ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul baseball team (15-10, 7-9 NSIC) is set for a four-game weekend road trip against the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs (14-9, 8-7 NSIC) with a pair of doubleheaders at Legion Field.
 
Action from Marshall, Minnesota, will begin on Saturday with a pair of games at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. and will conclude on Sunday with the doubleheader finale that is scheduled for 12:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.
 
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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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
 
NSIC STANDINGS
The NSIC conference race has been a toss-up as no one has solidified themselves as a dominate contender. Noble matchups outside the Golden Bears and Mustangs include Southwest Minnesota State at Augustana (S.D.), Minnesota Crookston at Winona State and UMary (N.D.) at Augustana.
 
After 16 games of conference action, CSP sits in 10th with a 7-9 (.438) record, tied with Northern State with an equivalent record after their series split last time out. Both teams are just behind UMary (7-7) and Sioux Falls (S.D) (8-8) with 24 games remaining in the regular season.
 
Wayne State (Neb.) stands at the top of the conference standings with a 12-2 (.857) record, riding a five game winning streak. Just behind the Wildcats is Minnesota State (10-4), Augustana (10-4) and St. Cloud State (10-5).
 
NATIONALLY RANKED SLUGGERS
As a team, the Golden Bears rank in the top 25 in three categories after 35 games. With their .332 batting average, the Golden Bears lead the NSIC and rank 17th in all of NCAA Divisions II. Extra-base hits have also been typical for the Golden Bears, with 2.25 doubles per game, which ranks 25th in the country. In addition, their average of 9.2 runs per game is also 17th in the country.
 
SEASON LEADERS
Nick Thimsen has been phenomenal in the Navy and Gold. The Minnetonka, Minnesota native has slashed .433/.521/.773 and leads the NSIC in hits (42), runs scored (34) and RBIs (38). Additionally, he leads the NSIC with 12 doubles and is tied for fifth with seven home runs. His efforts haven't gone unnoticed, as he was named NCBWA Central Region Player of the Week and NSIC Player of the Week last week, the first time he's received each award.
 
Bennett McCollow has also provided a hot bat in the designated hitter role for CSP this season. The Bloomington, Minnesota native has been among the best hitters in the conference with a .435 batting average (3rd NSIC) after collecting 40 hits (2nd NSIC), including 10 doubles, a triple, and a home run. In addition, he leads the NSIC with a .538 on-base percentage and has been hit with the most pitches (10).
 
Mason Nadolney became the sole NSIC leader in home runs after barreling his 11th of the 2024 campaign against Northern State last weekend, while Noah Juliar is tied for first in triples with four. Also, both Golden Bears rank in the top 10 in RBIs, as Nadolney is tied for fourth with 35 and Juliar is sixth with 33.
 
Korey Dahlberg (2-2) has made six start on the bump this season for the Golden Bears. The Farmington, Minnesota native has collected 27 strikeouts in 32.1 innings pitched with two complete games.
 
Freshman Ian Segna (3-0) leads the team with a 5.76 earned run average after completing 29.2 innings on the mound. Gavin Rusch's (3-1) WHIP of 1.27 is the best amongst the starters, and he leads the team with 28 strikeouts so far this season.
 
Seniors Matt Sherman and Eric Lundell continue to anchor the bullpen for the Golden Bears. Sherman (3-1)(1) has sat down 21 in 19.2 innings in his 11 appearances this season, while Lundell (3-2)(1) has retired 15 via strikeout in 17.2 innings (eight games).
 
LAST TIME OUT
Concordia is coming off a 2-2 series against the Northern State Wolves in Sioux Falls, South Dakota last weekend. The series consisted of multiple back-and-forth momentum changes throughout the series entirety, with neither team able to pull away to claim the series outright.
 
On day one, Northern State took the series' opening game, 6-4, before CSP responded with a convincing 12-2 run-rule victory. The Golden Bears made it back-to-back with a 5-4 win in game three, but the Wolves grabbed the finale thriller 6-5 in 11 innings.
 
GAME ONE: CSP 4, NSU 6
Northern State used six runs on three hits and strong pitching in the series opener to power past the Golden Bears.
 
On the mound, junior Dahlberg (2-2) was charged with the loss. The Farmington, Minnesota native went 6.0 innings with a pair of strikeouts, allowing only three hits and one earned run. The opposing pitcher, Max Otto (4-1), collected eight strikeouts and forced six groundouts to claim his fourth win of the season.
 
