BURNSVILLE, Minn. - The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) released their weekly baseball release and Concordia-St. Paul right-handed pitcher Louie Varland was named the NSIC Pitcher of the Week.

NSIC Player of the Week
#14 Lenny Walker (OF, Jr., Tolleson, Ariz / Tolleson HS)
St. Cloud State
- Hit .515 with 17 hits over eight games, including three four-hit games at the plate
- Recorded at least two hits in six of the eight games played
- Had 14 RBIs on the week, including a six RBI day that included a grand slam against Bemidji State
- Recorded at least one RBI in six of the eight games played, while having a multi-RBI day at the plate four times
- Only struck out one time in 32 at-bats, scored seven runs and did not commit an error as SCSU's starting left fielder

NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#17 Louie Varland (RHP, 6-1, 210, Jr., L/R, Maplewood, Minn. / North St. Paul HS)  
Concordia-St. Paul
- Worked 8.0 shutout innings in a 4-0 win over Southwest Minnesota State on Friday
- Allowed just six hits and a walk while striking out a career-best 11 in the victory
- Lowered his season ERA to 0.69, good for fourth in the NSIC, while his .174 opponent average ranks sixth

 

Augustana University Vikings

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 4-3 vs. Ashland W 10-1 vs. Seton Hill W 6-2 vs. GVSU W 17-7 vs. NYT	6-3, 0-0 NSIC	W3	1st Overall
Team Notes
- Picked up three wins to start the Flordia Spring trip. - Dropped the first game 4-3 to Ashland in 11 innings. - Augustana used a great pitching performance combined with a strong offensive attack to defeat Seton Hill 10-1. - Vikings used a four-run two-out rally in the bottom of the fifth to secure the lead in a 6-2 win over Grand Valley State - The Vikings batted around the lineup as they plated a season-high 11 runs in the third inning against NYT to set a new season-high for runs in a game.
Top Performer(s)
- Max Steffens pitched six scoreless innings for Augustana, giving up just three hits and recording three strikeouts while throwing just 69 pitches in the loss to Ashland. - Seth Miller continued a hot start to the season by pitching seven full innings with eight strikeouts and zero earned runs on the way to his second win of the young season. - Jordan Barth and Ryan Nickel led Augustana at the plate against GVSU, with both players recording 3-4 performances, a double, and two RBI. - Garrett Payne tossed three innings of shutout ball and finished the day with seven strikeouts and two earned runs in seven innings pitched and picked up his first career win as a Viking.
Up Next
Monday vs. Northwood - 5 p.m. Tuesday vs. Wayne State University - 12:30 p.m. Wednesday vs. West Chester (Pa.) - 8 a.m.

Bemidji State University Beavers

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 29-9 vs Presentation L 6-5 vs Presentation L 17-3 vs St. Cloud L 12-11 vs Carthage L 12-5 vs Briar Cliff	1-8, 0-0 NSIC	L8	14th Overall
Team Notes
- Bemidji State went 0-5 at the Tucson Baseball Invitational in Tucson, Ariz. - BSU hit .311 from the plate with a .405 on-base percentage and a .924 fielding percentage over the invitational - Bemidji State drove in 26 RBI and totaled 17 extra-base hits in 164 at-bats - The Beavers were 7-for-7 on stolen base attempts - The pitching staff finished with 16 strikeouts and an opposing batting average of .449
Top Performer(s)
- Junior outfielder Noah Boser drove in five RBI in BSU's game versus Carthage, coming a double shy of hitting for the cycle - Junior catcher Isaiah Grancorvitz recorded five RBI through the five games stretch on six hits, including two doubles and one home run, while also totaling a team-high five walks - Junior first baseman Kade Nelson led the team with a batting average of .500, going 6-for-12 from the plate with five runs scored and three RBI - Sophomore catcher Matt Kummet led the team with a slugging percentage of .692 while hitting three doubles on six total hits, while adding four runs, two RBI, and one walk
Up Next
Monday, March 11 at Arizona Christian – 12 p.m. Monday, March 11 vs Ottawa University (AZ) (Phoenix, Ariz.) – 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 12 at Benedictine at Mesa – 3 p.m.

