SIOUX FALLS – After a 4-0 start, the University of Sioux Falls Baseball Team has another early challenge on the schedule with a trip to Metro State – Denver (6-4) on Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 26-27 at the Assembly Athletic Complex in Denver, Colo. With doubleheaders set for both Saturday and Sunday, USF and MSU-Denver play on the first day at 1 pm/4 pm (CST). On Sunday, the games are set to go at noon/3 pm (CST).

USF, which tied a school record with 21 wins a year ago, opened at 4-0 for the second straight year. In their season opening series, the Cougars swept Southwest Baptist by scoring 49 runs with 60 hits in 13-3, 9-7, 13-3 and 14-2 wins in Bolivar, Mo.

How USF stands In the NSIC
Through the first week of play, USF is leading the NSIC in hitting at .371 and ranks second in pitching with a 5.06 earned run average. USF is also first in the league in slugging percentage at .553, first in on-base percentage at .440 and second in stolen bases with 13. Freshman third baseman Noah Christenson is leading the league with a .571 batting average with Brady Klehr, ninth, at .444.

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Christenson named NSIC Player of the Week
Freshman third baseman Noah Christenson, who hit .571 as the Cougars swept four games at Southwest Baptist, has earned his first-ever NSIC Player of the Week honor. Originally of Buffalo, Minn., Christenson had a memorable start to his career. In his first at bat, he singled and stole second and later scored on a base hit. In that first game alone, he had four hits, scored three runs with an RBI. Across four games on Feb. 20-21, he accumulated 12 hits in 21 at-bats for a .571 average. Over the four games, he slugged .667 with a .545 on-base percentage and had 11 runs scored and 14 total bases. Christenson, a business administration major, also had three stolen bases and three games of three hits or more.

USF Bats on Fire as Season Opens
USF is hitting .371 as a team with 49 runs scored in four games with 60 hits. The Cougars had 16 extra-base hits, including six home runs and 38 RBI. The total equates to a .553 slugging mark and .440 OBP. In addition, USF was 13-of-14 on stolen bases and had a .960 fielding mark.

Aside from Christenson,  USF also had a big performance on the opening weekend of play from Brady Klehr who hit .556 with five hits in nine at-bats with a home run and a 1.111 slugging mark and .600 OBP.  Tyler Blackburn hit .444 with a home run and .545 OBP while Grant Lung and Tyler Cate both hit over .400 - .412 and .409, respectively. Also for USF, Ben Serie hit .389 with a team-high seven RBI. He slugged at .944 with a .421 OBP. In total, USF had nine hits bat .313 or better, and six over .400. USF pitchers had 41 strikeouts in 32 innings.

Pitching opens with 41 Ks and 5.06 ERA
In the opening weekend, 14 different USF pitchers worked on the mound for the Cougars. USF had a 5.06 earned run average. In 32 innings, USF allowed 37 hits and 18 earned runs. Thirteen batters drew walks while USF had 41 strikeouts and allowed a .282 batting average.
In the bullpen, Alex Krout was solid with a 0.00 earned run average and two saves in throwing 1 1/3 innings. In his first appearance, Derek Lundgren was 1-0 with six strikeouts in three innings of work. He did not issue a free pass and didn't allow a run as he had a 0.00 earned run average. Mason Leonard also had a solid first appearance with three strikeouts in his only inning of work and did not allow a hit. Among starters, Andrew Maslowski was 1-0 with a 3.60 earned run average with five strikeouts against two walks in five innings. Caleb Ditmarson also worked five innings and had a 5.40 earned run average but set a career-high with eight strikeouts and did not issue a free pass. Matt Graham and Cole Schumacher both had starts but did not ifure in the decision. Connor McGonigal worked 2 2/3 innings with four strikeouts and a 3.38 earned run average in his first appearance.

Update on Home Field 
Due to several upgrades scheduled for Sioux Falls Stadium, which is USF's normal home, the Cougars will play its home games in 2022 in Brandon, S.D.
 
Series History vs MSU Denver
The Cougars trail in the all-time series, 17-1, and have lost 10 straight to them. In the most recent game, the Roadrunners took a 14-4 decision on Feb. 29, 2020. USF's only victory was a 7-4 decision of Feb. 26, 207.

Opponent Breakdown – MSU Denver
MSU-Denver is led by Ryan Strain, who is in his fifth season as head coach. A year ago the Roadrunners finished 34-10. Overall, he is 97-77 with a 67-43 league mark.  MSU-Denver sits 6-4 overall but have won 4-of-5 games. Most recently they rook 3-of-4 with Emporia State, which had a 10-6 win in game four. MSU-Denver won 18-9, 9-7 and 7-0. They also won 2-of-3 against Central Oklahoma and lost 2-of-3 from Minot State. Against MiSU, they had a 6-5 win in 11 innings but lost, 8-6 and 14-7.

At the dish, MSU-Denver is hitting .289 as a team with 18 home runs and 79 RBI. The Roadrunners, which is led by Chase Anderson with a .405 average and .762 slugging mark, have a .535 slugging percentage and also a .379 on-base percentage. Anderson has hit four home runs with 15 RBI. Also Caleb Albaugh is hitting .390 with a .468 on-base percentage while Bill Ralston is at .364 with a team-high five home runs and a .750 slugging mark. On the mound, MSU owns a 5.72 earned run average with 97 strikeouts in 85 innings. Teams are hitting .282 against them. The Roadrunners are led in the mound by Reichle Arcilise with a 2-1 record and 2.37 earned run average. In 19 innings, he has 29 strikeouts. He has made three starts and has a complete game. In the bullpen, Eric Cox has two saves, 1-0 record and a 1.50 earned run average in six innings of work.