Saint John's University senior Joe Eiden (Maple Grove, Minn./Totino-Grace) led the Johnnies with a .455 (5-11) average at the No. 9 spot in the lineup as SJU went 3-1 against St. Thomas and St. Olaf last week. He is now 8-for-16 with a spotless 1.000 fielding percentage (28 chances) thru the first six MIAC games. Eiden was 3-for-4 with runners on base and 2-for-2 with runners in scoring position on the week.
He tallied what proved to be the game-winning RBI, a fifth-inning single with two outs, in the 2-1 victory over No. 1 St. Thomas on April 7. The win snapped a five-game losing streak to UST and served as the Tommies’ first loss to an NCAA Division III opponent in 18 games going back to last season (13-game winning streak in 2010). He then went 2-for-3 with two runs scored in the comeback 6-5 win over St. Olaf in game one of SJU’s sweep on April 10. The MIAC turnaround is quite significant for Eiden, considering he batted .214 (9-42) in 17 non-conference games before the conference schedule started.
He is currently tied for the best fielding percentage among MIAC second basemen (minimum 50 chances, Macalester’s Mitch Glasser) with .989 (one error in 91 chances).
Saint John’s (12-11, 5-1 MIAC) plays host to its fourth consecutive undefeated MIAC opponent, Concordia-Moorhead (13-7, 4-0 MIAC), this Tuesday, April 13. The doubleheader is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at Saint John’s Field in Collegeville.
