ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul baseball team will take its 5-0 start to Sioux Falls, S.D. this weekend for a four game weekend non-conference series against Augustana (4-3) with first pitch of Saturday's doubleheader set for 1 p.m. and Sunday's at noon at Karras Park Home of Ronken Field.

FORECAST
Saturday features a projected high of 60 and low fo 47 with a 50 percent chance of afternoon showers while Sunday has a high of 63, low of 41 with afternoon sun and a 20 percent chance of rain.

NCBWA RANKS CONCORDIA 7TH IN CENTRAL REGION
The Golden Bears' perfect start on their spring trip to the Tucson Invitational Games, sweeping Division II doubleheaders with Malone (Ohio) and Southwest Minnesota State before a win over NAIA Division I member Missouri Valley placed the team in position to be ranked seventh in this week's National Collegiate Baseball Writers of America (NCBWA) Central Region Poll. The poll is comprised of select baseball sports information directors within the region's three conferences: Northern Sun (NSIC), Mid-American (MIAA) and Great American (GAC). Concordia taking the seventh spot bumped out Augustana, who previously was ranked seventh and is now unranked in this week's poll, providing a compelling early season storyline to an already key non-conference series.

The NCBWA poll is not indicative of the NCAA Central Region Rankings, which are not released until later in the season and help select teams for the NCAA Central Region Tournament.

SERIES HISTORY
While Concordia has the current momentum, riding a 5-game winning streak into the weekend, the Vikings have dominated the head-to-head series with Concordia. The Golden Bears are 2-16 against Augustana although they hold a 1-2 road record against the Vikings. Augustana has won seven straight games in the series, holding Concordia to three runs or less in all seven of those contests dating back to April 27, 2011. In Concordia's last trip to Augustana, the Golden Bears were defeated in a close 5-3 NSIC Tournament opening round game last year. Prior to that, Concordia's last trip to Sioux Falls was April 27, 2011 which the Golden Bears closed out the doubleheader with a 7-6 win, their last win over the Vikings.

5-0 STARTS IN MCKENZIE'S TENURE
Skipper of the Golden Bears since the 2000 season which was Concordia's first at the NCAA Division II level and as members of the Northern Sun, head coach Mark "Lunch" McKenzie's squads have started off with a 5-0 start five times including this season (2005, 2006, 2009, 2014 & 2016). The lowest winning percentage produced after a 5-0 start was the .660 mark in 2009 when the team still set the single season record for wins with 35. Each of the four previous 5-0 start teams also finished with winning conference records, although the 2009 team did not qualify for the NSIC Tournament despite a winning 16-15 league campaign.

2005: 5-0 start, finished 29-12 overall, 17-5 NSIC
2006: 9-0 start, finished 29-12-1 overall, 13-5 NSIC
2009: 5-0 start, finished 35-18 overall, 16-15 NSIC (school wins record)
2014: 5-0 start, finished 28-14 overall, 20-10 NSIC (school NSIC wins record)

TEAM NOTES
In getting off to a 5-0 start, the Golden Bears have been getting on base at a .432 clip, ranking 17th in Division II baseball and third in the NSIC and driving in the steady dose of runners with 3.0 doubles per game (15) which is the fourth-best per game rate in the country and trailing only St. Cloud State (3.20) in the NSIC. The squad's .329 average ranks 30th in the nation and third in the league while the .475 team slugging percentage is 50th nation-wide and fourth in the 15-team NSIC. The end result of the solid Tucson hitting has been the eight-best scoring offense in the land at 10.0 runs per game as the team compiled an average margin of 10-6 victory through five contests.

Defensively, the Golden Bears turned six double plays in Arizona, an average of 1.2 per game to rank seventh in the NCAA while the pitching staff struck out a batter per inning to rank 37th in the country and second in the league.

COMEBACK KIDS PROVIDE LATE GAME HEROICS
The Golden Bears picked up a big non-conference doubleheader sweep of Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday, scoring a combined 23 runs in the fifth and sixth innings to overcome 11-4 and 4-2 deficits in the two games on their way to 16-11 and 13-9 victories. The day before, the Golden Bears came from behind in game two against Malone to pick up the season opening doubleheader sweep after trailing 2-0 after four innings and 4-2 after five innings by scoring five in the top of the sixth and another run in the seventh for an 8-4 victory.

On the year, Concordia has scored 21 runs in the sixth inning and 11 in the fifth inning in five games with the 32 runs drastically out-pacing the opposition's 11.

