Thursday, March 23
Elkhorn, Neb.
1 p.m. CT
St. Cloud State
vs
Southwest Minnesota State
Photo by: Kylie Macziewski
Huskies Baseball opens NSIC play with SMSU, Augustana
3/22/2023 12:30:00 PM | Baseball
SCSU begins Northern Sun action with Mustangs and Vikings
ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Baseball (8-7, 0-0 NSIC) begins Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play this week with a midweek series against Southwest Minnesota State (8-5, 0-3 NSIC) and a weekend set with Augustana (14-9, 3-0 NSIC) in Elkhorn, Nebraska and Council Bluffs, Iowa respectively. The Huskies and Mustangs open the week with a doubleheader at Frerichs Legion Field in Elkhorn on Thursday beginning at 1:00 p.m. CT, then SCSU opens a three-game tilt against Augustana on Friday evening at 7:00 p.m. CT at Doc Ross Field in Council Bluffs. Games two and three with the Vikings are set to be played as a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 3:30 p.m. CT.
BACK ON TRACK
After suffering their first road sweep since 2014 at the hands of Nova Southeastern to open their trip to Florida, the Huskies bounced back by outscoring Caldwell, Pace and Bentley 49-8 as SCSU enters conference play winners of four straight. The Huskies' lineup slashed .397/.503/.516 for a 1.019 OPS across their four wins last week, drawing 25 walks while striking out just 14 times and stealing 19 bags on 21 tries (90.5%). Perhaps the most promising turnaround came on the mound as SCSU hurlers allowed just two earned runs in 31.0 innings, pitching to a 0.58 ERA while holding batters to a .152 average. St. Cloud State's struggling bullpen rebounded by allowing zero runs over 14.0 innings of work, maintaining a 16:7 K:BB ratio and allowing just two base hits - both of which were singles.
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
Southwest Minnesota State enters the week 8-5 with an 0-3 mark in NSIC play after dropping all three games of their weekend set with Augustana. SMSU went 8-2 in nonconference action and earned votes in last week's regional poll, looking to build off a five-win improvement last season that saw them finish 17-2. The Mustangs' hot start can be attributed to strong starting pitching as righthander Ansen Dulas, southpaw Ryan Chmielewski and righty Kolby Kiser have anchored a strike-throwing rotation that has five of six arms recording BB/9 marks below 3.80. Closer Brady Brosz has earned a pair of saves in three appearances with a 1.50 ERA and a 10:1 K:BB ratio across 6.0 innings. Second baseman Keenan Wenzel is slashing .515/.556/.667 for a 1.222 OPS through eight games played while designated hitter Isaac Nett adds six extra-base hits and a 1.092 OPS in the middle of the order. Nett and first baseman Jaxon Haase share the Mustang lead with three long balls each while the latter has driven in 15, second only to centerfielder Owen Latendresse's 17. SMSU has not ran with much sucess this season - Latendresse's four stolen bases in five tries account for nearly a third of the club's attempts - and has just two everyday starters walking at a clip higher than 9.8%.
SCOUTING THE VIKINGS
Augustana has already played 23 games in 2023, entering the week with a 14-9 record and a 3-0 start to NSIC action following a sweep of SMSU last weekend. The Vikings stumbled into conference play, dropping four of their final five nonconference tilts including being swept at No. 23 Quincy two weekends ago. Reloading after graduating most of the core that led Augie to a College World Series title in 2018 followed by three straight Super Regional appearances, the Vikings strength remains tied to a strong stable of arms. Augustana leads the NSIC in K/9 and strikeout rate while ranking top-four in every major pitching category. Caleb Saari is 3-1 with a 3.15 ERA and a 43:10 K:BB ratio across 34.1 innings to anchor the weekend staff alongside Seth Miller (2-1, 4.88 ERA, 31.1 IP, 35:9 K:BB) and two-time All-NSIC selection Ryan Jares (3-2, 4.40 ERA, 28.2 IP, 33:15 K:BB). The back end of Augustana's bullpen is a real weapon as Caleb Kranz, Gave Pilla and Tom Sun set up the lights-out duo of Adam Diedrich (1-1, 3 SV, 1.00 ERA, 7 APP, 9.0 IP, 0.89 WHIP, 8 K) and Ashton Michek (1-1, 2 SV, 2.41 ERA, 6 APP, 18.2 IP, 0.80 WHIP, 18 K). Drey Dirksen is one of the Northern Sun's top catchers, slashing .347/.443/.625 for a 1.068 OPS with five doubles, five home runs and 17 RBI this spring while throwing out 42.9% of opposing baserunners. The Viking backstop is the key threat in an order that includes shortstop Jack Hines (.364/.494/.485, .979 OPS, 2 HR, 9 RBI), corner outfielder Trevor Winterstein (.333/.429/.467, .895 OPS, 3 HR, 19 RBI) and third baseman Ragan Pinnow (.273/.349/.519, .868 OPS, 4 2B, 5 HR, 12 RBI). Augustana runs extremely well, leading the conference with 48 stolen bases with Winterstein's 10, right fielder Nick Banowetz' eight and Hines' seven highlighting the top thieves.
