on the mound. The Golden Eagles come in with a 6.03 ERA, which is seventh in the NSIC. They have 186 strikeouts, which is second in the NSIC, and 98 walks. The Golden Eagles have been led by their experienced starting pitching. Brody Sorenson (Sr., RHP, Grand Forks, N.D.) is 3-1 with a 3.79 ERA in 35.2 innings of work, with 41 strikeouts, and seven walks. He is second in the NSIC in strikeouts. Jake Osowski (R-So., RHP, East Grand Forks, Minn.) is 4-0 with a 3.98 ERA in 31.2 innings on the bump, with 31 strikeouts and 11 walks. Newcomer Nate Benning (Fr., LHP, Browerville, Minn.) is 2-1 with a 4.07 ERA in 24.1 innings. Out of the bullpen, Jacob Mathiason (Jr., RHP, Rockford, Minn.), a Bemidji State University transfer, has a 4.00 ERA in nine innings of relief. Nate Grafsgaard (Sr., RHP, Devils Lake, N.D.) is 0-1 with a 0.00 ERA in six innings. He has yet to give up an earned run this season.
Augustana
Projected Starters
Sr. C/1B 14 Drey Dirksen, .284, 23 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 6 HR, 16 RBI
Sr. 1B 31 Luke Ballweg, .372, 18 R, 5 2B, 3 HR, 17 RBI
Jr. 2B/3B/LF 15 Joe Kolbeck, .354, 19 R, 5 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 16 RBI
Or Sr. 2B 7 Spencer Marenco, .278, 4 R, 1 3B, 5 RBI
Or Sr. 2B 1 Tate Meiners, .163, 13 R, 3 HR, 10 RBI
So. 3B 18 Ragan Pinnow, .320, 11 R, 3 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 10 RBI
Sr. SS 23 Jack Hines, .455, 32 R, 5 2B, 1 3B, 10 HR, 32 RBI
Jr. LF/RF 12 Sam Siegel, .278, 5 R, 4 RBI
Jr. CF/LF 3 Trevor Winterstein, .242, 13 R, 6 2B, 4 RBI
Or Jr. CF 6 Jason Axelberg, .375, 13 R, 4 2B, 3 HR, 19 RBI
Sr. RF 16 Nick Banowetz, .265, 14 R, 2 2B, 2 HR, 16 RBI
Or So. RF/C 41 Ryan Clementi, .333, 7 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 3 RBI
So. DH/2B 32 Parker Mooney, .300, 4 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 9 RBI
Or Sr. DH 4 Max Mosser, .405, 14 R, 3 2B, 8 RBI
Top Pitchers
So. LHP 8 Ashton Michek, 4-0 1.80 ERA, 30.0 IP, 33 K, 12 BB
So. LHP 24 Ethan Cole, 3-0 4.26 ERA, 19.0 IP, 33 K, 5 BB
Sr. RHP 48 Caleb Saari, 3-1 2.78 ERA, 32.1 IP, 33 K, 7 BB
So. RHP 30 J.D. Hennen, 2-0 6.38 ERA, 18.1 IP, 25 K, 6 BB
Jr. RHP 11 Tom Sun, 1-1 1.29 ERA, 7.0 IP, 8 K, 7 BB
Jr. LHP 49 Mariano Gomez, 2-0 1.26 ERA, 14.1 IP, 27 K, 7 BB
Jr. RHP 40 Adam Diedrich, 0-1 3.60 ERA, 5.0 IP, 4 SV, 4 K, 4 BB
Augustana comes in ranked No. 20 in the NCBWA poll. The Vikings are coming off a four-game sweep of the University of Minnesota Duluth last weekend. They are 17-4 (10-2 NSIC) entering the series. The Vikings are hitting .315 as a team, with 32 home runs, and 173 RBIs. They are guided by Jack Hines, who is swinging .455, with 32 runs scored, five doubles, one triple, 10 home runs, and 32 RBIs. Max Mosser is hitting .405, with 14 runs scored. Luke Ballweg is batting .372, with 18 runs scored, three home runs, and 17 RBIs. Jason Axelberg is hitting .374, with 13 runs scored, three home runs, and 19 RBIs.
On the mound, the Vikings come in with a 4.01 ERA as a team, with 207 strikeouts and 66 walks. Lefty Ashton Michek leads the way with a 4-0 record and a 1.80 ERA in 30 innings. He has 33 strikeouts. Southpaw Ethan Cole is 3-0 with a 4.26 ERA in 19 innings, while Caleb Saari is 3-1 with a 2.78 ERA in 32.1 innings of work. Out of the bullpen, Adam Diedrich has four saves and a 3.60 ERA.