LEADING OFF: CONNOR OLSON NAMED NSIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
The team has been led by leadoff hitter Connor Olson, a sophomore catcher/DH who earned NSIC Player of the Week honors for his 9-16 batting line as he hit .563/.682/.875 on the weekend, scoring and driving in 10 runs with five doubles. He hit safely in all five games, reached base at least twice each game (hit, walk, HBP) and had his top game going 3-5 with two doubles and five RBI in a 16-11 comeback win over SMSU in the third game of the weekend and game one of the SMSU doubleheader.

Just five games into the season, Olson is highly ranked in DII and the NSIC in several hitting statistics: average (.563, 9th DII, 4th NSIC), doubles/game (1.0, 2nd DII, 1st NSIC), hit by pitch/game (0.6, 11th DII, 3rd NSIC), on base percentage (.682, 3rd DII, 2nd NSIC), RBI/game (2.0, 4th DII, 2nd NSIC), runs/game (2.0, 1st DII, 1st NSIC), slugging percentage (.875, 24th DII, 3rd NSIC).

Last year as a freshman starter, Olson hit .353/.404/.462 (55-156) with 11 doubles, two home runs and 32 RBI. In 48 career games, Olson is a .372/.435/.500 hitter (64-172) with 16 doubles and 42 RBI.

BATTING 2ND: ANDREW SHOTWELL
Sophomore right fielder Andrew Shotwell has hit second in all five games to start the year and is off to a strong .412/.545/.529 (7-17) start including a pair of doubles and six RBI. He's drawn four walks and a HBP, showing ability to both drive in runs and get on base for the middle of the lineup. His opening weekend was highlighted by going 3-5 with three RBI in the 16-11 game one comeback win over SMSU on Saturday, and he also went 2-3 with a double and two RBI in the season opener against Malone. He's successfully reached base in all five games to start the year, hitting safely in four of the five.

Last year, Shotwell hit .297/.367/.384 (41-138) in his first year of playing after using a redshirt and medical redshirt to start his first two years in the program. In 49 career games, he's a .310/.389/.400 (48-155) career hitter with 11 doubles, a home run and 32 RBI. He played primiarly first base as a redshirt freshman last year while starting in right field all five games to start his sophomore campaign.

BATTING 3RD: ERIC FASNACHT
Senior shortstop Eric Fasnacht entered the year having received NCBWA Preseason All-America honorable mention honors and was named to the NCBWA Preseason All-Central Region Team after earning All-Central Region Second Team and All-NSIC Second Team honors as a junior, also being named to the NSIC All-Tournament Team. He's off to a solid start at the plate, hitting .333/.455/.500 (6-18) with half of his six hits going for extra bases with three doubles to drive in seven runs. He's also only struck out once in five games while drawing a pair of walks and getting hit by pitch twice. Defensively, he's off to a perfect start and has helped turn all six of the team's double plays.

The fourth year starter is a career .329/.399/.495 hitter (133-404) in 121 games with 24 doubles, eight triples, nine home runs and 75 RBI while also scoring 76 runs along with 9-12 stolen bases. Last year, he hit career best marks of .361/.417/.653 with nine homers, 12 doubles and 37 RBI in 42 games.

PROVIDING POWER: TANNER HOLMQUIST
While the first three spots in the lineup have been the same for each of the five games, the Golden Bears have mixed up all of the other spots in the order. But Tanner Holmquist has provided the early power to move from sixth to fifth to cleanup throughout the opening weekend. After hitting a game tying home run in his debut in the second game against Malone, Holmquist came up with another key home run to start the big rally in the 16-11 comeback against SMSU in the next game. His two home runs are the only long balls for the team so far, both coming in big situations as he is tied for Olson with the team lead in slugging at .875. He's hitting .438 (7-16) with a .474 on base percentage and despite the early power surge has only struck out three times while drawing a pair of walks. He's played two games in left field and two as designated hitter so far.

Holmquist came to Concordia last season, redshirt his first year as a transfer. The 2012 Hopkins High School graduate spent two years in the NAHL playing junior hockey for the Aberdeen Wings, Minnesota Wilderness and Minot Minotauros prior to joining Concordia in 2014-15.

GETTING ON BASE: ALEX LaPORTE
Senior second baseman Alex LaPorte is off to his best start at the plate, hitting .500/.571/.556 (9-18) with eight runs, four RBI, a double and a pair of stolen bases in as many attempts while bouncing between the fifth and sixth spots in the order. He's hit safely in all five games and had two hits and at least a run in each of the first four games. He's either scored or driven in a run in all five contests, as well. In the SMSU doubleheader, LaPorte combined to go 4-7 with two walks, six runs, two RBI and a stolen base after going 4-6 with a pair of runs, an RBI, a double and a steal in the season opening Malone doubleheader.

Emerging as a starter late in his freshman season, LaPorte is a career .301/.375/.322 hitter (71-236) in 93 games (80 starts) with 43 runs scored and 19 sacrifice hits. His career year was a .326/.408/.349 (28-86) sophomore breakout year.

