Huskies Baseball begins 2021 campaign in Fort Scott, Kansas

Sunday, March 7

Fort Scott, KS

12:00 p.m.

St. Cloud State

William Jewell College (Mo.)

The LaRoche Baseball Complex, named for primary benefactor, former MLB-All Star and Fort Scott native Adam LaRoche, will play host to the Huskies this week.

Huskies Baseball begins 2021 campaign in Fort Scott, Kansas

3/6/2021 9:00:00 AM | Baseball

St. Cloud State Baseball opens their 2021 season with a five-game trip to Fort Scott, Kansas beginning with two games on Opening Day this Sunday. The 2021 Huskies boast a wealth of established collegiate talent and promising young underclassmen, including one of the deepest position player pools in recent program history.

"I'm not sure how many games we're going to play or how many we are going to win but I know we're ready to play after eight weeks of practicing in the Husky Dome and 350+ days without a game," said head coach Pat Dolan, "With that said I really love our mixture of returning players, returning redshirts and new players that will hopefully bring another exciting year for Husky Baseball."

2021 Huskies Baseball begins at noon central time on Sunday, March 7 against William Jewell College at the LaRoche Baseball Complex in Fort Scott, Kansas. Following the opener against the Cardinals, SCSU is slated to play Minnesota-Crookston at 3:00 p.m. in Sunday's nightcap. The Huskies play the Golden Eagles again on Monday at 11:30 a.m., then take on Bemidji State Tuesday at 11:30 a.m. and Thursday at 11:00 a.m. to close the week.

Each of the first four games will be aired on 97.5 FM RadioX, available at this LINK. After following the link, click the "Listen Live" play button at the top of the page. Live stats will also be available for all five games and fans can follow @SCSUHUSKIES_BB on Twitter for live in-game updates, as well as scsubaseball on Instagram for photos throughout the week.

Pat Dolan spoke with Dave Overlund of WJON Sports during his "Hang up and Listen" sports hour on Friday to discuss the upcoming season. Fans can listen to the interview HERE.

The 2021 campaign will be year 14 of the Dolan Era. Last spring, the Huskies went 9-5 in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. SCSU's action was halted following their trip to Florida, as the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) was unable to begin the conference season. In 2021, the Huskies return 19 student-athletes including three seniors utilizing the NCAA-granted additional year of eligibility, commonly known in collegiate baseball circles as the "COVID-shirt."

Unsurprisingly, the 2021 Huskies pitching staff will play a key role in the program's success. St. Cloud State pitching has finished in the top five in the NSIC ERA rankings each season since 2009, and incredibly the staff has not posted a fielding independent pitching (FIP) mark higher than 3.80 in that same span.

Junior lefthander Matt Osterberg begins his second season as the Huskies' ace. The Coleman, Wisconsin native has established himself as a professional prospect with his scintillating stuff. In 2020, Osterberg made three starts and went 1-1 with a 2.84 ERA, striking out 24 and walking just six over 19.0 innings while holding opponents to a .607 OPS. His staff-leading 1.52 FIP ranked third in the NSIC among qualifying pitchers. 2021's last season's opening day starter, posted a brilliant 2019 campaign in which he started 8 games and went 5-2 with a 3.35 ERA while punching out 55 (26.2%) and walking just 16 (7.6%) over 48.1 innings pitched.

