DULUTH, Minn. (csssaints.com) – The No. 23 St. Scholastica baseball team will make its first trip to Whitewater, Wisconsin for a Midwest Regional since the 2013 season, but for the second straight year it will open the regional as the No. 4 seed.
 
Where:
Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium – Whitewater, Wis.
 
When:
Thursday
Game #1 – St. Scholastica (#4 seed) vs. UW-La Crosse (#5) - 10 a.m.
Game #2 - UW-Whitewater (#1) vs. St. Norbert (#8) - 1:15 p.m.
Game #3 – Adrian (#3) vs. St. Thomas (#6) - 4:30 p.m.
Game #4 – Concordia-Chicago (#2) vs. Macalester (#7) - 7:45 p.m.
Friday
Game #5 - Loser Game #1 vs. Loser Game #2 - 10 a.m.
Game #6 - Loser Game #3 vs. Loser Game #4 - 1:15 p.m.
Game #7 - Winner Game #1 vs. Winner Game #2 - 4:30 p.m.
Game #8 - Winner Game #3 vs. Winner Game #4 - 7:45 p.m.
Saturday
Game #9 - Winner Game #6 vs. Loser Game #7 - 10 a.m.
Game #10 - Loser Game #8 vs. Winner Game #5 - 1:15 p.m.
Game #11 - Winner Game #7 vs. Winner Game #8 - 4:30 p.m.
Game #12 - Winner Game #9 vs. Winner Game #10 - 7:45 p.m.
Sunday
Game #13 - Winner Game #12 vs. Loser Game #11 - Noon
Game #14 - Winner Game #11 vs. Winner Game #13 - 3:30 p.m.
Monday
Game #15 - Winner Game #14 vs. Loser Game #14 - TBD (If necessary)
 
 
Regional Web Site: http://www.uwwsports.com/sports/2017/4/26/2017-ncaa-division-iii-baseball-championship-midwest-regional.aspx?path=baseball
Live Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/uww/
Live Audio: http://www.csssaints.com/ssn
Live Stats: http://sidearmstats.com/uww/baseball/
 
 
Social Media:
Twitter: www.twitter.com/cssbaseball  
Instagram: www.instagram.com/cssbaseball  
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cssbaseball/
 
#23 St. Scholastica Saints
Stats
Record: 32-8, 16-0 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
 
Last Action: The Saints won their 20^th straight Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) Tournament championship on Saturday … The Saints out-scored each of their three opponents 30-3 in the tournament … The three runs allowed tied for the fewest runs allowed in a UMAC Tournament in program history (2000) … There was no UMAC Tournament MVP handed out, but if there was, Tyler Duex (Bloomer, Wis./Chippewa Falls HS (UW-Superior) ) would have received it going 8-for-10 with two doubles, a triple and an inside-the-park home run.
 
More UMAC Titles: The Saints won their 21^st consecutive UMAC regular season championship and 20^th straight UMAC Tournament title this season … St. Scholastica went a perfect 19-0 against conference teams … That marks the third time since 2007 the Saints went unblemished in the UMAC … CSS has never lost more than two games to UMAC teams in a season since 1998.
 
Plenty of UMAC Awards to Go Around: For the third straight year, the Saints had the UMAC Player, Rookie and Coach of the Year … That means the current Saints roster features three UMAC Players of the Year (Steven Neutzling (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Cathedral ), Brian Minks (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Cathedral HS ) and Trevor Bernsdorf (Elmer, Minn./Floodwood HS )) as well as four UMAC Rookies of the Year (Joey Zwak (Duluth, Minn. /Duluth East HS ), Conor Wollenzien (North Mankato, Minn. /Mankato West HS), Neutzling and T. Bernsdorf)
 
8-Team Regional: The Saints will play in an eight-team regional for the third straight year and the fourth time overall … The first time it happened was 2012 in Whitewater, Wisconsin … At that regional, CSS did something it had never done before and that was win its two opening games at a regional … The Saints eventually were the next-to-last team eliminated from the tournament by host UW-Whitewater … In 2015, the Saints opened with a loss to host and eventual national runner-up UW-La Crosse and then saw their season end with a loss to Concordia-Chicago … Last year in La Crosse, the Saints had their highest seed at an eight-team regional at No. 4 … CSS fell to the No. 5 seed Saint John's University, but responded by blanking Beloit College (Wis.) … The Saints then lost a close contest to Luther College (Iowa) … CSS was a No. 6 seed in 2012 and a No. 7 seed in 2015.
 
