SCSU Baseball adds home game with UMD on Monday, April 19

Monday, April 19

St. Cloud, MN

4:00 p.m.

St. Cloud State

University of Minnesota Duluth

4/18/2021 5:00:00 PM | Baseball

St. Cloud State Baseball (10-9, 8-6 NSIC) has added a single home conference game with Minnesota-Duluth (7-17, 4-14 NSIC) on Monday, April 19. The tilt will be a nine-inning contest scheduled to begin at 4:00 p.m. CST at Joe Faber Field, with the Huskies playing as the visiting team in the site reversal.

Attendance information for the 2021 season can be found HERE. 2021 Huskies home baseball games will be limited to 625 fans per game.

The meeting will be the 60th all-time between SCSU and UMD, with the Huskies holding a 41-18 record versus the Bulldogs. In 2019, St. Cloud State swept Minnesota-Duluth in a three-game weekend series held in Mauston, Wisconsin over April 13-14.

Scouting the Huskies

SCSU enters the game sitting sixth in the NSIC standings with an 8-6 conference record coming off a two-games-to-one weekend win over Sioux Falls and two series cancelled due to COVID-19 protocols.

At the plate, the Huskies are highlighted by centerfielder John Nett's .362/.477/.594 triple slash to go with five doubles, a triple, three home runs, 24 runs scored, 16 RBI and 15:9 BB:K ratio. Nett sets the table for a lineup that boasts 10 players with an average of .300 or better and five with an OPS above 1.000. Third baseman Tate Wallat (.305/.364/.542, 3 2B, 3B, 3 HR) carries an eight-game hitting streak into the game and hit two home runs against Sioux Falls. Rightfielder Matt Quade (.355/.414/.597, 2B, 3B, 4 HR, 20 RBI), first baseman Jake Shusterich (.353/.453/.608, 4 2B, 3 HR, 12 RBI) and catcher Caleb Marquez (.977 OPS, 3 2B, 4 HR, 21 RBI) anchor the heart of the order, while Max Gamm (.329/.420/.429, 16 R, 11 SB) has been an on-base fiend in the two-hole.

The Huskies' weekend trio of Matt Osterberg (3.22 ERA, 22.1 IP, 26:B K:BB, .220 BAA), Fabian Villegas (3.72 ERA, 9.2 IP, 7:1 K:BB) and Trevor Koenig (2.25 ERA, 20.0 IP, 24:4 K:BB, .200 BAA) have been outstanding in conference play. Jack Habeck owns the role of SCSU's fireman, owning a 5-0 record in seven appearances and one start with a 1.25 ERA (second in the NSIC) and a 0.65 WHIP across 21.2 innings. The southpaw has allowed just nine hits for an NSIC-best .118 opponent average with 18 strikeouts to just five walks and has yet to surrender a run in six conference outings. In conference play, the bullpen has been anchored by Eli Emerson (5.1 IP, 1.69 ERA, 7 K), Nick Brauns (4 APP, 2.70 ERA), Jacob Bradley (2 APP, 0.00 ERA) and Tommy Tompson (12.0 IP, 4.50 ERA).

Scouting the Bulldogs

Minnesota-Duluth split a nonconference doubleheader with the University of Mary on Sunday and enters the game second-to-last in the NSIC standings with a 4-14 conference record. Five Bulldogs are hitting over .300: Brandt Kolpack (.353/.443/.382, 2 2B, 9 RBI), McCale Peterson (.350/.438/.400, 2 2B, 6 RBI), Tim Pokornowski (.346/.409/.526, 4 2B, 2 3B, 2 HR, 11 RBI), Anders Brown (.343/.427/.414, 5 2B, 16 RBI) and Henry George (.316/.400/.443, 6 2B, 2 3B, 16 R).

On the whole, UMD's pitching staff has struggled to a 6.70 ERA through 24 games this season. 6'7 lefthander Russ Tanner has been the bright spot of the pitching staff, going 1-1 over four starts with a 1.48 ERA, a 0.66 WHIP and a 30:5 K:BB ratio across 24.1 innings while holding hitters to a .133 average. Liam Blaschko anchors the bullpen, appearing in nine games with a 1.89 ERA over 19.0 innings with a 12:2 K:BB ratio.

Broadcast Information

The series will be broadcast on the NSIC Network with Live Stats provided by SCSU.