DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica baseball team will open Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) action on Saturday with a doubleheader at the University of Minnesota Morris. CSS will then play a non-conference game on Sunday at Saint John's University.
Where:
Saturday
Cougar Diamond – Morris, Minn.
When:
Saturday at 1:30 p.m. (DH)
Sunday at 2:30 p.m. - Postponed
Social Media:
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/cssbaseball
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/cssbaseball
Facebook:
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St. Scholastica Saints
Stats
Record: 8-7, 0-0 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
Last Action: The Saints went 1-2 in a three-game series at No. 18 University of Wisconsin-La Crosse last weekend … The games were originally scheduled for Duluth, but weather forced the action south … The Eagles won the first two games, but the Saints rallied from a 6-2 deficit by scoring seven runs in the eighth and three more in the ninth to win the series finale 12-8 …
Conor Wollenzien (North Mankato, Minn. /Mankato West HS) hit the second of two pinch-hit home runs for CSS, his being a grand slam to give the Saints the lead for good.
Another UMAC Player of the Week Award: Senior left fielder
Austin Colvard (Little Canada, Minn./Roseville HS) was named the conference's player of the week for the second consecutive week on Tuesday … Colvard was 6-for-14 at the plate against UW-La Crosse with a double, triple and four RBIs … Colvard is currently on a 22-game hitting streak … Colvard ranks 10
th in NCAA Division III with a .516 batting average.
10-Hit Mark: The Saints are 5-1 this season when they record at least 10 hits … The only loss was to Greenville when it could not hold a five-run lead entering the final inning … The Saints were 24-5 last season when they had at least 10 hits.
Extra-Base Hits: The Saints have at least one double in every game this season and lead conference team with 32 on the year … CSS is tied for the conference lead with 43 extra-base hits in total.
Turning Double Plays: St. Scholastica ranks third in the country with 1.27 double plays per game … The Saints have turned 19 double plays this season and second baseman
Al Marolt (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial HS) has been involved in 13 of them.
UMAC Preseason Poll
1. 64 Points – College of St. Scholastica (8 First Place Votes)
2. 57 Points – University of Northwestern (1)
3. 45 Points – Bethany Lutheran College
4. 42 Points – University of Wisconsin-Superior
5. 39 Points – Northland College
6. 32 Points – University of Minnesota Morris
7. 19 Points – Crown College
8. 18 Points – Martin Luther College
9. 8 Points – North Central University
Upcoming Opponents
Minnesota Morris Cougars
Record: 5-10, 0-0 UMAC
The Cougars are coming off a 6-1 loss to Concordia College-Moorhead on Tuesday in their home opener … Morris has lost six straight games since sweeping D'Youville College (N.Y.) down in Florida … Junior Chandler Erickson leads the team with .400 batting average … Fellow junior Willie Fust and sophomore Trent Johnson each have a team-high eight RBIs … Sophomore Jackson Gessell has both of Morris' two home runs this season … The Cougars have 16 stolen bases on the year and have been thrown out only three times … On the mound, Morris is led by Sam Melchoir, who has a 0.93 earned run average five appearances and a 3-1 record … Noah Grove has a team-high 15 strikeouts … The Cougars are picked to finish sixth in the UMAC this season.
Saint John's Johnnies
Record: 13-7, 1-2 MIAC
The Johnnies opened up Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play on Sunday by splitting a doubleheader with Hamline University … Saint John's then played Carleton College on Wednesday and dropped game one 4-3 and game two was suspended due to darkness in the top of the 11
th inning … Saint John's is scheduled to play Saint Mary's University on Saturday before taking on the Saints Sunday … Senior Patrick Strey leads the team with 25 RBIs and ranks ninth in NCAA Division III with 13 doubles … Junior third baseman Derek Schiebel leads the team with three home runs … Freshman Cole Weaver has a team-high .456 batting average … Alex Kendall leads the pitching staff with a 1.59 ERA and a complete-game shutout this season … Kendall ranks sixth in the country in the strikeout-to-walk ratio and 11
th in WHIP … Saint John's is picked to finish third in the MIAC this season after winning the MIAC Tournament championship a year ago.
Series Histories:
-CSS leads Minnesota Morris 38-3
-Saint John's leads CSS 3-2
Last Meetings: Minnesota Morris defeated the Saints in the last meeting with 12-9 victory in Morris on April 4 … The Cougar victory snapped a CSS 36-game win streak over Morris … Saint John's defeated the Saints 6-2 last season in Collegeville … It was the first meeting between the two teams since 2004.
Looking Ahead: The Saints will hope to have their home opener on Tuesday, April 12 when it hosts North Central University for a doubleheader.
