ST. PAUL, Minn. - Due to a cold and windy Saturday forecast, Concordia-St. Paul (11-2, 4-0 NSIC) has pushed its Saturday/Sunday four game NSIC weekend series to Sunday/Monday against the University of Mary (3-13, 1-2 NSIC). First pitch on Sunday will be at 1 p.m., with the series finale doubleheader starting at noon on Monday.

WEATHER STRIKES AGAIN
This weekend marks the second time this season that weather has impacted Concordia's schedule, as a three game non-conference series on March 19-20 at Upper Iowa in Fayette had to be cancelled. This weekend's forecast calls for a high of 62 and just a 20 percent chance of rain on Sunday, and a high of 41 with no chance of precipitation on Monday.

ONLINE COVERAGE
The four game series is scheduled for an audio broadcast supplemented with live in-game statistics in Concordia's multimedia portal. Sunday's games will be called by the voice of the Golden Bears, Dan Flanagan who is the main broadcast voice for all of Concordia's sports teams. On Monday, sports information assistant Patrick Rydeen will fill in for Flanagan. Rydeen was a left handed pitcher for the baseball team (2010-13) and also earned a master's degree in sport management from Concordia while serving as a sports information graduate assistant in the athletics department. He is in his fourth year in the sports information office.

BEARS INCH UP IN NCBWA CENTRAL REGION POLL
After a 5-0 start, the Golden Bears jumped into the NCBWA Central Region Top-10 poll in the seventh spot and remained there for three weeks including a four game road split at Augustana and a three game series cancellation at Upper Iowa ... last weekend, Concordia swept Bemidji State in a four game NSIC series to extend their winning streak to four and have bumped up a spot in the latest regional poll.

The poll is comprised of baseball sports information directors in the Central Region which is made up of the Northern Sun (NSIC), Mid-American (MIAA) and Great American (GAC) conferences ... the poll is a collection of committee member votes with no formal criteria, and the poll does not influence the official NCAA Central Region Rankings which are released later in the season with a data-driven criteria that selects and seeds the NCAA Central Region Tournament competitors following the conference tournament automatic qualifiers from the three leagues.
 

RK	School -First-Place Votes-	W-L	Pts.	Previous
1	St. Cloud St. (Minn.) -6-	15-0	60	1
2	Emporia State (Kan.)	21-6	54	2
3	Missouri Southern	19-7	46	3
4	Minnesota State	9-5	40	4
5	Arkansas-Monticello	19-7	34	T5
6	Concordia-St. Paul (Minn.)	11-2	23	T7
7	Central Oklahoma	19-8	22	10
8	Central Missouri	15-8	18	RV
9	Missouri Western	19-8	15	RV
10	Oklahoma Baptist	22-7	13	9

Records thru Sunday, March 27 games
Also receiving votes: Southern Arkansas (19-11) 2 points; SW Oklahoma State (17-10) 2 points.

