GRAND FORKS, N.D. - The Fighting Sioux will be taking the momentum of a series win over in-state rival North Dakota State on the road to Utah Valley for their first Great West conference showdown this weekend. UND will play the Wolverines in a four-game series starting on Friday at 6 p.m. CT. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday before wrapping up the slate with a single game on Sunday. Saturday's twinbill starts at 1 p.m. with a seven-inning game, which will be followed by a nine-inning affair.
TRACK AND LISTEN: Fighting Sioux fans can listed to Utah Valley's internet broadcasts of the four-game series and follow UND on Gametracker this weekend at www.WolverineGreen.com.
THE GREAT UNKNOWN: The Fighting Sioux will play seven first-time opponents during the 2010 season. As UND continues its transition to the Division I level, playing new teams will be the norm. With the Sioux having already faced Wichita State and Oral Roberts, the remaining five of those first-time opponents are members of the Great West. Utah Valley is the first of those opponents as the Wolverines will entertain the Sioux at the Brent Brown Ballpark, which is also home to the Orem Owlz of the Pioneer League (Single A club of the Los Angeles Angels). The Sioux will also play Texas-Pan American, Chicago State, Houston Baptist and New York Tech for the first time as the league embarks on its inaugural baseball season. The GWC also includes NJIT, who the Sioux have a 2-0 edge over in the all-time series and Northern Colorado, a former North Central Conference rival that has split 16 all-time games with UND. Last season, the Sioux faced six first-time opponents in their first DI season.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE SIOUX
• Head coach Jeff Dodson enters his second season at the helm of the program after leading the team to 14 wins in 2009.
• After going 12 games to open the season without reaching double figures in hits, the Sioux have strung together double digits in the hit column in four of their last seven. UND equaled its season high in hits with 11 in Monday's second game - a 10-4 victory over NDSU.
• A week after Josh Ray was named the Great West Hitter of the Week, the league honored Sioux junior Derek Biermaier, naming him the co-Pitcher of the Week on April 6. Biermaier pitched his second career complete game and fanned a career-high 12 batters in an 8-4 victory over NDSU on April 4.
• Senior Jabby Bakhit went 6-for-12 (.500) in the four-game series against NDSU at the Metrodome and extended his hitting streak to a season best seven games. Bakhit ranks second on the team with a .333 average.
• Ray went 7-for-15 (.467) in the four-game set against the Bison, doubling four times and driving in eight runs. Five of his seven hits went for extra bases as he also added a triple. He leads the team with 13 RBI.
• Junior Andrew Sadler started three of the four games at DH for the Sioux and went 4-for-11 (.364). He has nine starts on the year (six at DH, two at catcher and one in RF).
• Junior Sam Anderson evened his record at 2-2 after allowing only one earned run in six innings of work in game two of Sunday's doubleheader.
• Sophomore Zac Salfer picked up his first collegiate win after allowing only two earned runs in six innings against NDSU on April 5. Salfer has logged 13.1 innings in his two starts, including a career-long 7.1 innings at Nebraska.
• Junior Jake Magner had just two hits in the NDSU series, but his on-base percentage of .636 was tops on team. He reached base in seven of his 11 plate appearances (two hits, four walks, one hit by pitch).
• Senior Andrew Gudmunson entered the two-game series at Nebraska struggling through a 3-24 (.125) slump to open the season. Facing his old club allowed him to break free as he went 5-for-10 with five RBI. For the second straight season, Gudmunson had a bases-clearing double against the Huskers.
• Lagein hit his first collegiate home run in the second inning of game one vs. Nebraska. His two-run shot gave the Sioux a 4-0 advantage.
• Magner had his second career two-homer game at Oral Roberts (March 28). Magner hit a solo shot in the first and a two-run blast in the ninth.
• Magner leads the team with three home runs.
• UND returns its top three hitters from 2009 in Magner (.393), senior Aaron Cook (.328) and Gudmunson (.314). That trio also ranked one-two-three in home runs and RBI for the Sioux a year ago: Magner (10-51), Cook (6-28) and Gudmunson (5-25).
