DULUTH, Minn. (
csssaints.com) – The St. Scholastica baseball team begins its 2018 season on Tuesday with a doubleheader against Macalester College at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Where:
U.S. Banks Stadium – Minneapolis, Minn.
When:
Tuesday at 11 a.m. (DH*)
*Two seven-inning games
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/css/baseball/
Fan Entrance:
All fans will enter at the Lower Pentair gate (off South 6th Street). NO ENTRANCE VIA SKYWAY. Fans will then proceed to sit in sections 126 – 130. Tickets are $5 at the door (children 2 & under are free), both cash and credit are accepted. Fans should anticipate doors opening 30 minutes before the start of the game. Depending on the day's schedule and if there are games before, doors may already be open but this is not true for all days and games. Outside food and drink is prohibited and will not be allowed in the stadium. We will have food available. Reentry will not be allowed. Free public Wi-Fi is available at the stadium.
Social Media:
Twitter:
www.twitter.com/cssbaseball
Instagram:
www.instagram.com/cssbaseball
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/cssbaseball/
St. Scholastica Saints
2017 Stats
2017 Record: 34-10, 16-0 UMAC
Upper Midwest Athletic Conference: Standings | Stats
Season Outlook: The Saints are once again picked to win the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference, according to the preseason coaches' poll … CSS returns six starting position players and three starting pitchers … Leading the position players in senior outfielder
Steven Neutzling (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Cathedral) … Neutzling was the 2017 UMAC Player of the Year and a First Team All-Midwest Region selection by D3baseball.com … Last season, Neutzling became the first CSS player since 2007 to record at least 50 RBIs and 50 runs scored in a season … He reached base safely in the each of the final 35 games of the season … Joining him in the outfield is senior centerfielder
Drew Colvard (Little Canada, Minn./Roseville HS) … Colvard was an honorable mention All-UMAC performer last season as he led the team with 12 stolen bases … 2017 UMAC Rookie of the Year
Joey Zwak (Duluth, Minn./Duluth East HS) will be starting somewhere in the middle infield this season … Last year as a second baseman, Zwak had a team-best 19-game hitting streak at one point and was named to the D3baseball.com All-Midwest Region Third Team … 2016 UMAC Rookie of the Year
Conor Wollenzien (North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West HS) is also back … Wollenzien, like Zwak, will potentially see time at multiple infield positions this season … Last year as first baseman or designated hitter, Wollenzien started all 44 games and finished second in the UMAC with 24 RBIs in conference action … Behind the plate, junior catcher
Riley Bernsdorf (Meadowlands, Minn./Floodwood HS) returns … The 2017 All-UMAC selection had a 15-game hit streak at one point and hit a walk-off home run against UW-La Crosse … Two key players the Saints will have to replace are all-region performers
Tyler Duex (Bloomer, Wis./Chippewa Falls HS (UW-Superior)) and
Brian Minks (St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Cathedral HS) … Not only were Duex and Minks solid in the middle of the lineup last season, but were steady defensively in the infield … Sophomore
Eric Pearson (Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park HS) exploded onto the scene late last season with 13 RBIs in the final seven games of the year … Pearson is listed as a first baseman, but will see plenty of time at DH and might play some catcher as well … On the mound, the pitching staff will be led by senior
Grant Rindal (Superior, Wis./Superior HS) … Rindal had a breakout year last season being named to the D3baseball.com All-Midwest Region Third Team … Rindal won six games and has a 3-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio in his career … Junior
Ben Christofferson (Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo HS) returns after earning All-UMAC accolades last season … Christofferson led the UMAC with a .147 opposing batting average … The bullpen was arguably the strength of the pitching staff last season and returns its top two arms in senior
Joe Gonrowski (Elk River, Minn./Elk River HS) and junior
Isaac Rocha (Owatonna, Minn./Owatonna HS) … Gonrowski is a two-time honorable mention All-UMAC choice and had a great offseason, pitching for the Duluth Huskies in the Northwoods League … CSS does have to replace big-game pitcher
Martin Alcoverde (Tucson, Ariz./Sahuarita HS (Mesabi Range CC)), who became the first CSS pitcher to throw a complete-game shutout in a NCAA Tournament game last season.
