Brett Loeding and the NKU baseball team begin conference play this weekend.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team begins Great Lakes Valley Conference play this weekend with doubleheaders against Quincy and Illinois Springfield at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex.
The Norse will face Quincy on Saturday and Illinois Springfield on Sunday. Both doubleheaders are scheduled to begin at noon.
NKU went 2-1 last weekend to improve to 7-7 overall. The Norse split a doubleheader against Lake Erie on Saturday (3-1, 1-2) and picked up a 9-3 victory over Iowa Wesleyan on Sunday.
LAST TIME AGAINST QUINCY: NKU's
Dave Middendorf tossed a two-hit shutout to seal a 1-0 victory over Quincy in the opening round of the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional on May 19, 2011.
Max Colaner scored the only run in the game when he homered over the left field wall in the fifth inning.
The win avenged an 8-2 loss to Quincy four days earlier in the GLVC championship game.
NKU owns a 28-20 advantage in the all-time series against Quincy.
Quincy enters the weekend with a 5-7 overall.
ABOUT ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD: This will be the first meeting between NKU and Illinois Springfield.
The Prairie Stars currently hold a 4-6 record after 12-0 win over MacMurray on Thursday afternoon.
Center fielder Nate Blessman leads Illinois-Springfield with a .432 batting average. He has collected seven runs and a team-high 16 RBIs.
Barry Arnett leads the pitching staff with a 1.80 ERA and a 1-0 record. He has collected 17 strikeouts in 20 innings on the mound. The right-hander has only surrendered four earned runs on 11 hits.
COLANER COMES THROUGH: Colaner batted .500 over the three games last weekend for the Norse. He hit his first home run of the season in Game 1 on Saturday against Lake Erie which sealed a 3-1 victory for NKU. Colaner went 1-for-3 with one run scored and one RBI.
In Game 2 against the Storm, he also finished 1-for-3 with his first double of the year.
Colaner led the Norse offense on Sunday in a 9-3 win over Iowa Wesleyan. He went 3-for-4 with a run and an RBI. He also collected two stolen bases against the Tigers.
LOEDING'S RELIEF: Brett Loeding earned his second save of the season in Game 1 against Lake Erie last Saturday. He pitched three innings and only surrendered one hit. He also finished Game 2 for the Norse, going 2 1/3 innings with three strikeouts.
Loeding continues to come out the bullpen to lead the Norse. He leads the pitching staff with 24 innings pitched and a 1.50 ERA. Loeding has only allowed four earned runs on 17 hits while collecting 19 strikeouts.
FAREWELL SEASON: This season marks NKU's last as members of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Norse will begin participating in the Atlantic Sun Conference in Division I next season. To date, NKU has compiled a 1,212-827-2 record over 40 years of competition.
