DUBUQUE, Iowa (Duhawks.com) - Before the Easter Break, the Duhawks have three games on tap for the week. First a doubleheader against Dubuque on Tuesday, followed by a non-conference showdown with Dominican on Wednesday.

SCOUTING REPORT: DUBUQUE
The Spartans enter Tuesday's doubleheader fresh off their first taste of Iowa Conference play, dropping three-of-four to Buena Vista over the weekend. Daniel Casanova leads Dubuque with a .443 batting average and .455 on-base percentage. He'll draw the most attention from the Duhawks with his speed and knack for swiping bases. To date, Casanova is 10-of-13 for stolen bases. On the mound, Loras could see Josh Eastman, who threw 116 pitches in a 5.1 inning effort last Friday against Buena Vista. For both teams, Tuesday's doubleheader could serve as the jumpstart they need for a strong conference season.

SCOUTING REPORT: DOMINICAN
Originally scheduled for Thursday afternoon, Loras' non-conference tilt with Dominican was moved up to Wednesday night in anticipation of inclement weather on Thursday. The Stars hail from the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference and enter the week with a 5-8 overall record. In their first taste of conference action, Dominican handed Concordia Wisconsin 8-5 and 12-11 losses. Much like Loras, the Stars will be coming off a conference doubleheader on Tuesday against Rockford.

Nathaniel Natividad has been the talk of the town for the Stars. The freshman leads Dominican with a .424 batting average and a .697 slugging percentage. Despite his fielding percentage being less than stellar at .833, the shortstop has made up for it with his bat.

COE TAKES 3-OF-4
The tides were turned against the Duhawks last weekend as Coe took 3-of-4 on the weekend. Loras took game one 7-2, earning Carl Tebon his 400th win in a Duhawk uniform. From there on out, Loras  struggled to find consistency on the mound and on offense. In game three of the series, junior Alex Steines went toe-to-toe with Connor Alberhasky for three innings before the Kohawks got to Steines for two runs. Alberhasky, on the other hand, cruised and had each of his pitches working to perfection on his way to a no-hitter.

SCHWOEBEL DOING THE LITTLE THINGS RIGHT
In its simplest form, the key to pitching is to throw strikes and for senior Adam Schwoebel, that's exactly what he's been able to do so far in 2015. At 4-0, Schwoebel is one of two pitchers in the Iowa Conference with four wins. What's even more impressive is Schwoebel's control. In 25.1 innings, Schwoebel has only allowed four walks and limited base hits to the tune of a 1.38 WHIP.

KEYS TO THE GAME: UNIVERSITY OF DUBUQUE
With both teams coming off 1-3 weekends in conference play, Tuesday's doubleheader has much riding on it, more than just city pride. In 2014, Loras took 3-of-4 from the Spartans, but a look at the statistics shows a closely contested battle. Dubuque held the advantage in batting average, slugging percentage, and on-base percentage, all by small margins. One of the largest statistic gaps came in the strikeout category where the Duhawks struck out 17 times compared to Dubuque's 30 times. Additionally, the Spartans were charged with 14 errors to Loras' six.

KEYS TO THE GAME: DOMINICAN
As one of the teams in the upper echelon of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference, Dominican will give Loras a good taste of outside competition. A year ago, it was Joe Krasny that dominated the stat lines for the Stars. Now, in 2015, there are some different faces that are a part of the program and making a name for themselves. With six batters hitting over .300, the Stars' troubles have come as a direct result of their defense. To date, Dominican has been charged with 36 errors in the field, which will be something that Loras can look to exploit.

"YOU'RE ONLY AS GOOD AS YOUR BULLPEN"
As conference play is getting underway, head coach Carl Tebon has seen a mixed bag of results form his bullpen. Tebon believes that a good bullpen is one of the keys to success in the Iowa Conference. "I've always said it in this conference and you're only as good as your bullpen. If your bullpen can hold guys or keep you in games, you're going to be pretty good," said Tebon. Freshman Nick Spiess has led the bullpen to begin the year with an ERA of 3.75, but if the others can round into form Loras will have a bullpen to reckon with. The Duhawks have three upperclassmen in the pen that can all pitch in pressure situations in Connor Schreck, Nick Petruzzi, and Kody Massner. Each could benefit from more innings in order to work out some early season hiccups.

TEBON EARNS 400^th WIN AS A DUHAWK
With a 7-2 win over Coe on March 27, Carl Tebon became the second current coach in the Iowa Conference to win his 400th game with one team. To date, three other coaches with Iowa Conference ties have clipped the 400-game mark. Joel Holst, the current head coach at Wartburg, is nearing 600 career wins, 100 of which came during his tenure as the Loras head coach.

BURNING UP THE BASE PATHS
Coach Tebon is no stranger to teams that like to run and this years team is no different. Leading the team and the league, sophomore Cole Reeg has been at the forefront of this effort. Reeg has started each game for the Duhawks manning center-field, a position in demand of speed. So far this season, Reeg has capitalized on 9-of-11 of his stolen base attempts. With 26 regular season games to go, it may be a possibility for the sophomore to break both the single-season and single-game record for steals. Reeg's current single-game high is two stolen bases, but with five steals coming in his last four games that could soon change. As a whole, the Duhawks have stolen 25 bases in 18 games. With players on the team such as senior Nate Even and the aforementioned Reeg, the Duhawks appear to be a running nightmare for opposing pitching and catching units.

WALK MACHINE
Patrick Walsh has a knack for getting on base. Whether it's by hit, error, or walk, the Lombard native owns a .488 on-base percentage through Loras' first 18 games. In total, Walsh has 19 walks, which puts him in the top-25 in the country for base on balls.

FINDING A WAY TO GET ON BASE
The Duhawks are leading the Iowa Conference in on-base percentage at a .428 clip.  This puts Loras at 40th in the latest NCAA Rankings with the top mark belonging to Purchase College, who is operating at a .474 mark. Along with having a .332 team batting average, the Duhawks as a team have drawn 65 walks, which also leads the Iowa Conference.

LORAS PICKED TO FINISH THIRD IN IOWA CONFERENCE
In the preseason poll, the Iowa Conference coaches picked the Duhawks to finish third behind Buena Vista and Wartburg. In 2014, Loras advanced to the final day of the conference tournament before falling to Central. Loras has a young roster in 2015 and will look to stake claim towards the top of the Iowa Conference.