• Magner earned all-Independent first team honors in 2009. His 66 hits and 51 RBI tied for the fourth best totals in UND single-season history.
• Freshman Kris Kwak's first two career hits were triples.
ABOUT THE WOLVERINES: Eric Madsen is spending his second season as the head coach for the Wolverines and seventh overall in the program. He was an assistant for five seasons prior to taking over as head coach in 2009. The Wolverines posted an 18-35 mark a year ago. Madsen has been with the program since it moved to Division I in 2003.
A CLOSER LOOK AT THE WOLVERINES
• The UVU offense is led by senior third baseman Jace Brinkerhoff. A four-year starter, Brinkerhoff is UVU's all-time leader in hits and is at it again this season (.420, 42-for-100).
• Brinkerhoff is the reigning Great West Player of the Week after hitting .654 (11-for-21) in five games last week.
• The Wolverines rank 10th nationally in batting average with a .351 clip. Eight of their regulars are hitting .300 or better on the campaign.
• Brinkerhoff's .420 clip does not even lead the team that distinction belongs to junior centerfielder Chris Benson, who is batting an eye-popping .485 (49-for-101) in 22 starts for UVU this season.
• Three different Wolverines have at least one save and Ryan Chadwick and Brian Whatcott share the team lead with two.
RAY ON THE RISE: Junior college transfer Josh Ray entered the weekend series with Oral Roberts on March 26 batting just .222, but has been on fire at the plate since then. He earned Great West Conference Player of the Week honors for his efforts at Oral Roberts (.615, 8-for-13). The Yucaipa, Calif., native cranked out his first Division I home run in game two and against the Golden Eagles. He had the first four-hit game of the season for the Sioux in the series finale. In his last nine games, Ray is batting .516 (16-for-31) with eight runs, 12 RBI and eight extra-base hits (five 2Bs, two 3Bs and one HR).
MIX AND MATCH: Head coach Jeff Dodson has used the same line-up only once (Sunday's doubleheader vs. NDSU) through 19 games of the season as he tries to find the right combination of veterans and newcomers. Once he settled into a lineup in his rookie season in 2009, the most Dodson used the same lineup in a game was 12 times. Only senior Jabby Bakhit has been in the same spot in the field and in the batting order in all 19 games. He has anchored the lineup in the nine-hole and started every game at second base. Juniors Jake Magner (17 at 1B, one at DH) and Josh Lagein both have 18 starts (all in CF) respecitively.
DOUBLE-DIP: UND's back-to-back doubleheaders vs. North Dakota State at the Metrodome were the third and fourth of 13 twinbills the Fighting Sioux are scheduled to play this season. Besides the Saturday double-headers in Great West Conference play, UND will play South Dakota State in a pair of doubleheaders. The Sioux are 3-5 in their four doubleheaders so far this season.
BAKHIT IT UP: Second baseman Jabby Bakhit is picking up where he left off late in last season. He hit .400 down the stretch a year ago (18 games, 20-for-50) and is off to a fast start in 2010. Bakhit has hit safely in seven straight and ranks second on the team with a .333 batting average. He is well on his way to reaching new career highs in RBI and hits with 32 games remaining on the regular-season schedule.
DEREKKKKKKKKKKKK BIERMAIER SNAPS SKID, PUNCHES OUT 12: His previous career-high was six strike outs, but junior Derek Biermaier was a little amped up to face in-state rival North Dakota State as the Sioux right hander fanned 12 Bison in a seven-inning complete game victory over the Bison on Easter Sunday. Even more important than the 12 punch outs was a losing streak that came to an end with the 8-4 victory. The Sioux had lost 11 straight entering the four-game series at the Metrodome, but righted the ship to take three-of-four from the Bison and take some momentum into Great West play.
