Patrick Hyde hit a walk-off homer run in Game 2 against the Pumas last season to give the Norse a 1-0 victory.
HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team will travel to Rensselaer, Ind., for a four-game series against Saint Joseph's this weekend.
The two teams will play a doubleheader on both Saturday and Sunday with the first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m. each day.
NKU, which is ranked No. 23 in this week's Collegiate Baseball Newspaper NCAA Division II national poll, enters the weekend 26-10 overall, 19-3 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. The Norse picked up an 8-3 victory in the opening game and cruised to a 16-5 win in the nightcap to sweep Bellarmine on Wednesday afternoon.
Saint Joseph's is 12-25 overall, 11-13 in the GLVC after dropping a doubleheader to No. 26 Indianapolis on Wednesday.
Live stats and audio will be available at nkunorse.com for this weekend's action.
LAST TIME AGAINST SAINT JOSEPH'S: The Norse earned three wins over the Pumas during a four-game series last season at the Bill Aker Baseball Complex.
NKU swept Saint Joseph's to start the series on April 16 with a 5-4 victory in the opening game and a 1-0 win in the nightcap. Patrick Hyde ensured the sweep when he sent a walk-off home run over the left field wall in Game 2.
The Norse dropped a 17-11 decision to the Pumas in the opening game on Sunday but rebounded with a 16-6 victory to salvage a split for the day.
Bradley Vanderglas hit a grand slam to highlight a nine-run fourth inning to help seal the win for the Norse.
NKU holds a 43-38 advantage in the all-time series over Saint Joseph's.
VANDERGLAS' HOT BAT: Vanderglas currently leads the Norse with a .387 batting average. He has collected 18 runs and 12 RBIs in 21 games this season.
Vanderglas went 5-for-9 on Wednesday with five runs, two doubles, an RBI and a stolen base as NKU completed the series sweep against Bellarmine.
LOEDING CONTINUES TO LEAD: Brett Loeding currently leads the GLVC with 64.0 innings pitched and 18 games finished. He is currently second in the conference in earned run average (1.55) and opposing batting average (.188).
Loeding improved to 5-1 on the season in Game 2 against Indianapolis on Sunday. He only allowed one earned run on three hits in three innings of work.
He also earned his ninth save of the season in the opening game against Bellarmine on Wednesday. He pitched three innings and surrendered one run and one hit. He also collected two strikeouts.
