HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – The Northern Kentucky University baseball team is set to take on Western Illinois in a four-game series beginning on Saturday, March 5. The series was originally set to serve as NKU's home opener, however, anticipated unplayable field conditions due to rain forced the series to Grand Park in Westfield, Indiana.

The four-game set will be made up of a pair of doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's first pitch is set for 1 p.m., while Sunday's will begin at noon. Game two of each doubleheader will begin approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game one.

All games will be nine innings with live stats and audio for each available on NKUNorse.com. The audio broadcast will begin 15 minutes prior to first pitch. Live updates will also be available on Twitter at @NKUNorseGameDay.

Gameday Information
Northern Kentucky Norse (2-5) vs. Western Illinois Fighting Leathernecks (0-6)
Grand Park | Westfield, Indiana
Saturday, March 5 – 1 p.m. (DH)
NKU: Jr., RHP Justin Watts / So., RHP Pat Kelley
WIU: Jr., LHP Preston Church / Sr., RHP Joe Mortillaro
Sunday, March 6 – 12 p.m. (DH)
NKU: Fr., RHP Jordan Menfee / TBA
WIU: So., LHP J.T. Baksha / TBA
 
LAST WEEKEND: NKU earned its first series win of the season after taking two of three games at East Tennessee State. The series was highlighted by a 21-12 victory in game three in which the Norse posted the most runs in a single game since the 2010 season, setting a new NKU Division I program record. Dominic Mercurio led the charge, going 3-for-5 with a career-high five RBI. The win came after NKU took game one, 3-2, after scoring all three runs in the top of the ninth inning. NKU's lone loss of the weekend was a 7-6 defeat when the Bucs won on a walk-off single in the 10th inning of game two.

SCOUTING WESTERN ILLINOIS: The Fighting Leathernecks (0-6), led by fourth-year head coach Ryan Brownlee, are looking for their first win in 2016 after being swept by Tennessee Tech and Southern Illinois. Junior infielder Chris Tschida leads the offense with a .321 average, five RBI and four extra-base hits including two triples and a homer. WIU went 17-33 in the 2015 season with a team batting average of .248 and staff ERA of 5.74.

Leatherneck pitchers have totaled 51 strikeouts and 22 walks across the first six games. Southpaw Preston Church, the anticipated game one starter, has twirled a team-high 12.1 innings and owns a 5.11 ERA with 10 strikeouts and three walks. Game two starter, Joe Mortillaro, will be making his third appearance and has a 10.45 ERA after tossing 10.1 innings with nine strikeouts. J.T. Baksha will throw game three and has struck out seven batters in 4.2 innings of work.

NEW OPPONENTS: The Leathernecks are one of three new teams the Norse will be facing in the 2016 season. NKU is set to take on Horizon League foes Milwaukee and UIC this season for the first time in program history. Meanwhile, the Norse have played only two games or less against 2016 foes Alabama State, Northwestern, Oakland, Ohio and Youngstown State.

STREAKING: Redshirt freshman Will Haueter has recorded a base hit in each of NKU's seven games so far this season. Haueter has started each contest at designated hitter and leads NKU with 12 hits and a .429 batting average. Quint Heady is also on a five-game hit streak and has reached base safely in six of NKU's seven games.

SEEING DOUBLE: As part of NKU's strong offensive showing last weekend against ETSU, the Norse clubbed 13 doubles to push their total to 17 on the season. The Norse are averaging 2.43 doubles per game early this year as 21 of NKU's 62 hits are extra-base knocks. The Norse have also launched four homers, two of which belong to sophomore Mike Moffatt.

STEPPING UP EARLY: Junior outfielder Conor Ledger has had a multi-hit showing in three of NKU's last four games, batting .500 on 7-for-14 hitting in that span. Ledger has also clubbed a double in three of the last four contests and is batting .389 on the year. He is already within one hit and one RBI of tying his 2015 totals after appearing in 14 games last season.

ON THE MOUND: NKU is expected to throw Justin Watts, Pat Kelley and Jordan Menfee, who have each earned a pair of weekend starts this season. Watts is coming off a 5.0-inning outing at ETSU where the righty held the Bucs to two runs and struck out four. The junior has totaled 9.0 innings of work this year with nine strikeouts and five walks. Kelley, a sophomore, owns the strongest ERA out of the trio at 4.15 after throwing 8.2 innings across his last two starts, while Menfee, a freshman, has totaled 8.0 innings of work.

UP NEXT: Following the series against Western Illinois, NKU travels to Alabama State the weekend of Friday, March 11 for four games in Montgomery, Alabama.