SIOUX FALLS- The University of Sioux Falls Baseball squad will take to the field for the first time in 2020 when they make a trip to Pueblo, Colo., this weekend. In the three game series, the Cougars will face off against Montana State Billings on Friday and Sunday, with a game against host CSU-Pueblo on Saturday.
 
Rawlings Field, home of the ThunderWolves, is part of the trend for college baseball fields, featuring a turf infield, but keeping it traditional with a grass outfield.
 
The Rundown (2020 Record)-
Fri., Feb. 14, 12:00 p.m. vs Montana State Billings Yellowjackets (2-1)
Sat., Feb. 15, 12:00 p.m. at CSU-Pueblo ThunderWolves (2-1)
Sun., Feb. 16, 12:00 p.m. vs Montana State Billings Yellowjackets (2-1)
 
Montana State Billings Yellowjackets (2-1)-
The Yellowjackets, the narrow preseason favorites of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference, have had a weekend of action in sunny San Diego when they had a three game series against Point Loma. In their Friday doubleheader, the Yellowjackets were dominate, taking game one, 9-5, before winning the pitchers' duel in game two, 1-0. They battled in the rubber match, but emerging victorious in the 10^th inning was Point Loma.
 
The top four hitters for the Yellowjackets have all shown their potency, with a combined three home runs, 10 RBIs, and 22 total bases. First baseman Tanner Cantwell has led the way with a .364 batting average (4-for-11) and a 1.053 on-base plus slugging (OPS). Outfielder Dayton Provost has also had a great start to the season with an OPS of 1.167 on a .333 batting average (3-for-9) and three free bases and a homer.
 
Of the pitchers, Matthew Houlihan has shown to be the early season ace, throwing four dominant innings against Point Loma in game two, allowing two hits and a walk, while striking out six. Batters have had a rough time, hitting .143 against Moulihan and a WHIP (walks+hits per inning pitched).
 
CSU-Pueblo ThunderWolves (2-1)-
The ThunderWolves, reigning from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference, have also had a solid opening weekend when they faced Emporia State in a three-game weekend series. After having their scheduled home-opener on Friday against the Hornets cancelled, the ThunderWolves had a winning Saturday doubleheader, taking game one, 3-2, and game two, 6-5. The rubber game, much like MSUB's, fell short for CSUP, with the Hornets having a thunderous, five-run seventh inning for the 7-3 victory.
 
Offensively, infielder Cody Beck has paved the way for the ThunderWolves, hitting at a clip of .455 (5-for-11) with a run, and RBI. Beck has also recorded only one strikeout and issued a free base once. Along with Beck are three other ThunderWolves hitting over .300, with the four combining for six runs, 16 hits, four RBIs, three walks, and 10 strikeouts.
 
Lefty Gunner Pickett had a dominate outing in the rubber match, allowing an unearned run in the first inning, but not allowing much else after that. Pickett holds a 0.00 ERA in six innings, giving up three hits, walking one, and striking out six.
 
Sioux Falls Cougars (0-0)-
The Cougars, under third year head coach Grant Hieb, will look to start the season off strong in Colorado. On January 16^th, the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) office released the NSIC Preseason Release and Coaches Poll. USF received 31 points in the Preseason Coaches Poll, placing the Cougars at 14th in the conference.
 
For the second consecutive season, in-town rival Augustana was tabbed the NSIC favorite, earning 195 points and 13 first-place votes. In at second, and receiving the other two first-place votes is Minnesota State with 184 points. Rounding out the Top 5 in the preseason poll is St. Cloud State (164 points), Wayne State (153), and Minot State (152).
 
The Cougars will look to make improvements from the program's 13-37 record in the 2019 campaign. The Cougars finished 12th in the NSIC in 2019 after going 11-25 in conference play.
 
USF had a daunting offense who scored 212 runs a year ago, as well as being tied fourth in the NSIC in triples (14). The Cougars were also a Top-10 NSIC team in home runs, sending 25 pitches out of the park.
 
As a team offensively, USF averaged 6.64 hits per game, while pitching had an earned run average of 5.85, based on nine-inning games.
 
The Cougars are led on offense by junior shortstop Grant Lung who had a batting average of .256 on 44 hits in 50 games, which includes 34 career runs batted in. Lung had an average of .295 with runners in scoring position, while moving runners at a mark of .505 in those situations.
 
The pitching staff will lean on the experience of senior right-handed pitcher Keenahn Coyle, who a year ago amassed 46 strikeouts in 58.2 innings pitched.
 
The History-
For the Cougars and Yellowjackets, this will be the first and second meetings between the two, whereas the Cougars have played the ThunderWolves six times. In back-to-back seasons (2014 and 2015), the two were pitted in a three-game series, but has tilted heavily in favor of CSUP, winners of the last five.