The four-game Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference series begins with a single nine-inning game at 6 p.m. A doubleheader will be played Saturday starting at 1 p.m. and then another nine-inning contest will be played at noon Sunday.

After Metro State, UNK (16-16, 10-10 RMAC) will play a single game at 28th-ranked Wayne State (16-6) on Tuesday afternoon.

The Roadrunners, under second-year head coach Bobby Pierce, are probably the surprise of the NCAA Division II baseball world as they are currently 27-5 (19-1 RMAC) and ranked ninth in the nation. Last season, Metro was just 17-35 (13-24 RMAC).

The Roadrunners are doing everything right, hitting .349 as a team and averaging more than 10 runs per game. Senior outfielder Jake Palmer (.513, nine HRs, 66 RBIs) leads the way, followed by senior catcher Reece Gorman (.414, five HRs, 39 RBIs).

Five different pitches have won at least four games, including junior Steven Green (8-0, 7.28 ERA) and senior Armando Casas (5-0, 4.75 ERA).

UNK has already seen Metro this year, opening the 2008 slate with three non-RMAC games in Denver. The Lopers went 2-1 that weekend, posting victories of 13-6 and 7-6. In 2007, UNK was 3-2 against the Roadrunners.

Kearney just got a big boost at the plate as junior outfielder/DH Nate Swearer returned from an injury. Despite missing nine games, Swearer (.395, six HRs, 33 RBIs) is among UNK's offensive leaders.

Also swinging a hot bat of late is senior first baseman Joe Nowaczyk (.348, four HRs, 40 RBIs). The Gretna native had a game-winning single Sunday at Mesa State and has belted two homers in his last five games.

On the mound, junior Ryan Sheldon (5-2, 5.87 ERA, 49 strikeouts) has been among the best pitchers in the RMAC this year. He's the scheduled starter for UNK Friday night and will be looking to win his third straight start.