Last Action: The Cardinals erupted for a season-high 18 runs en route to an 18-3 nonconference win over Viterbo on Tuesday. … Concordia, meanwhile, surrendered a season-high 17 runs in a nonconference, 17-3 loss to North Dakota State on Monday.

A Year Ago: Concordia's Jeremy Hinderks outdueled SMU's Pat Gornick in leading the Cobbers' to a 2-0 Game 1 win. Game 2 was anything but a pitcher's duel, as the two teams combined for 28 hits and 26 runs as Concordia completed the MIAC sweep with a 14-12 win.

Brady Knudsen 5-for-7, 2 HR 5 RBIs in win vs. Viterbo

The Cardinals scored a season-high 18 runs and collected a season-best 20 hits — including nine for extra bases — in their 18-3 rout of Viterbo Tuesday. … SMU's 18 runs were the most scored since the Cardinals routed Hillside Baptist 21-1 on March 9, 2000. …  Brady Knudsen (Racine, Wis.) recorded the Cardinals’ first five-hit game of the season Tuesday, going 5-for-7 — with two home runs and a double. … Knudsen, who also extended his hitting streak to six games, now leads the team with 11 multiple-hit games, one more than teammate Matt Rink (Rochester, Minn.). … SMU collected 20 hits vs. the V-Hawks, a season-high that included nine extra-base hits. … Joe Popek (Eagan, Minn.) pitched all nine innings vs. Viterbo, allowing eight hits – all singles — for the first complete-game win of his career. … Joe's younger brother Matt leads the team in wins (5) , while Jesse Pedersen (St. Charles, Minn.) is the staff's leader in innings pitched (48.0) and strickouts (34). … Mike Mitchell (Mound, Minn.) has four of SMU's six saves. … Brandon Verbout (Rochester, Minn.) hit his first collegiate HR vs. the V-Hawks. … The Cardinals' Ryan Majerus (St. Charles, Minn.), one of six seniors on this year's roster, has started 93 straight games — all in center field. … SMU is 12-1 when leading after the third inning. … The Cardinals have outscored their opponents in every inning but the second, sixth and eighth. … SMU is 10-4 when scoring first. … SMU is winless (0-5) when scoring less than two runs, and just 2-10 when scoring less than five runs.

The Cobbers are one of three teams in the MIAC to have made the conference playoffs on three separate occasions. St. Thomas and St. Olaf are the only other teams in the league that have played in at least three league tournaments. … Concordia thirdbaseman Brian Schumacher is trying to become one of the only athletes in the history of the MIAC to be named MVP in both football and baseball. Schumacher was the quarterback on the Cobbers’ MIAC championship football team in the fall and was named the conference MVP. This spring, Schumacher is leading the MIAC in RBIs (27) and is tied for the league lead in home runs (6) in conference games only. His 27 RBIs are eight more than the next closest player. Schumacher also ranks second in slugging percentage (.872) and third in total bases (41). … Schumacher is also closing in on the school record for home runs in a single season. He currently has nine HRs in the team's 30 games. The school record is 11 set by Ryan Hebrink last season. Hebrink was also the quarterback of the Cobber football team. … Schumacher has also clouted two grand slams this season. … Chris Klabois leading the team in hitting this season. He currently has a .396 average and has hit successfully in 24 of the team’s 30 games this season. Klabo, a defensive back for the Cobber football team, is tied for the league in runs scored this season. … Today’s Game 1 starter Bryan Romsa eads Concordia in victories with three. In the past two seasons he is 7-4 against MIAC opponents. Overall this season he is 4-2 with a 4.05 ERA. Of his eight starts this season, he has thrown five complete games.