SIOUX FALLS -- The University of Sioux Falls Baseball Team (14-28, 14-18 NSIC) will wrap up the regular season by hosting Concordia St. Paul (20-13, 13-9 NSIC) in a crucial Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference series at the Birdcage.  USF will host CSP at 1:30/4 p.m. on Friday, May 4 and at noon/2:30 p.m. on Senior Day on Saturday, May 5.
 
The Cougars, which are 3-7 at home this season, will recognize seven seniors for their outstanding performance, dedication and leadership to the program on Saturday between the two games.  The seniors to be honored include Brent Jarvis, Rob Johnson, Anthony Lopez, Stuart Maes, Dylan Gavin Matthew Minnick, and Connor Merriam (profiles included below).
 
With the  21-13 victory over Wayne State on Sunday, the Cougars stopped a four-game losing streak and remained in ninth place, just percentage points behind Northern State (17-17) for eighth place. USF is 14-18 in league play for .438 while NSU is 10-12 for .455 which is just .17 ahead of USF. Each league team has four games left in the season and seeking with others in the hunt, a berth in the NSIC Postseason Tournament which begins next Wednesday in Sioux Falls. The top eight team in the standings qualify for the league tourney.. The Cougars will host Concordia St. Paul, which is 13-9 and tied for fifth in the league, on May 4-5 at the Birdcage. NSU plays at Winona State (17-18), which is 16-12 in the league and in sixth place. Upper Iowa (14-22) and Minnesota Duluth (16-25) are tied for 10^th at 12-17 and also remain in the hunt. Upper Iowa closes with Minnesota State (30-11), which is 25-7 and third in the league while UMD hosts Minnesota Crookston (20-27), which is 14^th in the league at 6-22.
 
How USF stands overall
USF ranks 13th in the league with a .246 batting average or a jump of seven points from last week. They have hit 24 home runs, which ranks tied for sixth in the NSIC, in 42 games. USF has a .335 on-base percentage, a jump of .18 since last week, and up to .350 (jump .07 points) in slugging. On the mound, the Cougars have a 5.54 ERA, which ranks 10th in the NSIC. The Cougars have allowed 386 hits, 204 earned runs with 217 strikeouts, 161 walks and a .295 batting average in throwing 331 2/3 innings.
 
USF, which was picked 11th in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll, is led by head coach Grant Hiab, who is 29-55 in his second season with the program.
 
Senior Profiles –

No. 4 Brent Jarvis – 5-9, 185, Sr., Infielder/Outfielder, San Diego, Calif.

The son of Jim and Zoe Jarvis, Jarvis has been a stalwart as infielder and outfielder for USF. In his four years, Jarvis, who has both power and speed, has a career .274 average with 163 hits in 594 at bats. A criminal justice/psychology major, he has rolled up 41 multi-hit games, including 31 two-hit games, 10 three-hit games and a career-best six hit game at Nebraska-Kearney on March 13, 2017, which is the top mark in the program's DII era. Jarvis also has the school's mark for five runs scored (Upper Iowa, April 13, 2016), and tied with most triples in a game with two and most home runs in a game with two. Jarvis also has 15 multi RBI games, including twice knocking in five in a game, which ranks second for a game in school history. In 2016, he helped USF qualify for the postseason tournament for the first time.   He ranks high in several statistical categories during USF's DII era including, first, runs scored, 134; first, stolen bases, 40; first, walks, 89; first, hit by pitch, 25; third, at bats, 594; third, doubles, 38; fourth, RBIs, 82; fourth, total bases, 239; fourth, hits, 163;  fourth, games played, 172; fourth games started, 168; fifth, home runs, 10; and triples, four.  On defense, he ranks second in assists with 286, eighth in putouts with 268 and third with 65 double plays turned.
 
No. 11 Rob Johnson, 6-1, 175, Centerfielder, Oceanside, Calif.