'COMEBACK KIDS' CONTINUE TO MOUNT COMEBACK WINS
The Golden Bears have trailed in eight of their 11 wins during their 11-2 start to the season, below is a game-by-game quick look at the comeback wins:
Date, Opponent, Final Score, Deficit(s), Notable Performances
 - 3/4 G2 vs Malone, 8-4 win, trailed 2-0 after 4 & 4-2 after 5, Tanner Holmquist tying 2-run HR t-6th, Eric Fasnacht 3-run 2B t-6th, Josh Lenz 2 IP scoreless for save
 - 3/5 G1 vs SMSU, 16-11 win, trailed 4-1 after 3 & 11-4 in B-5th, 5-run 5th & 7-run 6th for 12-straight runs, Adam Hildebrandt go-ahead 3-run 3B in B-6th, Jake Kounkel 1.2 IP, 4 SO, 0 ER for relief win
 - 3/5 G2 vs SMSU, 13-9 win, trailed 3-1 after 3 & 4-2 after 4, 4-run 5th & 7-run 6th for 13-5 lead, 2-out error in 5th scores go-ahead run, Ben Suits 2-run 1B & Connor Olson 2-run 2B in 6th to extend lead, Gus Varland 6 IP, 6 SO for first career win
 - 3/13 G2 at Augie, 4-3 win, trailed 2-1 after 3, Ben Suits game-tying solo HR in 4th, Alex LaPorte go-ahead RBI 1B in 9th, Kevin Woebke ND, 7.0 IP, 9 SO, 2 ER, Keanu Mendez relief win & Yuji Suzuki save
  - 3/25 G1 vs BSU, 10-8 win, trailed 7-1 in B-3rd, 5 HR scores 9 runs in B-3rd for 10-7 lead, Cole Kirchoff go-ahead 2-run HR B-3rd, Josh Lenz 4.0 shutout IP for relief win
 - 3/25 G2 vs BSU, 4-3 win, trailed 2-0 after 3 & 3-2 after 6, Connor Olson GW 2-run HR with 2 outs in B-7th, Keanu Mendez 4.0 scoreless IP, allowing 1 hit with 7 SO for relief win
 - 3/26 G1 vs BSU, 11-7 win, trailed 4-0 after t-1st & 4-3 after 2, game tied 6-6 B-4th, Tanner Holmquist go-ahead 3-run HR B-4th (2nd HR of game), Jake Kounkel 3.0 IP, 0 ER, 3 SO for save
 - 3/26 G2 vs BSU, 4-3 win, trailed 3-0 after 4 & 3-1 after 6, Isaac Hormann tying 2-run 2B B-7th (2 outs) & Ben Suits GW solo HR B-8th, Kevin Woebke ND 7.0 IP, 3 ER, 7 SO, Josh Lenz 1.0 IP relief win, Yuji Suzuki 1-2-3 9th for save

 

CSP	STAT	UM
11-2	W-L	3-12
4-0	Conf	1-2
5-0	Last 5	1-4
8-2	Last 10	2-8
6W	Strk	1L
.302	Avg	.281
.383	Obp	.371
.519	Slg	.340
26	2B	14
3	3B	2
18	HR	3
9-13	SB-A	9-28
7.2	R/G	3.9
5.00	ERA	5.88
1.70	WHIP	1.53
8.9	K/9	7.3
4.3	BB/9	3.2
2.1	K-BB	2.0
.304	OAV	.283
8	opp HR	6
.966	Fld%	.937
10	DP	18
11-16	opp SB	25-30

LAST TIME OUT: 5-HOMER INNING DEFINES 13-HOMER WEEKEND VS BSU
The Golden Bears pulled off a four game sweep of Bemidji State last weekend to open Northern Sun play in Concordia's home opening weekend at Barnes Field. In the first game of the series, Concordia trailed 7-1 in the bottom of the third inning when Connor Olson, Eric Fasnacht, Tanner Holmquist, Ryan Poppitz and Cole Kirchoff all hit home runs for a 9-run inning and a 10-7 lead on their way to a 10-8 first game win.

Concordia would hit eventual game-winning home runs in each game of the series, with Cole Kirchoff giving Concordia the lead for good in game one of the series in the third inning (2-run HR), Connor Olson hitting a game-winning 2-run homer with two outs in the second game of the series in a 4-3 win, Tanner Holmquist hitting a 3-run homer to break a 9-6 tie in the bottom of the fourth inning in the third game in an 11-7 win and Ben Suits hitting the game-winning solo shot in the bottom of the eighth inning in a 4-3 series finale win.

In all, Concordia hit 13 home runs in the series, going deep five times in game one, three times in game two, four times in game three and once in the finale.

Tanner Holmquist leads the Golden Bears with six home runs on the season, followed by Ben Suits with four, Connor Olson with three, Eric Fasnacht with two followed by Ryan Poppitz, Andrew Shotwell and Cole Kirchoff with one each.

