GAME DAY LINKS --
McKENDREE vs. WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE -- Hypes Field, Lebanon, Ill.
Saturday, May 5, 2018, Noon (DH)
Sunday, May 6, 2018, Noon (DH)

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McKENDREE SEASON STATISTICS
UW-PARKSIDE SEASON STATISTICS
GLVC STATISTICS

(LEBANON, Ill., May 3)--The McKendree University baseball team is set to wrap up its 2018 season with a four-game series at Hypes Field this weekend against the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. The Bearcats and Rangers will play doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday, with first pitch set for noon each day.

Sunday will also mark Senior Day for the McKendree baseball program. Prior to first pitch, the Bearcats will recognize four players appearing in their final home games -- outfielder Grant Anderson, pitcher Blake Thompson, infielder Jeff Wetzler and pitcher Nick Yung. 

McKendree enters the final weekend of the season with an overall record of 8-36. The Bearcats are 3-16 in Great Lakes Valley Conference action. McKendree opened up its season-ending, six-game home stand on Tuesday with a pair of non-conference losses to Rockhurst University, 16-8 and 7-6. The Bearcats are hitting .265 as a team this season with 40 home runs, which is more than double the squad's 2017 total of 18 round-trippers. McKendree hit five homers on Tuesday, including two by Anderson. 

Drew Reich has taken over the team lead in batting average for McKendree at .333. Reich collected six hits against Rockhurst, with three coming in each game. Andrew Aydt, who is batting .297 on the year, leads the Bearcats with six home runs and 29 RBI. Aydt has also collected a team-best 13 doubles.

In seven appearances on the mound this season, Thompson has posted an ERA of 1.42. Jack Strieker, who has made 11 starts in 2018, paces the pitching staff with two victories and 32 strikeouts. 

ABOUT WISCONSIN-PARKSIDE
The Rangers bring a 5-28 overall record and 4-16 GLVC mark to Lebanon. UW-Parkside dropped three of four games at home last weekend to the University of Indianapolis, with their lone victory coming in a 4-0 shutout in game two of the series. 

Troy Bittenbender leads the Rangers with a .286 batting average, three home runs and 16 RBI. Nick Sramek has a team-leading nine doubles to go along with a .284 average. On the mound, Nicholas Rana shows the way for the UW-Parkside pitching staff with three wins and a 4.13 ERA. Rana also has a team-high 41 strikeouts. 

Inclement weather limited McKendree and UW-Parkside to a two-game series last season. The teams split their lone doubleheader played on May 1, 2017 at Hypes Field. The Rangers edged the Bearcats 8-7 in eight innings in game one before McKendree rebounded to take the nightcap, 8-6.