The University of Minnesota Duluth baseball team looks to head out on the road for their next five game stretch, taking on fellow Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) opponents St. Cloud State University and Minot State University, as the team moves into their final 15 games of the 2024 regular season.

The Season So Far

The Bulldogs won four of their five games last week, sweeping the Bemidji State Beavers in a two game doubleheader and going 2-1 with the Northern State Wolves at home in Wade Stadium. 

Sophomore Caden Klebba earned his first win of the season on the mound in a big 9-2 victory over Bemidji State. In 5.0 innings of work, Klebba recorded seven strikeouts in 20 batters faced and held BSU to just four hits, two runs, and one earned run throughout the game on 68 pitches.

Junior Ethan Cole showed why he was chosen as the Bulldogs' NSIC Preseason Player to Watch, showing his talents everywhere on the field. Cole hit 9-21 (.428) over all five games for UMD and collected 14 RBI's, which included a three run home run to take the lead in Saturday's victory against Northern State. The star infielder also recorded a .941 FLD% with 32 putouts and made his pitching debut this season against the Wolves with one strikeout and two runs allowed in seven batters faced.

The Bulldogs move to an overall record of 13-21 and a conference record of 9-16, slotting in at 11th place in the current NSIC standings. 

Rients Nears 400 Career Wins

Head Coach Bob Rients sits one game away from 400 career wins following the most recent victories against Bemidji State and Northern State. Since joining the program in the 2005-06 season as head coach, Rients has collected four winning seasons with a .500 W/L or better and has become the second winningest coach in program history.

Scouting Report - St. Cloud State

The Huskies hold an overall record of 21-13 and a conference record of 17-7 so far throughout the 2024 season, slotting in at 3rd place in the current NSIC standings. The Bulldogs are 4-18 against the Huskies since 2013, most recently falling to them 4-8 last season at home.

Scouting Report - Minot State 

The Beavers hold an overall record of 11-23 and a conference record of 8-16 so far throughout the 2024 season, slotting in at 12th place in the NSIC standings just behind UMD. The Bulldogs are 17-14 against the Beavers since 2013, most recently defeating 3-2 last season on the road. 

Looking Ahead

Bulldog baseball will return home to host the Winona State University Warriors next week before traveling to Crookston to take on the Golden Eagles. The first pitch from against the Warriors is currently scheduled for Wednesday, Apr. 24, at 1:30 PM.