Optimistic about tournament play

Sitting in fourth place in the Crossroads League, MVNU baseball (31-20, 13-11) will continue the tradition of postseason play.

The Cougars will wrap up their season with a three-game series against Indiana Weslyan University this weekend, then will kick off playoff competition in May.

As a team, the Cougars are ranked sixth in the NAIA in total doubles with 109 on the season.

Leading the Cougars offensively is sophomore Yanni Patten, who holds a .391 batter average and 27 RBI. Sophomore Aaron Saal follows close behind, batting .369 with 45 RBI. Senior Jaime Montero holds a batting average of .365 and 41 RBI. He finished the weekend series against Bethel College with four home runs and 13 RBI.

Junior Jesse Staudt also has come up big at the plate. He is batting .281 with 18 doubles, seven home runs and 45 RBI for the Cougars.

Sophomore Trenton Wood leads the Cougars on the mound with a 6-0 record and a 2.74 ERA. Seniors Bryce Arledge (8-5, 4.63 ERA) and Jacob Chrysler (4-2, 4.16 ERA) and freshman Clint Conner (5-3, 5.23) also see signifcant time on the mound for the Cougars.