The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team will open its 2019 season this Friday-Sunday with a three-game series at Arkansas Fort Smith.
 
Friday, 1 p.m. – Northwest at Arkansas-Fort Smith
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Saturday, 1 p.m. – Northwest at Arkansas-Fort Smith
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Sunday, 1 p.m. – Northwest at Arkansas-Fort Smith
WATCH | STATS
 
The Bearcats will again be under the direction of head coach Darin Loe, who has accumulated a program-best 652 victories since taking over in 2000. Loe guided the Bearcats to the 2018 MIAA regular season crown – the first for the program since the 1983 season.
 
Northwest returns the nation's leader in saves in Trevor Dudar. Dudar saved 14 games with a 3-0 mark and 2.25 earned run average. Dudar earned first-team All-MIAA honors in 2018.
 
Loe will also lean on the play of two seniors up the middle. Second baseman Mondesi Gutierrez and shortstop Logan Rycraft will anchor the middle infield for the Bearcats. Gutierrez notched honorable mention all-MIAA honors in 2018 as he hit .284 with 13 doubles, three triples and three home runs to go along with 45 runs batted in. Rycraft tallied eight stolen bases and had a .949 fielding percentage in 246 chances.
 
A trio of transfers in first baseman Connor Quick (North Central CC), third baseman Calvin Rudolph (Nebraska-Kearney) and shortstop Peter Carlson (Nebraska-Kearney) will look to contribute this season. Quick hit .364 with eight doubles, a triple, three home runs and 41 RBI at last season at the junior college level. Rudolph batted .291 with 13 doubles and a homer, while Carlson hit .302 with 12 doubles and four homers at UNK before they discontinued the program allowing them to transfer to Northwest.