Concordia University, St. Paul Golden Bears

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 6-3 vs CUNE W 23-15 vs WSC L 6-15 vs SCSU W 3-1 vs SMSU W 4-0 vs SMSU L 2-4 vs UJ L 1-11 (7) vs MiSU W 4-1 vs SCSU	8-3, 0-0 NSIC	W1	5th Overall
Team Notes
- Concordia went 5-3 on the week to finish the Tucson Invitational Games with an 8-3 record and a 4-2 record in region games  - CSP's top four starters combined for a 1.96 ERA on the week as they limited opponents to seven earned runs over 32.0 innings while striking out 29 on the week - The Golden Bears saw the middle of their order produce at a high level as their 3-4-5 hitters combined to go 34-85 (.400) with five doubles, a triple and 19 RBIs over the eight games
Top Performer(s)
- Louie Varland worked 8.0 shutout innings with a career-best 11 strikeouts in a 4-0 win over SMSU while Josh Gaworski put up a 1.38 ERA over 13.0 innings over two starts, allowing just eight hits - Ryan Christopher added to his team lead in RBIs as he finished the week 10-26 (.385) with two doubles, a triple and nine batted in to bring his total to 14 RBIs in 10 games played
Up Next
Saturday, Mar. 16 vs Southwest Minnesota State – 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Mar. 16 vs Southwest Minnesota State – 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Mar. 17 vs Southwest Minnesota State – 12 p.m.

University of Mary Marauders

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 4-0 vs. Wheeling Jesuit W 7-2 vs. Wheeling Jesuit L 11-0 vs Walsh  L 6-9 vs W. Va. Wesleyan L 3-7 vs W. Va. Wesleyan W 5-4 vs Sioux Falls  L 0-4 v Northwood	3-8, 0-0 NSIC	L1	15th Overall
Team Notes
- Played seven games in Florida, finishing 2-5 in final games before Northern Sun play - Pitchers posted a 3.41 ERA over the seven games, striking out 48 in 50 innings - Stole 15 bases in 21 attempts while opponents went 3-for-6
Top Performer(s)
- Sr. IF Darius Barlas hit. .368/.400/.421 with four RBIs and two steals - Fr. SS Braeton Wixo hit .348/.400/.478 with three doubles and three runs scored - Sr. Jesus Payam led the Marauders with four runs scored, hitting .318/.400/.455 with a double, triple and two steals - Parker McRae struck out 11 batters and allowed one earned run in 7.2 innings - Chris Scott earned a save and didn't allow a run or hit in 1.1 innings over two appearances
Up Next
March 16-17 at University of Sioux Falls

University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles

Last Week	Season Record	Win Streak	2019 Preseason Poll
W 2-0 WALSH W 5-2 GVSU W 5-4 CEDARVILLE W 8-3 USCIENCES L 4-2 NYIT W 7-6 WVWC L 7-2 NYIT	7-7 (0-0 NSIC)	L1	10th Overall
Last Week
- Minnesota Crookston posted a 4-2 mark on the week in six games at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational - The Golden Eagles went 4-3 overall in their games in Kissimmee, Fla., and Auburndale, Fla. - The Golden Eagles have posted a 7-7 mark in non-conference play for the 2019 season. - Minnesota Crookston had a strong week on the mound with a 3.21 ERA over six games
Top Performer(s)
- Ben Thoma hit .364 on the week with two runs, two doubles, and seven RBIs - Bobby Chu hit .375 with one run, and two RBIs - Landyn Swenson hit .392 with four runs scored, and two RBIs - Conner Richardson had a 0.00 ERA out of the bullpen in four innings of work - Dalton Grose was 1-0 with a 1.69 ERA with one save in 5.1 innings - Nate Albrecht posted a 1-1 mark with a 2.45 ERA in 11.0 innings with three strikeouts
Next Week
Sat., March 16 at Wayne State – 1/3 p.m. – Wayne, Neb. Sun., March 17 at Wayne State – 12 p.m. – Wayne, Neb.

