THIS WEEK IN PEACOCK BASEBALL… Upper Iowa will host the Mustangs of Southwest Minnesota State on Wednesday in Fayette at Robertston Woods Field. The Peacocks will be playing in conjunction with the Strikeout Violence Against Women and the It's On Us campaign. UIU will then take off for Minot, N.D. for a four-game series against the Beavers of Minot State University on Saturday and Sunday, Apr. 28-29.
ABOUT THE PEACOCKS... Upper Iowa is coming off a pair of splits last weekend against Wayne State (1-1) and Minnesota Crookston (2-2). Five Peacocks are hitting above .300 including third baseman
Conner Klostermann (.340), first baseman
Zac Cain (.333) and outfielder
Jacob Greco (.330).
Tyus Adkins is leading the pitching staff in ERA through his 9 appearances with a 1-1 record and 3 saves.
Brett Fanning has been a workhorse on the mound as well picking up 47 innings of work.
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS... Southwest Minnesota State went 2-4 last week with a pair of losses to NSIC-leading Augustana in Omaha, Neb. before splitting a four-game series at Winona State. SMSU's relocated home games (to the campus of WSU) last weekend marked the team's first games played in the state of Minnesota this season. Senior Shane Sellner batted .450 during the week with three doubles and finished with a .600 slugging percentage. Junior Connor Johnson hit a two-out, three-run walk-off home run in the game three win over the Warriors giving the Mustangs their first walk-off home run since the 2014 season. Junior Alex Jorgensen pitched in two games and didn't allow a run in 4.2 innings and finished with a victory and recorded three strikeouts.
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS... Minot State is 21-4 in NSIC play after sweeping Bemidji State and winning three of four games from Sioux Falls. Celestino Rodriguez led the Beavers at the plate, hitting .481 with two home runs and 13 RBIs last week. Jaymon Cervantes tossed a complete-game two-hitter in an 8-1 victory vs. USF while striking out eight batters. Andres Hackman threw a complete-game shutout and struck out seven Cougars while allowing seven hits in a series-opening 3-0 win over Sioux Falls. Minot State is hitting .286 as a team with 243 runs, 310 hits, 75 doubles, six triples and 39 home runs on the season. Rodriguez leads Minot State in hitting at .349, followed by Michael Borst (.344) and Wyatt Schlosser (.333). Darrel Doll is tied for first in the NSIC with eight home runs while also ranked sixth with 34 RBIs on the season. Rodriguez has launched six home runs while Justin Demary, Kyle Williamson and Schlosser have notched four home runs each.
