GAME NOTES: Ouachita Baptist at Delta State (4.9-10.11)
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CLEVELAND - The Statesmen (23-12, 8-1 GSCW) of Delta State University welcome the Tigers (14-20, 3-6 GSCW) of Ouachita Baptist University to Ferriss Field this weekend for a key three-game Gulf South Conference West Division series.

Saturday's doubleheader is set for 3 p.m. with Sunday's series finale starting at 2 p.m.  Tickets are on sale now at GoStatesmen.com and Chadwick-Dickson Fieldhouse. 

Delta State and Ouachita Baptist will be meeting on the diamond for the 50th time this weekend at Ferriss Field. The Statesmen have dominated the series, holding a 38-11 edge in the series standings. The Tigers took 2 of 3 last season at Ferriss Field and the Statesmen will be looking to gain a little revenge this weekend in three in-region games.

Delta State owns a one game lead in the GSC West Division standings heading into the series. The Statesmen, at 8-1, are currently edging No. 30 Harding (29-6, 7-2 GSCW) and Arkansas Tech (20-13, 7-2 GSCW) in the race for first in the West.

The Statesmen swept Christian Brothers last weekend 8-1, 8-0 and 16-6, before splitting a pair of midweek games with William Carey (7-6) and No. 28 Southern Arkansas (8-12).

The series comes in the midst of an 11-game home stand for the green-and-white at Ferriss Field. DSU is 14-2 this season at home, including a 6-0 mark in GSC West Division games.

All three games will be broadcast on the Statesmen Sports Network. Matt Jones and Keith Latham will have the call starting 15 prior to first pitch.  

STATESMAN TO WATCH
Senior center fielder Michael Niemann is this week's “Statesman to Watch” after driving in 14 runs and smashing three home runs in his last seven games.   In his last seven games, senior center fielder Michael Niemann has been nearly unstoppable at the plate. The Yelm, Wash., native is hitting .429 (12 of 28) in that stretch with three doubles, a triple, three home runs and 14 RBIs. He's also 2 for 2 in stolen base attempts and has scored 10 runs.

STATESMEN PUT DIVISION LEAD ON LINE VERSUS TIGERS
The Statesmen enter this weekend's series with Ouachita Baptist University Tigers with a one game lead in the GSC West Division race. DSU has an 8-1 record entering Saturday's twin bill, while No. 16 Harding and Arkansas Tech trail by a game at 7-2.

DELTA STATE-OUACHITA BAPTIST SERIES INFO
Delta State and Ouachita Baptist will be meeting on the diamond for the 50th time this weekend at Ferriss Field. The Statesmen have dominated the series, holding a 38-11 edge in the series standings. The Tigers took 2 of 3 last season at Ferriss Field and the Statesmen will be looking to gain a little revenge this weekend in three in-region games.

STATESMEN RANK NO.1 ALL-TIME IN WINS IN GSC
Delta State University baseball holds the distinction of owning the most conference titles (11) in Gulf South Conference history. DSU also holds the honor of being the all-time winningest program in league history with 1,724 victories.

Since 1933, the Statesmen are 1,724-860-11. The University of North Alabama and University of West Alabama are the only other schools with over 1,000 all-time wins.

NIEMANN HEATING UP
In his last seven games, senior center fielder Michael Niemann has been nearly unstoppable at the plate. The Yelm, Wash., native is hitting .429 (12 of 28) in that stretch with three doubles, a triple, three home runs and 14 RBIs. He's also 2 for 2 in stolen base attempts and has scored 10 runs.

McGINNIS GETTING McNASTY AT THE PLATE
Senior right fielder Will McGinnis has turned up his play at the plate and it's coming at the right time for the Statesmen. The senior enters the weekend leading the team with a .369 average, including a .500 (9 of 18) average in his last seven games.

In 32 games, McGinnis has collected 31 hits in 82 at-bats with 12 doubles, one triple, two home runs and 24 RBIs.

The Springdale, Ark., native has played in 32 games with 23 starts in the outfield. The former Crowder (Mo.) College transfer is also perfect in the field, having played safely without an error in all 32 games. In his 30 chances, McGinnis has recorded 43 putouts and two outfield assists.

NIEMANN IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Michael Niemann enters this weekend's series with OBU ranking in the nation's top five in runs scored and runs per game. In 34 games, Niemann has scored 49 runs, which leads the GSC, while averaging 1.46 runs per game. He's also 16th nationally in triples with 10.

TRIO OF STATESMEN COLLECTING RBIs IN DROVES
Kellen Bozeman (38), Michael Niemann (38) and Cameron Robulak (33) have collected RBIs in droves this season for the Statesmen. All three are ranked in the top 10 in the GSC in RBIs.

BOZEMAN PACING GSC IN DOUBLES
After slamming 18 doubles as a junior, Kellen Bozeman is on pace to shatter his career mark with 16, which ranks 10th nationally, through 34 games. The Baton Rouge, La., native leads the GSC in two-baggers, while batting .351 with 38 RBIs, which is currently tied for second.

WITH STEALS RECORD IN HAND; NIEMANN CLIMBING INTO TOP 10 IN FIVE CATEGORIES
Senior center fielder Michael Niemann is 18 for 21 in stolen base attempts this season, passing Heath Bailey (71) for the school's career steals record with 75.

