Saint John's (26-13, 14-6 MIAC) takes on Bethel (20-18, 11-9 MIAC) in the first round of the four-team, double-elimination MIAC Tournament this Friday, May 11. The nine-inning game is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Minnetonka High School's Veterans Field. – Listen Live (WBHR-660 AM, requires Real Audio) | Live Stats | Live Video | Championships Website
Preview Video:
-Head coach Jerry Haugen (2:49)
TICKET INFORMATION: Admission is $7 for adults and $3 for any student (five years old and younger are free), per day. There is no senior discount. MIAC Passes will be honored, though no other passes will be accepted.
TUNE IN: All of SJU's games at the 2012 MIAC Tournament will be broadcast live on The Bear, WBHR-660 AM, as well as streamed live via Real Audio on www.gojohnnies.com. In addition to the radio broadcast, the MIAC is also expected to produce live statistics and a live video feed for all of the tournament's games.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS: Top-seeded and nationally-ranked (No. 2) St. Thomas takes on fourth-seeded Saint Mary's to begin the tournament at 3 p.m. Friday. The losing team in that game will face the SJU-Bethel loser in an elimination game at 11 a.m. Saturday (game 3), while the winners are scheduled to take the field at 2 p.m. (game 4). The survivor of game 3 then plays the loser of game 4 in another elimination game at 6 p.m. The last team standing with one loss gets a crack at the 2-0 team at 11 a.m. Sunday, followed by a 2:30 p.m. game, if necessary. The MIAC Playoff Champion earns the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.
A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: The bats came alive for Saint John's in game two of the Johnnies' doubleheader split with Augsburg in the regular-season finale for both teams on May 7 at the Metrodome. The Johnnies hit the ball hard but mustered only two hits in game one's 2-1 loss before pounding out nine hits, five for extra bases, in a 4-2 victory in the nightcap.
A leadoff walk came back to bite junior Ryan Spengler (St. Cloud, Minn./Tech) as the Auggies gained an early 1-0 lead in the first inning of game one. Augsburg added another run in the fifth, but like the first inning, Spengler induced a double play to end the inning and avoid a crooked number on the scoreboard. Freshman Aaron Pfaff (New Ulm, Minn./Cathedral) followed a leadoff walk of classmate Brett Becker (North Oaks, Minn./Mounds View) with a single through the right side to end Eren Cur's no-hit bid in the top of the sixth inning. Both advanced on a wild pitch before junior Connor Cline (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) brought in Becker with a sacrifice fly. Sophomore Dylan Graves (Mora, Minn.) started the seventh with a single but was called out on a close play at second base in the result of sophomore Luke Larson's (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) sac bunt attempt. Sophomore Josh Groth (Fridley, Minn.) nearly gave SJU a 3-2 lead with a go-ahead, two-run homer but the deep fly barely went foul down the left-field line. AUG's Tanner Oakes took advantage of the long strike by tallying two groundouts to end the threat. Spengler took the loss, allowing the two runs on seven hits. He struck out four and walked three to fall to 5-3 (3-1 MIAC) on the year.
The Johnnies started right away in game two, thanks to a leadoff triple from Pfaff and another sac fly from Cline to take an early 1-0 lead. Becker doubled to start the third before the Auggies' Ryan Mestnik struck out Pfaff and Cline. Junior Max Forster (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) and Graves blasted back-to-back home runs, their third and fourth of the season, respectively, to give SJU a 4-0 lead. Augsburg answered with a run off starter Scott Schroeder (Richmond, Minn./Rocori) in its half of the third, and tallied another on an inside-the-park homer off Cline in the sixth. Schroeder improved to 3-0 in his third start of the season, allowing one run on five hits with two strikeouts in five innings of work. Junior Joey Long (Belvidere, Ill./Rockford Boylan) pitched another 1-2-3 seventh to earn his ninth save of the season and seventh in conference play. Mestnik took the loss after allowing all four runs and five extra-base hits for Augsburg. He entered the game with an 8-1 record with a 1.78 ERA and a .194 opponent batting average.