SCSU has a deep stable of arms to construct the staff behind Osterberg. Redshirt sophomore Riley Ahern and junior Trevor Koenig have been mainstays in a variety of roles for SCSU. Riley has quickly established himself as an extremely reliable arm, owning a 2.68 ERA over 18 career appearances and four starts through two seasons with St. Cloud State. Ahern's debut redshirt-freshman 2019 season saw the righthander become one of the very best relievers in the Central Region as he worked 32.1 innings across 15 appearances and worked at a 1.95 ERA/1.96 FIP. He struck out 38, walked just nine, operated at a 0.959 WHIP and limited hitters to a .198/.280/.225 slash line for a .505 opponent OPS. Last season Ahern went 1-0 over three starts, striking out 19 and walking only three over 14.2 frames. Koenig likewise posted a breakout 2019 as he operated in a critical role as a top lefthander out of the SCSU bullpen The lefty appeared in 10 games with two starts, covered 14.2 innings to the tune of a 4.91 ERA, struck out 18 while walking just three and held lefties to a meager .182 average. Koenig was selected to the 2019 Northwoods League All-Star Game and was named St. Cloud Rox Pitcher of the Year after going 7-1 with a stellar 1.35 ERA across 10 starts, striking out 51 and allowing just 35 hits over 60.0 innings. He owned a .167 batting average against, tied the Rox single-season wins record and allowed just five extra-base hits over the entire campaign.

Flamethrowing righthander Fabian Villegas stands as an exciting piece to the pitching puzzle, as the Phoenix College transfer begins his second season with the Huskies. As a freshman at Phoenix in 2018 he appeared in 13 games with two starts, going 2-3 and recording a save. Villegas tossed 25.1 innings and struck out 31 while walking just eight batters. He moved to the Bears rotation in 2019, making 15 appearances and starting 10 games. Fabian fired 55.1 frames to the tune of a 2.93 ERA, going 3-5 with 66 strikeouts, 27 walks and a .203 opponent average en route to earning NJCAA Division II Second Team All-Region honors as a sophomore.

Senior transfer Mack Larson brings nearly 200.0 innings of collegiate experience to SCSU. Across 167.1 innings covering 39 appearances and 21 starts between Everett College (NWAC) and Lyon College (NAIA), Larson owns a 16-8 record with 157 strikeouts (24.1%), a splendid 6.6% walk rate and a 3.38 FIP. In 2019, he earned Lyon's lone win in the American Midwest Conference Tournament against Park College on May 2, punching out 10 while cruising through 6.0 innings of five-hit, one-walk baseball and allowing just two earned.

Redshirt freshmen righties Eli Emerson and Tommy Thompson provide electric stuff to the stable of arms. Emerson earned All-State honors in his prep days as a ROCORI two-sport star (baseball and football). Last season Eli appeared in three games, all in relief, striking out seven over 5.2 innings pitched. He did not allow an earned run during his collegiate debut on February 16 at Missouri Southern State, retiring five batters while striking out a pair. Thompson helped lead Chanhassen High School to a 2015 MSHSL State Championship and was a three-time All-Conference honoree as a prepster. Both righthanders are well-known for their success on the summer Minnesota Baseball Association circuit, with Emerson standing out for the Richmond Royals and Thompson serving as a key arm for the championship-laden Chanhassen Redbirds.

Junior righthanders Nick Brauns and Jacob Bradley, each in their second season in the red and black after transferring in from junior colleges, each add a wealth of collegiate experience. Across two seasons as a high-leverage reliever and starting pitcher for Glendale College, Brauns has made 30 appearances and nine starts while covering 93.1 innings to the tune of a 2.80 FIP. In 2019 at Glendale, Brauns tossed 66.2 frames with 74 strikeouts and just 22 walks while posting a stellar 2.64 FIP. He has earned three saves throughout his college career. Bradley has spent his career as both a starter and a reliever at Everett College, where he pitched in 25 games and made 11 starts. Across 84.0 innings, Bradley went 6-3 with a save, 64 strikeouts and an outstanding .217/.335/.347 opponent slash line for a .651 opponent OPS, culminating in a 3.21 earned run average.

