ST. PAUL, Minn. - This Wednesday's doubleheader between Concordia-St. Paul (15-22, 10-15 NSIC) and St. Cloud State (18-16, 14-7 NSIC) has been bumped up 90 minutes to a noon start at Barnes Field. 

The doubleheader opens a 5-game homestand for Concordia, who is scheduled to host Northern State (10-17, 8-14 NSIC) in a three-game weekend series.

WEATHER OUTLOOK
Less than 24 hours to first pitch, Wednesday's doubleheader is forecast for a 58 degree temperature at game time with partly cloudy conditions, and a calm N 4mph wind in from left field. Temperatures are expected to climb as high as 67 degrees in the 4-5pm hours while day's conditions remain calm and pleasant. 

FOLLOW LIVE
There are multiple ways to follow Concordia baseball including mobile-friendly platforms for fans to follow at the field or on-the-go. For live video with play-by-play from the voice of Golden Bears Dan Flanagan, download the NSIC Network mobile app or OTT apps on devices such as Roku, Fire Stick (and more) or watch on your desktop at cspbears.com/watch. 

Live stats are also available in a mobile-friendly or desktop format at cspbears.com/livebase or by downloading the CSP Bears mobile app (mobile app live stats are optimized for home games). 

SERIES HISTORY: CSP 19, SCSU 44, 1 TIE
The Golden Bears and Huskies meet for the 65th and 66th time this week with SCSU leading the all-time series 44-19-1. CSP and SCSU have split the last six contests dating back to a trip to Sioux City, Iowa in 2023. 

The Golden Bears and Huskies have met 15 times at Barnes Field with CSP holding a 3-11-1 record. The last time they met at Barnes Field was a doubleheader split in 2024. CSP also hosted SCSU in 2021 and 2022, but before that the Huskies hadn't been to St. Paul since 2015. 

In last year's meeting, SCSU swept a midweek doubleheader in St. Cloud 19-7 and 7-6. 

POTENTIAL PITCHING MATCHUPS
teams do not announce starting pitchers to the public, this is based on season-long and recent usage trends

CSP
Evan Newlander, LHP: 1-2, 7.11 ERA, 1.70 WHIP, 7 app/6 gs, 25.1 IP, 33-19 SO-BB, .255 oav
Daniel Musgjerd, LHP: 0-2, 18.90 ERA, 2.70 WHIP, 7 app/2 gs, 10.0 IP, 13-14 SO-BB, .317 oav
Lou Walker, LHP: 2-1, 9.58 ERA, 2.52 WHIP, 8 app/3 gs, 20.2 IP, 5-14 SO-BB, .409 oav
Jack Thompson, LHP: 0-3, 10.73 ERA, 2.14 WHIP, 8 app/6 gs, 24.1 IP, 25-17 SO-BB, .357 oav

SCSU
Bryce Brassfield, RHP: 3-3, 4.27 ERA, 1.34 WHIP, 8 app/8 gs, 46.1 IP, 57-15 SO-BB, .260 oav
AJ Price, LHP: 3-1, 6.62 ERA, 1.64 WHIP, 8 app/7 gs, 35.1 IP, 42-27 SO-BB, .226 oav
Kahler Key, RHP: 3-3, 4.01 ERA, 1.66 WHIP, 8 app/4 gs, 33.2 IP, 40-21 SO-BB, .276 oav

CSP BULLPEN NOTES
Last week, Concordia didn't need to utilize any pitcher on the roster more than once which was aided by a pair of complete games on Saturday at Minot State by Ollie Yuhas and Tyus Smith, who will almost certainly be unavailable for the SCSU doubleheader. 

Cole Newell has led the bullpen this year with a 2.66 ERA, 1.03 WHIP with 24 strikeouts in 20.1 innings over 10 appearances with a .116 opponent batting average. He is 2-0 with a save and six of his 10 appearances have been 2.0-plus innings including each of his last three. In his last three outings, Newell has pitched 8.2 innings, allowing one run on one hit and three walks with 11 strikeouts, securing a win against Winona State.

Caden Carsen and Justin Benjamin each have a team-high 11 appearances out of the bullpen and are used in different ways. Carsen has been a long reliever, working 22.1 innings in his 11 appearances with four 3.0-plus inning appearances while working at least 2.0 innings in seven of his 11 times out of the bullpen. His last three outings have covered 8.1 innings. He has a win and two saves with a 6.04 ERA, 1.70 WHIP, 15 strikeouts and a .287 opponent average. Benjamin, meanwhile, has been the high leverage arm of the pair, working 11.2 innings with a win and four saves. He's struck out 14 in his 11.2 innings and holds opponents to a .239 average. 

