TAHLEQUAH – Northeastern State baseball returns to Thomas C. Rousey Field this weekend for just its second MIAA series in Tahlequah of the season to host Fort Hays State. The RiverHawks have played and won the last four away from home.

THE SCHEDULE AND PROJECTED ROTATION
Friday, April 2 at 11 a.m. (DH) - Bullpen Day
Friday, April 2 at 2:30 p.m. (DH) - Nic Swanson (5-0,0.94 ERA)
Saturday, April 3 at 1 p.m. - Jonathan Smithey (3-1, 6.42 ERA)

THE LEAD OFF

1. The RiverHawks bring a 13-6 (10-5 in MIAA) record into the series. They are third in the MIAA standings and just two games back of #9 Missouri Southern. NSU has won five-straight MIAA series for the first time in program history.
2. At the plate five RiverHawks are hitting over .310. Blake Freeman leads the group hitting .425, which is fourth in the MIAA, carrying a 24-game hitting streak and has 11 doubles. Blaze Brothers has seen 15 of his 30 hits go for extra bases and carries a .361 average as NSU's leadoff batter. He also has an 18-game reached base streak. Switch hitting catcher Brayden Rodden brings a .325 average into the serieswith six home runs. Jaxon Phipps hit two home runs at Missouri Western to bring his season total to six and is hitting .311. C.D. White provided the walk-off single against Southwestern and his hitting .329 with eight multi-hit games.
3. Northeastern State is hitting .295 on the season and is third in most MIAA offensive categories despite playing the second-fewest games. Ten RiverHawks have hit a home run and are slugging .483 as a team.
4. The RiverHawks infield has seen a major change from 2020 as shortstop Collin Klingensmith is the only player to return to the same position. Phipps has moved to the hot corner to allow for Brothers to play second. C.D. White has taken hold of first base. In the outfield, NSU returns experience as left-to-right, Chaz Orr, Reid Fehr and Blake Freeman roam. Freshman Nathan Norris broke into the lineup at Missouri Western and has played the last four. Behind the plate, Rodden, a transfer, is new this spring. The RiverHawks have rotated the designated hitter with Orr, Tucker Dunlap and Michael Conn all getting opportunities.
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 5.28 mark this season as a collective group. NSU has had six fully bullpen games in which it is 3-3.
6. Nic Swanson leads all MIAA pitchers with a 0.94 ERA and he has guided NSU to five wins. In the first game of the season, he earned the save. He is fifth in batting average against (.194) and fourth in strikeouts (47) in the conference. Swanson, with 38.1 innings pitched, has the lowest ERA nationwide for a pitcher with more than 23.1 innings.
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. The RiverHawks were picked to finish tenth in the conference.
8. Head coach Jake Hendrick is in his sixth year at the program's helm and has amassed 111 wins. His 100th came in the home and conference-opening series versus Northwest Missouri. He earned his master's degree from FHSU in 2014.

THE WEEK IN REVIEW

• NSU won the series a week ago at Missouri Western by sweeping the Saturday doubleheader. The RiverHawks dropped the third game 8-3.
• Four RiverHawks had multi-hit games in the 12-7 series opening win and Brothers drove in five runs while scoring four times himself. Swanson threw 7.0 innings of two-run ball in the nightcap to guide NSU to the victory while Phipps and Brothers each drove in two runs. NSU used seven pitchers Sunday and one Griffon hit two three-run homers to put the game out of reach.
• On Tuesday the RiverHawks scored four runs in the ninth inning to walk off Southwestern 11-10. Six batters had multi-hit games and NSU used seven relievers in the bullpen day.

ABOUT THE TIGERS

• Fort Hays State makes the trek to Tahlequah with a 2-17 (2-13 in MIAA) record and has been swept in its last three conference series, most recently by #9 Missouri Southern.
• The Tigers are hitting .256 as a team and have hit 21 home runs including seven in the final game of the MOSO series.
• FHSU hasn't found consistency on the bump in 2021. It has a collective 10.31 ERA and Jake Campbell was credited with both wins. He has a 7.48 ERA in 27.2 innings.
• Dating back to 1997 the RiverHawks hold a 15-5 series advantage. NSU has won the last nine and only lost once at home to the Tigers.

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 reliever John Rains has been playing collegiate baseball since 2016.

MIAA PLAYER OF WEEK

• Phipps was named the MIAA Hitter of the Week in the second week of the season in which he was 5-10, hit two doubles, two home runs, drove in five runs and walked three times. It was the first time a RiverHawk claimed the award in two seasons.

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.
• Additionally, volunteer assistant Cotton Nye, a former MLB scout, coached Rodden in high school as a member of his father's staff at Oktaha High School.

FAN INFORMATION

• Fans are permitted at Rousey Field and asked to socially distance the best they can. 
• Live stats and MIAA Network, both video and audio-only, coverage will be available for the series 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 in February. The five games impacted were offset by adding six midweek games with GAC member schools throughout the spring.
• The Newman series was bumped up two days as rain threatened the area. It was moved to a brand-new turf field at Pryor High School.
• The last two series, at Washburn and Missouri Western, were pushed back one day so that the outfield could dry out completely.

UP NEXT
Northeastern State travels to Alva Tuesday for a 3 p.m. game with Northwestern Oklahoma (11-8). NSU was due to play NWOSU on Feb. 12 but winter weather postponed the game.