ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul baseball team (6-1, 3-1 NSIC) looks to continue their impressive start to the 2024 campaign at the TIG SPORTS Tucson Invitational at the Kino Sports Complex in Tucson, Arizona on March 2-8.
 
SCHEDULE INFORMATION
Concordia will face four different NCAA Division II opponents over seven days with a day off on Tuesday, March 5.
 
On Saturday, the Golden Bears open the Tucson Invitational against Adams State (Colo.) of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. The first pitch of the doubleheader against the Grizzlies will take place at 10:30 a.m. with game two following directly afterward at Kino Sports #3. ASU is currently 4-8 on the season after splitting a series with Wayland Baptist (Texas) last time out.
 
To conclude the weekend, CSP will meet Walsh (Ohio) of the Great Midwest Conference on Sunday. Action from Kino Sports #6 against the Cavaliers will take place at 2 p.m. WU is currently 2-3 on the season after splitting a doubleheader against Seton Hill (Pa.) last time out.
 
Concordia's next three games will be against Malone (Ohio) of the Great Midwest Conference. Game one against the Pioneers will occur on Monday at 5 p.m. from Kino Sports #5, while games two and three will occur on Wednesday and Thursday from Kino Sports #6 at 10:30 a.m. Malone is currently 2-4 this season after splitting a four-game series against West Liberty (Ohio) last time out.
 
Friday's finale of the Tucson Invite will take place from Kino Sports #4 at 10:30 a.m. against Saginaw Valley State (Mich.) of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. SVSU is currently 5-2 after winning their last series, 2-1, against Cedarville (Ohio).
 
Live stats will be available for all seven games. All game times are listed in central time.
 
SERIES HISTORY

• CSP has gone 1-0 against Adams State
  • Last meeting: 13-2 win, March 3, 2023
• CSP has gone 1-1 against Walsh
  • Last meeting: 15-5 loss, March 7, 2023
• CSP has gone 6-3 against Malone
  • Last meeting: 3-2 loss, March 9, 2023
• CSP has gone 2-1 against Saginaw Valley State
  • Last meeting: 7-5 win, March 5, 2022

SEASON LEADERS
Senior Jaden Werner has been nearly unstoppable in the opening two series of the season for the Golden Bears. The Crivitz, Wisconsin native leads the team with a .517 batting average and .966 slugging percentage, where he has gone 15-29 for the plate with three home runs and a pair of doubles, along with 16 RBIs and four walks.
 
Bennett McCollow has proven to be a great addition to the starting lineup this season with a team-leading .582 on-base percentage and a slash line of .462/.838/.645 with 12 hits, including three doubles and a triple. The Bloomington, Minnesota native has also driven in 15 runners, drawn five walks and has been hit by four pitches.
 
Senior Nick Thimsen has also shined with a team-lead six doubles on 13 hits, and Senior Justin McGuigan leads the Navy and Gold with seven walks and the lowest strikeout total of two.
 
On the bump, Golden Bear starter Korey Dahlberg (1-0) has a 2.53 ERA after allowing only three earned runs and a WHIP of 1.22 in two starts this season. The junior has collected a team-leading 11 strikeouts in 10.2 innings and has only walked three batters.
 
Green Bay, Wisconsin native Gavin Rusch (1-0), has collected seven strikeouts in 11.1 innings pitched and has a WHIP of 1.32, while freshman Ian Segna (2-0) leads the team with two wins.
 
From the bullpen, Eric Lundell (1-0) and Jack Greenlun have both significantly contributed on the mound with 4.0 innings and six strikeouts each, along with Matt Sherman (1-0) who has five strikeouts in 6.0 innings pitched.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Concordia-St. Paul baseball is coming off a 3-1 conference-opening series victory against the Minot State Beavers (2-6, 1-3 NSIC) at Reynolds Field in Roseville Minnesota.
 
The Golden Bears collected a doubleheader sweep over the Beavers on Sunday with a walk-off 3-2 win in game one and added a convincing 10-6 victory in game two.
 
Werner led the Golden Bears with a 4-hit afternoon at the plate. The senior hit his 10th career home run, scored three runs and drove in a trio of base runners. Thimsen also provided a hot bat with a pair of doubles on a 3-hit day, while McCollow, Brayden Roybal and Mason Nadolney also provided three hits for the Golden Bears.
 
Dahlberg started his second game of the season on the bump for CSP in game one. The Farmington, Minnesota played lights out with seven strikeouts, allowing only one earned run in 6.2 innings pitched. Sherman (1-0) only needed one pitch to collect his third career win in the Navy and Gold in a high-stakes situation late in the game.
 
The pitching staff was much busier in game two, as three Golden Bears entered the mound throughout the game. Starting pitcher Rusch (1-0) collected his second career win after collecting four strikeouts in 7.0 innings of work, while Lundell and David Salz appeared from the bullpen.
 
On Monday, the Golden Bears dropped their first game of the season after falling to MISU, 6-3, in game one, before bouncing back with a dominant 14-4 run-rule win in eight innings to split the doubleheader and take the overall series.
 
Werner shined from behind the plate with his third home run of the season, along with three RBIs and a pair of runs scored. The senior played a pivotal role in the Golden Bears series victory after slashing .400/.428. /.800 with six hits that included a pair of home runs. He also drove in six runners and scored five times during the four-game stretch.
 
Juliar also had an impressive showing for the Navy and Gold. The junior outfield collected a trio of hits that included a triple and double. He also led the team with four RBIs and scored two runs of his own.
 
Segna (2-0) collected his second win of the season in his second career start on the mound. The freshman collected a team-leading five strikeouts in 5.0 innings pitched and walked only two batters. Reece Piontek started the opening game on the bump, collecting a pair of strikeouts in 3.2 innings of work, and Andrew Boeser (0-1) was charged with the loss in game one.