ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia Golden Bears baseball team (5-3) returns home this week to play Minot State and Wayne State on Thursday before taking on Concordia College on Saturday at US Bank Stadium.
GAME INFORMATION
The Golden Bears will start early on Thursday morning as they are schedule to face Minot State at 8 a.m. for a nine-inning contest followed by another nine-inning game against Wayne State. Saturday's doubleheader with Concordia Moorhead, both seven-inning games, is set for the evening as first pitch in game one is set for 5 p.m.
US BANK STADIUM INFORMATION
All fans will enter at the Lower Pentair gate (off South 6th Street). NO ENTRANCE VIA SKYWAY. Fans will then proceed to sit in sections 126 – 130. Tickets are $5 at the door (children 2 & under are free), both cash and credit are accepted. Doors will open 30 minutes before the start of the day's first game. Outside food and drink is prohibited and will not be allowed in the stadium. Vending machines will be available for food and drink. Reentry will not be allowed. Free public Wi-Fi is available at the stadium.
LAST TIME OUT
CSP will look to carry the momentum from a strong start to the season, including four wins in their last five games in Arizona, back to the Twin Cities this week.
Despite scoring just five runs in the season-opening doubleheader against the Huskies at US Bank Stadium, Concordia has slashed .328/.400/.450 as a team through the first eight games of the season, averaging 7.1 runs and 10.8 hits per game. In the six-game trip to Tucson, Arizona, the offense was even more potent with 8.7 runs and 12.2 hits per game during that span.
The sophomore duo of
Carter Schmidt and
Isaac Hormann paced the offense for the week as Schmidt hit .500 (13-26) with a pair of doubles and 11 RBI while Hormann hit .467 (14-30) with five doubles and seven RBI. Schmidt's numbers earned him NSIC Player of the Week.
While the offense was impressive,
Gus Varland and
Josh Lenz had solid weeks on the mound. Varland went 2-0 with a 1.50 ERA in two starts as he struck out 14 in 12.0 innings, allowing just seven hits and two runs, while Lenz picked up a win and a save in 9.0 scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and striking out seven.
SERIES HISTORY
In the first game of the day on Thursday, Concordia will take on Minot State for just the fourth time in the all-time series. CSP holds a record of 4-0 against the Beavers as they swept a conference doubleheader in 2014 on the road before knocking Minot State twice in the Tucson Invitational in 2015. The two meetings in 2015 were both high scoring affairs as the Golden Bears won 9-8 in the first game and 13-9 in the second.
Concordia has had a much more extensive series history with their second opponent on Thursday as they will be meeting Wayne State for the 44
th time all-time. The Wildcats hold an edge of 33-10 through the first 43 meetings, but the Golden Bears have started to turn things in their favor with three wins in a row. After a doubleheader sweep in Wayne in 2015 (9-4 and 8-4), CSP took the lone meeting last season by a score of 9-4.
Saturday's doubleheader against Concordia College marks just the fifth meeting between the two schools and first since 2005. In the four previous meetings, CSP claimed three shutout victories while the Cobbers won the other meeting 5-1. In the last meetings back in 2005, the Golden Bears claimed the sweep with 15-0 and 5-0 wins.
