Northwestern's baseball team travels to Yankton, S.D. today to take on Mt. Marty College. The doubleheader will start at 4:00 pm at Riverside Park. Northwestern enters with a 17-17 overall record and a 6-10 GPAC record while Mt. Marty enters with a 21-18 record and 10-6 GPAC record.
Mt. Marty is led offensively by Trey Krier, he leads the team with a .407 batting average and ten doubles. Dean Hansen has a team high four home-runs and 25 RBI while Stephen Guy has scored 27 runs for the Lancers. Mt. Marty is hitting .308 as a team and has 82 extra base hits in 39 games. They have scored 223 runs. In GPAC games only, Jason Schmidt leads the team with a .433 batting average. Three of Hansen's four home-runs have come in conference contests and Zach Lambrechts leads the team with 15 GPAC RBI. The Lancers are hitting .347 in GPAC games only and have scored 103 runs.
On the mound, four Lancers have three wins; Jason Schmidt (3-0, 1.15), Trey Krier (3-2, 2.97), Trey Novotny (3-2, 5.89), and Brady Diercks (3-3, 6.40). Mike Hammonds leads the team in starts, with seven, and is tied with Novotny with 44.1 innings, to lead the team. Opponents are hitting .289 off of the Lancer pitching staff this spring. In GPAC games, Hammonds and Krier both have four starts, and Krier has four complete games in those four starts. He owns a 3.29 ERA in GPAC games and Mt. Marty has a 5.40 ERA as a staff in GPAC contests.
Northwestern is led offensively by Justin Lane, he carries a .393 batting average. Austin Malone leads the team with 12 doubles, six home-runs, and 38 RBI, he is hitting .356 in his senior campaign. Brad Payne has scored 41 runs this year, to lead the team, and has a .372 batting average to go along with ten steals. Jake Jansen has a team high .452 on base %. Northwestern has nine players batting over .300 with at least 40 plate appearances. Lane (.393), Payne (.372), Malone (.356), Curt Bomgaars (.340), Matt Negaard (.333), Kent Drickey (.330), Jansen (.316), Matt Gray (.307), and Clint Gingerich (.307). The Raiders are hitting .317 overall this season and have scored 212 runs in 34 games. In GPAC games only, Lane carried a .415 batting average and has driven in 11 runs. Malone has a team high 17 RBI, four doubles, and two home-runs. Payne has scored 18 GPAC runs and is hitting .407 with five steals. The Raiders are hitting .307 as a team in GPAC games and have scored 80 runs.
On the mound, Trevor Kuiper (4-5, 4.50) and Drew Nonnemacher (4-1, 2.91) each have four wins in nine starts. Justin Lane has six saves and a 3.65 ERA. Opponents are hitting .310 off of the Red Raider pitching staff. In GPAC games only, Northwestern has three starting pitchers with ERAs under 2.50; Nonnemacher is 3-1 and has a 1.69 ERA in five starts, Payne is 2-1 and has a 1.89 ERA in three starts, while Kuiper is 1-3 with a 2.42 ERA in four starts. Northwestern, as a team, has a 4.24 GPAC ERA and opponents are hitting .294 off of coach Brian Wede's staff.
The Raiders will travel to Lincoln, Nebraska tomorrow to take on GPAC leader, Nebraska Wesleyan, in a 1:00 doubleheader.
