SERIES PREVIEW
Missouri Western (16-8, 8-5) at Northeastern State (14-9, 8-5)
Thursday, March 24 – 2 p.m. | Friday, March 25 – 2 p.m. | Saturday, March 26 – 12 p.m.
Tahlequah, Oklahoma
 
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ST. JOSEPH – After winning 10 of its last 12 games, the Missouri Western baseball team hits the road for a crucial MIAA series at Northeastern State.
 
The series will help to separate one of the teams from a pack of five in the MIAA standings with 8-5 conference records, third best in the conference standings. Eight of 14 MIAA baseball programs enter the weekend 8-5 or better in conference play. Emporia State and Central Missouri are tied atop the standings with 10-3 records while Nebraska-Kearney is alone behind them at 9-4. Missouri Western, Missouri Southern, Central Oklahoma, Northeastern State and Northwest Missouri are all knotted at 8-5.
 
PREVIEWING MISSOURI WESTERN
The Griffons are fresh off a 6-5 walk-off win over No. 15 Emporia State that gave the team its second straight win and 10^th win in its last 12 games. Missouri Western had won eight in a row prior to dropping the first two games of a three-game series with Missouri Southern this past weekend.
 
Missouri Western's .329 team batting average is fourth highest in the MIAA. The team's 274 hits are second most in the conference. Landon Mason leads the team and is third in the MIAA with a .446 batting average. Cosimo Cannella is batting .396, good for 10^th in the MIAA. Cannella's 39 RBIs lead the team and the MIAA. Jeremy Alvarado leads the team and sits sixth in the MIAA with eight home runs.
 
Evan Jones is 3-0 on the mound with a team-low 2.57 ERA, among starters. Jones' ERA ranks fifth in the MIAA. Preston Bailey picked up the win, Tuesday against Emporia State and is now 3-0 in 12 relief appearances and leads the team with 29 strikeouts. Missouri Western carries a 6.22 staff ERA compared to 7.43 for its opponents.
 
PREVIEWING NORTHEASTERN STATE
The RiverHawks are coming off a 13-12 win at home over Pittsburg State on Tuesday. This past weekend, Northeastern State dropped two of three at Southwest Baptist. In conference play, Northeastern State has swept Lincoln; won two of three with Washburn, lost two of three at Northwest Missouri State and lost a single game at Missouri Southern.
 
Northeastern State is batting .290 as a team, good for ninth in the MIAA and its staff ERA of 4.60 is fifth lowest in the MIAA. Eric Kirkpatrick is batting .410, good for sixth in the MIAA. Cody Begovich leads the team with nine home runs and 32 RBIs.  Zach Parish is 4-0 with a 2.61 ERA in six starts and leads the team with 52 strikeouts. Tyler Yancey is 1-2 with an 8.06 ERA in seven starts. Jeremy Mansur is 1-2 in five starts with a 5.93 ERA.