ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul baseball team (16-13, 8-12 NSIC) will host St. Cloud State (18-11, 14-5 NSIC) and Wayne State (20-8, 15-3 NSIC) this week for the first time at Bob Barnes Field in the 2024 Campaign.
 
Action against the Huskies will take place on Wednesday with a doubleheader at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. This weekend, CSP will host the Wildcats beginning on Saturday with two games at 1:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m., and the series will conclude on Sunday with a single game at 12 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
 
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
 
NSIC STANDINGS
Following last weekend's games, the Golden Bears sit ninth in the conference standings with an 8-12 record. They sit just two games behind Winona State, three games behind Southwest Minnesota State and are one game ahead of UMary.
 
Wayne State remains in the top spot of the conference standings, ahead of Minnesota State and St. Cloud State.

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
Nick Thimsen continues a historic season at the plate in the Navy and Gold. The senior has slashed .411/.493/.714 with 46 hits, 41 RBIs and 34 runs. His 13 doubles lead the entire NSIC and he has homered seven times so far this season.
 
Bennett McCollow has also shined at the plate with 43 hits, 36 runs, 31 RBIs and 10 walks. He has been an extra-base machine with 10 doubles, two home runs and a triple.
 
Mason Nadolney's 11 home runs ranks second in the NSIC, and Noah Juliar's four triples are tied for the conference best.
 
On the bump, Korey Dahlberg (3-2) has worked 38.1 innings with 29 strikeouts and has only walked 10 batters. He has a 6.10 earned run average and a 1.43 WHIP after seven starts.
 
Gavin Rusch (3-2) has collected a 5.77 earned run average and 1.31 WHIP. He leads the starters with 39.0 innings pitched and 30 strikeouts, while Ian Segna (3-0) has been undefeated on the mound after six starts.
 
Eric Lundell (3-2)(1) continues to add a spark from the bullpen with 21 strikeouts in 21.2 innings pitched. Matt Sherman (3-2)(1) has also been a great relief pitcher with 22 strikeouts in 21.1 innings.
 
LAST TIME OUT
CSP dropped a hard-fought series, 4-1, last weekend on the road against the Southwest Minnesota State Mustangs at Legion Field in Marshall, Minnesota.
 
After winning game one with a six-run rally in the seventh inning, they struggled to find a rhythm in game two as they were shut out in the split doubleheader. On day two, they dropped a pair of heart-breaks after SMSU won game three with an extra-inning walk-off walk before claiming the series with a walk-off single in the finale.
 
Kal Brohmer led the Golden Bears at the plate after slashing .385/.467/.462 in the four-game series. The junior collected five hits, including a double, four RBIs, two runs, and a pair of walks.
 
Koby McBroome and Bryce Nelson each plated a team-leading three runs. Nick Thimsen and Justin McGuigan contributed with four hits apiece.
 
On the mound, Eric Lundell shined from the bullpen with his second straight series with a 0.00 earned run average, while Reece Piontek collected a team-leading five strikeouts and Korey Dahlberg picked up his third win of the season.
 
GAME ONE: CSP 9 SMSU 5
Late-inning heroics were the highlight of game one after the Golden Bears scored six runs in the final inning to claim the series opener, 9-5.
 
As a team, the Golden Bears collected 11 hits. McGuigan led the way for the Navy and Gold with a 3-4 outing at the plate with a pair of RBIs and a run scored. Brohmer also shined with a pair of hits, two RBIs, and a run scored.
 
On the bump, Dahlberg made his seventh start of the season for CSP. The Farmington, Minnesota native worked 6.0 innings with a pair of strikeouts en route to his third win of the season.
 
After the Mustangs captured early momentum with a 2-RBI double down the right field line from Owen Latendresse in the first, Concordia answered with their first run of the game in the next half inning after McBroome drove in Nelson with an infield single.
 
In the third, Brohmer rattled the Mustangs with a 2-RBI single to center field, driving in Jaden Werner and Juliar to give CSP their first lead of the game at 3-2. However, SMSU answered firmly with a home run from Isaac Nett in the third and Kennan Wenzel in the fifth.
 
