ON DECK:
The Sioux return home to celebrate Alumni Weekend and host Concordia in a doubleheader on Saturday at Kraft Field. The Sioux and Cobbers will start the twinbill with game one at 1 p.m.
MEDIA INFORMATION:
Live stats and an audio broadcast of both games of Saturday's doubleheader will be available at www.fightingsioux.com.
THE ALL-TIME SERIES WITH CONCORDIA:
The series history between the Fighting Sioux and Cobbers dates back to 1956 when the teams first met on the diamond. However, the squads renewed a rivalry that was dormant for the past 15 years when they met in Moorhead for a doubleheader on April 18. The Sioux clobbered the Cobbers 21-1 in the first game, but fell 10-9 in extra innings in the nightcap. UND trails 13-15 in the all-time series, a doubleheader sweep can pull the Sioux even with the Cobbers.
TRANSITION YEAR:
The Fighting Sioux are in the midst of their first full season of Division I baseball under the guidance of first-year head coach Jeff Dodson. All of UND's sports are in a reclassifying season, transitioning from the Division II to Division I level, except for both hockey programs, which have been at the Division I level for several years. The Sioux have 45 games on their 2009 slate and 35 of those will be played against teams in Division I.
ABOUT CONCORDIA:
Catcher Kyle Johnson is the top offensive threat for a Cobbers squad that is hitting .327 for the season. The reigning MIAC Player of the Week leads the team with a .435 batting average, 12 home runs and 32 RBI. He belted five of those long balls last week, setting the new single-season record at Concordia in the process. Scott Schumaker is flirting with the .400 line, entering the doubleheader with a .395 batting average. Schumaker has two home runs and ranks second on the team with 24 RBI. Shortstop Jake Krause is the lone Cobber to start all 27 games this year.
Eight different Concordia pitchers have secured wins this season with the dual-threat Schumacher leading the Cobber staff with four wins. Adam Johnson has the top ERA among the starters with a 5.28.
CONCORDIA COACHING STAFF:
Bucky Burgau is winding down his 30th season as head coach of the Concordia baseball team. He is the all-time winningest coach in the history of Concordia athletics. Through May 1, Burgau had amassed 569 career wins as head coach for the Cobbers and his 350 wins in the MIAC are the most ever in that conference.
During his first 29 years at the helm of the Cobbers he has coached five MIAC Most Valuable Player award winners, six All-Americans, 26 All-Region players and 69 MIAC All-Conference honorees. Burgau is assisted by pitching coach Mike Reese.
LAST TIME VS. THE COBBERS:
The Sioux put up 20 runs after being tied 1-1 going into the third inning in game one of a doubleheader at Concordia on April 18. UND scored four in the second, six in the fourth, five in the fifth, two in the sixth and three in the seventh (box score available on page 11). Junior designated hitter Aaron Cook (Erskine, Minn.) had a career-high four hits to lead a group of seven Sioux hitters with at least three hits. Redshirt freshman Daniel Ross (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) hit his first career homer - the only one of the game for UND - and added two doubles, while also scoring a career-high four runs. Sophomore Jake Magner went 3-for-5 with a triple and a career-high four RBI.
Magner would equal that output again in game two as he belted two home runs and went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate to finish the twinbill with a .778 batting average and eight RBI. Magner's efforts, including a go-ahead home run in the top of the eighth would be for naught though as the Cobbers rallied for a 10-9 victory off UND starter Brandon Baumgartner.
UND jumped out to a 7-1 lead only to see the Cobbers come all the way back to tie the game in the sixth. The Sioux took an 8-7 lead on a Jabby Bakhit (Omaha, Neb.) RBI-single, but the Cobbers had an answer to force extra innings. Magner hit his second solo shot of the game in the eighth, but a pair two-out, two-run rally by Concordia in eighth gave the home team a taste of revenge.
GOOD TO THE LAST SWING:
Junior rightfielder Andrew Gudmunson (Minot, N.D.) has been swinging a hot stick of late and his last swing in game one of the Dakota Wesleyan doubleheader on Friday was his biggest of the season. He connected on a two-run, walk-off homer to lift the Sioux to a 6-5 victory. The two-run shot was his second of the game and third of the season. His initial blast broke a 3-3 tie in the fifth inning.
Despite an 0-for-6 outing in two games at Kansas State, Gudmunson, has raised his average 99 points over the last 13 games.
During the hot streak, Gudmunson is a combined 23-for-52(.442) with three home runs and nine RBI. He has seen his average climb to a .304 mark, which is currently third best among Sioux regulars. The Sioux rightfielder will be glad to return home on Saturday as Kraft Field is where he has hit all three of his home runs.
MAGNERIFFIC:
An arm injury limited sophomore Jake Magner (Grand Rapids, Minn.) from playing a lot as a freshman, but he showed his hitting prowess during his brief time in the line-up. In nine games, which included seven starts, Magner batted .524 (11-for-21) with a home run, two doubles and 11 RBI.
This season, Magner has picked up where he left off. The Sioux first baseman has started all 35 games (one at DH) and is near the top in most offensive categories for UND this season. Besides his team-best batting average of .399, Magner also leads the team in hits (55), home runs (nine) and RBI (41). Magner also leads in slugging percentage (.688) and total bases (95).
Magner is two home runs, four RBI and only three hits away from cracking the top 10 single-season list in the UND single-season record book.