University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 13-10 vs. NYIT W 8-7 vs. USF L 23-3 vs. Northwood	1-2, 0-0 NSIC	L1	9th Overall
Team Notes
- Bulldogs launched their 48th season of intercollegiate baseball this past Friday in Florida - UMD is off to a 1-2 start and will play four more games in the Sunshine State - The Bulldogs are scheduled to open NSIC play this weekend at Upper Iowa - UMD has compiled a .405 on-base percentage do date
Top Performer(s)
- Rookie Totsen Mann made his collegiate debut in Friday's 13-10 setback to New York Tech and has three hits in four at bats with one triple in two games - Senior Tyler Wojciechowski, who is coming off an injury-plagued junior season, hit his eighth career homer against New York Tech - In the victory over Sioux Falls, senior Ben Danielson drew a walk-off walk in the bottom of the ninth for the Bulldogs, who trailed 7-5 heading into that inning
Up Next
Saturday, March 16 at Upper Iowa (DH) 1:30 p.m.

Minnesota State University, Mankato Mavericks

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 10-7 vs. Florida Southern W 7-2 vs. Gannon W 4-3 vs. Findlay W 11-4 vs. West Virginia Wesleyan L 9-8 vs. Ashland	8-3, 0-0 NSIC	L1	2nd Overall
Team Notes
- MSU ended the Florida trip by going 6-2, outscoring opponents 57-42 on the trip. - Senior outfielder Jordan Hart became the all-time leader in home runs at Minnesota State when hitting his 30th career home run against West Virginia Wesleyan. - MSU defeated Findlay on a walk-off single hit to the warning track by junior infielder Ty Buck. - The pitching staff completed two consecutive complete games against Gannon and Findlay with freshman Jack Zigan and sophomore Trevor Divinski receiving the wins.
Top Performer(s)
- Senior outfielder Jordan Hart had a slashline of ..458/.480/.917 with three home runs, two doubles, 7 RBI and 8 runs scored - Freshman right-hander Jack Zigan (1-0) finished a complete game in his first collegiate start with surrendering two runs on nine hits, while striking out 10 hitters - Sophomore right-hander Trevor Divinski (1-0) won his first decision of the season after throwing a complete game, giving up three runs on nine hits and two walks, while striking out 12 batters
Up Next
March 16: vs. St. Cloud State – 1:30 p.m./3:00 p.m. March 17: vs. St. Cloud State – 12:00 p.m.

Minot State University Beavers

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 2-5 at NMUH L 3-9 at NMUH W 7-4 at NMUH L 2-6 at NMUH L 1-4 vs. SCSU W 11-1 vs. CSP W 16-3 vs. CUNE	3-6, 0-0 NSIC	W2	3rd Overall
Team Notes
- Minot State went 3-4 last week, dropping the series (3-1) at New Mexico Highlands before defeating Concordia-St. Paul and Concordia (Neb.) in Tucson, Arizona - The Beavers scored a season-high 16 runs on 14 hits in victory over Concordia (Neb.) - The Minot State pitching staff notched a 4.24 ERA while surrendering 32 runs (24 earned) on 50 hits and striking out 48 batters in 51 innings of work - As a team, the Beavers hit .292 with 42 runs, 62 hits, eight doubles, five triples and a home run
Top Performer(s)
- Ryley Humrighouse started all seven games, hitting .550 at the plate with a team-high 11 hits and six runs scored while tallying a pair of RBIs - RJ Martinez made two appearances on the mound, tossing 10 innings and allowing two runs on seven hits and striking out nine batters with a 1.80 ERA
Up Next
Monday, March 11 vs. Northwestern – 2 p.m.

