ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul baseball team (13-8, 5-7 NSIC) looks to regroup with a weekend doubleheader against the Northern State Wolves (10-12, 5-7 NSIC) at Sanford Field in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
 
Friday's opener is slated for a 1:00 p.m. first pitch, with game two following shortly after. Saturday's doubleheader will take place at 12:00 p.m. with game two beginning shortly after.
 
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
 
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NICK THIMSEN NAMED NSIC PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Senior outfielder Nick Thimsen was rewarded with NSIC Player of the Week honors for the first time in his career following his impressive showing against Minnesota Crookston.
 
During the four game series, he slugged five home runs against the Golden Eagles, including four in a single game that resides as the most on record for CSP baseball. In addition, he drove in 11 runners and scored five runs of his own.
 
NATIONALLY RANKED SLUGGERS
As a team, the Golden Bears continue to be one of the most explosive offenses in the NCAA Division II. After 21 games, CSP ranks 14th nationally in batting average (.334) with 238 hits in 714 plate appearances. Additionally, they rank tied for 60th with 28 home runs, which includes 1.33 a game that ranks tied for 20th in the country.
 
SEASON LEADERS
Thimsen has had an excellent start to his senior campaign. The Minnetonka, Minnesota native has collected 34 hits, including seven home runs, nine doubles and a triple. He ranks second with 34 RBIs and third with 29 runs scored in the conference while also having the third-most doubles (nine) and seventh-most homers (seven).
 
Bennett McCollow has also been a force behind the plate with a slash line of .447/.564/.632. The Bloomington, Minnesota native has collected 34 hits, including nine doubles (2nd-NSIC), a triple and a home run. His 31 runs scored ranks second in the conference and he leads the NSIC with 10 hit-by-pitches.
 
Mason Nadolney leads the team and is tied for first in the conference with 10 home runs and has the fifth-most RBIs in the NSIC (31). Noah Juliar has also significantly contributed to the long ball with seven doubles, four triples and a pair of home runs.
 
Korey Dahlberg (2-1) has been a strong starter for the Navy and Gold this season. The Farmington, Minnesota native has made five starts on the bump with 25 strikeouts in 26.1 innings pitched with one complete game.
 
Freshman Ian Segna (3-0) has been effective on the mound to begin his freshman campaign with 14 strikeouts in 24.2 innings pitched in his four starts (five appearances) this season. Gavin Rusch (2-1) has added 23 strikeouts in 26.0 innings for the starters this season.
 
Seniors Matt Sherman and Eric Lundell continue to anchor the bullpen for the Golden Bears. Sherman (3-0) has sat down 15 in 16.1 innings in his nine appearances this season, while Lundell (2-2)(1) has retired 14 via strikeout in 13.1 innings (seven games).
 
LAST TIME OUT
CSP dropped their second series of the season to the Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles, 3-1, last weekend at Christensen Field in Beatrice, Nebraska.
 
The Golden Bears collected 41 hits as a team over the four game stretch that included nine home runs and seven doubles, leading to 25 runs scored.
 
Thimsen led the way with five homers and 11 RBIs, and Nadolney added a pair of home runs and three RBIs.
 
The pitching staff was busy, with 10 different players appearing on the mound throughout the series. As a team, they collected 27 strikeouts, led by Dahlberg and Rusch, each with six. Segna led CSP with a 3.00 ERA after going 6.0 innings, allowing only two runs and striking out a pair.
 
GAME ONE: CSP 3, UMC 12
Minnesota Crookston found a rhythm midway through the opening game that ultimately carried into the latter half with 12 runs and 17 hits to secure the nine-run victory.
 
Dahlberg (2-1) started on the bump for the Golden Bears in game one. The Farmington, Minnesota native picked up his first loss of the season despite holding the Golden Eagles scoreless for the opening two frames and collecting six strikeouts.
 
Neither team scored in the first and second inning, but UMC broke the gridlock with eight runs throughout the next three innings, highlighted by a 2-run homer from Danny Wensloff. Their best inning of this run came in the fourth, scoring five runs on four hits.
 
After finding themselves in a down big in the sixth inning, Husemann sparked the offense with a leadoff double, followed by a walk from Jeremy McGuigan to put a runner in scoring position. Husemann finished the game a perfect 2-2 with a double while adding a run, RBI and walk. Later in the sixth, with a full count, Thimsen lasered a ball down the right field line to drive Husemann home for the Golden Bears' first run of the game.
 
Minnesota Crookston added another 4-run inning in the seventh, extending their lead to 11 runs due to a 3-run home run from Caden Headlee followed by a solo shot from Jake Hjelle.
 
In the bottom half of the final inning, Landon Behringer led off the inning strong with a double to center field before Husemann drove him in with an RBI single. Chris Jacobs added CSP's final run of the game with a pinch-hit RBI single that drove home Lamine Diaby-Gassama, but it was enough as UMC won the game 12-3.
 
GAME TWO: CSP 13, UMC 18
Game two of the doubleheader was a rollercoaster of a game that saw the two teams combine for 31 hits, which included 13 home runs. After the Golden Bears tied the game in the bottom of the eight, the Golden Eagles answered with a 5-run ninth in the route to the 18-13 victory.
 
