SIOUX FALLS, S.D.--Augustana baseball is set to host the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs on Thursday at Ronken Field before facing Bemidji State in a three-game series over the weekend. The UMD series is a doubleheader with game one slated for 1:30 p.m. Currently scheduled, the Vikings are on the road for a three-game series at BSU with game one of the doubleheader scheduled for 1:30 p.m. The teams wrap up the series with a third game on Sunday, scheduled for noon. 
 
As always, please stay tuned to GoAugie.com and @Augiebaseball for the latest on the schedule adjustments. 
 
Live stats and live video will be available at GoAugie.com/Live and the GoAugie app. The app is available in the app store and Google Play.
 
Weather Report
It's not spring in Sioux Falls yet as the weather report still has a touch of winter. Thursday will be a good day for baseball as the high is 47 degrees with mostly cloudy skies. This weekend in Bemidji shows mostly sunny skies on Saturday with a high of 34 degrees. On Sunday, the temperature will rise slightly with an expected high of 39 degrees. 
 
Scouting the Bulldogs
Minnesota Duluth is 10-10 overall this season and 3-4 in NSIC action. In its last conference matchup, the Bulldogs fell to Upper Iowa in two games of the series, with the third game being canceled. Ethan Cole's .365 batting average tops the lineup and he has an on-base percentage of 1.081. Cole has totaled 23 hits, 20 RBI, three home runs and 20 runs this season. Tim Pokornowski and Tosten Mann have logged 22 hits apiece for the Bulldogs. Brayden Buttweiler has spent 19.2 innings on the mound for Minnesota Duluth. He has a record of 3-1 with 27 strikeouts and a 3.20 ERA. Chad Fox follows Buttweiler with 17 strikeouts in 16.0 innings spent on the mound. As a whole, the pitching staff has accumulated 138 strikeouts in 2023.
 
Scouting the Beavers
Bemidji State holds an overall record of 2-20 and 1-6 in the loop. The Beavers secured their lone NSIC win over Sioux Falls on Sunday, defeating USF 4-1 to snap a six-game losing streak. Prior to matching up against the Vikings, the Beavers are slated to play a doubleheader against No. 17 Minnesota State. Jack Munson leads the Beavers with 26 hits, 13 RBI, 13 runs and a batting average of .325. James Wirt and Ty Karger have recorded 12 RBI each with Karger also logging two home runs. On the mound, Logan Barrick has spent 28.2 innings in action this season and leads the Beavers with 29 strikeouts. Bemidji State's pitching staff has accounted for 149 strikeouts this season. 
 
The Vikings
Augustana is 16-12 overall in 2023 with a conference record of 5-3. Last week, the Vikings split a series with Minot State 1-1 before falling in two games to St. Cloud State. Jack Hines, Drey Dirksen, Trevor Winterstein and Nick Banowetz make up a quartet of Augustana's heavy-hitters. Hines leads the lineup with a batting average of .365. Dirksen tops the team with 10 doubles, six homers and 21 RBI. Following suit with seven doubles and two triples is Banowetz, who is hitting .333. Winterstein rounds out the quartet with a .318 batting average, 34 hits, three doubles, one triple, three home runs and 19 RBI. Winterstein is also 12-of-13 on stolen base attempts while Banowetz is 12-of-14 in that category. On the hill, Caleb Saari has been stellar this season, tossing 43.2 innings and owning a 3-2 record with 47 strikeouts. Seth Miller has thrown 38.1 innings and struck out 40 batters. Caleb Kranz has also spent 23.0 innings on the mound and has logged 34 strikeouts. Ryan Jares has totaled 34 strikeouts as well, having spent 29.2 innings on the mound. The Viking pitching staff has amounted 257 strikeouts in 28 games this season.