STREAKING
Entering the week, many Huskies are enjoying excellent stretches at the dish. John Nett has reached base in all 15 games this season and holds a 20-game on-base streak dating back to the end of last season. Sawyer Smith is on a three-game hitting streak and has reached in 11 straight while Garrett Bevacqua's five-game hit streak is the longest active mark on the team, having reached base in seven straight. Sam Riola is on a six-game on-base streak and Tate Wallat has recorded a hit in three straight games.
BATTLE-TESTED BEVACQUA
Redshirt sophomore corner infielder and outfielder Garrett Bevacqua currently holds the longest active hitting streak for SCSU at five games, going 7-for-19 (.368) at the plate over the stretch with 10 RBI and a pair of doubles. A transfer from Orange Coast College, Bevacqua has provided a pair of three-hit games and has driven in a run in five of his starts this season as a key lefthanded bat in the Huskies order.
HATS OFF FOR HABECK
Junior lefthander Jack Habeck will get the start in St. Cloud State's NSIC opener against Southwest Minnesota State, a role he has excelled in over his Huskies career. Earning most of his starts in a spot role, Habeck has taken the ball eight times for SCSU - chartering a 4-1 record, a 2.43 ERA and a 3.12 FIP while firing three complete games and one shutout. Habeck has pitched to a 1.00 WHIP as a starter with 46 strikeouts (23.1%) and just 11 walks (5.5%) over 49.0 innings while limiting opponents to a .213 average and a .621 OPS. The junior is coming off a summer in the Northwoods League where he was named the circuit's Pitcher of the Year after serving as the ace of the Willmar Stingers, leading the league in wins and ERA while going 9-0 with a 2.66 ERA across 74.1 innings pitched. Habeck is also just one win away from recording his 20th collegiate victory between the NCAA and the Northwoods League.
THE TABLE IS SET
Junior centerfielder John Nett is enjoying a phenomenal campaign leading off the Huskies' potent lineup that leads the NSIC in runs per game and on-base percentage while ranking top-three in nearly every major category. Nett is slashing .483/.575/.810 for a 1.386 OPS with 25 runs scored, eight doubles, a triple, three home runs and 20 RBI. His plus approach has earned him a strong 16.2% walk rate while putting plenty of balls in play - striking out in just five of his 74 trips (6.8%) to fuel a .628 wOBA. Nett is tied for second in the conference with 25 runs scored alongside teammate Sam Riola.
VROOM VROOM
After stealing just three bases on five tries across eight games in February, the Huskies ran wild in their return to the diamond - going 22-for-24 over their last seven games to jump right back into the league's top-five in stolen bases. Sam Riola is 10-for-11 and is tied for the NSIC lead in swipes while John Nett is 6-for-6 on the basepaths. Last season St. Cloud State led the conference with 102 stolen bases, second-most in program history and just three shy of tying the Huskies' all-time single-season mark.
BULLY THE BASHER
Redshirt senior catcher Drew Bulson is establishing himself as a force in the middle of the Huskies order, entering conference play slashing .408/.483/.694 for a 1.177 OPS with five doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI. All seven of his hits against lefthanded pitchers have gone for extra bases with three leaving the yard as Bulson has slugged 1.111 with a 1.540 OPS versus southpaws while hitting .419 against righthanders. Bulson's work behind the plate has been noticable, as the pitching staff has recorded a 4.72 ERA with the St. Cloud native calling pitches as Bully adds a 30.8% caught-stealing rate. The backstop's four runners thrown out is tied for fourth-most among conference catchers entering NSIC play.
WELCOME BACK
Luke Tupy was marvelous in his season debut on March 13 against Caldwell, striking out seven over 4.0 scoreless innings of work while scattering two hits and a pair of walks to earn the win. The southpaw did not allow a runner to reach third base, bouncing back after opening his day with a pair of walks to retire 12 of the final 14 batters he faced. SCSU's returning All-American holds a career ERA of 1.61 across 14 starts with 104 strikeouts in 67.0 innings of work.
