MORRIS, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Morris baseball team starts Upper Midwest Athletic Conference play this weekend as it takes on Crown College on Saturday and Sunday. The three-game series will be played in St. Peter, Minn., with a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 1 p.m., and will conclude on Sunday with a 1 p.m. first pitch.
 
The streams can be found on the UMAC Sports Network or by clicking here. To follow the live stats click here.
 
The Cougars returned from Florida, where they played nine games in eight days. UMM's last win was against Principia College, where it won 18-6. Landen Meyerdirk and Ben Meuser led the team with three hits each, while Trevor Haberman hit a grand slam in the first inning to help the Cougars coast to a victory. On the mound, Parker Gilchrist got the start and pitched 4.1 innings, striking out two batters. Zach Anderson earned the win after not allowing an earned run in two innings of work.
 
This season, Meuser leads the team, batting .385 with 15 hits, four doubles, and two triples. Meyerdirk follows at .366 with 15 hits, one double, and a home run. Meuser leads the conference in RBIs with 12, while Meyerdirk and Tyler Moriarty have a team-high 11 runs scored. Meyerdirk is the conference leader in stolen bases with 13, with Bradie Black ranking third in the UMAC with eight.
 
On the mound, Travis Godfrey leads the team with a 3.57 ERA while holding a 1-2 record. He has pitched 17.2 innings and has 17 strikeouts. Gilchrist follows with 12 strikeouts. Luke McHugh has the team's lone save.
 
Crown enters conference play with an overall record of 1-12 and is currently riding a five-game losing streak. In the Polars' most recent game, they were defeated 13-0 by No. 13 Claremont-McKenna College. Colt Sedbrook is in his third season with the program as head coach. Caden Esquerra leads the team, batting .333 with 10 hits, including three doubles. The Polars have used 23 pitchers this season, with Zac Luinstra leading the team with 10 innings pitched.
 
Last season, the Cougars went 2-1 against Crown College, winning 12-4 and 16-3 and losing 6-1. In the series, Blake had a six-RBI game and finished with eight RBIs total. Gilchrist went 1-1 in the series with five strikeouts.