The senior is also climbing into the top 10 in career hits (248/9th), runs (203/7th), doubles (47/10th), RBIs (161/9th) and triples (10/4th).

STRACK DELIVERS WALKOFF DOUBLE
With the game on the line in his first at-bat since coming in the game in the eighth as the new right-fielder, Patrick Strack laced a double down the right field line to score Chovanec from second to give the Statesmen the 7-6 come-from-behind win over William Carey on Tuesday at Ferriss Field.

The senior has platooned with Will McGinnis in right field this season, batting .542 with a home run and eight RBIs in 21 games and eight starts.

EVEN/BADON CONNECT ON FIRST CAREER LONG BALL
Infielders Anthony Even and Justin Badon are known more for their glove work than their bat, but the duo connected on their first career home runs recently. Badon nailed a two-run home run in the series finale with Christian Brothers, while Even delivered a two-run shot against No. 22 Southern Arkansas.

BRANSTETTER SETTLES IN NO. 1 SPOT IN ROTATION
Sophomore right-hander Josh Branstetter has settled nicely into the No. 1 spot in the rotation after working back from a broken foot. The Pensacola, Fla., native is 5-1 this season with a 1.56 ERA in five starts and six appearances.

In 34.2 innings pitched, Branstetter has allowed 10 runs, six earned, with a league-low five walks and 30 strikeouts. Opposing batters are hitting just .195 against him this season.

In back-to-back starts in GSC play, Branstetter struck out 12 batters at Southern Arkansas, while allowing one earned run with five strikeouts versus Christian Brothers.

WINTERS DOMINANT OUT OF PEN VERSUS CRUSADERS
With Delta State trailing 6-4 in the fifth, the Statesmen called on redshirt freshman Rickey Winters to steady the ship out of the bullpen. Over the course of five scoreless innings of work, the Bartlett, Tenn., native gave the green-and-white the chance they needed to win it in the end. Winters (1-0) picked up his first career win after throwing 5.0 scoreless innings of relief. The redshirt freshman from Bartlett, Tenn., allowed a mere two hits and struck out three in the win.

ROTATION TOSSES 23 INNINGS WITHOUT WALK
In last weekend's series with Christian Brothers, DSU's pitching staff threw 23 innings without a walk, while striking out 17 Buccaneer batters.

Branstetter picked up the complete game win in the series opener with four strikeouts, while Brandon Hardin collected a two-hit shutout in the second game of the series.

Aaron Newcomb closed out the series in a 16-6 win with nine strikeouts. Brent Hallmark finished out the win by throwing the eighth inning.

TRIPLETT GRABS FIRST CAREER WIN
Junior transfer Ernie Triplett grabbed his first career victory for the Statesmen in DSU's 6-1 win at Abilene Christian last week. The East Central (Miss.) transfer pitched 3.1 innings allowing one run on two hits with three walks and a strikeout.

BULLPEN BY COMMITTEE
One of the bright spots so far this season for DSU has been the bullpen. With a combined 7-2 record, the bullpen has been a plus for coach Mike Kinnison thus far. Led by Garrett Pickens (2-0/3.15 ERA) and Tim Maloney (1-1/1.12 ERA, the Statesmen have plenty of options down the line this season.

STATESMEN RANK SECOND IN NCAA IN HBPs
The Statesmen enter this weekend's series with Ouachita Baptist University ranking second in the NCAA with 80 hit-by-pitches. The number is second in the GSC behind national leader Alabama-Huntsville's 86.

DON'T RUN ON ME...
Senior catcher Patrick Taylor has sent a message to all opposing base runners this season, “don't run on me.” The Arab, Ala., native has thrown out nine base runners this season and added two pickoffs at first to his list of gun-slinging accomplishments.

LEFTIES NO PROBLEM
Some teams really struggle against left-handed pitching, but the Statesmen welcoming the challenge. In 11 decisions this season, the green-and-white are 10-1 against southpaws.

DECIDED BY THE SIXTH
The Statesmen certainly know how to put the opposition away, boasting a 21-1 record when leading after six innings. On the flip side, DSU is 2-10 when trailing after six.

FUNNY MATH..ERRORS = WINS?
The Statesmen have proven the baseball gods wrong so far this season, as Delta State is 18-6 when committing one or more errors in a game. In fact, DSU is 8-4 when committing 2+ errors in a game this season.

HOME SWEET HOME
Dave “Boo” Ferriss Field has been the home for the Statesmen for 46 seasons and the friendly confines have been nearly perfect for DSU this season. Through 16 games at Ferriss Field, the Statesmen are 14-2.

NCAA REGIONAL RANKINGS
The NCAA will officially release the first round of South Region rankings on Monday, April 18. The top eight teams in the final regional poll will advance to the NCAA South Region Tournament May 19-22 at a campus site yet to be determined.

NCBWA RANKS STATESMEN IN SOUTH REGION
While their poll doesn't carry the weight of the NCAA South Region rankings, the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association ranked the Statesmen (23-12) No. 7 in this week's South Region Poll. It's the first time DSU has been in the ranking since the end of February.