THE HOT CORNER: RYAN POPPITZ
Although fourth year starting third baseman Ryan Poppitz is off to a slow start with the bat (3-19), he's played a perfect error-free defense arguably the toughest position for fielding percentage on the diamond. A breakout freshman starter in 2013, Poppitz finished strong and earned NSIC All-Tournament honors as a rookie. He followed that up by repeating his two home runs as a sophomore, driving in 37 runs with a .310/.382/.445 (48-155) batting line. He's started in the cleanup spot four times and hit fifth once to open the year.

Now in his fourth year, Poppitz holds a career .268/.350/.366 (109-407) total with 22 doubles, three triples, four home runs, 60 RBI and 63 runs scored to go with a steady glove at third with a strong arm.

MISCELLANEOUS LINEUP NOTES
While five players have started all five games and another (Holmquist) has four starts, the rest other three starting spots have fluctuated with Concordia's youth and depth ... senior David Henke has caught three of the five games, forming a strong platoon with Olson as he provides a .364 on base percentage and four runs scored ... the catching tandem has allowed only two stolen bases in five attempts in five games ... at first base, freshmen Ben Suits has started three games with Roch Whittaker starting a pair, combining to occupy the seventh spot in the lineup four of the five games ... Suits is hitting .300/.417/.400 (3-10) with a double, three runs and four RBI to lead the position early on ... four different players have started in left field led by Holmquist (2) followed by freshmen Carter Schmidt, Cole Kirchoff and Isaac Hormann with one each ... Schmidt is 1-2 with a double and an RBI, Kirchoff is 2-6 with a run and an RBI and Hormann is 1-5 with a run and an RBI as the three players are a combined 4-13 (.308) ... in center field, sophomore Adam Hildebrandt has started three times with freshman Jake Steckler earning a pair of starts ... Hildebrandt has scored five runs in three games and hit a three-run triple as he holds a .222/.364/.444 slash (2-9) with a pair of walks ... Steckler is off to a 1-5 start with a double and a run ... off the bench, freshman Steven Nessler has appeared in three games as a pinch runner, scoring two runs while also stealing his first base.

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: SATURDAY, 1:00 PM
CSP: Zach Rengel (Sr., LHP): 1-0, 1.50 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, 1 GS, 6.0 IP, 9-0 SO-BB, .280 OAV
AUGIE: Ryan Hamilton (Jr., RHP): 1-0, 3.12 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 2 GS, 8.2 IP, 5-6 SO-BB, .188 OAV

GAME 2: SATURDAY, 3:00 PM (approx)
CSP: Kody Knaus (Sr., LHP): 1-0, 5.40 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, 1 GS, 5.0 IP, 2-5 SO-BB, .286 OAV
AUGIE: Michael Letkewicz (Sr., RHP): 1-0, 2.70 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 2 GS, 10.0 IP, 5-4 SO-BB, .237 OAV

GAME 3: SUNDAY, 12:00 PM
CSP: Kevin Woebke (Jr., LHP): 0-0, 4.50 ERA, 2.75 WHIP, 1 GS, 4.0 IP, 3-4 SO-BB, .350 OAV
AUGIE: Colton Vien (Sr., RHP): 0-2, 13.50 ERA, 1.80 WHIP, 1 GS, 6.2 IP, 7-3 SO-BB, .290 OAV

GAME 4: SUNDAY, 2:00 PM (approx)
CSP: Gus Varland (Fr., RHP): 1-0, 9.00 ERA, 1.83 WHIP, 1 GS, 6.0 IP, 6-1 SO-BB, .385 OAV
AUGIE: Ryne Lees (Jr., RHP): 2-0, 3.00 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 1 GS, 9.0 IP, 7-2 SO-BB, .281 OAV

ADDITIONAL CSP PITCHING NOTES
Freshman right handed transfer Keanu Mendez started Concordia's fifth game in Tucson on Sunday, allowing a run on five hits with five strikeouts while walking five, holding Missouri Valley hitters to a .238 average and just one extra base hit (2B) in 21 at bats ... senior right handed reliever Yuji Suzuki has a history of starting and relieving and appeared in two games in relief in Tucson, saving one and pitching the final inning of another for a 4.50 ERA in 2.0 innings ... junior southpaw Josh Lenz appeared in two games in long relief for a pair of saves, a 2.0 inning and a 3.0 inning save and has a 3.60 ERA, a 6-3 K-BB ratio and .250 opponent average in 5.0 innings ... junior right handed pitcher Jake Kounkel secured his first college win against SMSU, working 1.2 scoreless innings in a 16-11 win, striking out four of the five outs he recorded while pitching around three singles and a walk in his appearance.