Joplin, Mo. – The 20^th ranked Missouri Southern baseball team will head north and take on Northwest Missouri this weekend in a three-game series set to start Saturday afternoon.
 
The Lions (24-10, 17-10 MIAA) and Bearcats (13-20, 11-16 MIAA) will square off for a noon start Saturday for a double-header and a 1 pm start on Sunday for a single game.
 
Southern sits tied for 4^th in the latest MIAA standings entering the final two weeks of the regular season.
 
The Lions lead the MIAA in walks, doubles, shutouts, and strikeouts per nine innings, while ranking second in batting average, ERA, hits, home runs, runs, scoring, slugging, strikeouts to walk ratio, and walks and hits per nine innings (WHIP). Southern is in the top-ten nationally in five different categories, including ranking third in doubles, sixth in doubles per game, seventh in strikeout to walk ratio, eight in home runs and ninth in fewest walks allowed per nine innings.
 
Individually, Zach Parish leads the MIAA and is second nationally in strikeouts with 108 on the season. He needs 14 more strikeouts to set the Division II all-time record and has 460 in his career. Parish also leads the MIAA in WHIP, fewest hits allowed per nine innings and starts, while ranking third in wins.
 
Tommy Stevenson leads the MIAA in RBIs, while Troy Gagan leads the league in hits. Jordan Fitzpatrick is tops in doubles, while Joe Kinder is third in the league in home runs.
 
As a team, the Lions are hitting .305 with five hitters in the starting lineup above .300. Gagan leads the way at .406, while also adding 14 doubles, nine home runs and 31 RBIs. Stevenson leads the team with 45 RBIs and is second with ten home runs, while Kinder's 11 longballs is a team-high.
 
Parish is 8-1 with a 1.37 ERA and has struck out 108 batters in 72 innings and is limiting batters to a .162 average. Will Bausinger is 5-2 with 72 strikeouts in 65 innings, while Cole Woods has a team-high four saves.
 
Northwest Missouri is led by Ryan Koski who is hitting .356 with three home runs and 19 RBIs. Peter Carlson has a team-high nine home runs and 27 RBIs, while Alex Slocum has a 4-1 record and Max Spitzmiller has a team-high 46 strikeouts.
 
The Lions will conclude the regular season next weekend as Southern plays host to Rogers State on Friday and Saturday at Warren Turner Field.