Game Time...Northwestern continues its 2020 baseball season with a four-game set against Kansas Wesleyan this weekend in Salina, Kan. Game times on Friday, Feb. 21 are set for 2/4pm; Saturday's games are set for noon and 2pm.
Follow the live stats at the following links:
Live Stats (Stretch Internet)
All-Time...Northwestern is 2-0 all-time against the Coyotes, winning a pair of games played during the 2014 season in Tucson, Ariz. 9-8 and 6-4.
Scouting Reports...
Kansas Wesleyan Coyotes: 5-4 Head Coach: Bill Neale (6th year)
Picked to finish seventh of 12 teams in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) preseason poll, the Coyotes are off to a 5-4 start to the 2020 season. They opened with three losses to LSU Shreveport, came back with a three-game sweep over Dakota State and most recently took two of three games from GPAC member, Dakota Wesleyan, last weekend.
Taking over the KWU baseball program in the summer of 2013, Neale has guided the Coyotes to a pair of 30+ win seasons in his five previous seasons. He returns five positional starters and five pitchers from a 2019 team that finished sixth in the KCAC with a 16-17 record, 25-24 overall.
By the Numbers (2020):
Runs / Game: 6 Opp. Runs / Game: 5.2
Hits / Game: 8.6 Opp. Hits / Game: 7
Batting Ave: .288 Opp. Batting Ave: .246
Home Runs: 5 Opp. Home Runs: 5
Stolen Bases: 16/25 Opp. Stolen Bases: 16/22
Pitching: Pitching:
Team ERA: 4.91 Opp. Team ERA: 5.91
K's: 62 Opp. K's: 78
BB: 38 Opp. BB: 32
Individual Leaders:
Dalton Whitaker (All-Conf) - .393 BA, 4 runs, HR, 7 RBIs
Austin Cross - .355 BA, 7 runs, 5 2B, 5/7 SB
Timothy Storms - .346 BA, 5 runs
Spencer Keane - .333 BA, 11 runs, 4/6 SB
Jake Olofson (All-Conf) - 1-2, 3.00 ERA, 18 IP, 21 K's
Kaden Sitzman - 2-1, 4.67 ERA, 17.1 IP, 14 K's
Northwestern Notes: 2-2 record Head Coach: Brian Wede (14th year)
The Red Raiders split a four-game set last weekend against Central Baptist, winning the final two games 16-11 and 5-4 and giving the Mustangs their first two losses of the season.
Northwestern was picked fourth in the GPAC preseason coaches' poll, behind Concordia, Jamestown and Midland. Head Coach
Brian Wede returns 16 letterwinners from a 2019 team that finished sixth in the GPAC regular season with a 15-13 record, 23-25 overall. Wede is the all-time winningest coach in program history, guiding his Red Raider teams to 369 wins and seven GPAC championships.
By the Numbers (2020):
Runs / Game: 9 Opp. Runs / Game: 11.2
Hits / Game: 11.8 Opp. Hits / Game: 12
Batting Ave: .402 (best in NAIA) Opp. Batting Ave: .358
Home Runs: 5 Opp. Home Runs: 8
Stolen Bases: 3/7 Opp. Stolen Bases: 5/5
Pitching: Pitching:
Team ERA: 12.12 Opp. Team ERA: 12.12
K's: 16 Opp. K's: 37
BB: 14 Opp. BB: 11
Individual Leaders:
Drew Schutt (All-Conf) - .600 BA, 8 runs, 2 HR, 10 RBIs
Noa Vogel - .583 BA, 2 runs, HR, 6 RBIs
Sutton Derr - .571 BA, 6 runs
Kip Cullinan - .500 BA, 6 runs, 3 RBIs
Ryan Reynolds - 0-0, 0.00 ERA, Save, 1 IP, 1 K
Shane Geurink - 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 4.2 IP, 1 K
Evan Olesen - 1-0, 5.06 ERA, 5.1 IP