SMOLDERING MAGNER:
Magner has been the most consistent Sioux hitter throughout the season and has hit safely in 22 of his last 23 games. He sandwiched his only hitless game in that stretch with the first pair of four-hit games of his career. In those 23 contests, Magner is 40-for-90 (.450) with five home runs and 28 RBI. He leads the team with 17 multiple-hit games and 12 multiple-RBI games as well.
For his efforts, Magner has twice been named Great West Player of the Week, including the latest honor on April 20. Magner earned the honor after going 7-for-9 with two home runs, two doubles, a triple and eight RBI in the doubleheader at Concordia on April 18.
SWEET SWINGIN' SIOUX:
Through 25 games this season, the Sioux offense was batting just .251 and averaging 4.6 runs per game. However, in the last 10 games the Sioux offensive numbers have been much-improved. As a team, UND is batting .381 (126-for-331) and has scored 77 runs, which equates to an average of 7.7 runs per game.
The recent surge has the team average up to .291 and 5.7 runs per game.
MASHIN' SIOUX:
Not only has the team batting average risen in the last 10 games, but the power numbers have as well. For the year, the Sioux have belted 21 home runs, but 12 of those have come during the last 10 games. Juniors Andrew Gudmunson (Minot, N.D.) and Aaron Cook (Erskine, Minn.) each have three homers during that stretch and sophomore first baseman Jake Magner (Grand Rapids, Minn.) has added a pair of long balls. Magner also has a team-high 16 RBI over that span.
LINDING A HELPING ARM:
True freshman David Lind (Brooklyn Park, Minn.) registered the first two complete games of his career last week en route to earning Great West Pitcher of the Week honors. He was the second Sioux to earn the league's weekly pitching honor this season (Brandon Baumgartner, 4/13).
Lind notched two of UND's three wins on the mound a week ago in tossing a pair of seven-inning complete games. On April 20 at South Dakota State, Lind scattered eight hits and allowed four earned runs to secure his first collegiate win.
On three days rest, Lind came back and tossed a four-hitter against Dakota Wesleyan, helping the Sioux defeat the Tigers 9-1 and win back-to-back games for the first time this season.
NELSON IGNITES:
Shorstop Josh Nelson (Apple Valley, Minn.) has been a steady defender up the middle for the Sioux this season, but has picked up the pace offensively here of late as well. Nelson has hit safely in eight of 10 games and during the streak, is 16-for-36 (.444), has scored a 11 runs. He has six multiple-hits efforts and his average is up 76 points to .267.
AARON'S COOKIN':
Junior Aaron Cook (Erskine, Minn.) has been one of UND's top hitters in the early part of the 2009 campaign. Cook has waited his turn to get a chance to play regularly at the collegiate level and his patience is paying off. Cook redshirted during the 2006 season, did not see any action in 2007 and had only three pinch-hit appearances a year ago.
However, the 2009 season has been much different. Cook has started 31 of 35 games (four at RF, 27 at DH). Cook is currently second on the team with a .316 batting average and second with 12 extra-base hits (eight doubles, four home runs). Cook had the first the multiple-home run game of his career on April 20 in game one of a doubleheader at South Dakota State. His three-run shot in the fifth inning broke a 5-5 tie and he added a two-run shot in the sixth. Both of his home runs came on the first pitch of the at-bat.
BAKHIT'S BAT IS BACK:
Junior Jabby Bakhit (Omaha, Neb.) is beginning to show signs of the form that had him voted on to the All-Independent team prior to the season. In his last 10 games, Bakhit is 12-for-27 (.444) with five sacrifice bunts. That effort has his average at .239 after hovering below .200 for the majority of the campaign.
Bakhit is the lone returner on the Sioux roster that earned all-NCC honors a year ago after redshirting in 2006 and only getting five at-bats as a redshirt freshman in 2007.
He was the first Sioux recognized by a national publication this season, earning preseason all-Independent team honors from Baseball America.
Last year, Bakhit was inserted into the line-up and served as the team's primary leadoff hitter, batting .340 with two doubles and 14 RBI. He was also swift of foot, tying for the team-lead with five stolen bases. He started 34 games.
LUECK PASSES LAKERS HEAD COACH ON "K" LIST:
Senior Mike Lueck (Victoria, Minn.) equaled his season high with seven strikeouts in his last start (vs. SDSU on 4/22). In doing so, he moved into eighth place on the UND career strikeout list passing current L.A. Lakers head coach Phil Jackson. The former UND two-sport star has gone on to one of the most illustrious coaching careers in the NBA, but before he made his way as a professional on the hardwood, Jackson was a hurler for the Fighting Sioux as well.
Jackson fanned 125 in his two-year baseball career at UND from 1965-66. Lueck trailed the fellow righthander by just one entering his start against South Dakota State and fanned two in the first frame to surpass him.
Lueck has also moved into the top 10 in another category this season after tossing the 10th complete game of his UND career against Kansas on March 3. He nearly added to that list at Valpo, going nine-plus innings in a 6-5 extra-inning loss to the Crusaders.
MAREK RISING:
Senior Andrew Marek broke out of a season-opening slump at Southern Illinois (March 13-15) to help the Sioux take their first Division I series win. Marek opened the campaign 2-for-30 (.067), but has since been one of the most consistent hitters in the Sioux line-up. He is batting .369 (31-for-84) since the second game at Southern Illinois and has hit safely in 16 of 21 games.
Marek has all of his team-leading 10 doubles during that stretch and has added 14 of his 15 RBI. Since his sluggish start, Marek has seen his batting average rise to .287 - the fifth best among the Sioux regulars.