The son of Scott and Karen Johnson, he has been a stellar center fielder for the Cougars. Fast with power at the dish, Johnson has a career. 317 batting average, with three seasons over .300. He has hit .292, .323, .326 and .308 in his four seasons.  In 2016, he helped USF qualify for the postseason tournament for the first time.  In USF's DII era, he ranks tied for first in stolen bases with 40 and first in triples with nine. He is fourth in walks with 53,  fifth in total bases, 225; runs scored, 94; hits, 151, doubles, 32; sixth in home runs with eight, seventh in RBIs with 74, eighth in games played with 137, eighth in career starts with 132 and at bats with 476. A criminal justice and psychology major, he has 47 multi-hit games, including 10 of three hits or more while recording 15 multi-RBI games, including four of three RBIs or more. Three times he scored four runs and had four hits in a game. Named three times to the Academic All-NSIC squad, he tied school marks with two home runs and six RBI against Minnesota Duluth on April 9, 2016. He also tied a school mark with three stolen bases against U-Mary on April 19, 2017.
 
No. 5 Anthony Lopez, 5-10, 190, Infielder, Henderson, Nev.

The son of Sharon Lopez and Jesse Lopez, he has compiled a .259 career average with 91 hits in 351 at bats. Lopez has hit 11 doubles, two triples, two home runs with 47 RBIs, 112 total bases, six stolen bases, .319 slugging mark and .339 on-base percentage. In 2016, he hit .446 with 29 hits in 65 at bats to help USF qualify for the postseason tournament for the first time. He also hit .295 in 2017. Among his big moments at USF was collecting five hits against Briar Cliff on April 18, 2016, and slugging home runs against Winona State on April 7, 2017 and a three-run yard shot against U-Mary on April 19, 2018 in Watford City, N.D.  Lopez has accumulated seven multi-RBI games with four of three RBIs or more. In addition, he has 17 multi-hit games, including six of three hits or more. In the USF DII record book, Lopez is third with 20 hit by pitch, ninth in games played with 125 and game started with 110; 10^th in at bats with 351, runs scored with 51; and hits with 91. He is also third with 220 assists and fourth in double plays turned with 43.
 
 No. 22 Dylan Gavin, 6-2, 2-5, Pitcher/Infielder, Pueblo, Colo.
Gavin, the son of Tami and Troy Gavin, has been a standout two-way player for the Cougars. Named All-NSIC in 2016, Gavin has

earned three Academic All-NSIC honors while majoring in secondary English education. The combo performer has had a stellar career with USF, hitting for a career. 323 average with a .448 slugging mark and .388 on-base percentage. On the mound, he has a 14-11 career mark and 5.31 ERA in 42 appearances with 29 starts. In 2016, he earned all-league honors by hitting .331 in 45 games with five home runs and 31 RBI while owning a .475 slugging mark and .397 OBP. On the mound, he was 8-1 with a 4.80 ERA with 11 starters and 27 strikeouts in 50 2/3 innings to help the Cougars reach the NSIC Tournament for the first time.  Gavin, who is hitting .338 in 2018 and .366 over his last 20 games, has 32 multi-hit games, including five of three hits or more. He has 15 multi-hit games in 2018 when he has a 13-game hitting streak and 18-game consecutive reached base streak. He also has 14 career multi-RBI games. In the USF DII record book, he ranks sixth in home runs with eight; eighth in doubles with 18; ninth in at bats with 353, runs scored with 59, hits with 114, and total bases with 158;  10^th in games played with 103 and game starts with 99. On the mound, the senior leads USF with 14 career wins; second in appearances with 42 and innings pitched with 161 1/3; tied for second in game starts with 29; third in batters face with 762 fifth in complete games with four; sixth in strikeouts with 82; ninth in most games finished with seven; and 10^th in opponent batting average at .283.

 

No. 2 Stuart Maes, 6-3, 195, Pitcher, Minnetonka, Minn.
Maes, the son of Tim and Cathy Maes, began his career at USF as an infielder but moved into a pitching pole. A business administration major, he has a 3-15 career record with a 7.14 ERA in 40 appearances, including nine starts. Maes, who helped USF reached the NSIC Postseason Tournament in 2016, has one complete game and saved two others. In 93 1/3 innings, he has allowed 74 earned runs on 111 hits while registering 54 strikeouts and 63 walks. He has faced 495 hitters and held opponents to a .289 average. As a hitter, he had 10 hits in 63 at bats with eight runs, two doubles, a triples and four RBI. He owns a .902 fielding percentage with 35 putouts, 94 assists and 14 errors. In the USF DII era, he ranks third in saves (2), third in appearances (40), and eighth in innings (93 1/3). One of his memorable performances was throwing eight innings of four-hit, one-run baseball against Rogers State on March 3, 2018.
 
