This Week in Peacock Baseball... The Peacocks return to Robertson Woods Field in Fayette on Thursday for a double header against the Mavericks of Minnesota State University, Mankato. Upper Iowa will then head to Marshall, Minn. for a four-game series against the Mustangs of Southwest Minnesota State University on Saturday and Sunday. Last season, UIU was dropped a pair of 7-4 decisions in Mankato and split a weekend series with the Mustangs in Fayette.
Lucky 13... Senior right hander
Zach Carstens threw a one-hit shutout on Sunday in game two against the University of Minnesota Crookston for his first victory at UIU. The Quincy, Ill. native threw all seven innings in a game shortened to seven innings because the Peacock offense dominated as well scoring 14 runs. Carstens struck out six.
Out of the Hole... UIU shortstop Luis Ravelo is known for making great plays in the hole at short, but his bat is making a name for itself this year. Ravelo is batting .396 in UIU's 18 conference games with a slugging percentage of .771 thanks to 9 extra base hits including 3 doubles, 3 triples and 3 home runs. The junior leads the team in hitting with a .338 average for the season with a team-high 25 rbi.
A Closer Look at the Mavericks... MSU split their double header last Wednesday with Augustana, winning the first game 6-2 followed by a 10-4 loss at home. Junior Eric Peterson ranks in the top five on the team in a number of different categories including batting average (.365/1st) and slugging percentage (.556/2nd). Sophomore Brody Rodning ranks second in the NSIC with 48 strikeouts this season while fellow sophomore Dalton Roach ranks tied for fifth with 39.
Last Week for the Mustangs... SMSU dropped its only two games last week, losing to Minnesota Duluth in Marshall. The Mustangs' four-game series at Minot State was canceled due to weather. Redshirt freshman Jon Leighton leads SMSU at the plate with a .398 batting average and 24 rbi, while two other batters have averages over .300 (Derek Branson - .373 and Tanner Picht - .323).