Down to their final three outs, the Golden Bears rallied with six runs on two hits in the seventh. The scoring barrage was highlighted by a 2-RBI single to right field from McGuigan that tied the game at 5-5. Back-to-back RBI walks from Brayden Roybal and Thimsen gave Concordia their second lead of the game before a throwing from the Mustangs added a pair of insurance runs to make the score 9-5.
 
Matt Sherman, who has seen the most action out of the bullpen this season with 12 appearances, closed the show on the mound in the final half-inning. The senior collected a strikeout that helped secure the four run win.
 
GAME TWO: CSP 0, SMSU 3
The Golden Bears momentum was halted in game two, as they were shut out for the first time in the 2024 campaign.
 
Hits were more challenging in the second game, with the team combining for six, led by Juliar, who had a two-hit performance at the plate. Thimsen was the only CSP player to collect an extra-base hit with his double to right center field in the fourth.
 
On the mound, Rusch was charged with his second loss of the season. The Green Bay, Wisconsin native batted through 6.0 innings with a pair of strikeouts. Reliever Jack Greenlun was the only other pitcher to appear in the game, and he finished with three strikeouts in the final two innings.
 
After neither team was able to find the scoring column in the opening three frames, Southwest Minnesota State broke the gridlock with three runs in the fourth that was highlighted by an RBI single from Jake Tauer.
 
CSP could never capitalize on the momentum gained throughout the contest, with 10 players being stranded on base. SMSU left nine players of their own on the base but held on to claim the 3-0 victory.
 
GAME THREE: CSP 2 SMSU 3 (Nine Innings)
Concordia dropped a difficult decision in game one that went into extra innings. After finding themselves up 2-0 early, the Mustangs clawed their way back into it before winning with an RBI walk in the ninth.
 
Brohmer shined behind the plate with a perfect 3-3 outing that included a double and a pair of RBIs. However, the hits were challenging to come by as the Golden Bears were held to five for the game's entirety while SMSU collected 10.
 
On the bump, Reece Piontek made his sixth start of the season for the Golden Bears. The junior lefty batted for 4.0 innings, collecting a season-high five strikeouts and allowing only one earned run in the no-decision.
 
In the second inning, following a throwing error that allowed Werner to reach and a single up the middle from Nelson, the Golden Bears struck first after Brohmer lasered a 2-RBI double to left center field with two outs in the inning.
 
The Mustangs evened the game at two runs apiece, with a run in the third following a CSP error and a run in the fourth after a wild pitch, which allowed Chase McDaniel to score.
 
Lundell made his eighth appearance of the season after relieving Piontek in the fifth inning. The senior collected 4.0 innings of work with four strikeouts, including a pair of strikeouts in the bottom of the seventh to send the game into extra innings.
 
In the bottom of the ninth inning, after Southwest Minnesota State loaded the bases, an RBI walk from Jaxon Haase propelled them to the 3-2 victory. Sherman was charged with his second loss of the season following the final sequence.
 
GAME FOUR: CSP 5, SMSU 6 (Seven Innings)
The Golden Bears started strong and led by as many as three runs at the midway point, but the Mustangs rallied with three runs in the fourth and claimed the win with a walk-off single in the final inning.
 
Concordia collected eight hits in the game, highlighted by a home run from McCollow. Thimsen and McBroome each had a multi-hit game, while Werner added an extra-base hit with a double.
 
The pitching staff had three Bears see action in game two. Segna made his sixth start of the season on the mound for the Navy and Gold, where he collected a team-leading two strikeouts. Jack Nicklaus (1-1) was charged with his first loss of the season, and Andrew Boeser closed the game on the bump.
 
Concordia got off to another hot start against the Mustangs with a pair of runs in the opening inning. The scoring started with a sacrifice fly from Thimsen and an RBI double from Werner.
 
The Golden Bears added another two-run inning in the third to go up 4-1. A wild pitch allowed McBroome to cross for the first run, and Thimsen drove home McCollow with an RBI single for the second run.
 
