THIS WEEK IN PEACOCKS BASEBALL… Upper Iowa opens its 2020 campaign with a pair of double-headers on Friday and Saturday afternoon against Truman State University and Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kan. Friday's action will start at 10 a.m. with a game against the Bulldogs and then a 1 p.m. game against the Gorillas. The order remains the same on Saturday with Upper Iowa and Truman State locking up at 10 a.m. and then challenging Pitt State at 4 p.m. All four games will be nine-inning affairs. Live stats for all four games can be found at UIUPeacocks.com/Live.

WAVING GOODBYE TO 2019… The Peacocks finished 2019 with a 12-28 overall record and a 9-26 mark in the Northern Sun Conference after battling through injuries that cut into the team's depth on the mound. In their five non-conference games, Upper Iowa split series with Lewis University and Quincy University in addition to defeating the University of Minnesota Duluth to register a 3-2 mark. In NSIC action, the Peacocks won a three-game series with the University of Sioux Falls 2-1 and split with the University of Mary, Concordia University, St. Paul and Wayne State College. The team played in 14 games with a margin of two or less runs recording a 5-9 mark in those decisions. UIU posted a 3-6 record in one-run games and a 2-5 mark in games won by two runs.

LEADERS IN THE LINEUP… Two of the four Peacocks who batted over .300 return to the Peacocks for the 2020 season. NSIC Player to Watch, A.J. Friedrich led Upper Iowa with a .357 batting average and 29 RBI last season. The 40-game starter also tallied 51 hits, 24 runs and 14 walks on the year. Riley Braughton returns to the Peacocks as a graduate student in his final year of eligibility. Braughton started 37 games for UIU last year posting a .316 batting average, 43 hits including 10 doubles, 17 RBI and 16 runs scored. Conner Klostermann, who hit .301 in 2018, will also return to the Peacocks after redshirting the 2019 season due to injury.

BACK ON THE BUMP… Duncan Snider is set to lead the Peacock rotation in 2020. Snider was named an NSIC Player to Watch after posting a 2.97 ERA, tossing 68 strikeouts and allowing just 19 earned runs in 57.2 innings of work over 10 starts for the Peacocks last spring. Blake Thiesse and Alexander Morales will also handle a bulk of innings for Upper Iowa. The duo covered a combined 93.2 innings over 24 appearances, 16 of which were starts. Thiesse and Morales posted 5.40 and 7.01 ERAs respectively. Colin Lacey, a 2019 NSIC Player to Watch, will also return for the Peacocks after suffering a season-ending injury early on last year.

SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS… Truman State is 2-5 in 2020, the Bulldogs' season began at the Ranger Roundup in Alva, Okla. where a 13-3 loss to Washburn University split a pair of wins against Northwestern Oklahoma State University (12-7) and Rockhurst University (5-4). Truman State then suffered four straight losses to Rogers State University. The Bulldog offense is led by Brendan Kelly who is hitting .412 with seven hits and three RBI, while Steven Bradbury has posted a .357 average along with five hits including three doubles. On the hill, Connor Mckenna has gone 1-1 in two starts for Truman State, registering a 3.27 ERA, eight strikeouts and four earned runs in a team-high 11 innings of work. As a team, Truman State has posted a cumulative .236 batting average while allowing opposing hitters to bat .335. 

SCOUTING THE GORILLAS… Pittsburg State is 4-6 on the year. The Gorillas recently dropped a series 2-1 to NSIC-member, Winona State University before picking up a 2-1 series win versus another NSIC team, the University of Minnesota Crookston. Pittsburg State's offense is led by Blain Ohlmeier who is batting .444 with 12 hits and six RBI. All four Pittsburg State starters have posted an ERA above 5.50 on the year but Nick Brown has led the Gorilla's bullpen as he has posted a 2.16 ERA, eight strikeouts and two earned runs in 8.1 innings pitched over four appearances. As a team, Pittsburg State has tallied a 6.85 ERA while opposing pitchers have posted a 3.63 mark against the Gorilla's offense.

NSIC PRESEASON COACHES' POLL… The Northern Sun Conference baseball coaches selected Upper Iowa to finish 13th in 2020. Augustana University earned the coaches' nod to win the league for the second consecutive year.

UP NEXT… The Peacocks' road trip will continue onto Rolla, Mo. where Upper Iowa will play a four-game series against Missouri University of Science and Technology. The series will consist of back-to-back doubleheaders on Saturday, Feb. 29 and Sunday, Mar. 1.