The Golden Bears have hit 18 long balls in 13 games while surrendering just eight to the opposition.

SERIES HISTORY VS MARAUDERS
Concordia leads the all-time series 22-3 dating back to 2007, including 19 straight wins over the Marauders. During the 19-game winning streak, seven games have been decided by three runs or less. Concordia is 4-0 at home against U-Mary as the Golden Bears swept the Marauders in a four game series in U-Mary's only trip to Barnes Field in 2011. U-Mary's last win over Concordia was April 6, 2008 as the Marauders swept a doubleheader to even a four game series played in Bismarck, with the scores of 2-1 and 1-0. Concordia swept last year's four game series in Bismarck, winning the four games by a combined total of just eight runs with all four games decided by three runs or less.

NEARING BEST START IN DIVISION II HISTORY
The Golden Bears' 11-2 overall start is just one win shy of matching the 2009 squad's 12-2 start and is tied for the best 13-game start in Concordia's Division II history (2000-present) which is also the same as head coach Mark "Lunch" McKenzie's tenure leading the club.

The 2009 team finished the year with a school record 35 victories, but played an impressive 53 games during the regular season by finishing 35-18 overall. The 2009 group missed the NSIC Tournament by a narrow margin with a 16-15 NSIC record. That team started NSIC played slowly, going 1-3 in a series against Augustana and 0-3 in a series at Wayne State for a 1-6 start to league play. The 2016 Golden Bears are off to a 4-0 NSIC start for the second year in a row and fourth time (2000, 2004, 2015, 2016) in Concordia's Division II history.

Concordia's only 5-0 start in NSIC play was in 2015 following a first game win over Minnesota Duluth in a four game series. The Golden Bears have never started Northern Sun play 6-0.

NSIC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
The Golden Bears secured NSIC Player and Pitcher of the Week in consecutive weeks in the first two weekends of the season, starting with catcher/DH Connor Olson (3/7) followed by LHP Kody Knaus (3/14) ... Knaus picked up a road win at Augustana on Sunday, going the distance (7.0) allowing an unearned run on five singles and a walk with seven strikeouts to move to 2-0 with a 2.25 ERA ... he held a strong Augustana offense to a .185 average with no extra base hits and is now 6-2 with a 3.61 ERA in 62.1 innings in two seasons as a Golden Bear ... last week, Olson earned the nod by hitting .563/.682/.875 (9-16) in five games as Concordia went 5-0 on its spring trip to Tucson ... Olson mashed five doubles, scored and drove in 10 runs each and threw out a pair of baserunners in two attempted steals while hitting safely in all five games.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION: ABOUT THE MARAUDERS
The Marauders snapped a six game slide last Friday afternoon with a 15-5 second game win over Sioux Falls, following a tough 5-4 first game loss. The Cougars topped U-Mary in the only game on Saturday to take the series 2-1 with a 5-1 win. U-Mary went 2-10 in non-conference play, splitting a doubleheader with Point Park University (Pa.) and also topping Findlay (Ohio) on its spring trip to Winter Haven & Auburndale, Fla. where the team played to a 2-8 record.

It's been a tough year for U-Mary with nine of its 12 losses by four runs or less including four one-run losses.

Tom Imholte leads U-Mary in hitting at .536 (15-28) and has scored 10 runs while getting on base at a .611 clip and slugging at a .679 rate. He's played in 13 of U-Mary's 15 games wiht nine starts. Jason Shull has started all 15 contests and is hitting a robust .409/.587/.614 (18-44) while leading the team with two home runs and nine RBI and 14 walks. Brad Meyer is also hitting .396/.448/.509 (21-53) while playing and starting all 15 games. He's tied Imholte's team-high four doubles and added a triple while second on the team with eight RBI.

