Mavericks prepare for SMSU Mustangs with NSIC tournament right around the corner

After taking two games from Wayne State last weekend, the Minnesota State baseball team prepares to take on the Southwest Minnesota State University Mustangs this weekend, a series that will mark the end of the regular season for the Mavs.

Against the Wildcats, Minnesota State finished with 18 runs on 15 hits, led by multi-hit games from Logan Miller and Braxtron Haggith. The Mavericks also performed well at the plate, drawing walks and taking advantage of varying pitches throughout the game.

The Mustangs enter the weekend with a 23-21 overall season record accompanied by

an 18-19 record in the NSIC. The team currently sits at eighth in conference standings.

SMSU is led by Cory Bantam, who currently holds a .370 batting average with five home runs and 40 RBI this season. Ryan Chmielewski also stands out for the Mustangs with a 3.74 ERA and a 5-2 record.

Last season, the Mavericks met the Mustangs in early May last year for a double header in Marshall. The teams each found a victory with the Mustangs coming out on top in game one 10-9. The Mavericks proceeded to respond with a win in game two with a final score of 6-5.

The two teams met one more time a few days later in North Dakota where the Mavericks once again defeated the Mustangs 15-2.

The Mavericks currently hold an all time record of 54-9 against the Mustangs since their first meeting in 1997 where the Mavericks won 6-3 at home. 

This weekend, the Mavericks are looking to revive their win streak over SMSU as it once stood for almost a decade, ranging from 2014-2023.

Several Mavericks are coming close to Minnesota State records, including Ike Mezzenga, who is three home runs short of the single season record of 19 set by Jordan Hart in 2019. Mezzenga is also approaching  Hart’s 2019 record of runs batted in single a season mark. Hart charted the record of 72 RBI in 2019. Mezzenga currently stands at 67.

Aidan Byrne is also approaching a MSU record. He currently holds 279 career hits, 10 short of the record set by Nolan Johnson in 2015. Byrne also needs one run scored to tie the MSU career record of 225, set by Eric Peterson from 2014-2017.

This weekend marks the end of regular season games for the Mavericks. Games one and two will take place on Friday with a double header between the two teams at 1:30 p.m. Game three will proceed on Saturday at noon.

Following the weekend, the Mavericks will be looking towards the NSIC tournament which will span from May 7-10.

Photo caption: Following a 2-0 victory over Wayne State, the Minnesota State Mavericks are looking to this weekend where they will faceoff against the SMSU Mustangs. (Courtesy Maverick Athletics)

Write to [email protected]