The goal Jon Dold set for himself entering the 1993 Saint John's University baseball season wasn't complex.
But it turned out to be highly effective.
"The theory in my head was that we play all these doubleheaders," recalls Dold '94, a two-time All-MIAC and one-time All-Region selection during his career with the Johnnies from 1990-93. "So if I just focused on hitting the ball hard, I'd probably end up with at least one or two hits on the day – if not more. If you put a bunch of days like that together, it could add up to a pretty good season."
That ended up being a conservative assessment. In actuality, Dold put together -- by far -- the greatest performance at the plate in school history. The Rocori High School graduate led the nation that spring with a .562 batting average – a mark that still ranks as the fifth-best single-season average in NCAA Division III history.
His .596 average in conference play remains an MIAC record.
"I was just trying to put the ball in play and see what happened from there," he said. "Suddenly, I was starting to go 2-for-2 each game, or 2-for-3 or 3-for-3. It seemed like everything was starting to click."
Dold grew up attending SJU sporting events, but didn't make up his mind to enroll at Collegeville until the summer after his senior year of high school.
"My plan was to see how sports went my senior year (at Rocori), then decide from there," he said. "I didn't actually draw a whole lot of recruiting interest. Saint John's and a couple of other schools were recruiting me for baseball. (Legendary former SJU coach) Jim Smith was recruiting me to play basketball.
"I knew I loved it at Saint John's. So, in the end, I figured that was the right place for me."
Dold ended up playing both basketball and baseball for the Johnnies for three seasons. He got some playing time on the court, but it was on the diamond where he truly made his mark. After being named the Johnnies' junior varsity MVP as a freshman in 1991, he won a varsity starting job and went on to earn All-MIAC honors as a sophomore.
That set the stage for his record-breaking performance in 1993.
"He could have hit around .650 that year the way he was hitting the ball," longtime SJU head coach
Jerry Haugen said. "Even with all the hits he had, there were so many more hard-hit balls that ended up getting caught.
"He hit one of the longest home runs I can remember from one of our guys. I think it was around 493 feet. It ended up landing in a mucky puddle about 106 feet beyond the fence in left centerfield at our old baseball park."
Dold had already generated some attention from pro scouts. But his performance in 1993 helped persuade the Cincinnati Reds to select him in the 40th round of that year's MLB Draft – making him the first Johnnie to be drafted at the MLB level.
He signed with the team, making the decision to forego his senior season at SJU, and spent the summer of 1993 in rookie ball with the Princeton (West Virginia) Reds of the Appalachian League. He recorded 31 hits, including six doubles, and 21 RBI.
Dold then went to spring training with the Reds in 1994, but chose to sign with the Minneapolis Loons of the independent North Central League instead of returning to rookie ball. He played for the Loons one season before bringing his professional career to a close.
"A few things happened perfectly for me to end up being drafted," Dold said. "I started out going to tryout camps for the Reds up in Little Falls when I was in high school. They were kind of following me as a junior. I didn't really know how much was going on until they started coming to some games at the end of the season.
"Jerry Raddatz, who was a scout for them, was actually watching someone playing with the Gophers the same day we were playing Hamline at the old Midway Stadium in St. Paul. He stopped by to just check me out for a couple of innings and I hit a home run over a train going by in left field. Then I threw out a guy going to third base from right field. So he ended up sticking around."
During his time in the minors, Dold got to rub elbows with some famous faces.
"I think three of the guys I played with in Princeton ended up making it to the majors," he said. "One of those guys – Luis Ordaz – was the shortstop when Mark McGwire broke the (single-season) home run record (in 1998). With the Loons, (former Twins reliever) Juan Berenguer was on the roster. So I got the chance to play with him. That was fun."
Dold, an economics major, went on to work with Anderson Consulting, then in pharmaceutical sales for 13 years before going to work as a realtor at Century 21, where he has been since 2014.
He also had a 17-year career at the amateur baseball level and remains involved in the game today as the co-head coach of the St. Cloud Chutes American Legion team.
"Another Johnnie – Dave Wenner – asked me to coach with him nine years ago and I've been coaching as an assistant every summer since," Dold said. "He left to become the head coach at Milaca High School and he has his own Legion program going out there. So myself and two other guys are now running the Chutes."
Dold said he still looks back fondly on his time at SJU and all he was able to accomplish.
"I played with some really great guys, and Jerry and the rest of the coaches treated me so well," Dold said. "Being part of that program was so much fun."