The Wolves struck first with four runs in the third inning without acquiring a hit, as three errors plagued CSP defensively and assisted NSU's scoring. However, CSP did not have another error occur for the rest of the day.
 
Koby McBroome had the biggest barrel of the game for Concordia with a 2-RBI double to left center in the fifth that drove in Justin McGuigan and Nadolney. In the very next at-bat, McCollow tied the game at four runs with a 2-RBI single to center field that drove in McBroome and Roybal.
 
Northern State answered in the next half inning with a pair of runs in the bottom of the fifth to go back in front. They carried their momentum into the final two innings en route to the two-run victory.
 
GAME TWO: CSP 12, NSU 2 (Seven Innings)
The Golden Bears bounced back in game two with their third run-rule victory of the season. CSP had a pair of four-run innings and held NSU scoreless for five innings. In addition, they exploded offensively with 15 hits and scored 12 times to claim the 12-2 win.
 
Concordia wasted no time at all getting their offense rolling in game two after scoring five runs in the opening two innings of play. Juliar sparked the scoring with an RBI single to right field in the opening inning before CSP added four more runs in the second inning highlighted by a 2-RBI double from Thimsen to extend the Golden Bears lead to 5-0.
 
Rusch had a career day on the mound for the Golden Bears. The junior righty retired 13 consecutive batters to begin the game and finished with five strikeouts and zero walks to claim his first-career complete game victory. Also, his 2.57 single-game earned run average is the lowest of his career.
 
Nadolney added his 14th career homer in the fourth inning. His 2-run bomb to center field, along with Thimsen's second RBI double and Juliar's second RBI single gave Concordia a 9-0 cushion.
 
After the Wolves scored their first run of the game in the fifth, Werner made his presence known in his return to the starting lineup with his fourth home run of the season.
 
In the final inning, Juliar scored CSP's final run of the game with a 2-RBI double to left center field, making the score 12-1. NSU added their final run of the game with a home run from Michael Benevides, but it was not enough to stop the Golden Bears from claiming the 12-2 victory.
 
GAME THREE: CSP 5 NSU 4
Concordia made it back-to-back wins over the Wolves with a one-run victory in game one. After regaining the lead for the final time in the fourth inning with a pair of runs, CSP went on to claim their 50th all-time win over Northern State.
 
The Golden Bears collected five hits in game one, with catcher Justin McGuigan leading the way with three hits that included his 100th career hit, a run and a stolen base. Thimsen also shined at the plate with a pair of hits and runs scored, while Jaden Werner led the team with two RBIs.
 
Reece Piontek made his sixth start of the season on the bump for the Navy and Gold, where he went 1.2 innings with two strikeouts in the no-decision. Michael Chevalier (2-4) was charged with the loss after allowing five earned runs in 5.0 innings pitched.
 
The Golden Bears struck first in the opening inning after Werner put them on the board with a 2-RBI single through the right side, allowing McCollow and Thimsen to safely reach home. Northern State responded in the bottom of the frame with a run of their own, but Piontek worked out of the bases loaded jam to halt their momentum.
 
After stealing second and advancing to third following a ground out, McGuigan added the third run of the game for CSP following an error from the Wolves shortstop during McCollow's plate appearance in the second inning. However, the Wolves answered strongly with a trio of runs to take their first lead.
 
Concordia found some momentum in the fourth inning with three hits to load the bases. An errant throw from Chevalier with two outs in the inning allowed McBroome to score before another error from the Wolves defense in the following at-bat led to Thimsen scoring the game-winning fifth run.
 
Lundell entered for Piontek in the second inning on the bump. The senior collected his third win of the season with a 4.1-inning no-hitter and a team-leading three strikeouts, while Sherman (1) claimed his first save of the season with a pair of strikeouts to secure the 5-4 win.
 
GAME FOUR: CSP 5, NSU 6 (11 Innings)
Game two's back-and-forth matchup that hit a stalemate in the seventh and carried until the 11th inning is the longest game between the two ball clubs in series history. An RBI single in extras propelled the Wolves to victory.
 
Concordia collected 14 hits as a team, with five of them going for extra bases (all doubles). McCollow and Thimsen each recorded three-hit games at the plate, while McBroome tallied three runs and a pair of walks.
 