WEEKLY ACCOLADES ABOUND: After earning eight weekly honors a season ago from the Great West, the Sioux have broke through this season and picked up accolades in back-to-back weeks. Junior Josh Ray (Yucaipa, Calif.) earned the Player of the Week honors on March 29 after hitting .615 in a series at Oral Roberts. Thsi past week, junior Derek Biermaier shared the Pitcher of the Week honors after fanning 12 in a complete game victory over North Dakota State.
MUSICAL CHAIRS AT THE HOT CORNER: Head coach Jeff Dodson has used four different starting third baseman this season. Senior Josh Nelson, who had started 83 games over the past two-plus seasons at shortstop, got his first career start at third in game two of a doubleheader at Mizzou on March 19 and has started the last six games there. Another senior, Aaron Cook, has made six starts at third. He had never played the position at the collegiate level prior to this season. Cook was the team's primary designated hitter a season ago. Sophomore Kyle Bolander has made two starts and true freshman Kris Kwak has made three.
BUNCH DELIVERS: Junior college transfer Jeff Bunch showed his versatility in UND's first win of the season in game two of a doubleheader at Southeast Missouri State (March 13). Bunch played the first 14-plus innings of the doubleheader at catcher before taking to the mound to record the final four outs and pick up the first save of the season for UND. It was the first appearance on a mound for Bunch since his Little League days in California. Bunch had two RBI in the contest as well, then held the Redhawks off the board over the final 1.1 innings. Bunch has started eight games at catcher and one at shortstop as well this season.
DUAL THREATS: Last season, outfielder Andrew Gudmunson was the only Sioux player to be used in a dual-role as both a position player and pitcher. That experiment only lasted for one out as Gudmunson did not allow a run in that one-third of an inning on the mound. So far this season, three players have seen action both on the mound and in the field. Junior college transfer Jeff Bunch has started 11 games at catcher, one at shortstop and registered a save in UND's 6-5 victory over SEMO in game two of Saturday's doubleheader. Bunch tossed a scoreless 1.1 innings of work and he also shares the team lead with three RBI. True freshman Kris Kwak has started 16 games in the field (13 at shortstop, three at third base) and has also seen action in a relief role in four games. Senior Aaron Cook was the third position player to give it a whirl on the mound - throwing one inning in the 11-0 setback to SIUE on Tuesday. The appearance on the mound was the first in Cook's career.
TEAMMATES AGAIN: Junior college transfers Jeff Bunch and Josh Ray are both newcomers to the Fighting Sioux baseball team, but the duo will be teammates again for the third straight season. Bunch and Ray spent the past two seasons playing on the same team at Mt. San Jacinto College. Bunch his .379 as a sophomore last season, while Ray hit .388 as both players earned second team All-Foothill Conference honors.
PACIFIC COAST CRUSADE: The 2010 Fighting Sioux roster features four players hailing from states bordering the Pacific Ocean. Three Californians and one Oregonian have made the trek to Peace Garden State to play their college baseball. Catcher/shortstop Jeff Bunch hails from Victorville, Calif.. Outfielder Josh Ray is from Yucaipa, Calif., while right-hander Travis Clifton is a native of Monterey, Calif. Grants Pass, Ore., native Craig Dolmage rounds out the quartet. The 2009 UND roster did not feature any players from the Pacific Coast.
GLANCE AT THE GREAT WEST: The Fighting Sioux will be joining seven other Division I independent teams to form the Great West Conference this season. The eight-team league will begin conference play on the weekend of April 9-11 and compete each weekend in four-game series through May 20-22. The conference season will culminate in Edinburg, Texas, home of Texas Pan-American, on May 26-29 for the inaugural Great West Conference Baseball Tournament.
Besides UTPA, the Fighting Sioux will join Chicago State, Houston Baptist, New York Tech, New Jersey Tech, Northern Colorado and Utah Valley in forming the newly-alligned baseball league. The Great West will be only the second conference the Fighting Sioux will play baseball in, having spent its Division II years playing in the North Central Conference.