No. 19 Matthew Minnick, 6-2, 200, Right fielder, Rapid City, S.D.
Minnick, who was named All-NSIC as a junior, ranks among the best at USF in the DII era. The son of Jeff Minnick and Kathy Lees and John Davis and Cary Davis, he is a criminal justice major. A three-time Academic All-NSIC honoree, he has a career .308 batting average, including

hitting a career-high .368 in 2015.  In 182 starts, he has a program DII best 19 home runs, including nine in 2015, which is also a program DII best. In 2016, he helped USF qualify for the postseason tournament for the first time.   He currently ranks first in RBIs in USF's DII era with 130 with his 42 in 2015 the second best in program history. He is also with program leader in hits with 210 with his 64 in 2015 fourth all-time and his 16 doubles that season also rank fourth in school history.  Also in USF's DII history, Minnick is third in runs with 119 and stolen bases with 33, second in total bases with 315 and doubles with 42. He has a 372 on-base percentage, and accumulated 54 multi-hit games, including 30 with two hits and nine with four-hits. Minnick has 32 multi-RBI games with 15 games of three or more. He had a career-best six-RBI game vs Bemidji State on March 29, 2015, which is tied for the school record. He is seventh all-time with 281 putouts.
 
No. 7 Connor Merriam, 5-9, 160, Catcher, Rapid City, SD
Merriam, the son of Rod and Misty Merriam, has been named Academic All-NSIC three times. One of best catchers in school

history, Merriam has been an ironman behind the plate. He put together a run of 100 straight games catching beginning with the final 11 games a freshman in 2015, proceeding to 54 in 2016 and then catching 35 straight as a junior before sitting out a contest. He ranks fifth all-time (1st among catchers) at USF with 169 games played and 165 starts. Merriam has a career. 279 batting average, including hitting a personal-best of .309 as a sophomore in 2016. In 2016, he helped USF qualify for the postseason tournament for the first time.  In USF's record book, Merriam is third in home runs with 17, RBIs with 86; fifth in total bases with 225, walks with 50, runs scored with 94; sixth in doubles with 25; seventh in at bats with 520; and eighth in hits with 145. He is the only player in USF's DII era to hit two home runs in a game four times and set a game mark with 11 total bases against Colorado School of Mines on March 23, 2018. He tied a school mark with six RBI against Minnesota Duluth on April 9, 2016. He has accumulated 21 multi-RBI games, including four with three or more in a game while registering 34 multi-hit games, including eight games with three or more hits. Merriam, who reached base 11 straight games in 2016, ranks second all-time with 686 putouts and first all-time with 41 runners thrown out stealing.
 
Cougars coming off a 2-4 week
 USF finished 2-4 last week and now stand 14-28 overall and 14-18 in league play for 9th. The Cougars defeated a No. 1 ranked team for first time at DII level with 4-2 decision over city rivalry Augustana at the Birdcage. In the game, Dylan Gavin earned his fourth victory of the season by allowing no runs and two hits over fourth innings and producing an RBI double. Connor Merriam had the big hit with a two-run, two-out single in the USF's three-run third as the Cougars held off the Vikings. Jackson Olson closed with his fourth save of the season.
 
Over last six games, USF hit .293 as a team to raise average from .237 to .246. In the six game, stretch USF had 53 hits, 13 extra base hits, .39s slugging mark and .431 on-base percentage
               
USF set a season-game high for runs scored in 21-13 win over Wayne State on Sunday. USF also had 19 hits, the second most of the series. In a game with 20 total walks, USF drew a season-high 16.  In DH, USF reached double digits in back –to-back games for the first time this year with 31 runs and 29 hits, both two-game highs for the season
 
Cougar plaudits
Josh Rehwaldt hit .409 over the past six games and jumped his season average to .404 for second in the league. He had nine hits in 22 at bats with four extra base hits, seven RBI, .636 slugging mark and .481 OBP.
 
Senior Dylan Gavin had a team-high .478 batting average over the past six games with 11 hits in 23 at bats, six RBI, .652 slugging mark and team-high .519 on-base percentage; also went 1-1 on the mound. He raised his batting average to .338. He has hit .366 over the past 20 games.
 