Senior captain Shannon Ahern has long been one of St. Cloud State's most trusted arms in a variety of roles, having made 50 appearances with 14 starts during his four-year Huskies career. He has 14 collegiate wins to his credit along with three saves, working 156.0 innings to the tune of a 4.33 ERA and a stellar 3.33 FIP (fielding independent pitching) along with a 137:37 K:BB ratio. Ahern posted a brilliant 2019 campaign, going 3-3 in 19 appearances and three starts with a 2.91 ERA and a 2.65 FIP over 46.1 frames. He struck out 29.1% of the batters he faced (55 K's) and limited his opponents to a meager .582 OPS. Last season Ahern earned the win in all three of his relief appearances, recording a 2.63 ERA/2.22 FIP and striking out 15 across 13.2 innings. Ahern was a 2020 NSIC All-Academic Team member.

Second-year freshmen lefty Jack Habeck and righty Adam Winkels round out the Huskies' returning arms. In his senior season at Appleton East High School, Habeck went 6-4 with a 2.56 ERA with 73 strikeouts. Last year, the true freshman appeared in five games out of the bullpen as the Huskies' top lefthanded reliever as he led the staff with a 1.50 ERA over 6.0 innings. Four of his five outings were scoreless. Winkels did not make an appearance in the pandemic-shortened 2021 season. As a prep at Albany High School, Winkels twice earned All-State and All-Conference honors and was selected as his conference's Most Valuable Pitcher twice. The power righthander posted an 18-7 record with a 1.50 ERA in high school.

Freshmen lefthander Luke Tupy and righthander Isaiah Katz complete the 2021 staff. A three-year letter winner at New Prague High School, Tupy received All-Conference honors and was named his team's pitcher of the year in 2019. As a junior, he struck out 101 with a 2.13 ERA in 62.0 innings of work. Katz was a standout pitcher for coach Mike Johnson at Fall Creek High School, posting a 3-0 record in 2019 and gaining All-Conference honors. He notched 44 strikeouts in 23.0 innings pitched for Fall Creek in 2019. As a sophomore, Katz was 4-2 with 69 strikeouts and also earned All-Conference accolades.

The Huskies boast one of the deepest position player pools in recent memory, starting with their outstanding group of catchers. Ean Von Wald returns to SCSU following a season at Cedar Valley College. The sophomore is no stranger to the Huskies, as the 2018 graduate and four-year baseball letterwinner at Foley High School spent his 2019 freshman campaign at St. Cloud State. He appeared in 17 games with one start behind the plate as SCSU's third catcher. Von Wald spent his 2019 summer with the Hub City Hotshots of the Expedition League where he started 35 games and drove in 13 while hitting four doubles and two home runs. Last year he spent his sophomore season at Cedar Valley, starting 22 games and slashed .400/.582/.600 for an incredible 1.182 OPS. He doubled five times, tripled once, blasted a pair of long balls, drove in 24 and scored 24 runs. He went 7-7 on steals and threw out a ridiculous 61.5% of opposing basestealers.

Potential-laden junior backstop Caleb Marquez joins Von Wald as another newcomer, following a unique journey to SCSU. A 2018 graduate of Blue Springs High School, Marquez was selected by the Milwaukee Brewers in 39th round of the 2018 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. He played two seasons of short-season Arizona League Rookie Ball in the Brewers organization where he started 33 games over his two-year stint while splitting time between catcher, first base and designated hitter. Marquez crushed seven doubles and two home runs to go with 18 RBI, stole three bases and handled a pitching staff that included 2017 Brewers second-rounder Caden Lemons and Huskies outfielder Lenny Walker's former South Mountain CC teammate Keegan McCarville.

Redshirt freshman Drew Bulson, redshirt sophomore Reid Conlee and freshman Mason Diaz serve as the Huskies' returners behind the plate. Bulson appeared in 14 games and started 10 last season, nine behind the plate and one as the designated hitter. He homered twice and drove in 11 while throwing out 27.3% of opposing basestealers. In 2020, Conlee played in eight games with five starts. He batted .300 with a double, two home runs, four RBI and threw out 25.0% of opposing basestealers. Over a two-day, three-game stretch on March 6 and 7 Conlee went 6-for-9 with two runs scored, a double, two homers and three runs driven in. Diaz is a second-year Huskies freshman, his first appearance in 2021 will be his collegiate debut. As a prep he was an All-Conference and All-Region selection, finishing with 100 career hits, a .352 batting average, 103 RBI and a .469 on base percentage. He was picked by Perfect Game as a top 2019 prospect at the National West Coast Showcase and ranked as the No. 39 prospect in Indiana.

