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.
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's swept St. Olaf for the first time since 1998, 6-5 and 5-3, on April 10 in Collegeville. SJU erased a 3-0 deficit with a five-run fifth inning, all with two outs, in game one. A two-run single by sophomore Bert Marsnik (Annandale, Minn.), followed by a three-run bomb from freshman third baseman Max Forster (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins), accounted for all five runs. The homer was Forster's second of the season. Senior first baseman Kyle Henkemeyer (Sauk Rapids, Minn./Sauk Rapids-Rice) added an RBI-double in the sixth, which proved to be the game-winning run. Senior Matt Johnson (Eagan, Minn.) allowed five runs, three earned, on nine hits thru 5.1 innings. Freshman Connor Cline (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) gave up two hits in 0.2 innings to earn his first collegiate victory. Sophomore Hayden Zimmerman (New Richmond, Wis.) pitched a scoreless seventh to tally his third save of the season. Senior second baseman Joe Eiden (Maple Grove, Minn./Totino-Grace) led SJU with a 2-for-3 performance and two runs scored from the No. 9 spot in the lineup. Six others had a hit each.
Following his save in game one, Zimmerman went on to pitch a complete-game victory in game two, allowing three runs on eight hits while striking out seven. The win improves his record to 5-1 on the season. A sacrifice fly from Marsnik tied the game at 1-1 after one inning, but the Oles (11-9, 4-2 MIAC) re-gained the lead at 2-1 in the second. The Johnnies added two runs, both unearned, to take a 3-2 lead in the third inning. Junior outfielder Matt Boys (Eden Prairie, Minn./Minnetonka) slapped an RBI-triple to right center and the second run scored on a double-play ball that would have ended the inning. The lead did not last long, however, as St. Olaf tied the game in the next half inning. Junior catcher Brian Skluzacek ripped an RBI-single thru the right side to give SJU a 4-3 lead in the sixth inning. The Johnnies added another run two batters later on a bases-loaded double play. Like game one, six different Johnnie batters collected a hit each.
A LOOK AT THE COBBERS: For the second straight weekend, the Cobbers swept a conference opponent and kept their perfect MIAC record intact. Concordia received just enough offense and once again had stellar pitching as they defeated Augsburg, 6-4 and 2-1, in Minneapolis last Saturday. The win in the first game gave Cobber head coach Bucky Burgau his 600th career victory in maroon and gold. With the win, Burgau became the 20th active NCAA Division III coach to reach 600 wins and the 32nd in the history of Division III baseball to reach that mark. Dan Wackler currently leads the Cobbers in batting average (.438), hits (32), runs (22), doubles (7) and total bases (43). Jake Krause, meanwhile, leads Concordia with three home runs and 20 RBI. Jake Torrison is 3-1 with a 0.51 ERA in 17.2 innings pitched. He has allowed 10 runs, though only one has been earned.
THE LAST MEETING: Saint John's split a pair of games at Concordia-Moorhead last April 28 in Moorhead. The Johnnies took the first game 8-5 before falling in game two, 9-1. Boys and Marsnik added two hits apiece. Marsnik also doubled and added three RBI. Senior Andrew Aebly (Madison, Wis./Edgewood) went the distance allowing five runs, all in the sixth and seventh innings, on 10 hits while striking out five to earn the win. Henkemeyer and Skluzacek posted two hits each to provide four of the Johnnies' five base-hits in game two. Concordia's Jake Torrison pitched 6 2/3 innings of shutout ball until Skluzacek's RBI-single. Torrison entered the game with an 8.56 ERA in 13.2 innings pitched. Since 1997, Saint John's is 11-16 against the Cobbers, including a 2-6 mark in Collegeville.
'INTO THE VALLEY OF WINS, RODE THE 600': Tuesday's doubleheader will feature a pair of coaches who have each earned their 600th career win this season. SJU head coach Jerry Haugen enters the doubleheader with a 608-530-5 (.534) career record in 33 seasons. He became the 19th active NCAA Division III coach to reach 600 wins and 31st all-time in Division III history on March 2 in Chandler, Ariz. Haugen and Concordia head coach Bucky Burgau combine for a 1209-1000-11 (.547) career record. Burgau earned his 600th career win last Saturday against Augsburg.
1998: The sweep was the first for SJU over St. Olaf since April 11, 1998, in Collegeville (5-4, 10-0). The 10-0 victory also happens to be the Johnnies' last no-hitter (Andy Schneider). The 1998 season was also the last time SJU went 3-1 or better against St. Olaf and St. Thomas in the same regular season. That year, the Johnnies went 4-0 enroute to its most recent MIAC championship.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK: Aebly was named the MIAC Pitcher of the Week on Monday, April 12. Aebly pitched a complete-game 2-1 victory at 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 struck out three, walked none, and scattered six hits (1-for-10 with runners on base) while allowing one run, which was unearned. Aebly entered the game with an 8.76 ERA in 12.1 innings pitched (four starts). His performance at UST sparked a staff that allowed six walks in 27 innings last week, a far cry from the 70 walks allowed in 137 innings before the week started. The pitching honor was the first for a Johnnie since 2007 (Adam Johnson).