Postseason vs. the WIAC: The Saints are 5-15 against Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) schools in the NCAA Tournament … CSS is 0-1 vs. UW-La Crosse, 0-3 vs. UW-Oshkosh, 4-5 vs. UW-Stevens Point and 1-6 vs. UW-Whitewater … However, earlier this season for the first time in program history, the Saints recorded back-to-back doubleheader sweeps against WIAC schools UW-Oshkosh and UW-La Crosse.
 
NCAA Statistical Rankings: The Saints rank in the top 10 of NCAA Division III in doubles (105-3^rd), doubles per game (2.6-4^th), fielding percentage (.974-5^th), scoring (9.1 runs/game-6^th), runs (364-8^th), slugging percentage (.502-9^th) and shutouts (10-2^nd).
 
Fear the Long Ball: The Saints have hit 30 home runs this season, the most since 2008 and the seventh time the Saints have hit at least 30 home runs in a season … Steven Neutzling (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Cathedral ) has nine home runs on the year … No Saint has hit more than 10 home runs in a season since Greg Young belted 13 in 2002.
 
Streaks/Trends: Neutzling has reached base safely in 31 straight games … The Saints are 29-0 this season when they hold opponents to five runs or fewer … CSS is 27-0 when leading after six innings … CSS is also 4-0 in extra-inning games this season.

---

 
Regional Teams
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Eagles (No. 5 Seed)
Record: 28-17, 11-9 WIAC
 
Players to Watch:
- Caleb Boushley (8-2, 1.42 ERA, 94 K, 89.0 IP, .199 Opp. BA)
- Carter Hoffman (.400 BA, 3 HR, 9 2B, 16 RBIs, 24 GP)
- Nate Heili (.336 BA, 9 2B, 19 RBIs, 18 SB)
- Caleb Williams (1.99 ERA, 7 Saves, .239 Opp. BA)
 
The Eagles were runner-up in the WIAC during both the regular season and at last week's tournament … This is La Crosse's sixth appearance in the national tournament, including fifth in the last six seasons … The Eagles have won the regional title each of the last two seasons … La Crosse is led by pitcher Caleb Boushley, who has set a single-season school record with his 94 strikeouts … Boushley is sixth in NCAA Division III in complete-games, 10^th in strikeouts and 12^th in earned run average … Hoffman is the team leading hitter after missing the first 21 games of the year due to injury.
 
Series History (CSS leads 10-7): The Saints swept a doubleheader from the Eagles at Wade Stadium in early April … This will be second postseason meeting between the two programs with La Crosse taking the first meeting in 2015 by a 10-3 score on its home field.
 
 
#3 University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Warhawks (No. 1 Seed)
Record: 35-7, 17-3 WIAC
 
Players to Watch:
- Blake Fleischman (.317 BA, 10 2B, 6 HR, 29 RBIs)
- Heath Renz (8-0, 1.94 ERA, 50 K, 2.14 Opp. BA)
- Brett Krause (.396 BA, 10 2B, 31 RBIs, 12 SB)
- Austin Jones (8-2, 1.75 ERA, 3 CG, 76 K, .192 Opp. BA)
 
The Warhawks have been the top ranked team in the region all season … Whitewater won the WIAC regular season and tournament championships … This will be Whitewater's 10^th consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and its 20^th overall … The squad features the WIAC Position Player of the Year in Blake Fleischman and the WIAC Pitcher of the Year in Heath Renz … Fleischman has recorded at least one hit in 33 of 41 games, including 13 multi-hit performances … Renz led the conference with eight wins, while ranking third with a 1.94 earned run average and .214 opponent batting average, and fifth with 50 strikeouts and 65.0 innings pitched.
 
Series History (UWW leads 17-4): The Saints and Warhawks split a doubleheader during the regular season in Whitewater … The victory snapped a seven-game losing streak to Whitewater … The last time the two teams met in the postseason, the Saints eliminated the Warhawks from the 2013 Midwest Regional in Whitewater.
 
 
Concordia University Chicago Cougars (No. 2 Seed)
Record: 29-11, 18-2 NACC
 
Players to Watch:
- Bryan VanDuser (.413 BA, 50 R, 4 HR, 29 RBIs, 16 SB)
- Mitch Wilson (.365 BA, 15 2B, 6 HR, 37 RBIs, 16 SB)
- Brian Musielak (8-1, 2.31 ERA, 502 IP)
- Keaton Connor (5-3, 53 K, 59.1 IP, .224 Opp. BA)
 
The Cougars will enter the regional on a 10-game winning streak and are coming off their fifth straight Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Tournament title … The Cougars rank in fifth nationally in stolen bases (113) and stolen bases per game (2.83) … Brent Spohr has hit 20 doubles on the year, which is the fourth-most in the country.
 