St. Cloud State's infield is loaded with established talent, starting with a pair of power-hitting first basemen. Senior captain Jake Shusterich led St. Cloud State in home runs and RBI while starting all 14 games last season, belting four homers and knocking in 14 while slashing .250/.327/.542 for an .869 OPS. Over his three-year collegiate career including two seasons at Allan Hancock College, Shusterich owns a .315/.415/.573 slash line for a .988 OPS over 78 games and 318 plate appearances with 22 doubles, a triple, 15 home runs, 70 RBI and a .422 wOBA. He finished in the top three in each of the Western State-North Triple Crown categories as a freshman in junior college. Junior C.J. Breen joins the Huskies following stops at NCAA DI Chicago State, Grand Rapids College and NCAA DI Niagara. Breen earned All-District honors three times, All-Region twice and All-City once as a prepster. He began his collegiate career at Chicago State, appearing in 16 games with one start where he scored a run, had one double on the year and was a key contributor to the program's third consecutive ABCA Team Academic award. Breen played with the Battle Creek Bombers and the Thunder Bay Border Cats of the Northwoods League in 2019, scoring a pair of runs. He joined Niagara University in 2020, where he and the Purple Eagles beat #12 Florida State in their season opener. The Michigan native spent his summer playing in the Northwoods League's Kenosha Series with the K-Town Bobbers, batting .259 with three runs scored and four RBI while reaching base at a .400 clip across nine games.

Junior everyday shortstop Kyle Rodriguez returns for a second season starting up the middle for SCSU. "K-Rod" played JUCO baseball at Everett College, where he earned All-League Honorable Mention and started 85 games across his two-year career. In 2019 Rodriguez slashed .261/.362/.389 for a .751 OPS with eight doubles, three triples, two home runs and knocked in 29.

Joining Breen as newcomers in the infield are junior Max Gamm, sophomore Parker Savard and redshirt freshman Tate Wallat. Prior to SCSU, Gamm spent three seasons at NCAA-DI Nebraska-Omaha. He started in 48 of 49 games played as a freshman during the 2018 season, batting .244 with 23 runs scored, three doubles, 17 RBI and five steals. As a sophomore he started 41 games as UNO's starting second baseman in 2019, helping UNO to win the Summit League Regular Season and Tournament Championships. He hit .259 and reached base at an exceptional .353 mark, scored 26 runs while knocking in 12, and belted four doubles and a triple. He also led Nebraska-Omaha with 13 steals on 14 tries for a 92.9% success rate. Savard spent two seasons with Dakota County Technical College, where he started 48 of 49 games played as a freshman, slashing .342/.449/.403 for an .852 OPS. Savard scored 33 runs, clubbed 9 doubles, drove in 36, stole 16 bases and was hit by 15 pitches. In the COVID-shortened 2020 season Savard started 12 games and hit .317 with three doubles, eight runs scored, eight RBI and reached base at a .404 mark while going 9-10 on steals. The fine-fielding Wallat spent two seasons at Everett College where he played in 11 games with nine starts as a freshman before suffering an injury and receiving a medical redshirt. He produced a .760 OPS with a double, a triple, a home run and 10 RBI while reaching base at a .353 clip. Wallat started four games with the Pacific International League's Seattle Wallbangers in 2019 and had a pair of hits and an RBI in his season finale. He played in four games and started three as a redshirt-freshman during the COVID-shortened 2020 season, where he had a hit and drove in one.

