---

By David Boyce  |  Northwest at Lindenwood  |  March 4-6, 2016  |  4 p.m., 1 p.m., Noon  |  St. Charles, Mo.  |  Live Stats

MARYVILLE, Mo. - Northwest Missouri State baseball team is not only taking some of the nice weather it experienced last weekend at home to St. Charles, Mo., but also confidence built on winning two out of three from Northeastern State in the MIAA opening weekend.
 
The Bearcats, 7-5 overall and 2-1 in the MIAA, are looking to maintain a winning conference record when it takes on Lindenwood, 6-4 and 1-2.
 
Temperatures are expected to be in the mid 50s for the start of a three-game series, beginning 4 p.m. Friday. The second game is 1 p.m. Saturday and the series finale is noon Sunday.
 
Northwest played in even warmer conditions last week in Maryville when it beat Northeastern State 5-4 on Friday, 6-5 on Saturday before falling 9-2 on Sunday.
 
"It was awesome," said Northwest senior shortstop Nick Gotta. "First of all, it was great to play that conference opener at home, which is the first time we have been able to do it in a while at Northwest. We were lucky to get some good weather and play in front of our hometown fans. That support from our fans really helped us have that confidence in ourselves to play well and get two out of three from them."
 
The Bearcats definitely provided excitement for the fans in the first two games. In the series opener, Northwest entered the bottom of the ninth trailing by one run. A walk off single by sophomore Kevin Handzlik lifted the Bearcats to a 5-4 victory.
 
The next day, Northwest went into the bottom of the ninth tied 5-5. On this occasion, junior James Holler, a late defensive replacement, was the hitting hero with a walk off RBI single.
 
"Those are great because they give us confidence for the next game," Gotta said. "Everybody is happy when we storm the field after a walk-off win. Those close games are great and we were happy to come out with a win."
 
The fact that Holler didn't start, but provided a key in the win is significant for Gotta. The Bearcats' early-season success is not about hitter or one pitcher. It is a collective effort.
 
"I like the fact everybody on this team gets along so well," Gotta said. "We have great team chemistry. Everybody is rooting for each other. I think that also has to do with our personnel. We have a lot of guys who play a lot of different positions and we had guys rotate in different sports in the lineup.
 
"Everybody is pulling for each other whether it is your day to play or not. There is generally a different hero in every game. We all value everybody's contributions to the team. I think that is the best part."
 
The warmer than normal weather in late February has also helped the Bearcats. In previous years, the only time they really got outside was when they played games in the southern part of the United States.
 
Since mid February, Northwest has been able to practice on their field instead of inside.
 
"Well the practice aspect is huge," Gotta said. "When we went to play our first games of the season, it was a little bit tough to play outside again because all winter we were practicing indoors.
 
"We were able to practice outside and that helped us get ready. We could face some live pitching on a real field and see where the ball carries in batting practice. We were able to get used to our hitting and our pitching outdoors on our home field, which was great."
 
The way Gotta is swinging the bat, he must definitely like the warm weather. He is from San Diego so Maryville winters must be particularly bitter to him. Gotta has started all 12 games and is hitting .390. He has 15 hits in 41 at bats. He has also walked 14 times.
 
Gotta credits the coaches for his success at the plate.
 
"The coaches give us a really good approach at the plate," Gotta said. "Baseball is probably the most mental game you will ever play. They tell us what pitches to look for. Our GA, Taylor Peterson, is a coach who played Division I baseball. He has a really good hitting mind. All the coaches help us out."
 
Gotta is in his second season at Northwest after transferring from Fullerton Community College. He said right away he felt at home at Northwest. Teammates, coaches and friends he made in school welcomed him into the Bearcat family.
 
His comfort at Northwest showed on the field and in the classroom. He was an honorable mention selection on the field and received MIAA scholar athlete honors off the field. He is majoring in English.
 
"Academics is very important because you only get to play baseball for so long in your life," Gotta said. "Afterwards, you have to fall back on your academics going to the real world. It is also important because it helps with a lot of different things, like getting scholarship money for school. My family has always put a big emphasis on the academic side of things."
 
When Gotta is one the field, his focus is on the team the Bearcats are playing. This weekend his mind is only on Lindenwood.
 
"We are looking forward to the series," Gotta said. "We have a lot of confidence in ourselves. We are going to go out there and play our best game and see what we can do and not worry about the opponent. We are going to face every other team in conference this year, which is different from last year when we missed a couple of teams. We are looking forward to seeing how we stack up against every team in conference and playing our best baseball every weekend.
 
"As our coaches will tell you, every weekend in the MIAA is a dogfight. Those close games make a difference in whether you are a mediocre team or a team that is at the top of the conference."
 
The Bearcats want to be one of those teams battling for the top.