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Northeastern State University Athletics

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NSU 2021 OF
Reid Williams

Baseball Ronan Khalsa

Baseball looks to extend win streak at Northwestern

TAHLEQUAH – The RiverHawks baseball team returns to the road to take on Northwestern Okla. State Tuesday at 3 p.m. in Alva for its fifth midweek game of the 2020 campaign.

THE LEAD OFF
  1. The RiverHawks bring a 16-6 (13-5 in MIAA) record into the series. They are second in the MIAA standings and are fresh off a 4-0 week. NSU has won six-straight MIAA series for the first time in program history and are 10 games over .500 for the first time since 2002.
  2. At the plate five RiverHawks are hitting over .310. Blake Freeman leads the group hitting .398, which is fifth in the MIAA, and had his program-record tying hit streak snapped at 26 versus Fort Hays State. Blaze Brothers has seen 16 of his 33 hits go for extra bases and carries a .347 average as NSU's leadoff batter. He also has a 21-game reached base streak. Switch hitting catcher Brayden Rodden brings a .326 average into the series with seven home runs and the fifth-most RBI in the conference (25). Jaxon Phipps also has seven homers on the season and is second on the team with 22 RBI. C.D. White provided the walk-off single against Southwestern and is hitting .341 with nine multi-hit games. Collin Klingensmith started the season slow at the plate but is hitting .429 across the last seven and leads the MIAA with 19 walks this season.
  3. Northeastern State is hitting .304 on the season and slugging .504, both are second in the MIAA behind No. 5 Central Missouri. Ten RiverHawks have hit a home run. Additionally, despite playing the second fewest games, NSU is third in most other conference offensive categories.
  4. NSU's bats have proven to come alive late as the RiverHawks have scored 59 of their 178 runs in the seventh inning or later. NSU had two come-from-behind victories this past week.
  5. The RiverHawks infield has seen a major change from 2020 as shortstop 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 Reid Fehr and Blake Freeman have held down center and right field, respectively. In left field, NSU has tried four different players, Connor Bell, who leads the relieving core in ERA, most recently got a shot and made the most of it hitting .750 across four games last week. Behind the plate, Rodden, a transfer, is new this spring. The RiverHawks have rotated the designated hitter with Chaz Orr, Tucker Dunlap and Michael Conn all getting opportunities.
  6. 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 5.16 mark this season as a collective group. NSU has had six fully bullpen games in which it is 3-3.
  7. Nic Swanson leads all MIAA pitchers with a 0.79 ERA and he has guided NSU to six wins. In the first game of the season, he earned the save. He is fifth in batting average against (.186) and third in strikeouts (58) in the conference. Swanson, with 45.1 innings pitched, has the lowest ERA for a pitcher with as many innings in the nation.
  8. NSU returns 23 of its student-athletes from the 2020 roster that had their season cut short just as conference play got underway. The RiverHawks were picked to finish tenth in the conference.
  9. Head coach Jake Hendrick is in his sixth year at the program's helm and has amassed 114 wins. His 100th came in the home and conference-opening series versus Northwest Missouri.
THE WEEK IN REVIEW
  • NSU had its first 4-0 week of the spring and first since 2019 by downing Southwestern in walk off fashion and sweeping Fort Hays State.
  • In the first game at Thomas C. Rousey Field in 20 days the RiverHawks scored four runs in the ninth to grab an 11-10 victory over the Bulldogs.
  • In the first sweep of the season, NSU took the first game via the run rule in the seventh, jumped out early to secure the sixth-straight series win and took the lead in the seventh for the Game 3 victory.
  • Seth Key threw 5.2 innings and struck out eight in the series opener, Nic Swanson threw 7.0 innings of three-hit ball while striking out 11 and Dakodah Jones earned the win in the nightcap with 5.0 innings of two-hit ball out of the bullpen.
ABOUT THE RANGERS
  • Northwestern is riding an eight-game winning streak into the meeting and is 14-8 on the season. They have swept their last two series, both on the road, at Ouachita Baptist and Southern Nazarene.
  • The Rangers lost two of three at home to Rogers State to open their season. RSU is NSU's next opponent.
  • There are eight Rangers hitting over .290 and are hitting .317 as a team. Marques Paige has 11 home runs on the season to tie for the nation's lead.
  • NWOSU's pitching staff carries a 5.06 ERA and reliever Kaleb Honea has a 1.00 ERA and seven saves.
  • Dating back to 1948, Northeastern State leads the series 14-8. The teams met twice in 2020 with NSU winning both low scoring affairs.
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 FAN INFORMATION
  • Fans are permitted at Glass Field at Myers Stadium 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 nine of its originally scheduled games in the correct timeslot.
  • The teams were scheduled to meet for a doubleheader in Alva on Feb. 12 but weather canceled the trip.
  • 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 series at Washburn and Missouri Western were pushed back one day so that the outfield could dry out completely.
UP NEXT
  • Northeastern State hosts Rogers State Friday at 2 p.m. before playing a 1 p.m. doubleheader in Claremore Saturday.
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Players Mentioned

Cohen Bell

#32 Cohen Bell

LHP
6' 3"
Junior
L/L
Connor Bell

#39 Connor Bell

LHP
6' 3"
Junior
L/L
Spencer Carlin

#13 Spencer Carlin

LHP
6' 1"
Sophomore
L/L
Michael Conn

#19 Michael Conn

OF/1B
5' 9"
Senior
L/R
Reid Fehr

#14 Reid Fehr

CF
5' 11"
Redshirt Senior
R/R
Blake Freeman

#4 Blake Freeman

RF
5' 10"
Sophomore
L/L
Dylan Hight

#24 Dylan Hight

C
5' 8"
Sophomore
R/R
Cal Howard

#33 Cal Howard

RHP
5' 9"
Junior
R/R
Dakodah Jones

#16 Dakodah Jones

RHP
6' 1"
Junior
R/R
Seth Key

#29 Seth Key

RHP
6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R

Players Mentioned

Cohen Bell

#32 Cohen Bell

6' 3"
Junior
L/L
LHP
Connor Bell

#39 Connor Bell

6' 3"
Junior
L/L
LHP
Spencer Carlin

#13 Spencer Carlin

6' 1"
Sophomore
L/L
LHP
Michael Conn

#19 Michael Conn

5' 9"
Senior
L/R
OF/1B
Reid Fehr

#14 Reid Fehr

5' 11"
Redshirt Senior
R/R
CF
Blake Freeman

#4 Blake Freeman

5' 10"
Sophomore
L/L
RF
Dylan Hight

#24 Dylan Hight

5' 8"
Sophomore
R/R
C
Cal Howard

#33 Cal Howard

5' 9"
Junior
R/R
RHP
Dakodah Jones

#16 Dakodah Jones

6' 1"
Junior
R/R
RHP
Seth Key

#29 Seth Key

6' 1"
Redshirt Sophomore
R/R
RHP