Series History (CUC leads 3-0): The Cougars ended the Saints' season at the 2015 Midwest Regional in La Crosse by a score of 7-4 … All three games have been decided by three runs or less.
 
 
Adrian College Bulldogs (No. 3 Seed)
Record: 33-11, 23-5 MIAA
 
Players to Watch:
- Ryan Dorow (.411 BA, 54 RBIs, .623 Slg. %)
- Ian Mikowski (.475 BA, 66 Runs, 37 SB, .589 On-Base %)
- Tommy Parsons (11-1, 2.25 ERA, 93 K, 84.0 IP)
- Brian Killinger (.398 BA, 32 RBIs, 45 Runs, 16 SB)
 
Adrian comes into the Midwest Regional from the Mideast Region … The Bulldogs won the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) Tournament for the fifth time to earn the automatic qualifier … This will be the 11^th NCAA Tournament appearance for the Bulldogs … The Bulldogs are in the top 10 in the nation in hits (512), double plays (5th, 46), batting average (6th, .346), sacrifice flies (6th, 30), triples (7th, 22) and on-base percentage (10th, .427) … Ryan Dorow and Ian Mikowski were named co-MIAA Players of the Year, while Tommy Parsons was named co-MIAA Pitcher of the Year … That was the third honor for Dorow and the second for Parsons.
 
Series History: The Saints and Bulldogs have never met.
 
 
University of St. Thomas Tommies (No. 6 Seed)
Record: 26-16, 16-4 MIAC
 
Players to Watch:
- Henry DeCaster (8-2, 2.28 ERA, 85 K, 71.0 IP, .240 Opp. BA)
- Jake Smith (.312 BA, 49 H, 6 3B, 7 HR, 30 RBI)
- Sam Cobbs (.388 BA, 57 H, 15 2B, 34 RBI)
- Drew Molin (5-1, 2.36 ERA, 59 K, 53.1 IP)
 
The Tommies earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament … St. Thomas finished second in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) during the regular season … This will be St. Thomas' 19 NCAA Tournament appearance in the last 23 seasons … The Tommies have been in one-run or extra inning games in eight of the last nine contests … Sophomore Henry DeCaster was named the MIAC Pitcher of the Year … Jake Smith enters the NCAA Tournament on a 10-game hitting streak.
 
Series History (UST leads 26-20): The Saints and Tommies split a doubleheader less than 10 days ago … The last time the two programs met in the postseason was in 2013 at Whitewater with the Saints winning 1-0 … CSS is 3-3 all-time against the Tommies in the NCAA Tournament.
 
 
Macalester College Scots (No. 7 Seed)
Record: 26-15, 12-8 MIAC
 
Players to Watch:
- Dylan Edwards-Gaherty (6-1, 2.17 ERA, 50 K, 62.1 IP)
- Alex Baretta (.407 BA, 61 H, 15 2B, 30 RBIs)
- Matthew Plisko (7-2, 2.18 ERA, 37 K, .238 Opp. BA)
- Quentin Stuart (.326 BA, 8 2B, 9 HR, .600 Slg. %)
 
The Scots won the MIAC Tournament as the No. 4 seed to gain the conference's automatic qualifier … This will be the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance … The 26 wins are tied for the single-season program record … Macalester was picked to finish 10^th in the MIAC in the preseason coaches' poll.
 
Series History (CSS leads 3-1): The Saints have not played the Scots since the 2013 season when they split a doubleheader at the Metrodome … The two teams have never played each other in the postseason.
 
 
St. Norbert College Green Knights (No. 8 Seed)
Record: 30-11, 15-2 Midwest
 
Players to Watch:
- Griffin Jack (.311 BA, 11 2B, 30 RBIs, 12 SB)
- Jason Malkowski (6-1, 1.99 ERA, .221 Opp. BA)
- Tyler Banovich (.340 BA, 4 3B, 39 RBIs)
- Jake McMahon (8-1, 3.05 ERA, 56 K, 76,2 IP)
 
St. Norbert captured the Midwest Conference Tournament championship, beating last year's champion Beloit College (Wis.) twice … This will be the Green Knights' fifth NCAA Tournament appearance … St. Norbert has gone 1-2 the past two regionals held in Whitewater in 2012 and 2014 … Sophomore third baseman Griffin Jack was named the Midwest North Division Player of the Year … Junior Jason Malkowski was named the Pitcher of the Year … Freshman Carson Jacques was named the Newcomer of the Year … St. Norbert set a program record with 26 wins during the regular season.
 
Series History (CSS leads 1-0): The Saints played the Green Knights just once and that took place at the 2009 NCAA Regional in Oshkosh, Wisconsin where CSS won 7-6 in 11 innings.