HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team wraps up a five-game homestand on Wednesday as the Norse welcome Maryville (Tenn.) College to the Bill Aker Baseball Complex in a nonconference matchup.
 
First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.  A link to live stats is available at nku.statbroadcast.com, and John Asalon's audio broadcast can be found at NKUNorse.com.  Fans can also track the game's progress by following @NKUNorseGameDay on Twitter as well.
 
NKU fell to 10-21 overall and 0-6 in the Atlantic Sun Conference by dropping a three-game series to Kennesaw State last weekend.  Caleb Lonkard went 4-for-6 (.667) from the plate in two appearances against the Owls, recording two doubles, driving in three runs and scoring twice for the Norse.  Cole Bauml collected his nation-leading 24th double of the season and finished 5-for-12 (.417) with a pair of two baggers, three runs scored and two stolen bases, while Trey Ganns batted .400 (4-for-10) with one double, two RBIs, two runs scored and two walks.
 
ABOUT MARYVILLE: The Scots are 23-12 overall and 16-11 in the USA South Athletic Conference.  Maryville split a two-game series with Emory over the weekend, claiming an 8-0 victory on Saturday before suffering a 12-4 defeat on Sunday.
 
Senior infielder Nick Dean leads the Scots offensively, boasting a .460 batting average, which leads the USA South, with a team-high 12 doubles, seven home runs and 46 RBIs to go along with two triples and 43 runs scored.  He has successfully stolen 14 bases in 15 attempts.  Junior catcher Jacob Frost is batting .394 over 17 appearances, while junior infielder Zack Blonder is hitting .364 with 10 doubles, one triple, 36 RBIs and 18 runs scored.
 
Junior left-handed pitcher Lawson Wishard is expected to take the mound on Wednesday against NKU.  He holds a 5.03 earned run average and a 3-4 record over 10 appearances and nine starts.  He has struck out 34 batters and walked 20 and given up 28 runs, 22 earned, on 33 hits over 39.1 innings of work. 
 
ADDING ON: Cole Bauml continues to rank among the top players nationally in several categories.  He added two doubles to bring his nation-leading total to 24, averaging 0.77 two baggers per game, topping UC Davis' Nick Lynch who has hit 19 doubles and averages 0.56 per contest.  Bauml would rank fourth in slugging percentage at .762 if the Norse were able to be included in the national statistics, and he would be tied for sixth with 96 total bases with Alabama A&M's Julio Nunez  and David Thompson of Miami (Fla.). His .389 batting average would land him in a tie for 37th nationally with three players, including Florida Gulf Coast's Nick Rivera.
 
The senior from Muenster, Saskatchewan, now needs just two doubles to tie NKU's single-season doubles record, which is currently held by Jason Cisper (2008-10), who hit 26 during his senior year. Bauml sits tied for 20th on the Atlantic Sun's single-season list with five other players, and one more two bagger will move him into a tie for 14th with six players.  Stetson's Frank Corr holds the conference record with 34, which he accomplished during the 2000 season.
 
SENIOR LEADERSHIP: NKU's top three hitters are seniors.  Cole Bauml leads the Norse offense and is tied for second in the Atlantic Sun with a .389 batting average.  In addition to his nation-topping 24 doubles, he leads the team in home runs (7), RBIs (21), runs scored (30) and stole bases (10). 
 
Caleb Lonkard is batting .333 in his final season with the Norse, and he has recorded four doubles, one home run, seven RBIs and 16 runs scored.  He has successfully stolen four bases in five attempts, and he has drawn four walks.  David Head rounds out the top three, hitting .309 over 28 games and 24 starts.  Head has collected six doubles and one home run, driven in eight runs and scored 12 times with six walks and two stolen bases.
 
IMPRESSIVE STREAKS: Cody Kuzniczci's 16-game hitting streak is tied for the longest active streak in the Atlantic Sun with Florida Gulf Coast's Jake Noll.  His stretch is just four shy of Cole Bauml's season-opening 20 games.  Over that span, he holds a .349 batting average with seven doubles, one triple and one home run.  Kuzniczci has batted in 10 runs and scored 11 times, and he has drawn five walks and been hit by a pitch five times as well.
 
The redshirt junior from Madeira, Ohio, now holds a .286 batting average after raising it 72 points during his hitting streak.  He is second on the team with 11 doubles and two home runs, and he has recorded 15 RBIs and 16 runs scored.
 
UP NEXT: NKU opens a nine-game road trip in DeLand, Florida, with a three-game Atlantic Sun series at Stetson.  First pitch for Friday's opener from Melching Field at Conrad Park is set for 6:30 p.m., and Saturday's matchup will start at 2 p.m.  The two teams will wrap up the series on Sunday at 1 p.m.  Links to live stats and John Asalon's audio broadcast are available at NKUNorse.com.