ST. PAUL, Minn. – Concordia-St. Paul baseball (16-21, 12-11 NSIC) prepares to face the Augustana Vikings (34-16, 23-7 NSIC) in a pivotal weekend conference series at Ronken Field.
 
Due to inclement weather, the series has been relocated to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Saturday's doubleheader is set to begin at 1:30 PM, and Sunday's finale will begin at noon.
 
WATCH ONLINE - NSIC NETWORK
Powered by the NSIC Network, all Northern Sun home and away baseball games will be broadcast online, free of charge, weather permitting. Visit www.nsicnetwork.com/cspbears to watch the Golden Bears. Away games will feature production by the host institution, while home games are broadcast using BlueFrame Technology with the play-by-play call of Dan Flanagan, voice of the Golden Bears for over a decade. Flanagan is a St. Paul native who professionally trained in broadcasting at Fordham University in New York where he was the voice of the basketball and football teams, among other sports. NSIC Network Announcement & FAQ
 
DOWNLOAD THE APP
Fans can download the CSP Bears fan app, free of charge and available in the App Store or on Google Play. The app contains rosters, schedules, scores, stats, news, social media and more! Customize your options to get notifications to your favorite teams, as well. Search "CSP Bears" in the app store to stay up-to-date on Golden Bear athletics.
 
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Not able to watch or keep an eye on live stats? Check in on social media by following our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds. Each platform will have different levels of engagement. Twitter will offer scoring updates, Instagram will feature live look-ins and engaging content and Facebook is a great place to get links to previews, recaps and more. Simply search for CSP Bears on any of the platforms and remember to #BeGolden
 
SEASON LEADERS
Kal Brohmer has been efficient at the plate this season, slashing .375/.477/.477 and has 13 multi-hit games. The sophomore first baseman has collected 45 hits that includes eight doubles and a pair of triples. He has added 24 runs, 24 RBIs and 25 walks.
 
Noah Juliar has shown his power and consistency from the plate with a team-leading five home runs and a batting average of .341. The sophomore outfielder has driven in 37 runners and crossed the plate 29 times, while reaching safely with 12 walks and a hit-by-pitch.
 
Bryce Nelson has excelled from the plate with a slash line of .328/.394/.401 with 45 hits, 29 runs and 22 RBIs. The junior third baseman has reached base safely via walk 10 times and has added eight stolen bases on 10 attempts.
 
Jonah Lewis (3-4) has an earned run average of 3.99 in a team-leading 49.2 innings pitched. The junior right-hander has faced 196 batters with 40 strikeouts and has only walked 16 batters.
 
Korey Dahlberg (4-5) leads the pitching staff in strikeouts with 44 in 47.1 innings pitched this season. The sophomore right-hander has faced 194 batters with only 15 walks and two home runs allowed.
 
Eric Lundell (2-2) (5) has shined in the relief role for Concordia this season. The junior right-hander has appeared in 17 games with an earned run average of 2.64 and 24 strikeouts.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Concordia baseball fell to the St. Olaf Oles last Wednesday in a midweek non-conference clash at Mark Almi Field in Northfield, Minnesota. 
 
The game consisted of several momentum shifts and lead changes throughout the contest, as there were four lead changes during the 21 combined run game. After the Golden Bears took their final lead in the top of the eighth with a three-run inning, the Oles responded with a pair in the bottom half to claim the 11-10 victory.
 
Concordia recorded nine hits in the game with Nick Thimsen leading the way with a pair of hits that included a double and two RBIs. Juliar and Mason Wolf shined with pinch-hit RBIs in their only plate appearances, while Michael Sturek showed patience at the plate with a trio of walks that led to a pair of runs scored.
 
Five different pitchers saw the mound for CSP. Evan Eberle picked up a no-decision in his first career start on the bump. The freshman collected a strikeout, allowing two hits and a run in 2.0 innings of work. Isaac Johnson recorded a team-leading two strikeouts, while Carter Schulte (0-1) collected a strikeout and allowed only one earned run in his first loss of the season.
 
CONFERENCE STANDINGS
With the end of the regular season around the corner, teams are beginning to prepare for their last push for seeding and a spot in the conference tournament. The top-8 teams in the final regular season standings will qualify for the tournament that will be held at the University of Mary on May 10-13.
 
Heading into the final stretch, Concordia sits in eighth place in the standing. They are currently ahead of Wayne State with percentage points, 1.5 games behind Southwest Minnesota State, and 2.5 games behind Minot State and Winona State who are tied for fifth.
 
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST AUGIE
The Golden Bears and Vikings have met 40 times dating 2007 with the Augies holding a 35-5 advantage. Augustana comes into the series on a seven-game winning streak with the last Golden Bear win coming in 2019 with a 1-0 victory in Boone, Iowa. The largest win for CSP in the series was an 8-5 win back in 2009, as the four other victories were by two runs or less. Concordia has scored 133 runs with an average of 3.32 runs a game.
 
ABOUT THE VIKINGS
Augustana posted a 47-13-1 (31-5 NSIC) record in the 2022 campaign and was picked to finish second in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 185 points that included five first-place votes.
 
After falling twice in the conference tournament to the #22 Minnesota State Mavericks, the Vikings bounced by winning the NCAA Central Region with wins over the Mavericks and #3 Central Missouri. Augies season ended abruptly in the NCAA Super Region at #8 Southern Arkansas after falling 8-7 in game one and 13-11 in game two.
 
The Vikings hold a record of 34-16 (23-7 NSIC) this season and are currently leading the NSIC conference with Minnesota State trailing by only 1.5 games. Minnesota Crookston and St. Cloud State round out the top four in the conference standings heading into the weekend.
 
In non-conference play, the Vikings finished 11-9. They got off to a rocky start after falling in their first four games of the season to Hawaii Hilo on the road. However, they bounced back with a 3-1 series victory over regional foe Emporia State, and their biggest win of non-conference play came against #7 West Chester (Pa.).
 
The Vikings are coming off a doubleheader sweep over the Wayne State Wildcats with a shutout win in game one and a nine-run win in game two. Prior to Wednesday's sweep, Augie was able to best Upper Iowa 3-1, split with Sioux Falls and swept Minnesota State 3-0 in Mankato.
 
The Vikings have also claimed conference series over Southwest Minnesota State (3-0), Minnesota Duluth (2-0), Bemidji State (3-0) and Minnesota Crookston (3-0) while splitting doubleheaders with Minot State, Northern State, and Mary.
 
The batter to watch for the Vikings is Jack Hines, who has slashed .371/.478/.551 with 62 hits, 38 runs and 30 RBIs. The junior has collected 18 extra-base hits that include four home runs, four triples, and 10 doubles.
 
For the pitchers, sophomore Caleb Saari has led the way for Augustana with a 4-2 record, a 2.91 earned run average and 62 strikeouts. He has allowed 37 hits and 17 earned runs in 52.2 innings pitched.