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The University of Minnesota Duluth baseball team will head to Claremore, Oklahoma this weekend to play a pair of doubleheaders against Rogers State University. All four games will be played at the RCB Bank Sports Complex, and the first doubleheader will get underway at 12:00 p.m. Friday, while game two is scheduled to begin at 2:30 p.m. Saturday’s first game is slated to start at 12:00 p.m., followed by another 2:30 p.m. start for the fourth and final game against the Hillcats.
THE SERIES: The Bulldogs have never faced Rogers State before in program history. The Hillcats are a member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, and UMD hasn’t faced an MIAA opponent since the 2022 season. Although the Bulldogs were suppose to play Northwest Missouri State University that season in a doubleheader cancelled on March 8, 2022, UMD did eventually play Missouri Southern State on March 9, 2022 in Joplin, Missouri. The Lions defeated the Bulldogs 7-0 in a game that UMD out-hit Mo. Southern 9-8 but was shutout on the scoreboard.
This season, the Hillcats are 12-3 through their first 15 games and 5-1 in MIAA play. Rodgers State began the season by hosting Bulldog conference counterpart the University of Mary back on Feb. 6-8. The Hillcats went won the first game 6-5, and 8-0 in game two, but lost the third contest 5-1 in 15 innings. RSU won the fourth and final game 6-4.
While the Bulldogs haven’t played the Marauders yet this season, they did go 2-1 against them in NSIC action in 2025 in Bismarck.
Senior infielder Tyler Nelson leads the Hillcats with a team-high 22-hits and a .423 batting average.
LAST TIME OUT: UMD went 3-1 against Wayne State College last weekend in Wayne, Neb., running off 9-1 and 7-4 wins before taking its one and only loss, a 11-9 setback. The Bulldogs won big in their fourth and final non-NSIC counting game, a 12-5 drub of the Wildcats. In all the Bulldogs put up 37 runs to WSC’s 21, and hit over .300 in all four contests. UMD was errorless in its three wins, but committed five in its lone loss.
HITMEN: Henry Bushey owns a team high .400 batting average on 10 hits and five doubles. Bushey has had at least a hit in his last six-games and three times posted two or more with a season-best effort of three against WSC on Feb. 27. He also leads UMD with 12 RBIs.
Hayden Anthony has a team-high 11 hits on his team-tying 28 at bats. With a .393 batting average, the second-best so far for the Bulldogs, he also has a .643 slugging percentage.
THROWING DOGS: Senior Ryan Watterman has thrown a UMD-high 11.2 innings so far this season with a 1.20 WHIP and 4.63 ERA. Watterman, who has started two games, has seven shutouts and six earned runs and has a record of 1-1.
Senior Henry Wilkinson has pitched 10.1 innings and started two games, going 1-1 in those games. He has a 4.35 and 1.74 WHIP with nine strikeouts.
NOTABLES: Troy Lynch leads the Bulldogs with 46 put outs and 47 catches … he had a season-high 11 putouts against Augustana Feb. 14.