TOPS SINCE 1994: Saint John's wrapped up conference action May 7 with plenty of statistical references to the 1994 MIAC championship season. For starters, the Johnnies' current win total is the second-most in school history; second only to 1994's 29-8 record. For the second consecutive season, SJU led the MIAC in ERA (2.79). That total, as well as the Johnnies' opponent batting average (.230) and WHIP (1.28) are the team's best in MIAC play since 1994 (2.35 ERA, .224 avg., 1.18 WHIP).
CONVERTED CLOSER: The additional role of “closer” has been a smooth one for Long, a transfer infielder from Division I Creighton. Since assuming the duties, as well as 43 starts in the infield each of the past two seasons, Long shattered the Johnnies' records for both season and career saves. He currently owns a 4-2 record with 13 saves, a 2.04 ERA, a .215 opponent batting average and a 4.63 strikeout/walk ratio in 39.2 innings pitched (28 appearances). The stats are even better against MIAC opponents: 3-2 record, 11 saves, 1.04 ERA, .202 opponent batting average, 0.92 WHIP and a 4.60 strikeout/walk ratio in 26 innings (21 appearances).
MORA MASHER: Graves batted .333 (5-for-15) with two mammoth home runs as the Johnnies went 3-2 (3-1 MIAC) last week. The speedy sophomore blasted a solo shot in SJU's 10-5 loss to nationally-ranked (Division II) St. Cloud State April 30 and added a towering shot, 20 rows up the Metrodome's left-field seats, May 7 against Augsburg. Graves tallied two home runs and four RBI in game one of SJU's home opener versus Concordia-Moorhead April 7. He led the Johnnies in homers (3), extra-base hits (9) and slugging percentage (.579), while finishing second in batting (.316), hits (18) and runs scored (11) in conference play. Graves enters this weekend with 61 putouts and four outfield assists from centerfield this spring.
NOT JUST A PITCHER: In addition to his 11 starts on the mound, Cline has made 14 starts as the Johnnies' designated hitter, 13 at first base and two more at second this season. Cline led the Johnnies in batting (.400) and RBI (14) in conference play, and currently leads the pitching staff in wins (7), innings pitched (64.2) and strikeouts (63).
DOME DELIGHT: Forster cracked his second Metrodome home run of the season, the first half of back-to-back homers with Graves, in the Johnnies' 4-2 win over Augsburg May 7. He ended the regular season as SJU's leader in runs (24), hits (39), doubles (9), triples (3), extra-base hits (15), slugging percentage (.529) and multiple-hit games (11). Forster has also reached base safely in each of his last 12 games and enters this weekend with a .893 fielding percentage. The 6-foot-3 shortstop, however, has committed only four errors and touts a .955 fielding percentage in his last 27 games (three errors, .956 pct. in 20 MIAC games).
HEY HAYDEN: Senior righty Hayden Zimmerman (New Richmond, Wis.) is currently fourth in school history in three different career categories: wins (17), innings pitched (192.2) and strikeouts (145). He needs one victory to tie Eric Chandler (1993-95) for third; one inning to tie Matt Johnson (2001-04) for third and three to pass Cole Deibele (2001-04) for second; and two K's to pass Brett Kramer (2008-11) for third and seven to move past Denny Coleman (1966-69) for second.
TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE: The 2012 appearance at the MIAC Tournament (est. 2000) is the Johnnies' fifth overall and their third consecutive. SJU has a 3-8 record, of which five of the losses were decided by one run.
NATIONAL STAT RANKINGS: The Johnnies' pitching staff is currently seventh in all of NCAA Division III (through games of May 6) in least hits allowed per nine innings (7.39), is 12th in ERA (2.88) and 17th in strikeouts per nine innings (8.0). Individually, Long is fourth in the country in total saves (9), just one back of the three-way tie for the national lead. Spengler, meanwhile, is fifth with an average of 5.14 hits allowed per game (nine innings).
