ST. PAUL, Minn. - This afternoon, the Concordia baseball team (19-17, 10-12) closes out their home schedule with a 1:30 p.m. doubleheader against Augustana (24-13, 16-6) at Barnes Field. The matchup features the nation's top hitter, Bryan Lippincott of Concordia; against the national strikeout leader, Augustana's Derek Hansen. The individual matchup alone is intriguing, but it's also a crucial conference doubleheader as Concordia looks to rise up the standings while Augustana is in the thick of competing for the league's regular season title. For fans unable to make it to Barnes Field, online coverage is available for the home finale! WATCH | LIVE STATS
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Comparison
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CU
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Stats
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Augie
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19-17
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OVR
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24-13
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10-12
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NSIC
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16-6
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NR
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Rank
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RV
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10
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Reg
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5
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.338
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AVG
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.312
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|
.408
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OBP
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.391
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|
.469
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SLG
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.461
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75
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2B
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63
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|
9
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3B
|
7
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|
21
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HR
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32
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17-26
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SB-A
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68-92
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5.75
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ERA
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3.21
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.295
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OAV
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.243
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|
6
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SV
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7
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7.1
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K/9
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8.7
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3.5
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BB/9
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3.4
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.958
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FLD%
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.952
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|
25
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DP
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33
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Weather is expected to cooperate but there is a chance of isolated storms with temperatures in the upper-60's by first pitch, with projections to warm throughout the afternoon under partly cloudy skies.
Concordia's top hitter, Lippincott (.538), had a .038 lead for the national batting title entering Monday's doubleheader (he went 2-for-4, now at .537). He anchors a Concordia lineup that ranks seventh in the nation in hitting (.343) with seven players hitting .315 or better on the year.
Lippincott also ranks second in the country in on base percentage (.631) and slugging (.949) while ranking seventh in RBI (1.35/gm) and eighth in doubles (.47/gm). While he hits third in the lineup, Concordia's leadoff hitter Greg Larpenter is 14th in the country with .44 doubles/game.
Derek Hansen, who is expected to start on the mound in the doubleheader, has struck out 14.24 batters per 9-innings on the year to lead the NCAA. His 78 total strikeouts also lead the conference, and allowing just 4.93 hits per 9-innings, he is the third toughest pitcher to get a hit against. Opponents hit just .151 off Hansen, as he's posted a 5-3 record in eight starts (nine appearances) with a miniscule 1.09 ERA and a 78-24 K-BB ratio. Hansen also hits, slugging .609 with five homers, three triples and a .391 average.
While Hansen is clearly Augustana's ace, Concordia will counter with one of their top starting pitchers in the twinbill, as senior right hander Ben Lemke is expected to be ready after only working a couple of relief innings in the St. Cloud State series over the weekend. Lemke is a 14-11 career pitcher looking to make his 36th career start with 182.0 collegiate innings under his belt with 170 strikeouts.
It's a prime-time midseason, midweek matchup at Barnes Field that includes postseason implications and is your last chance to see Concordia's nine seniors in action!