CENTURY MARKS
Both redshirt seniors Drew Bulson and Sam Riola are three hits away from recording their 100th as St. Cloud State Huskies, entering the weekend with 97 a piece. Junior designated hitter Ben Clapp just collected his 100th collegiate hit while redshirt junior right fielder Otto Grimm is eight hits away from hitting the century mark.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Baseball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
BACK ON TRACK
After suffering their first road sweep since 2014 at the hands of Nova Southeastern to open their trip to Florida, the Huskies bounced back by outscoring Caldwell, Pace and Bentley 49-8 as SCSU enters conference play winners of four straight. The Huskies' lineup slashed .397/.503/.516 for a 1.019 OPS across their four wins last week, drawing 25 walks while striking out just 14 times and stealing 19 bags on 21 tries (90.5%). Perhaps the most promising turnaround came on the mound as SCSU hurlers allowed just two earned runs in 31.0 innings, pitching to a 0.58 ERA while holding batters to a .152 average. St. Cloud State's struggling bullpen rebounded by allowing zero runs over 14.0 innings of work, maintaining a 16:7 K:BB ratio and allowing just two base hits - both of which were singles.
SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
Southwest Minnesota State enters the week 8-5 with an 0-3 mark in NSIC play after dropping all three games of their weekend set with Augustana. SMSU went 8-2 in nonconference action and earned votes in last week's regional poll, looking to build off a five-win improvement last season that saw them finish 17-2. The Mustangs' hot start can be attributed to strong starting pitching as righthander Ansen Dulas, southpaw Ryan Chmielewski and righty Kolby Kiser have anchored a strike-throwing rotation that has five of six arms recording BB/9 marks below 3.80. Closer Brady Brosz has earned a pair of saves in three appearances with a 1.50 ERA and a 10:1 K:BB ratio across 6.0 innings. Second baseman Keenan Wenzel is slashing .515/.556/.667 for a 1.222 OPS through eight games played while designated hitter Isaac Nett adds six extra-base hits and a 1.092 OPS in the middle of the order. Nett and first baseman Jaxon Haase share the Mustang lead with three long balls each while the latter has driven in 15, second only to centerfielder Owen Latendresse's 17. SMSU has not ran with much sucess this season - Latendresse's four stolen bases in five tries account for nearly a third of the club's attempts - and has just two everyday starters walking at a clip higher than 9.8%.
SCOUTING THE VIKINGS
Augustana has already played 23 games in 2023, entering the week with a 14-9 record and a 3-0 start to NSIC action following a sweep of SMSU last weekend. The Vikings stumbled into conference play, dropping four of their final five nonconference tilts including being swept at No. 23 Quincy two weekends ago. Reloading after graduating most of the core that led Augie to a College World Series title in 2018 followed by three straight Super Regional appearances, the Vikings strength remains tied to a strong stable of arms. Augustana leads the NSIC in K/9 and strikeout rate while ranking top-four in every major pitching category. Caleb Saari is 3-1 with a 3.15 ERA and a 43:10 K:BB ratio across 34.1 innings to anchor the weekend staff alongside Seth Miller (2-1, 4.88 ERA, 31.1 IP, 35:9 K:BB) and two-time All-NSIC selection Ryan Jares (3-2, 4.40 ERA, 28.2 IP, 33:15 K:BB). The back end of Augustana's bullpen is a real weapon as Caleb Kranz, Gave Pilla and Tom Sun set up the lights-out duo of Adam Diedrich (1-1, 3 SV, 1.00 ERA, 7 APP, 9.0 IP, 0.89 WHIP, 8 K) and Ashton Michek (1-1, 2 SV, 2.41 ERA, 6 APP, 18.2 IP, 0.80 WHIP, 18 K). Drey Dirksen is one of the Northern Sun's top catchers, slashing .347/.443/.625 for a 1.068 OPS with five doubles, five home runs and 17 RBI this spring while throwing out 42.9% of opposing baserunners. The Viking backstop is the key threat in an order that includes shortstop Jack Hines (.364/.494/.485, .979 OPS, 2 HR, 9 RBI), corner outfielder Trevor Winterstein (.333/.429/.467, .895 OPS, 3 HR, 19 RBI) and third baseman Ragan Pinnow (.273/.349/.519, .868 OPS, 4 2B, 5 HR, 12 RBI). Augustana runs extremely well, leading the conference with 48 stolen bases with Winterstein's 10, right fielder Nick Banowetz' eight and Hines' seven highlighting the top thieves.