Jake Johnson leads the pitching staff with a 1.29 ERA and 1-0 record in three starts while working 21.0 innings with 18 strikeouts and just six hits allowed as opponents hit just .086 against him.

On the year, U-Mary is being outscored 99-58 in 15 games and is hitting .281/.371/.340 while opponents hit .283/.366/.403. The key difference in the slash line comparisons comes down to slugging percentage, as the Marauders have hit just 19 extra base hits in 15 games while opponents have tallied 37.

The basepaths also mark a key contrast as U-Mary has stolen just nine bases in 28 tries while opponents have been successful running on the Marauders 25 of 30 attempts.

PLAYER NOTES VS U-MARY
Catcher/DH Connor Olson hit .400/.471/.467 (6-15) against U-Mary in four games last year, scoring two and driving in three runs in the series while adding a double, two walks and a steal without striking out ... shortstop Eric Fasnacht is a .381/.417/.524 (8-21) career hitter in six games against U-Mary including a home run and five RBI. Last year, Fasnacht went 5-15 with a homer and three RBI in four games. He's also swiped two bases in two tries against the Marauders ... third baseman Ryan Poppitz is a career .304/.360/.478 (7-23) hitter in six games against U-Mary with seven runs, a double, a homer and six RBI. Poppitz went 3-9 with a double, homer, four runs and four RBI as a sophomore in 2014 in a doubleheader ... second baseman Alex LaPorte is a .308/.357/.308 hitter (4-13) in four games against U-Mary, starting all four games last year with two runs, an RBI, a walk, one strikeout and three sacrifices while playing error-free defense ... right fielder Andrew Shotwell hits .357/.471/.429 (5-14) against U-Mary with three runs, a doule and an RBI with a 3-3 SO-BB ratio in four games last year ...

PITCHER NOTES VS U-MARY
LHP Zach Rengel is 2-0 with a 1.29 ERA in two starts (14.0 IP), allowing just seven hits and six walks for a sub-1.00 WHIP with 15 strikeouts. Rengel twirled 7.0 scoreless frames, allowing two hits with eight strikeouts as a sophomore in 2014 and struck out seven over 7.0 innings, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks last year in a complete game ... LHP Kody Knaus is 1-0 with a 2.84 ERA in 6.1 innings, making one start and beating U-Mary last year with five strikeouts despite walking six and allowing six hits, he was tagged for four runs but just two earned and held U-Mary to a .273 average on all singles ... LHP Josh Lenz is 1-0 with a 3.38 ERA against U-Mary, working 5.1 innings of two-hit ball in a start last year with seven strikeouts and five walks, limiting the Marauders to a .118 average ... LHP Erik Monson made one relief appearance last year, working 3.2 scoreless innings to earn a save while allowing a hit and two walks, holding U-Mary to a .100 average ... RHP Yuji Suzuki has made one career appearance in relief against U-Mary, working 3.0 scoreless innings last year, allowing just a hit and two walks with five strikeouts as U-Mary hit just .091 against him ... LHP Kevin Woebke picked up a no decision in his only career start against U-Mary last year, allowing four runs (three earned) in 6.0 innings with seven strikeouts.

ABOUT THE GOLDEN BEARS
The Golden Bears' 11-2 start is boosted by a pair of nice winning strikes, a five game streak to start the year and a current six game winning streak that includes four straight NSIC wins last weekend.

The Golden Bears are currently hitting home runs at the 19th-ranked rate in Division II baseball (1.31/game) which ranks third in the NSIC. The Golden Bears are also 21st in the land (4th NSIC) in slugging at .514 and seventh in the league with a .302 average.

On the mound, Concordia is second in the league with a 5.00 team ERA and sixth in WHIP at 1.70. The Golden Bear pitchers are second in the league and 22nd in the country in strikeouts per nine innings (8.9) and third in the league in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.1). They are backed by the fourth-ranked defense in hte leauge (57th DII) with a .966 fielding percentage.