POSTSEASON PICK-ME-UP: The Johnnies led the league in pitching (2.79 ERA) but finished last in batting (.256) in 20 regular-season MIAC games this spring. Want more bad news for struggling bats? SJU batted only .213 (48-for-225) in its last seven MIAC playoff games (1-6 record). Haugen's crew totaled 12 extra-base hits and left 51 men on base in the 64 innings. The pitching staff, meanwhile, surrendered a .287 average (68-for-237) with 20 extra-base hits (15 doubles and five home runs) during that span.
A LOOK AT THE ROYALS: Bethel ended its regular season with a sweep of Concordia, 4-3 and 10-2, May 7. Fifteen of the Royals' 20 conference games were decided by two runs or less (7-8 record), including 11 by one run (5-6 record). Junior Matt Rowley currently leads the MIAC (all games) in batting average (.434), hits (59), total bases (89) and on-base percentage (.500). Additionally, Rowley ranks second in runs batted in (36) and slugging percentage (.654). On the mound, he owns a 7-4 record and a 2.10 ERA in 73 innings pitched (14 appearances, 11 starts). BU bats .313 as a team, but .296 without Rowley's bat. Coincidentally, .296 is also the batting average allowed by the Royals' pitching staff (4.19 ERA). Aside from Rowley and reliever Buddy Flaherty, the staff has been tagged for a 5.72 ERA and a .329 opponent batting average.
EARLIER THIS SEASON: Saint John's settled for a doubleheader split with Bethel this past April 14 in Collegeville. The Johnnies battled for a 4-3 win in nine innings to take game one, but fell by a 4-1 decision in the nightcap. Bethel took a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs, one earned, off Spengler in the top of the third inning. Cline tied the game with a two-run double, the third consecutive hit of the inning, in the bottom half for SJU. The Royals gained a 3-2 lead with a single run off Long in the top of the ninth. Following a flyout to start the inning, sophomore Tom Druk (Plymouth, Minn./Orono) reached on a throwing error from the shortstop. His pinch runner, senior Brace Hemmelgarn (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral), was thrown out at second on a fielder's choice from freshman Billy Gregg (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) in the very next at bat. Freshman Aaron Pfaff (New Ulm, Minn./Cathedral) singled through the right side, his third hit of the game, and advanced to second on the throw behind Gregg at third.
Flaherty intentionally walked Cline to load the bases. Sophomore Luke Larson (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) walked to plate the game-tying run and Forster did the same, on a high 3-2 pitch, to bring in the game-winning run. Both runs were unearned.
Spengler allowed two runs, one earned, on just two hits. He walked five, however, and struck out two in the no-decision. Schroeder threw three innings of scoreless relief, allowing two hits with three K's. Long earned the win, allowing one run on two hits in the ninth.
Junior Adam Wenker (Sartell, Minn./Sartell-St. Stephen) cruised through 4.2 innings, allowing three hits with three strikeouts, until three consecutive two-out singles gave Bethel a 3-0 lead in game two.
SJU cut the deficit to 3-1 with a two-out RBI single from Larson in the bottom of the fifth inning before BU added an unearned run in the top of the seventh. The unearned run was credited to freshman Collin Felhaber (North St. Paul, Minn.), who allowed two hits in an inning of relief. Sophomore Justin Thompson (Chanhassen, Minn./Chaska) took over for Felhaber in the seventh, with no outs and runners on second and third. The run came in on a passed ball before Thompson induced a lineout to second. Gregg caught Rowley in an attempt to steal home and Thompson struck out the Royal in the same at bat, to end the inning. Rowley went 3-for-4 with a double at the plate, and allowed the lone run on six hits with three strikeouts to improve to 5-3 on the mound. Pfaff ended the day 4-for-7 and scored three of the Johnnies' five runs from the No. 9 spot in the lineup.
The Johnnies were 3-for-16 (.188) with two outs and only four leadoff batters reached on the afternoon. SJU had runners on first and second with one out in the fourth, but Druk's hard liner turned into an unassisted double play by the first baseman. The home team had runners at the corners with no outs in the bottom of the seventh, but Rowley tallied a strikeout, foul out and flyout to end the game. The foul out was the third for the Johnnies in the game, and the deep flyout to centerfield was the third for Cline.