STREAKING
Entering the week, many Huskies are enjoying excellent stretches at the dish. John Nett has reached base in all 15 games this season and holds a 20-game on-base streak dating back to the end of last season. Sawyer Smith is on a three-game hitting streak and has reached in 11 straight while Garrett Bevacqua's five-game hit streak is the longest active mark on the team, having reached base in seven straight. Sam Riola is on a six-game on-base streak and Tate Wallat has recorded a hit in three straight games.
BATTLE-TESTED BEVACQUA
Redshirt sophomore corner infielder and outfielder Garrett Bevacqua currently holds the longest active hitting streak for SCSU at five games, going 7-for-19 (.368) at the plate over the stretch with 10 RBI and a pair of doubles. A transfer from Orange Coast College, Bevacqua has provided a pair of three-hit games and has driven in a run in five of his starts this season as a key lefthanded bat in the Huskies order.
HATS OFF FOR HABECK
Junior lefthander Jack Habeck will get the start in St. Cloud State's NSIC opener against Southwest Minnesota State, a role he has excelled in over his Huskies career. Earning most of his starts in a spot role, Habeck has taken the ball eight times for SCSU - chartering a 4-1 record, a 2.43 ERA and a 3.12 FIP while firing three complete games and one shutout. Habeck has pitched to a 1.00 WHIP as a starter with 46 strikeouts (23.1%) and just 11 walks (5.5%) over 49.0 innings while limiting opponents to a .213 average and a .621 OPS. The junior is coming off a summer in the Northwoods League where he was named the circuit's Pitcher of the Year after serving as the ace of the Willmar Stingers, leading the league in wins and ERA while going 9-0 with a 2.66 ERA across 74.1 innings pitched. Habeck is also just one win away from recording his 20th collegiate victory between the NCAA and the Northwoods League.
THE TABLE IS SET
Junior centerfielder John Nett is enjoying a phenomenal campaign leading off the Huskies' potent lineup that leads the NSIC in runs per game and on-base percentage while ranking top-three in nearly every major category. Nett is slashing .483/.575/.810 for a 1.386 OPS with 25 runs scored, eight doubles, a triple, three home runs and 20 RBI. His plus approach has earned him a strong 16.2% walk rate while putting plenty of balls in play - striking out in just five of his 74 trips (6.8%) to fuel a .628 wOBA. Nett is tied for second in the conference with 25 runs scored alongside teammate Sam Riola.
VROOM VROOM
After stealing just three bases on five tries across eight games in February, the Huskies ran wild in their return to the diamond - going 22-for-24 over their last seven games to jump right back into the league's top-five in stolen bases. Sam Riola is 10-for-11 and is tied for the NSIC lead in swipes while John Nett is 6-for-6 on the basepaths. Last season St. Cloud State led the conference with 102 stolen bases, second-most in program history and just three shy of tying the Huskies' all-time single-season mark.
BULLY THE BASHER
Redshirt senior catcher Drew Bulson is establishing himself as a force in the middle of the Huskies order, entering conference play slashing .408/.483/.694 for a 1.177 OPS with five doubles, three home runs and 14 RBI. All seven of his hits against lefthanded pitchers have gone for extra bases with three leaving the yard as Bulson has slugged 1.111 with a 1.540 OPS versus southpaws while hitting .419 against righthanders. Bulson's work behind the plate has been noticable, as the pitching staff has recorded a 4.72 ERA with the St. Cloud native calling pitches as Bully adds a 30.8% caught-stealing rate. The backstop's four runners thrown out is tied for fourth-most among conference catchers entering NSIC play.
WELCOME BACK
Luke Tupy was marvelous in his season debut on March 13 against Caldwell, striking out seven over 4.0 scoreless innings of work while scattering two hits and a pair of walks to earn the win. The southpaw did not allow a runner to reach third base, bouncing back after opening his day with a pair of walks to retire 12 of the final 14 batters he faced. SCSU's returning All-American holds a career ERA of 1.61 across 14 starts with 104 strikeouts in 67.0 innings of work.
CENTURY MARKS
Both redshirt seniors Drew Bulson and Sam Riola are three hits away from recording their 100th as St. Cloud State Huskies, entering the weekend with 97 a piece. Junior designated hitter Ben Clapp just collected his 100th collegiate hit while redshirt junior right fielder Otto Grimm is eight hits away from hitting the century mark.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Baseball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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