Segna finished with a pair of strikeouts and walked only one in 5.0 innings in the no-decision. Logan Shaffer entered the game in the sixth inning for Segna, allowing only two hits and a run in 5.0 innings pitched in a solid showing from the bullpen.
 
The Golden Bears picked up right where they left off with a three-run first inning. McBroome opened the game with a lead-off double and was later driven in for the game's first run following an RBI single from McCollow. Nadolney added to the scoring with a 2-RBI double to right center, driving home Thimsen and McCollow to give CSP an early 3-0 lead.
 
The Wolves evened the game with three runs of their own in the bottom half and claimed the lead with a run in the third inning following an RBI single from Michael Benevides.
 
In the fourth, McCollow leveled the game at four runs with his 10th double of the season that carried into the gap in left center to drive in McBroome, who had reached safely earlier in the inning with a leadoff walk.
 
Following a single from McBroome, the Golden Bears regained the lead, 5-4, after Thimsen added the team's fifth double of the game with a missile down the right field line to drive in McBroome for his third run of the game. NSU quickly responded with their fifth run of the game with an RBI single to tie the game back up at 5-5, where it would remain for the next 4 ½ innings.
 
In the ninth, Thimsen led off the inning with a single to left field before Nadolney was intentionally walked and Brohmer saw ball four to load the bases with two outs in the inning. Despite the bases-loaded situation, the Wolves pitcher Jack Miller (1-0) was able to force a groundout to leave the three CSP base runners stranded. Miller would go on to claim his first win of the season.
 
Sherman (3-1) made his second appearance of the day in the bottom of the ninth. The senior started strong with a pair of strikeouts and forced a popup to Brayden Roybal at second base to send the game to extra innings. The lefty finished with a team-leading four strikeouts but was charged with his first loss of the season after the Wolves walked it off with an RBI single in the 11th inning.
 
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST SMSU
The Golden Bears and Mustangs have met 66 times since May 5, 2000, with the Golden Bears holding a 40-26 all-time advantage. SMSU held early momentum to begin series with four consecutive wins before Concordia claimed their first win with a 6-1 final in Duluth, Minnesota. CSP's longest winning streak against the Mustangs is seven games from 2016-2017. CSP has scored 391 runs with 5.92 average runs a game.
 
In their last meeting, Southwest Minnesota collected a 7-0 victory in Tucson, Arizona. The Mustangs used a strong pitching performance along with seven runs off 10 hits to secure the victory. Their starting pitcher, Ansen Dulas (2-0), provided a scoreless 7.0 IP outing with seven strikeouts and only one hit. As a team, the Golden Bears collected four hits that were highlighted by a ground-rule double from Thimsen in the opening inning. Michael Sturek (2022-23), Nadolney and Lamine Diaby-Gassama each found the hit column with singles of their own.
 
ABOUT THE MUSTANGS
SMSU posted a 27-17 (19-13 NSIC) record in the 2023 campaign and was picked to finish fifth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 107 points.
 
The Mustangs hold a 14-9 (8-7 NSIC) record this season following four-game sweep over the Bemidji State Beavers last time out.
 
The Mustangs went 6-2 in non-conference play at the TIG Sports Tucson Invitational. They collected wins against Malone (Ohio), Adams State (Colo.), Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.), Hamline and Macalester. Their lone blemishes of the invite came against Walsh (Ohio), who were also the only team to defeat CSP in Arizona.
 
Southwest Minnesota State hit a wall against St. Cloud State to open conference play, dropping all four games to the Huskies. After winning games one and three, they bounced back with a split four-game series against Minnesota Duluth. Since then, they have gone 6-1 in NSIC play with a pair of wins against Minot State (N.D.) and a four-game sweep of Bemidji State.
 
The player to watch for Southwest Minnesota State is #1 Isaac Nett. The senior has slashed .402/.505/.747 with 35 hits, 24 RBIs, 26 runs and 15 walks. He has recorded 15 extra-base hits with seven home runs, seven doubles and a triple.
 
The pitcher to watch is #37 Kolby Kiser (4-1). The senior pitcher has an ERA of 1.63 and a WHIP of .88 after 38.2 innings pitched. He has collected 42 strikeouts and walked five batters this season.