Freshman shortstop Grant Lung had a .286 average, .333 slugging mark and .483 OBP over past six games against Augustana and Wayne State. He reached based 14 times in 29 plate appearances with 11 runs scored. Against WSC on Sunday, the Wildcats couldn't keep Lung on base. He reached 11-of-12 times with eight runs scored. He tied a personal best with four runs scored in each of the games.
 
Senior Brent Jarvis hit .368 over past six games with seven hits, five RBI, .421 slugging pct., and .500 OBP.

Connor Merriam returned to the lineup with seven hits and .318 batting average in past six games with two home runs and a team-high 10 RBI. He now has 17 career home runs.
 
Concordia St. Paul Breakdown
Directed by head coach Mark "Lunch" McKenzie, CSP lost to Minnesota, 6-0, on Tuesday but comes in with three wins in five games. Last weekend, they took three of four from Winona State with wins of 2-1, 7-2, 5-4 and losses of 8-6. McKenzie has a 429-330 all-time record, including 266-210 in league play. The Golden Bears stand 20-13 overall and 13-9 in the league for fifth place. They have just a .20 percentage point edge over Winona State (16-12) as the Golden Bears try to hang onto the fifth seed in the tournament. The Golden Bears rank seventh in hitting at .286 with a .388 slugging mark and .352 on-base percentage. They have 16 home runs and scored 151 runs. CSP owns one of the league's top pitching staff with a 3.18 ERA, ranking second. They have 10 shutouts, eight saves, 300 strikeouts and 114 walks in 266 1/3 innings.  They are led by Gus Varland, who has a 6-1 record and 1.20 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 45 innings. He has two shutouts and held opponents to a .177 batting average. His brother Louie Varland has a 3-1 mark and a 1.03 ERA with 36 strikeouts in 35 innings.  Also CSP features reliever Riley Sweeney, who has a 2.25 ERA and a 1-1 in 11 appearances with six saves. Connor Trygstad leads the CSP hitting attack with a .387 batting average. He has a .409 on-base percentage with three home runs and 15 RBIs.
 
All-time Series - Concordia St. Paul leads, 15-7
The Golden Bears own the all-time record with 15 wins in 22 games since the 2012 season. A year ago, USF defeated CSP, 5-3, as Austin Richey had three RBI and Zak Wallner pitched a complete game seven-hitter. CSP won 7-6, 3-2, and 11-3. In 2016, the Cougars and Golden Bears split as USF took a 1-0 decision as Rob Johnson hit a walk-off single to score Ed Reichenbach in the bottom of the ninth inning. Dan Johnson tossed a four-hit shutout for USF to outduel Gus Varland who had nine strikeouts and no runs allowed over eight innings. It was the second straight walk off on that day (May 1) as the Cougars took a 6-5 decision in the first game as Chris Thompson picked up the win. Matthew Minnick and Rob Johnson homered for the Cougars. In the first day of the series, CSP took 3-2, 5-0 decisions. In 2015, The Golden Bears defeated USF, 6-5, 4-1, 9-1 and 11-7. In 2014, USF took one of four games, picking up an 8-1 verdict. CSP won 8-2, 6-0 and 12-0. In 2013, the teams split as USFF won 8-7, and 10-2 but lost 5-2 in the opener and 9-6 in the final game of the series. The 2012 series was a two-game matchup with CSP winning the opener, 11-8 and the Cougars finishing with a 4-0 decision as Derek Fischer combined with Brady Nolz on a five-hit shutout. Fisher allowed just five hits over 6 2/3 innings with four strikeouts. Anthony Williams homered among his three hits for USF.
 