Individually, Connor Olson is second in the nation and leading the NSIC in doubles per game (0.62) while the Golden Bears have three of the top-11 in the conference in home runs per game as Olson ranks 11th (0.23). Tanner Holmquist leads the team and is second in the country (and NSIC) with 0.55 homers per game, followed by Ben Suits in fifth in the conference (24th NCAA) with 0.33 HR/game. Holmquist also ranks seventh in the country (4th NSIC) in slugging (.875) followed by Suits in 31st in Division II (7th NSIC) at .757 and Olson (39th DII, 8th NSIC, .745).

PROJECTED PITCHING MATCHUPS
please note: Each team's projected pitching matchups are based on early season usage, as the teams do not announce starting pitching matchups before a series
GAME 1: SUNDAY, 1:00 PM
CSP: Zach Rengel (Sr., LHP): 1-1, 9.00 ERA, 2.17 WHIP, 3 GS, 12.0 IP, 16-6 SO-BB, .364 OAV
UM: McKeon Meyhoff (Sr., LHP): 0-2, 6.64 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 3 GS, 20.1 IP, 19-7 SO-BB, .288 OAV

GAME 2: SUNDAY, 3:00 PM (approx)
CSP: Gus Varland (Fr., RHP): 1-1, 5.68 ERA, 1.58 WHIP, 3 GS, 19.0 IP, 16-5 SO-BB, .313 OAV
UM: Jake Johnson (So., RHP): 1-0, 1.29 ERA, 0.62 WHIP, 3 GS, 21.0 IP, 18-7 SO-BB, .086 OAV

GAME 3: MONDAY, 12:00 PM
CSP: Kody Knaus (Sr., LHP): 3-0, 5.06 ERA, 1.69 WHIP, 3 GS, 16.0 IP, 12-8 SO-BB, .311 OAV
UM: Brad Meyer (Jr., RHP): 0-2, 6.91 ERA, 1.75 WHIP, 2 GS, 14.1 IP, 10-3 SO-BB, .338 OAV

GAME 4: MONDAY, 2:00 PM (approx)
CSP: Kevin Woebke (Jr., LHP): 0-0, 3.50 ERA, 1.44 WHIP, 3 GS, 18.0 IP, 19-8 SO-BB, .257 OAV
UM: Nicholas Stobbe (Jr., RHP): 0-2, 7.30 ERA, 1.46 WHIP, 2 GS, 12.1 IP, 7-5 SO-BB, .271 OAV

CONCORDIA BULLPEN NOTES
please note: this week marks the opening week of mid-week NSIC doubleheaders, which could change Concordia's bullpen mix and starting rotation from the early season usage.
Senior right hander Yuji Suzuki leads the NSIC and is 32nd in the country with four saves in five appearances, striking out four with a 3.60 ERA and .263 opponent batting average. Suzuki has only allowed one hit to a left handed hitter (1-5) and limits the damage as opponents hit .231 (3-13) with runners on base and .200 (1-5) with two outs ... junior LHP Josh Lenz is second on the team with four appearances, working to a 1.80 ERA in 10.0 innings, striking out nine while allowing nine of 10 hits for singles with a 2-0 record and two saves in his four mound visits. Opponents are just .143 (3-21) against Lenz with runners on base and .200 (2-10) with two outs ... junior RHP Jake Kounkel has made three relief appearances and 6.2 innings with a 1.35 ERA, 1-0 record and a save with nine strikeouts and opponents do not have an extra base hit against him. Kounkel holds right handed hitters to a .222 (4-18) average and .250 (5-20) with runners on base ... freshman RHP Keanu Mendez has made three appearances with a start and has a 3-0 record with a 0.82 ERA in 11.0 innings, striking out 12 with just eight hits allowed and a .205 opponent average. Mendez has held left handed bats hitless (0-8), and silenced bats with runners on base to a .160 (4-25) average and .167 (2-12) two out average.