HARMS' STREAK
Junior first baseman Charlie Harms opened the season with impressive consistency, getting on base in 36 consecutive games with either a hit, walk or HBP and also had a 19-game hitting streak within that run. He's had 13 multi-hit games with a team-high 11 two-hit performances. He leads the team with a .351 average (46-131) and .476 OBP while his .965 OPS is third. He's tied for the team-lead with 12 doubles and also has scored 35 runs with 27 RBIs and has a positive 29-20 BB-SO ratio.

DOUBLE BERGER BOMBS
Freshman left fielder Gus Berger has made a seamless adjustment to facing college pitching, leading Concordia in extra-base hits (23), tied for the team leads in doubles (12) and homers (8) while leading the team in RBIs (44), slugging (.664), OPS (1.103) and ranking second on the team in hitting (.328, 41-125) and OBP (.439). He's also second on the team in triples (3), runs (35) and carries a solid 26-27 BB-SO ratio. 

KJ LEADS THE WAY
Junior centerfielder and leadoff hitter Kaden Johnson leads the Golden Bears in runs (44), triples (4) and stolen bases (13) while ranking second on the team in extra-base hits (20), slugging (.616), OPS (1.046), hits (45) and is third on the team in RBIs (28) and OBP (.430). He's riding the team's second-longest reached-base streak at 12 and leads the team in multi-hit games with 13 with a team-high six games with three-plus hits. 

BERG CLEANS UP
Settling into the cleanup spot behind Johnson, Harms and Berger, sophomore Eric Berg has delivered in the role and ranks second on the team with 32 RBIs with a team-best nine games with multiple RBIs, knocking in three runs or more five times. He has 11 multi-hit games and leads the team with three 4-hit performances. He's fourth on the team in hitting (.323, 42-130), OBP (.413), slugging (.438), OPS (.851), tied for the team lead with 12 doubles and leads the roster with 15 HBP. 

NOTES:
Concordia has used Nick Carlson and Jack Setterlund regularly at second base, with the duo combining for 43 starts including multiple looks at the DH spot. They have both been on-base experts as Carlson leads the team with 31 walks and a positive 31-17 BB-SO rate with a .412 OBP for 23 runs scored as a freshman, and Setterlund has reached base at a .455 clip, hitting .293 (12-41) with 11 walks with his three sacrifice bunts trailing only Eli Nelson's four. 

Catchers Chase McQuade and Eli Nelson have also been a solid tandem behind the plate, with the duo combining for 42 starts in 37 games including some work as DH. They have combined for 13 extra-base hits as each has four doubles, with McQuade adding three homers to Nelson's two. They have combined or 29 runs (14 McQuade, 15 Nelson) and 26 RBIs (17 McQuade, 9 Nelson). 

ABOUT THE HUSKIES
St. Cloud State is in the mix among the top six spots in a crowded NSIC Standings picture with a 14-7 record, tied for third with Sioux Falls and a half game ahead of Minnesota Crookston and UMary. The four teams are chasing Minnesota State (18-3) and Augustana (21-4). The Huskies went 4-9 in the non-conference, dropping two of three at Missouri Western State and splitting their NSIC neutral site fourth games with Wayne State (L) and Northern State (W). SCSU went 2-6 on its 8-game trip to the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational, scoring wins over Saginaw Valley State and Minnesota Duluth on a trip that also featured a 15-inning loss to Wayne State (Mich.).

Last year, SCSU finished fifth in the NSIC at 22-18 and were 28-26 overall and went 2-2 during an NSIC Tournament run, eliminated in a 16-11 loss to Sioux Falls. The Huskies were picked third in the NSIC Preseason Poll. 

Of SCSU's nine regular hitters, seven are hitting .300 or better, seven have a .400 or better OBP and seven have a .400 or better slugging percentage led by Wilmis Castro with a 1.243 OPS (.392/.476/.767) who has 13 doubles, four triples and eight home runs with 30 runs and 31 RBIs in 34 games. Ryan Cahoon leads the Huskies with a .550 OBP with 38 walks while hitting .367 with a 1.039 OPS. The Huskies like to run the bases with Liam Moreno (11-13) and Eric Bello (10-13) each in double-figures in stolen bases among four players with seven or more steals.