Northern State University Wolves

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L Tiffin – 11-12 L Cedarville – 9-12 W Walsh – 6-5 L Wayne State (MI) – 3-9 L Northwood – 6-8 W Ashland – 4-2	5-6, 0-0 NSIC	W1	8th Overall
Team Notes
- Team hit .275 over the six games with, 58 hits, nine doubles, and five home runs
Top Performer(s)
- John Werner went 6.0 innings pitched, gave up seven hits, one earned run, walked three, and struck out nine - Tyler Jones picked up his first win of the season in relief going 3.0 innings only allowing two hits and struck out three - Hayden Houts continued his hitting this week hitting over .400 for the week with 11 hits, two doubles, one home run, six runs batted in and drove in the game winning run in both wins - Isaiah hit .462 over the week with one run batted in and a perfect 2-for-2 on stolen bases
Up Next
March 16-17 at Winona State

University of Sioux Falls Cougars

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 5-4 to U-Mary L 8-7 vs UMD L 10-3 vs. Grand Valley State L 8-3 vs. Grand Valley State	0-10, 0-0 NSIC	L10	11th
Team Notes
- USF has dropped four straight games on their spring break trip to Florida. The Cougars stand 0-4 in games decided by two runs or fewer after falling to U-Mary, 5-4 and UMD, 8-7 - In the loss to UMD, the Cougars rallied from a 5-0 deficit with a five-run seventh inning and two more in the eighth but the Bulldogs scored three runs on two hits in the ninth to earn the win
Top Performers
- Josh Rehwaldt, who was named to the 2019 NCBWA All-Region Team during the Preseason, is hitting .378 after going 4-of-8 vs U-Mary and UMD. He has a team-high nine RBI with a .514 slugging mark and .439 OBP - Outfielder Kyle Gulbrandson is hitting .379 with 11 hits in 29 at bats across eight starts. He has a slugging mark of .483 and .419 OBP. - Sophomore shortstop Grant Lung is hitting .270 with 10 hits, three extra bases hits and five RBI. He has a .341 OBP and .378 slugging mark. - Keenahn Coyle has been a work horse for USF. He has a 0-2 mark but made four appearances with one start - He worked 5 1/3 innings of relief against UMD - Freshman Jacob Emerson received his first start in the loss to U-Mary - He has a 4.50 era with four strikeouts in six at bats
Up Next
March 11 vs Notre Dame College 5:45 pm (DH) March 12 vs. Northwood

Southwest Minnesota State University

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 3-1 vs. CSP L 12-2 vs SCSU L 4-0 vs CSP L 10-8 vs Concordia (Neb.)	0-4, 0-0 NSIC	L4	t-12th

Team Notes

- SMSU is 0-4 on its seven-game spring trip to Tucson, Ariz - SMSU will have games on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to complete the trip - SMSU is scheduled to open NSIC play this weekend versus Concordia-St. Paul. The three-game set is scheduled to be relocated in Joplin, Mo.

Top Performer(s)

- Junior Tanner Strommen is 6 for 12 in the three games with three walks - Junior Derek Smith and junior Nathan Kuhn have both collected a team-high two doubles - Kuhn leads the team with five base hits

Up Next

March 11 vs. Dordt, 3 p.m. (CDT) March 12 vs. Mount Marty, 11 a.m March 13 vs. Minot State, 11 a.m.

