SIOUX FALLS, S.D. -- Due to the wet conditions in Sioux Falls, the University of Sioux Falls Baseball Team has adjusted its schedule for the week and will host a pair of NSIC series against Northern State (6-8, 1-2 NSIC) and St. Cloud State (14-3, 2-1 NSIC). USF was originally set to play Northern State on Wednesday, March 20 in a mid-week doubleheader.

Those two NSIC games will be shifted to Thursday, March 21 at 5 & 8 pm at Ronken Field - Karras Park in Sioux Falls. Later this week, USF will host St. Cloud State on Saturday, March 23 at 5 p.m., in the opener of that NSIC series.  USF will also face SCSU in a doubleheader at 2 & 4 p.m., on Sunday, March 24, in Brandon, S.D., at the First National Bank Field. All the games are subject to change due to the weather. Stay posted to usfcougars.com or follow USF on twitter at @USF_Athletics.

USF opened the NSIC season with three straight losses to U-Mary in Quincy, Ill. The Cougars lost 4-1, 5-2, 4-3 as they put together a series of strong pitching performances but struggled at the plate.  USF had a 4.32 earned run average and recorded 23 strikeouts with just nine walks.

The Cougars, directed by third-year head coach Grant Hieb, have opened with a 2-14 mark. The Cougars, which were picked to finish 11^th in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll, had a 15-21 record in league play a year ago. So far, USF has hit .229 as a team, which is a drop of 22 points in the last three games. USF, which is 2-6 in games decided by three runs or fewer, has accumulated four home runs and 60 RBI in 16 games. USF has 111 hits, 17 doubles, seven triples and 154 total bases. As a team, USF, which has 31 steals on 43 attempts, has a .318 slugging mark and a .326 OBP.

Over the last three games, the Cougars have dropped their earned run average to 6.61, which is a drop of .58. In 125.1 innings, USF has allowed 157 hits, 92 earned runs (111 total), while recording 104 strikeouts and issuing 48 bases on balls. Opponents are hitting .304 against USF pitchers, which is a drop of .14 in last three games. For the season, USF has 104 strikeouts to 48 walks or 2.2 strikeout to walk ratio.

Notes on Opponents - Northern State and St. Cloud State

The Wolves have opened the season with a 6-8 record and 1-2 mark in league play, which places them 10^th in the conference. NSU ranks 10^th in the league in hitting at .261 with one home run and 12 RBI as well as a .379 slugging mark and .333 on-base percentage. NSU ranks 13^th in the league earned run average at 7.25. They have allowed 151 hits in 113 innings and have 89 strikeouts with 54 walks.

St. Cloud State, which has opened 2-1 in league play (fourth place) and 14-3 overall, leads the league with a .339 batting average and a 4.62 slugging mark. They have 213 hits, 54 extra base hits, including nine home runs and 134 RBI. The Huskies own a league-best 3.45 earned run average and have 179 strikeouts with just 36 walks. Teams are hitting just .245 in 154 innings.
 
Rehwaldt, Gulbrandson leading offense
Senior infielder Josh Rehwaldt, who was named to the 2019 NCBWA All-Region Team during the preseason, is hitting .310 with 18 hits, a double, two triples, home run and 11 RBI. He has a .396 slugging mark and .407 OBP with a team-high six steals in eight attempts. Rehwaldt has taken over as USF's career RBI leader in the program's DII era with 139 (Matt Minnick, 134, 2015-18). He also is the USF DII-program leader in hits with 226 (Matthew Minnick, 212, 2015-18).  He has five multi-hit games with hits in 12-of-16 games. Rehwaldt has a career average of .374 which ranks best among USF players in the DII era. He ranks first in doubles with 49, and second in home runs with 19 in USF's DII era.

Rehwaldt.has 70 career multi-hit games which includes 25 with three hits or better. He has recorded 36 multi-RBI games with 16 of three RBIs or more. He has a season-high of five RBI against Colorado Mines on March 1, 2019 but his career-best is six against Bemidji State on April 2, 2017, which is tied for USF's DII era game high. Twice in his career Rehwaldt has five hits in a game but has a high of three this year against Colorado Mines on March, 1, 2019.

Shortstop Grant Lung is hitting .263 with 15 hits in 16 games and 11 RBI. Nine times he has a hit in a game and four times has multi-hit games with a high of three against Colorado Mines on March 1, 2019. He has a high of three RBI this season against Notre Dame on March 11. Lung owns a .396 slugging mark and .364 OBP.

Freshman centerfielder Connor King is now hitting .250 with 12 hits in 41 at bats. He has a .313 slugging mark and .403 OBP with six steals.

Also for USF, rightfielder Kyle Gulbrandson is the team's top hitter with a .333 average on 16 hits in 48 at bats. In 11 starts, he has three doubles, 11 RBI, and 19 total bases. In addition, Gulbrandson has a .407 OBP, .396 slugging mark, two steals and four runs scored. Six times he has had multi-hit games this year with a high of three hits against Grand Valley State on March 8.

Junior Ryan Bernardy, who is hitting. 255, has a home run and six RBI. Bernardy, who has played first base most of the season, has a .345 slugging and .349 OBP. 

Lazar, Loosbrock and Roesler leading USF on the mound
In two appearances against U-Mary, senior Christian Lazar and Alex Loosbrock both recorded 0.00 ERA. Each of the two pitchers had five strikeouts. Lazar has a 1.08 earned run average in seven appearances (8 1/3 innings) and 14 strikeouts against two walks, Loosbrock lowered his earned run average to 6.41 with his solid work out of the bullpen. He is 0-3 with 20 strikeouts in 19 2/3 innings. Also with 0.00 ERA in the series included Spencer Dokken (two innings, one appearance, one hit, one strikeout and one hit). Sophomore Brandon Roesler (one inning, three strikeouts) has lowered his earned run average to 4.91. He has a 0-3 record in five appearances and is tied with Loosbrock for a team-high with 20 strikeouts. Mitchell Lyall (one inning, two strikeouts, no hits and no walks) and Sean Nussbaum (one inning, one strikeout and no hits in one appearance) also had solid outing against U-Mary.