ASHLAND, Wis. – The Northland College Baseball team steps away from Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play for a doubleheader against Maranatha Baptist on Tuesday in Watertown, Wis. The LumberJacks return to conference play this weekend when they host the University of Northwestern for their home opener.
 
The Jacks and Sabercats start the doubleheader at 3 p.m., on Tuesday. Northland starts its three-game series with the Eagles on Friday at 3 p.m., followed by a doubleheader on Saturday.
 
To watch NC @ MBU live click here, to follow the live stats, click here.
To watch NC vs UNW live click here, to follow the live stats, click here.
 
The Sabercats have started the 2024 season cold dropping their first 19 games. MBU's last win came on April 13, 2023, against North Central University winning 9-6 for its only win of the season. Sophomore Teddy Haugen leads Maranatha at the plate batting .327 with four doubles, the team's sole triple, and three home runs. The Sabercats have a 19.04 ERA with Joe Anderson leading the way with a 10.74 ERA with 47 strikeouts.
 
Northland the Maranatha have played four games over the last two seasons with the Jacks winning all four contests. In the most recent game, NC won 7-5 with Kazdion Mount pitching a complete game for the win. Anthony Boyle had a game-high three RBIs.
 
The Eagles are 10-13 overall and have a UMAC record of 7-2. Northwestern swept Martin Luther in the three-game series 11-2, 22-5, and 8-4. UNW was picked to finish fourth in the Preseason Coaches Poll and is currently in third. Junior Mark Bligh leads the Eagles with a .361 batting average and has a team-leading four home runs. Bryce Crabb is third in the UMAC with a 2.34 ERA. Reliever Caleb Hautajarvi has thrown 10.1 innings and has not allowed a run and only has given up six hits.
 
The series between the LumberJacks and Eagles is close with UNW edging out NC 39-31. Northland has won the two most recent games, snapping the Eagles' seven-game winning streak. The Jacks broke the streak on a 3-2 victory in 11 innings. Zach Ross scored all three RBIs including the game-winning sac fly.
 
In Northland's most recent series, the Jacks won their first conference game of the season, topping the University of Minnesota Morris 15-11. Vinny Troccoli led the LumberJacks at the plate and on the mound. The senior had two home runs and eight RBIs at the dish and pitched 3.2 innings with four strikeouts and earned the win. Despite losing the following two games, the batters were hot for NC combining for 26 runs in the doubleheader.
 
Tyler Murphy leads Northland with a .346 for qualified batters with 18 hits on the season with two doubles and one home run. Troccoli has the best batting average at .462 in his 13 at-bats with two doubles and three home runs. After his monster weekend, Troccoli leads the Jacks with 15 RBIs, 14 coming against UMM.
 
Junior Andrew Birko paces NC with a 7.40 ERA through 20.2 innings. Troccoli is behind him at 8.27 and leads the team with 17 strikeouts.
 
Northland College is an NCAA Division III institution located in Ashland, WI. The LumberJacks and LumberJills sponsor 14 varsity sports and compete in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference, Midwest Lacrosse Conference, and the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.