St. Cloud State University Huskies

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 11-8 Concordia (Neb.) W 8-2 Benedictine  at Mesa W 15-6 Concordia St. Paul W 17-3 Bemidji State W 12-2 Southwest MN State W 4-1 Minot State W 7-1 Morningside College L 1-4 Concordia St. Paul	12-2, 0-0 NSIC	L1	4th
Team Notes
- #11 St. Cloud State went 7-1 in their annual trip to the Tucson Invitational Games at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, AZ - The Huskies recorded four wins over NSIC opponents, including Concordia-St. Paul, Bemidji State, Southwest Minnesota State and Minot State - SCSU recorded two grand slams in their game against Bemidji State; the first time since 1973 the feat had been accomplished. Jordan Joseph and Lenny Walker each recorded grand slams against BSU - In the week three NCBWA DII poll, SCSU remained as the #11 ranked team after receiving a #11 rank in the week two poll - SCSU has three hitters over the .400 mark, with Mat Meyer leading the way at .426, followed by Lenny Walker (.423), then Jordan Joseph (.408) - Eight of the nine Huskies' starters are batting .333 or higher - SCSU owns the lowest ERA in the conference with 3.25 in a NSIC-high of 130 innings pitched - The Huskies' staff has combined for 147 strikeouts, 32 walks and a .231 opposing batting average in 15 games
Top Performer(s)
- Dom Austing improved to 2-0 on the season with a seven inning effort against CSP, striking out five and only allowing two earned runs - Riley Ahern recorded his first career start against Morningside College. The redshirt freshman did not allow a run over seven innings and struck out eight - Mat Meyer hit .472 on the week, collecting 13 RBIs on 17 hits while recording at least one hit and one RBI in seven of SCSU's eight games - Jordan Joseph recorded seven RBIs on 11 hits while only recording one error in over 30 chances as SCSU's starting short stop - Sheldon Miks currently leads the conference in wins, innings pitched, strikeouts and is one of eight pitchers in the conference who has thrown one complete game - Miks recorded two wins in Tucson, including a victory over Minot State where the senior southpaw tied a career high of 12 strikeouts, while only allowing one run on three hits - Lenny Walker recorded 17 hits and 14 RBIs on the week, including three four-hit games and four multi RBI games - Only struck out once in 32 at-bats, hit .531 over eight games
Up Next
Saturday, March 16-17 at Minnesota State Mankato

Upper Iowa University Peacocks

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
Idle	1-1, 0-0 NSIC	W1	12th
Team Notes
The Peacocks were idle last week as two games at Quincy were cancelled.
Up Next
Tuesday, March 12 at Quincy University next, in Quincy,  Ill. Saturday-Sunday, March 16-17 vs. UMD

Wayne State College Wildcats

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
L 23-15 vs. CSP W 11-1 vs. DWU W 13-1, W 6-2 vs. MMC	9-4, 0-0 NSIC	W3	6th Overall
Team Notes
- Went 3-1 on four-game swing in Arizona at Tucson Invitational Games - WSC lost opener in Arizona to Concordia-St. Paul 23-15 - 'Cats followed with wins over Dakota Wesleyan (11-1) and a sweep of Mount Marty (13-1, 6-2)
Top Performer(s)
- Sophomore outfielder Alex Logelin hit .692 (9-13) with six doubles, eight RBI and seven runs scored - Junior infielder Peyton Barnes went 7 for 13 (.538) with two doubles, six RBI and five runs scored - Junior first baseman Bryce Bisenius extended hitting streak to nine games, going 7 for 14 with one homer and nine RBI's during Arizona trip - Freshman Ryan Obrecht fanned eight batters in six innings in first collegiate start, leading WSC to 11-1 win over Dakota Wesleyan
Up Next
Saturday, March 16th vs. Minnesota Crookston – 12 p.m.

Winona State University Warriors

Last Week	Season Record	Streak	Preseason Poll
W 9-8 vs. Tiffin W 3-2 vs. Wheeling Jesuit W 10-9 vs. Seton Hill L 8-2 vs. West Chester	6-3, 0-0 NSIC	L1	7th Overall
Team Notes
- Three-game winning streak was snapped by No. 10 West Chester in an 8-2 setback - Streak was extended to three with a 10-9 comeback win over (RV) Seton Hill - Five of WSU's six wins have been come-from-behind victories - WSU ranks fourth in the NSIC with a 4.86 ERA
Top Performer(s)
- Derek Martin recorded seven RBI in four games, including a career-high five vs. Tiffin - Nick Nalewanski has hit safely in all eight games he's played this season - Sam Khonle extended his hitting streak to five games and leads WSU with a .419 average - Tanner Williams launched two more homers and leads WSU with four long balls - Aaron Mutter struck out seven over 7.0 IP in a no decision vs. Wheeling Jesuit
Up Next
Monday, March 11 vs. Wayne State (MI) – 4 p.m. Tuesday, March 12 at Florida Tech – 2 p.m. Saturday, March 16 vs. Northern State (DH) – 1:30 p.m. Sunday, March 17 vs. Northern State – 12 p.m.