St. Cloud State Baseball Opens NSIC Play Against Wayne State

Friday, February 20

Warren Turner Field | Joplin, Mo.

12:00 P.M. CT

St. Cloud State

Wayne State

St. Cloud State Baseball Opens NSIC Play Against Wayne State

2/19/2026 4:39:00 PM | Baseball

Huskies will play four-game set against Wildcats, first three will be NSIC contests

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Baseball (1-2, 0-0 NSIC) will begin Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play with a four-game series against Wayne State (4-3, 0-0 NSIC) this weekend in Joplin, Mo. The first three games of the series will ben conference contests, while the series finale will be a nonconference game. The series is set to be played at Warren Turner Field on the campus of Missouri Southern.

FOLLOW THE HUSKIES
Game 1 vs. Wayne State – Friday, Feb. 20 – 12:00 p.m. CT – Joplin, Mo. – Warren Turner Field – NSIC Network
Game 2 vs. Wayne State – Friday, Feb. 20 – 2:00 p.m. CT – Joplin, Mo. – Warren Turner Field – NSIC Network
Game 3 vs. Wayne State – Saturday, Feb. 21 – 1:00 p.m. CT – Joplin, Mo. – Warren Turner Field – NSIC Network
Game 4 vs. Wayne State – Sunday, Feb. 22 – 1:00 p.m. CT – Joplin, Mo. – Warren Turner Field – NSIC Network

RIGHT WHERE HE LEFT OFF

After leading SCSU with 29 extra base hits in 2025, junior Wilmis Castro (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) opened the 2026 season hitting .333 (4-of-12) with a 1.218 OPS, three extra base hits and two RBI in season-opening series at Missouri Western (Feb. 13, 15). Castro had a triple and double in the first game of the season and a home run in a 5-3 win on Feb. 15. In total, he had 10 total bases in SCSU's opening weekend, already ranking in the NSIC's top-20 despite playing two less games than everyone ranked in front of him.

NOTES FROM THE MOUND

A trio of Huskies teamed up to get SCSU's first win of the season, a 5-3 victory over Missouri Western on Feb. 15. Sophomore A.J. Price (Neenah,Wis.) earned his first collegiate win in his 19^th appearance and third career start, pitching 5.0 innings with one earned run and three strikeouts. His five-inning outing is a career long, surpassing a four-inning start against Concordia-St. Paul on April 9, 2025. Freshman Brayden Simones (Sartell, Minn.) made his collegiate debut and earned the save with four strikeouts over 1.2 innings. In between Price and Simone, senior Kahler Key (Onalaska, Wis.) pitched 2.1 innings and had a career-high six strikeouts, surpassing his previous high of five against Missouri Southern on Feb. 7, 2025.

In SCSU's season opener (Feb. 13, 8-1 loss), senior Bryce Brassfield (Gilbert, Ariz.), pitched 4.2 innings with four strikeouts, marking the fourth consecutive start he's logged six or more punchouts dating back to last season.

HUSKIES PICKED THIRD IN NSIC PRESEASON POLL

St. Cloud State was selected to finish third in the 2026 NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll with redshirt senior Liam Moreno named the player to watch and senior Bryce Brassfield named the pitcher to watch.

In 2025, the Huskies went 28-26 and finished fifth in the NSIC standing, marking the 15^th consecutive season the Huskies have finished in the NSIC's top-five and 16^th time in 17 seasons under head coach Pat Dolan (no conference season in 2020 due to pandemic). Four Huskies earned All-NSIC honors, including returners Moreno and junior Wilmis Castro, who earned first and second team honors, respectively. The Huskies relied on the long ball all season long, launching 67 home runs, a mark which ranked second as a team in program history and only trailed the 96 home runs hit in 2016.

"Fortunately, all but one of our returning seniors returned versus entering the transfer portal and we signed one of our best and oldest recruiting classes ever," said Dolan. "We believe we should have the quality upperclassmen depth both on the mound and on the field to be competitive in the NSIC."

Moreno had a standout first season playing for the Huskies last season, earning first team honors while starting 53 games and playing in all 54. At the plate, Moreno hit .350 with a .994 OPS, eight home runs, 33 RBI, 15 doubles, 60 runs and 20 stolen bases. He led the Huskies in runs and stolen bases, while ranking among the NSIC's top-10 in many offensive categories. In the field, Moreno produced a .982 fielding percentage with 35 putouts and 75 assists while committing just two errors all season.

"Liam is a returning NSIC All-Conference player that has played NCAA DI baseball and three years with the Madison Mallards in the NWL," said Dolan. "He was elected a captain for his senior year and will be a leader for our team this season."

Brassfield made 13 starts in his first season in the black and red, producing a 4-3 record with 5.60 ERA, 1.60 WHIP and 65 strikeouts in 66.1 innings pitched. He recorded five or more strikeouts in six of his 13 starts, including his last three, and pitched six or more innings five times. He made arguably his best start of the season against Minot State on April 26, pitching six innings with one earned run and eight strikeouts while earning the win.

"Bryce is one of our top returning pitchers and is a two-year captain," said Dolan. "We are looking forward to him being a reliable arm on the mound for us this season."

NEW SEASON, NEW FACES

St. Cloud State will have 19 newcomers on the roster this season with 12 transfers and seven freshmen. Below is a look at all the newcomers.

Transfers (previous school)