TAHLEQUAH -- RiverHawks Baseball welcomes Newman to northeastern Oklahoma Thursday and Friday. The series, originally scheduled for a Saturday doubleheader and single game Sunday, was moved up two days and to the turf fields of Pryor High School due to predicted rain.
 
THE SCHEDULE AND NSU PROJECTED ROTATION
Thursday, March 11 at 11 a.m. – Jonathan Smithey (1-0)
Thursday, March 11 at 2:30 p.m. – Nic Swanson (2-0)
Friday, March 12 at 12 p.m. – TBD
 
THE LEAD OFF

1. The RiverHawks bring a 6-2 record into the series. They are off to their best start since 2015. It has won the first two series in MIAA play by sweeping the doubleheader versus Northwest Missouri and Pitt State. NSU last won three straight MIAA series to close out the 2016 season.
2. At the plate five RiverHawks are hitting over .300. Brayden Rodden leads the group with a .394 average and is slugging .758.
3. Northeastern State leads the MIAA in slugging and 30 of its 77 hits have gone for extra bases.
4. The RiverHawks infield has seen a major change from 2020 as the shortstop Collin Klingensmith is the only player to return to the same position. Phipps has moved to the hot corner. In the outfield, NSU returns experience in the outfield as left-to-right, Chaz Orr, Reid Fehr and Blake Freeman roam.
5. NSU returns 86 percent of its innings from a season ago in which the staff had a 5.11 earned run average. The staff has a 4.56 mark this season as a collective group. The RiverHawks starters have a combined 4.37.
6. Swanson leads all MIAA pitchers with a 0.56 ERA in 16.0 innings of work. He strikes out the second-most per inning in the conference.
7. NSU returns 23 of its student-athletes from the 9-12 roster that had their season cut short just as conference play got underway. It returned home from Wichita after one game played at Newman in 2020.
8. Head coach Jake Hendrick is in his sixth year at the program's helm and has amassed 104 wins. His 100th came in the conference-opening series versus Northwest Missouri.

ABOUT THE JETS

• Newman is 1-4 on the season. It had its season opener canceled eight times before opening up with a sweep at Central Missouri. It split its home opener doubleheader Tuesday with Wayne State using 10 pitchers.
• The Jets were picked 12th in the preseason MIAA coaches' poll. They finished with a 8-15 (2-5 in MIAA) record last spring. The last winning season came in 2016.
• NSU holds a 3-2 record all-time. The teams met for four games in Tahlequah in 2012 before not meeting until March 12, 2020. 

SUPER SENIORS

• The entire RiverHawks roster received an additional year of eligibility. NSU has three 2020 seniors taking advantage of the opportunity to continue their collegiate careers; third baseman Phipps, first baseman Michael Conn and center fielder Fehr. Redshirt-junior Smithey is in his fifth season with the RiverHawks while junior John Rains has been playing collegiate baseball since 2016.

ALL ABOUT CONNECTIONS

• Northeastern State has developed talent pipelines from multiple junior colleges and the local area. Throughout the history of the program it has included at least one player from Cherokee County.
• From the Northeastern Oklahoma area (18): Seth Key– Arkoma, Conner West – Berryhill, Spencer Carlin and Nic Swanson – Bixby, Braedan Warwick and Tucker Dunlap – Broken Arrow, Chandler Wheeler and Ryan Summers – Coweta, Seth Knight – Council Hill, Matt Erwin – Muskogee, Brayden Rodden – Oktaha, C.D. White – Owasso, John Rains and Dakodah Jones – Sapulpa, Cody Jeanes and Trey Havens – Tahlequah, Tatum Watie – Tulsa, Dylan Hight – Verdigris.
• From Cowley County Community College (5): Blaze Brothers, Reid Fehr, Corbin Lill, C.D. White, Cade Gonzales.
• From Seminole State Community College (5): Cal Howard, Chaz Orr, Tucker Dunlap, Nic Swanson, Brayden Rodden.
• From Grayson College (3): Connor Bell, Cohen Bell, T.J. Mullins.

FAN INFORMATION

• Fans are permitted at Pryor High School and asked to socially distance the best they can. 
• Live stats and NSU Digital Network coverage will be available for the game via goriverhawksgo.com.

WEATHER IMPACTING SCHEDULE

• NSU has played just six of its originally scheduled games in the correct timeslot.
• The RiverHawks were forced into a 17 day layoff due to winter weather. The five games impacted were offset by adding six midweek games with GAC member schools throughout the spring.
• This series was bumped up two days as rain threatens the area over the weekend. The last time NSU played a home contest in Pryor was men's basketball in 1954-55.

UP NEXT

• Northeastern State heads back out on the road next weekend to play Washburn. Friday's game is scheduled for 3 p.m. and the Saturday doubleheader will begin at 12 p.m.