MSU Baseball returns to the field at RussMatt Central Florida Baseball Invitational

Baseball season returns this weekend when the Minnesota State baseball team travels south to Florida to compete in the RussMatt Central Florida Baseball Invitational in Davenport. 

The Mavericks will compete in ten games in eight days spanning from Mar. 3 through Mar. 10. The Mavs are set to face nine different opponents in the ten games.

Looking back to the 2021 season, the team finished up their campaign with a 39-10 overall record and a 28-6 record in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play. MSU became the NSIC regular season and tournament champions in 2021 and finished third in the NCAA Division II Regional tournament with a 2-2 record.

Last season was historic for the team, with five players receiving All-American honors. Joey Werner, Hunter Even, Jon Ludwig, Collin Denk, and Nick Altermatt all made the honors claiming first team, second team, third team, third team, and third teams honors respectively. 

With the addition of the five players making All-American honors, the Minnesota State baseball program upped its recognition count to 30. 

Ahead of the season the Mavericks were ranked inside the National Collegiate Baseball Writer’s Association Division II Top 25 Poll, coming in at No. 23 before falling out of the poll this week. The Mavs have yet to play a game this season, due to their four-game series against Missouri- St. Louis getting canceled because of weather conditions. 

Minnesota State will have a chance to redeem their top 25 recognition this week starting with a game against the Gannon University Golden Knights on Mar. 3. 

The team will then compete in a double header against the Findlay Oilers Mar. 4. The Mavericks then move onto the weekend where they will first compete against the Tiffin Dragons on Saturday and the Northwood Timberwolves on Sunday. 

Mar. 7 brings the Mavs’ first taste of an NSIC opponent, first playing the D’youville Saints at 2:30 p.m. then moving to the NSIC’s Concordia- St. Paul Golden Bears at 6:00 p.m.

On the eighth game of the trip Minnesota State will duel against the USciences Devils on Mar. 8 before competing against Notre Dame College on Mar. 9.

The final game of the tournament wraps up on Mar. 10 for the Mavericks where they will take on the Seton Hall Griffins. 

MSU will enjoy a few travel days before returning to action against Minot State for their first taste of NSIC action on Mar. 19 at Bowyer Field in Mankato. The series against the Beavers will begin a ten-game home stand for the Mavericks before traveling to Superior, Wis. to battle Minnesota Duluth in April. 

Header Photo: MSU Baseball celebrates 2021 NSIC championship. (MSU Athletics)

Write to Kole Buelow at kole.buelow@mnsu.edu.