Rusch picked up a no-decision on the mound for CSP after finishing with six strikeouts in 4.1 innings pitched. Lundell was charged with his second loss of the 2024 campaign.
 
Concordia opened the game strong by striking first in the run column after Thimsen (4-5) began his record-setting game with a home run to right field on the first pitch that he saw.
 
Crookston answered right back with four runs on four hits in the second inning after hitting back-to-back homers from Kobe Senn and Sawyer Satrom to go up 4-1.
 
In the third inning, after McCollow (2-4) was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning, Thimsen added his second home run to right field to bring the Golden Bears within one. Husemann tied the game at four runs with his second career home run on the next at-bat.
 
The Golden Bears added three more runs in the fourth inning to regain the lead, highlighted by Thimsen's 3-run homer (third homer of the game) that scored McCollow and Justin McGuigan.
 
Following UMC tying the game at seven runs in the fifth, Nadolney blasted his team-leading ninth home run of the season to left center field to give CSP an 8-7 advantage.
 
McCollow added his first home run of the season in the sixth, and Thimsen made history with his fourth homer of the game to give CSP their final outright lead of the contest of 10-9.
 
Nadolney provided late heroics with a 2-run home run with two outs in the inning to deep center field to tie the game 13-13 heading into the final inning, but it was not enough as Minnesota Crookston tallied five runs on a pair of hits in the ninth to claim the back-and-forth win.
 
GAME THREE: CSP 5, UMC 6
The Golden Bears dropped a tough result in game one after holding the Golden Eagles out of the run column for four innings and leading by as many as five runs. However, UMC prevailed during the snowy conclusion of the game with six unanswered runs in the fifth and six to take the game 6-5.
 
Recce Piontek battled to a no-decision after going 5.0 innings with three strikeouts on the bump. Andrew Boeser (0-2) was charged with his second loss of the season after allowing only one earned run in the final 2.0 innings.
 
Thimsen picked up right where he left off from Thursday with a home run in the opening frame. The senior finished the series with five home runs, extending his season total to seven.
 
Following a sacrifice fly from McCollow in the third inning that drove home Brohmer for the game's second run, CSP exploded with three runs in the fourth, highlighted by an RBI single from Bryce Nelson.
 
Minnesota Crookston scored their first run of the game with a home run from Angelo Pacyga in the fifth inning, but they would not stop there as they scored five runs on five hits in the sixth inning.
 
GAME FOUR: CSP 4, UMC 3
After dropping the series with a heart-breaking finish in game one, the Golden Bears ended the series on a high note with a walk-off victory after scoring four runs on 10 hits to claim the 4-3 victory over the Golden Eagles.
 
Segna set the tone early with three scoreless innings. The freshman picked up a no-decision after finishing with a pair of strikeouts and one walk. Sherman picked up his third win of the season after retiring the three batters he faced.
 
Minnesota Crookston struck first with a home run from Caden Headlee in the fourth inning, but CSP answered right back in the bottom half after a sacrifice fly from McGuigan drove in Nelson. The Golden Eagles added a pivotal homer from Jake Hjelle in the eighth inning, keeping the game within reach heading into the ninth.
 
After finding themselves down again in the seventh, Thimsen delivered again with a 2-RBI double that drove in McCollow and Brayden Roybal to give them a 4-3 advantage.
 
The Golden Bears used late heroics in the final inning to claim the walk-off thriller. It all began with a lead-off walk from Koby McBroome, who ended up advancing to third following a single from Thimsen and a fielding error by the UMC center fielder. In the final at-bat with a 1-0 count, Juliar lifted a fly ball to left field, driving McBroome home with a sacrifice fly to score the game-winning run.
 
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST NSU
The Golden Bears and Wolves have met 67 times since April 8, 2000, with the Golden Bears holding a 49-18 all-time advantage. Concordia holds the longest winning streak in the series, standing at 12 games, but Northern State has had the upper hand lately as they have been winners for seven of the last 10. CSP has scored 526 runs (7.85 AVG) against NSU and will look to extend those totals in the first meeting against the two clubs since March of 2022.
 
ABOUT THE WOLVES
NSU posted an 11-31 (6-25 NSIC) record in the 2023 campaign and was picked to finish 13th in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 31 points.
 
The Wolves hold a 10-12 (5-7 NSIC) record this season following their series with the Sioux Falls Cougars last time out, where they dropped three of four against the Cougars in Ralston, Nebraska.
 
In non-conference play, Northern State finished 5-5 with wins against William Jewell (Mo.), Truman State (Mo.) and Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.). Three of the five losses in non-conference action were by three or fewer runs.
 
The Wolves began conference play against Minnesota State, where they claimed the series opener before dropping the last three against the Mavericks. They claimed their first series in conference play against Winona State after winning three of four against the Warriors.
 
The player to watch for Northern State is #14 Karson Hesser. The senior has slashed .425/.505/.630 with 31 hits, 23 RBIs and 14 walks. He has recorded 11 extra-base hits with two home runs and nine doubles.
 
The pitcher to watch is #4 Drew Burkholder (3-1). The junior right-handed pitcher has an ERA of 2.96 and a WHIP of 1.56 after 24.1 innings pitched. He has collected 18 strikeouts and walked 12 batters this season.