Rehwaldt ranks second in the NSIC in hitting at .404
Junior first baseman Josh Rehwaldt now ranks second in the NSIC in hitting at .404 and eight home runs while ranking sixth with 38. He ranks third in the NSIC in slugging at .662, third in on-base percentage at .474 and tied for third in the league with 61 hits. Rehwaldt, who has 18 multi-hit games this season, has 13 doubles to rank 13th in the NSIC. He 100 total bases and seven stolen bases.  He has 10 multi-RBI games, including five of three or more. He has a season best five RBI against Winona State on March 22 on the road. Rehwaldt hit .727 in the opening weekend of play (Metro State, Feb. 16-18) and picked up his first-ever Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Player of the Week honor on Feb. 20. Rehwaldt, a 6-6, 240 pound standout from Burnsville, Minn., registered eight hits in 11 at bats (.727) against Metro State. He also had two home runs, six RBIs and two runs scored. Rehwaldt was named by NSIC coaches as "Player to Watch" in the preseason.  Rehwaldt, a business major at USF, has 18 career HRs, 128 RBI, 207 hits, and 112 runs in making 140 career starts. The home runs and RBIs rank second all-time in USF's DII era with his 207 hits sitting second. He also has the program's top average of .382 on 207-of-542 hitting. He ranks first at USF with 47 career doubles (DII era) and total bases with 320. Rehwaldt has a career slugging mark of .590 with an on-base mark of .429, leading both categories while registering 23 steals. He also has 33 multi RBI games with 15 games of three RBIs or more. For his career, he has 65 multi-hit games, including 42 games with two hits, 20 with three hits and three others with four or more hits. Twice, Rehwaldt has five hits in a game (Bemidji State, April 16, 2016; Colorado School of Mines, March, 13, 2018).  A year ago Rehwaldt was named to the All-NSIC first team after ranking in top 10 in eight NSIC hitting categories. He also became USF's first-ever NCAA DII all-region player with his selection to the 2017 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) DII squad.
  
Quick take on Cougars
Weather has been an issue thus far this spring. The Cougars opened the NSIC with a 2-2 mark against Bemidji State by playing at two high school fields in Omaha and Plattsmouth, Nebraska. In cold conditions on March 22-23, USF defeated Winona State, 14-0 but lost 3-1, 5-1 and 4-3 in 13 innings. In its only win in Winona, USF rolled up a season-high 14 runs with 15 hits in a 14-0 decision. USF, which totaled 19 runs on 38 hits with 17 RBI in the series, dropped a heartbreaking 4-3 decision to Winona State in 13 innings in the season final game of the series. Among the bright spots during the series was 15 2/3 innings of relief pitching in which the Cougars allowed just two runs and 10 hits in the four games against the Warriors. Also sophomore Brandon Roesler threw his second straight complete game in the win and Josh Rehwaldt hammered a grand slam. In splitting a double header with SMSU, Brent Jarvis hit a walk-off home run in the 11th inning to give USF a 2-1 win. The Cougars lost game two, 8-7.  USF and SCSU split a pair of doubleheaders on March 29-30 with the Cougars taking 3-1 and 10-9 (10 innings) decisions on day two. The Cougars then defeated Minnesota Crookston, 3-1 and 7-3, with timely hitting and stellar bullpen work. 
 
Dalton Roach of MSU moved to 7-0 by holding USF to six hits in tossing a complete game in a 3-1 victory. Senior Stuart Maes (1-6) took the loss for the Cougars, working 2 2/3 innings and allowing three hits and one earned run with a strikeout and three walks. Rehwaldt, who homered, and Dylan Gavin both had a pair of hits for USF. In game two, senior left-hander Aaron Rozek limited USF to a pair of hits over six innings as MSU captured a 6-0 decision for the sweep. Nick Belzer finished for MSU, allowed a two-out single to Matthew Minnick, who had two of USF's three hits. Sophomore right-hander Keenahn Coyle took the loss for USF, falling to 1-2 on the season. He had a solid outing with a career high seven strikeouts over 5 2/3 innings.  The Cougars swept U-Mary, 7-2, 6-2 with Matt Graham and Alex Loosbrock earning their first career wins. In the opener, Rehwaldt homered twice and had four RBIs. In game two Alex Elizondo had four hits including his first career home run, a three-run shot. Anthony Lopez also deposited a three-run home run in the game two win. USF dropped 3-of-4 to second place Minot State on April 21-22. USF lost 3-0, 8-1 and 16-7. In a 4-2 win on Saturday, Brandon Roesler earned his third win of the season. Jackson Olson closed for his third save. This past week, the Cougars were 2-4, including a 4-2 win over then No. 1 Augustana before falling 5-2 in game two. The Cougars lost 3-of-4 to Wayne State but set a season-game-high in runs in a 21-13 win on April 28 in game two. In the opener, USF had 10 runs but fell to WSC, 14-10. As a result USF had a two-game best of 31 runs scored and 29 hits.