WAVERLY, Iowa-- The Wartburg baseball team (9-5 overall, 0-0 IIAC) opens Iowa Conference play with a weekend series against Nebraska Wesleyan (4-10, 0-3). The teams will play the doubleheader Friday followed by the single nine-inning game Saturday. First pitch for both days is set for noon.

Follow the Knights
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The Series
The Knights own the series lead at 2-1. The first times the programs met was last season.

Wartburg
Senior Cody Hyler (Des Moines) leads the team with his .313 average and is second with six RBIs. Classmate Zach Hovick (Roland) has a team-best 10 RBIs and senior Eric Willis (Waverly) has a team-high eight stolen bases.

Senior Tanner Eckhart (Monticello, Minn.) leads the starting pitchers with a 1.16 ERA, is 3-1 with 29 strikeouts in 31.0 innings pitched.

Career Record Watch
Senior Blake Mahoney (Des Moines) is seventh in stolen bases (50). Classmate Clay Henning (Plymouth, Wis.) is fifth in assists (319).

Nebraska Wesleyan
Justus Stocks leads the team at .393 and Derek Kolbush follows at .371. Hayden Parker leads the pitchers with a 3.22 ERA, is 1-2 with 16 strikeouts in 22.1 innings of work.

National Stat Rankings
Wartburg baseball team ranks in the top 100 of seven statistical categories, which the NCAA released Monday.
 
The Knights rank 6^th in fielding percentage (.979), 19^th in walks allowed per nine innings (2.65), 29^th in WHIP (1.23), 48^th in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.73), 59^th in hits allowed per nine innings (8.38), 74^th in earned run average (3.71), and 84^th in double plays per game (.83).