FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Media Relations

ROLLA, Mo. (Mar. 14, 2015)-- The University of Wisconsin-Parkside heads west this weekend, beginning Great Lakes Valley Conference play with a four-game set against interdivisional rival Missouri University S&T.
 
The Rangers and Miners are slated to play a doubleheader on Sunday and a doubleheader on Monday with first pitch on both days set for 12 p.m. at the S&T Baseball Field in Rolla, Missouri. Sunday's twinbill will feature a nine inning game followed by a seven inning affair with the order reversed on Monday with a seven inning contest to open the day and a nine inning game to follow. Live stats of all four games will be available.

Series Shift: Field conditions in Rolla pushed the GLVC opening series from a Saturday-Sunday to a Sunday-Monday showdown. First pitch on both days still remains at noon.
 
About the Rangers: UW-Parkside (1-2) has seen limited action this spring, already having seven games cancelled this season due to inclement weather that has battered the Midwest. The Rangers opened the season on Feb. 13 with a doubleheader split against host Southwest Baptist University, rallying from an early deficit for an 11-7 victory while spoiling a 3-0 lead in game two and suffering an 11-3 loss to close the series against the Bearcats.
 
The Rangers were idle until Tuesday afternoon, falling 6-5 to Judson University in Elgin, Illinois. The Rangers surged out to an early 4-1 lead but was unable to contain the Eagles down the stretch in the one-run setback. Troy Bittenbender highlighted the Ranger offense, finishing three-for-five at the plate, scoring five runs while Zach Cunningham netted a pair of doubles.
 
DJ Peltz leads the Rangers in hitting through three games, owning a .455 batting average and a .500 on-base percentage with three doubles and three RBIs. Bittenbender sports a .417 average with two home runs and four RBIs, while scoring seven of the team's 19 runs this season. Cunningham is the third Ranger hitting above .350, sporting a .364 average with three extra base hits and four RBIs.
 
On the mound, Josh Serio has made two starts, owning a 1-0 record on the bump with 12 strikeouts in 8 2/3 innings of action. Joseph Plaud has seven punchouts in 5 1/3 innings of relief work while John Perez has an earned run average of 0.00, yielding just one hit and fanning two in 2 2/3 innings of relief.
 
About the Miners: Missouri S&T (4-6) dropped five of its first six games of the season but have since won three of four, netting a pair of victories over McKendree University while splitting a doubleheader against Lindenwood University on Tuesday.
 
The Miners opened up its home slate with a doubleheader split with McKendree, falling 1-0 in the opener before rallying for the 4-2 win in the nightcap on Mar. 8. S&T notched a 7-4 win at the expense of the Bearcats the next day before stumbling 7-5 to Lindenwood on Tuesday. Missouri S&T rebounded and salvaged a series split with the Lions, claiming the 3-2 win in game two.
 
Tyler Johnson is the Miners top hitter, owning a .469 batting average with four RBIs. Reed Brown has driven in five runs and scored eight times, collecting five extra base hits and sporting a .405 average. Adam Richter is hitting at a .333 clip while Lance Portwood has a team-best six RBIs.
 
Micah Dohlen has seen the most action among the S&T pitching rotation, having tossed 19 1/3 innings with 11 strikeouts and a 2.79 earned run average. Fellow starter Aaron Bedsworth has logged 14 2/3 innings on the mound, recording 11 strikeouts with a 4.91 ERA.