Depth being a common theme for the Huskies, the outfield features three returners in seniors Matt Quade and Lenny Walker along with second-year freshman John Nett. An elite defender at third, first and the corner outfield slots, second-year captain Quade has been a steady presence in the Huskies' lineup over the past two seasons. He spent his 2016 season as a SCSU redshirt athlete, then transferred to St. Cloud Technical College where he was named the 2018 Spalding NJCAA DIII Defensive Player of the Year award after posting a 1.000 fielding percentage with 166 putouts and 13 assists as the everyday Cylone first baseman. Quade returned to SCSU in 2019 and helped lead the Huskies to their fifth straight NCAA Central Region Tournament berth. Last season Quade transitioned from third base to the outfield, starting all 14 games and driving in seven with a pair of doubles and a home run. Over 125 collegiate games and 455 plate appearances, he owns a .346/.418/.548 triple-slash for a .966 OPS along with 30 doubles, six triples, 12 home runs and 108 RBI. Quade was a 2020 NSIC All-Academic Team member and named to the 2020 NSIC Academic Team of Distinction. Walker joined the Huskies in 2019 following one year each at South Mountain College and Phoenix College, hitting .315 with a team-high 14 doubles across 53 games played as a junior. Over his two years, Walker played in 66 games predominately as the Huskies' left fielder and DH, slashing .316/.399/.410 for a .809 OPS with 18 doubles, 47 runs scored, 50 RBI and 21 stolen bases. The righthanded bat has struck out and walked in 10.2% of his plate appearances, both stellar marks with a 29:29 SCSU K:BB ratio. Nett started eight games as a true freshman, all in centerfield, and led the Huskies with a .357 average. He opened his career with a bang, walking off Northwest Missouri State with a two-run single in the ninth on February 16. Nett stole three bases, hit a pair of doubles and posted an .884 OPS. Incredibly, the Appleton, Wisconsin native hit .508 over his high school career while being named All-State twice.

Junior outfielder Paul Steffensen joins St. Cloud State as a well-established middle-of-the-order force. Steffensen began his collegiate career at Mesa College in Mesa, Arizona. As a freshman he earned First Team All-ACCAC and First Team All-Region Division II honors as he slashed an incredible .398/.443/.551 for a .994 OPS with seven doubles, 10 triples and two home runs while scoring 53 runs and driving in 42 over 56 games and 54 starts. Steffensen stole 16 bases with a 100% success rate as a freshman. In his 2019 sophomore campaign he hit .319 with a .886 OPS and smashed 18 doubles, three doubles and four home runs. He collected 36 RBI, scored 34 times and stole six bases. Steffensen spent his sophomore summer at home on the Kenai Peninsula in the Alaska Baseball League, playing for the Peninsula Oilers. He played in 33 games with 27 starts, hitting two doubles and a home run while scoring 12 runs and stealing 7 bases. He transferred to NCAA-DI Tennessee Tech for his junior year, where he started seven of the eight games he played in before the season was cut short by COVID-19. Steffensen slashed .292/.370/.500 with two doubles and a homer while driving in four.

The Huskies position player group welcomes a pair of true freshmen in catcher Nick Friedges and outfielder Tyler Schiller. Friedges played high school baseball for Coach Dan Cosgrove at South St. Paul High School. He also played summer ball for Coach Cory Glieden with the Blizzard Varsity Blue team. The lefthander hitter produced a great performance in the Red/Black World Series, posting a .748 OPS with a double and a pair of runs scored while playing stellar defense behind the dish and in the outfield. A talented two-sport athlete at Hutchinson, Schiller earned All-Conference honors in baseball as a prep athlete in 2017, 2018 and 2019. He batted .428 with 15 singles, six doubles, four triples and five home runs with 24 RBIs in 2019. Schiller also gained All-State and All-State Academic notice in 2019. A letterwinner on the Hutchinson football team, Schiller gained All-Conference football awards in 2018 and 2017.

Note: Fielding Indepentent Pitching (FIP) is calculated using innings pitched, strikeouts, walks, hit batsmen and home runs allowed with a constant of 3.10. For ease of use, it is to be read similarly to ERA.