ST. PAUL, Minn. – Concordia-St. Paul baseball (24-20, 16-19 NSIC) concludes the regular season this week against Minnesota Duluth (16-28, 12-23 NSIC) with a road doubleheader tomorrow afternoon before concluding the week at home with a three-game series against Sioux Falls (S.D.) (21-23, 14-20 NSIC).
 
Action against the Bulldogs will occur tomorrow at Wade Stadium in Duluth with new start times of 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m. The home finale series against the Cougars will begin on Friday at 12 p.m. and 2 p.m. and will conclude on Saturday at 12 p.m. with Senior Day recognition following shortly after the game.
 
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
 
SENIOR DAY 2024
Following the regular season finale against Sioux Falls on Saturday, the Concordia-St. Paul baseball team will recognize this year's senior class. The 11 seniors include Lamine Diaby-Gassama, Chris Jacobs, Eric Lundell, Justin McGuigan, Mason Nadolney, Bryce Nelson, Brayden Roybal, Logan Shaffer, Matt Sherman, Nick Thimsen and Jaden Werner.
 
NSIC STANDINGS
The Golden Bears remain ninth in this week's NSIC standings following a 3-2 outing last week. They are currently a half-game behind Winona State (16-18 NSIC) and are 1.5 games ahead of Sioux Falls (14-20 NSIC). CSP still has the Cougars on this week's agenda, while the Warriors will square off with St. Cloud State and Wayne State.
 
No. 13 Augustana (S.D.) (26-6 NSIC) had their 18-game winning streak snapped but remains at the top of the conference standings heading into the final week. Minnesota State (25-8 NSIC) and Minnesota Crookston (23-10 NSIC) round out the top three.
 
The eight-team double elimination NSIC Tournament takes place May 8-11, hosted by the University of Mary at Veterans Memorial/Municipal Ballparks in Mandan & Bismarck, North Dakota. The tournament will be streamed on the NSIC Network, with tournament passes or single game access available for purchase.
 
SEASON LEADERS
Thimsen has been electric at the plate with a slash line of .458/.538/.807 after 44 games (all starts). He has collected 76 hits (2nd NSIC), 57 RBIs (2nd NSIC), 53 runs (t-3rd NSIC), 20 walks and seven stolen bases. 32 of his hits have gone for extra bases, as he has tallied an NSIC-leading 19 doubles and 13 home runs (4th NSIC). Additionally, he leads the conference in on-base percentage, is second in batting average and third in slugging percentage.
 
Bennett McCollow has also been a key contributor offensively with 64 hits (7th NSIC), 53 runs (t-3rd NSIC), 42 RBIs and 23 walks. The Bloomington, Minnesota native has been an extra-base machine with 15 doubles, five home runs, and a triple.
 
Werner has collected 21 extra-base hits with 14 doubles, six home runs and a triple in 37 starts. Nadolney's 15 home runs are the third most in the NSIC, and Noah Juliar is tied for the third most triples in the conference with four.
 
Korey Dahlberg (5-3) leads the pitching staff with 40 strikeouts in 57.0 innings, and the junior has a team-leading four complete games on the bump. Gavin Rusch (4-3) is second on the team in strikeouts with 39, while freshman Ian Segna (5-1) pitched the team's only complete game shutout of the season against Bemidji State.
 
Lundell (4-2)(4) has been a workhorse from the bullpen with an NSIC-leading four saves after battling for 31.2 innings with 28 strikeouts. Sherman (3-2)(1) has also been an anchor in the bullpen for the Navy and Gold with 30 strikeouts in 27.2 innings pitched.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Concordia struggled to find a rhythm and could not slow the Maverick's high-powered offense in their midweek clash, dropping game one 10-4 and game two 17-6 (8).
 
Thimsen reached a pivotal milestone with his 200th career hit in the Navy and Gold against the Mavericks in game one. He finished the afternoon with six hits in eight plate appearances and recorded a pair of RBIs.
 
Juliar, Koby McBroome and Jack Greenlun also provided fireworks from the plate with home runs to contribute to the Golden Bears' 17-hit afternoon.
 
On the mound, Reece Piontek (1-3) made his ninth start on the bump this season, striking out four batters in 3.1 innings. Sherman matched Piontek's four strikeouts from the bullpen, while Greenlun collected a pair of strikeouts in one inning. Sophomore Jack Nicklaus (1-2) made his first career start on the mound for the Golden Bears, battling for 4.1 innings and leading the team with four K's.
 