Southwest Minnesota State struggled to find the offense until the fourth inning, where they tallied three runs off four hits, highlighted by a 2-run home run from Keenan Wenzel to tie the game at 4-4.
 
McCollow collected the final run for the Golden Bears in the fifth inning with his second home run of the season that sailed over the fence in left field to make the score 5-4.
 
The Mustangs erased a one-run deficit in the sixth before winning with an RBI single from Jake Tauer in the seventh to claim the game, 6-5.
 
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST SCSU
The Golden Bears and Huskies have met 59 times since March 8, 2014, with the Huskies holding an all-time advantage of 41-17-1. CSP claimed the first game between the two schools with a 6-3 victory in Florida and their largest margin of victory came in 2005 with a 21-2 victory in St. Cloud. However, SCSU has had the upper hand as winners of eight of the last 10, including last season's series, where they claimed the three-game series 2-1.
 
ABOUT THE HUSKIES
SCSU posted a 33-20 (20-10 NSIC) record in the 2023 campaign and was picked to finish third in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 142 points. The Huskies found their stride in the postseason, claiming the NSIC Tournament Championship with a 13-7 victory over the Minnesota State Mavericks. Their season ended after dropping two games to No. 4 Central Missouri in the 2023 Warrensburg Regional.
 
The Huskies hold an 18-11 (14-5 NSIC) record this season and are currently riding a six-game winning streak heading into the Wednesday showdown with CSP.
 
In non-conference play, they went 4-6. They picked up where they left off from last season with a run-rule win over No. 9 Southern New Hampshire. Their other wins came against UC Colorado Springs and CSU Pueblo (Colo.).
 
To begin NSIC Play, the Huskies started strong with a four-game series sweep over Southwest Minnesota State before splitting with Augustana at home. They have also claimed a pair of series against Sioux Falls (S.D.) and Northern State (S.D.).
 
The player to watch for St. Cloud State is  #11 Sawyer Smith. The junior has slashed .365/.432/.591 with 42 hits, 29 RBIs, 28 runs and nine walks. He has collected 17 extra-base hits with 11 doubles, three home runs and three triples.
 
The pitcher to watch is #21 Luke Tupy (5-1). The junior lefty has an ERA of 2.91 and a WHIP of 1.14 after 46.1 innings pitched. He has collected 57 strikeouts and has walked 20 batters this season.
 
SERIES HISTORY AGAINST WSC
The Golden Bears and the Wildcats have met 52 times since April 28, 2001, with Wayne State holding a 35-17 series advantage. Concordia's longest winning streak against Wayne is eight games from 2015 to 2019. CSP has also been the winner of seven out of the last 10. However, the Wildcats claimed the series last season, 2-1, after winning the previous two games of the series.
 
ABOUT THE WILDCATS
WSC posted a 25-26 (18-16 NSIC) record in the 2023 campaign and was picked to finish sixth in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll with 104 points.
 
The Wildcats hold a 20-8 (15-3 NSIC) record this season and are currently in first place in the NSIC conference standings.
 
After a bumpy start to the non-conference slate with a series loss to Missouri S&T, Wayne State bounced to win five out of their last seven. During that run, they won the final against Missouri S&T and defeated Davis and Elkins (W. Va.), Thomas More (Ky.) and Holy Family (Pa.)
 
In NSIC play, the WSC has been exceptional, with series wins against Bemidji State, Minnesota Crookston, Minot State and Minnesota Duluth. Two of their three losses in conference action have been by three runs or less. Before this weekend's clash with the Golden Bears, the Wildcats will square off with Southwest Minnesota State.
 
The player to watch for Wayne State is #41 Carter Thomas. The sophomore has slashed .470/.521/.578 with 39 hits, 28 runs, 14 RBIs and six walks. He has had nine hits for extra bases, all doubles.
 
The pitcher to watch is #12 Corbin Kirk (3-1). The junior lefty has an ERA of 2.48 and a WHIP of 1.05 after 40.1 innings pitched. He has collected 55  strikeouts and has walked 17 batters this season.