Coach Kemp: Head Coach
Corey Kemp begins his ninth season guiding the Saints … He has won eight UMAC regular season and tournament championships in his first eight seasons … He enters 2018 just 33 wins shy of 300 career victories … Kemp has won the last five UMAC Coach of the Year awards.
Go Deep: The Saints hit 36 home runs last year, the most since the 2008 season … CSS hit 39 the previous three years combined … The Saints hit six home runs at the NCAA Regional alone, the most since 2008.
Solid Defense: CSS finished with its best fielding percentage in program history last season at .973 … In fact, three of its top four season fielding percentages have occurred the last years.
Season Openers: The Saints are 2-4 in their last six season openers … However, the Saints are 7-2 in their last nine season openers in Minneapolis.
Regional Host: For the first time in not only the program's history, but school history, The College of St. Scholastica will host a NCAA postseason event as it will host the NCAA Midwest Regional Baseball Tournament May 17-21 at Wade Stadium.
Top 5 Games to Watch
3/16 – vs. UMass Boston
The Beacons enter the year ranked fifth in the D3baseball.com preseason poll after winning a program-record 38 games last season and advancing to the College World Series.
3/30 – at UW-La Crosse
The Saints head to La Crosse this year after sweeping the Eagles at Wade Stadium last season; La Crosse returned the favor by defeating the Saints in the opening game of last year's Midwest Regional and advancing to another regional final.
4/19 – at UW-Whitewater
The Warhawks enter the year ranked No. 4 in the D3baseball.com preseason poll; CSS and UWW split a doubleheader last season.
5/5 – vs. Bethany Lutheran
The UMAC regular season title may be on the line as the final conference doubleheader features the projected top two teams in the league.
5/6 – vs. St. Thomas
The Tommies are ranked No. 19 in the D3baseball.com preseason poll and ended St. Scholastica's season in last year's Midwest Regional.
UMAC Preseason Poll
1. St. Scholastica- 64 points (8 First Place Votes)
2. Bethany Lutheran - 55 points (1 First Place Votes)
3. Wisconsin-Superior - 45 points
4. Minnesota Morris - 40 points
5. Northland - 39 points
6. Northwestern - 36 points
7. North Central - 19 points
8. Crown - 17 points
9. Martin Luther - 9 points
What You Need to Know about Macalester:
-The Scots went 26-17 in 2017 and qualified for their first NCAA Regional Tournament.
-Macalester finished fourth in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) last season, but captured the MIAC Tournament title.
-The 26 wins last season matched a program-best.
-The Scots went 0-2 at the Midwest Regional, falling to eventual regional champion Concordia University-Chicago and conference rival University of St. Thomas.
-Macalester returns eight position players that started at least 33 games last season.
-Leading the way is senior outfielder Alex Baretta, who was a First Team ABCA All-Midwest Region choice last season.
-Baretta led the team with a .392 batting average and led the MIAC with 62 hits.
-Senior catcher Collin Brantner was a Second Team ABCA All-Midwest Region choice last year.
-Brantner had four home runs and 35 RBIs a season ago.
-Senior first baseman Nick McMullen is a two-time all-region choice.
-McMullen had five home runs and a team-best 37 RBIs last season.
-On the mound, Matthew Plisko was an All-MIAC performer last season.
-Plisko led the team with seven wins and had a 2.26 earned run average.
-The Scots do have to replace pitcher Dylan Edwards-Gaherty, who led the MIAC last season with a 2.14 ERA.
-Macalester is picked to finish fourth again in the MIAC this season.
-Head Coach Matt Parrington is two wins shy of 300 in his career at Macalester.
Series Record: CSS leads 3-1
(Last Meeting: 1-0 CSS – 2/25/2013)
Series History: The teams last met in 2013 for a doubleheader at the Metrodome, which resulted in a split … Prior to that, the last time the teams squared off was the 1999 season at the Metrodome, which was a St. Scholastica sweep.
Looking Ahead: The Saints will have their spring break trip to the Russmatt Invitational in Florida beginning on Sunday, March 11 against Washington University-St. Louis.