The Golden Bears snapped a six-game losing skid by bounding back in their weekend series against Bemidji State. They swept the three-game series after claiming the doubleheader 17-5 and 16-4 (7) before putting a stamp on the series with a 14-0 run-rule victory in the finale.
 
CSP out-hit BSU 53-25, including 19 extra-base, which led to their 47 runs scored. Additionally, they collected 41 RBIs, 20 walks and stole four bags in the impressive offensive showing.
 
Thimsen was automatic at the plate with nine hits in 14 plate appearances, including a pair of home runs and doubles, while also driving in seven runners and scoring seven times. He ended the series with back-to-back four-hit games, the first time he has hit this mark since 2022.
 
Kal Brohmer and Werner notched the first four-hit games of their storied careers. Brohmer added his first triple of the season, while Nelson and Nadolney contributed with home runs.
 
On the mound, Segna collected his fifth win of the season on the bump with his first career complete game shutout after battling for 7.0 innings with five strikeouts and only one walked batter. Dahlberg also improved his record with an impressive showing on the bump against the Beavers with five strikeouts in 5.0 innings and walking one of the 33 batters he faced. Rusch collected his fourth win of the season after collecting a career-high seven strikeouts in 6.0 innings pitched and walking only one batter.
 
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST UMD
The Golden Bears and the Bulldogs have met 62 times since April 14, 2000, with the Golden Bears holding a slim 32-30 all-time advantage. UMD claimed seven of the first eight matchups in the series, including an 18-1 victory in the inaugural game in St. Paul. However, Concordia has claimed eight of the last 10 meetings, including three out of four last season. CSP has tallied 410 runs with an average of 6.61 runs a game against UMD.
 
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS
UMD posted a 19-28 (12-22 NSIC) record in the 2023 campaign and was picked to finish 12th in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 44 points.
 
The Bulldogs currently possess a 16-28 (12-23 NSIC) record this season and are coming off a 0-5 outing last week against Winona State and Minnesota Crookston.
 
In non-conference play, Minnesota Duluth finished with a 4-5 record. In that span, they collected wins against Grand Valley State (Mich.), Wayne State (Mich.), Davis and Elkins (W. Va.) and Holy Family (Pa.).
 
They have claimed series against Bemidji State, Northern State (S.D.) and Minot State (N.D.), while split series with Southwest Minnesota State, Sioux Falls and St. Cloud State. 10 of their losses in conference play have been by three runs or less.
 
The player to watch for Minnesota Duluth is #15 Jack Puder. The junior has slashed .340/.398/.612 with 50 hits, 41 RBIs, 32 and 15 walks. He has collected 20 extra-base hits with nine home runs, nine doubles and two triples.
 
The pitcher to watch is #24 Henry Wilkinson (1-4). The sophomore has an ERA of 5.89 and a WHIP of 1.54 after 47.1 innings pitched. He has collected 39 strikeouts and has walked 14 batters this season.
 
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST USF
The Golden Bears and Cougars have met 37 times since 2012, with the CSP holding a 21-16 advantage. Concordia claimed the inaugural game of the series in 2012, 11-8, in St. Paul. However, Sioux Falls has had the upper hand in recent history, as they are winners of seven of the last 10. Last season, the two ball clubs split their doubleheader at Barnes Field, with CSP taking game one, 17-9, and USF claiming game two, 10-7. CSP has scored 214 runs with an average of 5.78 per game against USF.
 
ABOUT THE COUGARS
USF posted a 15-35 (14-22 NSIC) record in the 2023 campaign and was picked to finish 10th in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 52 points.
 
The Cougars currently possess a 21-23 (14-20 NSIC) record this season and are heading into this week's games on an eight-game losing streak, with their last win coming against Minnesota State on April 17. Before their game with the Golden Bears, they will meet SMSU in a midweek doubleheader.
 
Sioux Falls had a successful non-conference slate with a 7-3 record. They collected wins against Metropolitan State (Colo.), Missouri S&T, Florida Tech and Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.).
 
In NSIC play, they have claimed series against Northern State and Bemidji State, while splitting series with Minnesota Crookston, Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota State. Seven of their losses against conference opponents have been by three runs or less.
 
The player to watch for Sioux Falls is #27 Tyler Cate. The senior has slashed .329/.417/.406 with 47 hits, 28 runs, 23 walks and 19 RBIs. He has collected nine extra-base hits with eight doubles and a home run.
 
The pitcher to watch is #26 Owen Weadge (3-2). The freshman has an ERA of 4.34 and a WHIP of 1.49 after 45.2 innings pitched. He has collected 51 strikeouts and has walked 24 batters this season.