Preview Video:
-Coach Haugen (2:58)
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – The Metrodome in Minneapolis was known as the "Homerdome" to many baseball fans.
There is no roof over the Saint John's University baseball team, but the stadium – which opened last season – turned out to be a homer haven for the Johnnies in 2013.
A total of 16 homers were hit in 14 games there last spring, including 11 by the Johnnies. SJU hit at least one home run in each of its last five home games for a total of eight homers as the field's dimensions (330 feet down both lines, 373 feet to the gaps and 393 feet to center) served as a launch pad for power.
The Johnnies will need to show that power again in 2014 as they need to replace three starting fielders and the bulk of its pitching staff that accounted for 75.8 percent of the team's innings (188.2 of 248.2) last spring as the squad tied for fourth place in the MIAC. The returning pitchers combined for a 7.80 ERA and a .321 opponent batting average in 60 innings last spring.
Jerry Haugen enters his 37th season as the Johnnies' head coach John's skipper with a 683-583-5 (.540) career record, which places him in the top-25 on the NCAA Division III winningest active coaches win list.
Here's a look at the 2014 Johnnie baseball team, by position:
Pitchers
Although Haugen is faced with the daunting task of replacing pitchers Connor Cline, Max Forster, Joey Long, Scott Schroeder, Ryan Spengler and Adam Wenker, the 2014 roster contains a smorgasbord of arms. Twelve Johnnies have been clocked at 85 miles per hour or better during fall practices. The task for Haugen is to find innings-eaters from a group of relatively-inexperienced pitchers that can throw strikes and get outs.
Junior lefty Tyler Delwiche (Andover, Minn./Totino-Grace) returns as the most experienced pitcher of last year's staff with three starts (four appearances) and 12 innings.
Junior Collin Felhaber (North St. Paul, Minn.) went 1-1 and pitched a total of 9.1 innings over seven relief appearances, but will likely switch roles and join the starting rotation this spring.
Junior Jack Hamilton (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) and sophomores Joe Stanton (Stillwater, Minn.) and Patrick Strey (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) each made a start on the hill last season.
Catcher
The relatively-new faces on the mound will find themselves pitching to a pair of experienced catchers, who may also battle for closer duties, in 2014. Senior Justin Thompson (Chanhassen, Minn./Chaska) batted .306, including a team-leading .385 average in nine MIAC games. He also posted a 2.84 ERA in seven relief appearances (12.2 innings), including a scoreless ERA in four conference appearances (eight innings).
Junior Kurt Jantscher (Plymouth, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong) batted .273 but finished third on the team with 12 walks to record a .429 on-base percentage.
Infielders
The left side of the Johnnies' infield returns to the diamond for the 2014 season. Senior Luke Larson (Bloomington, Minn./Jefferson) started all 34 games at third base last spring and batted .330 (37-for-112). He finished second on the team in hits (37) and fourth in RBI (17).
Though SJU needs to replace Forster at shortstop, it returns sophomore Logan Hershey (Maple Grove, Minn.), who appeared in 13 games with nine starts as a freshman at shortstop. He batted .360 (9-for-25) and registered a .529 on-base percentage.
Junior Alex Toninato (Woodbury, Minn./Hill-Murray) is the likely suitor to replace two-year starter Joey Long at second base this spring. He went 0-for-2 with a run scored in three varsity appearances in 2013.
The Johnnies will look to a group of experienced players to fill the void left by Cline at first base. Senior Josh Groth (Fridley, Minn.) enters the season as the likely starter at either first base or designated hitter. He started 17 games last season (nine as the designated hitter) and nearly a third of his 16 hits were for extra bases, including two home runs. Classmate Tony Gazich (Arden Hills, Minn./Mounds View) and juniors Billy Gregg (Minnetonka, Minn./Hopkins) and Geno Larkin (Eden Prairie, Minn.) combined for 18 starts in 2013 and will contend for more playing time this spring.
Outfielders
Four of the five outfielders that made a start last spring return. Senior Dylan Graves (Mora, Minn.) started all 34 games in centerfield in 2013 and batted .281 with four home runs, a team-leading 27 RBI and 12 extra-base hits. An All-MIAC first-team selection and All-Midwest Region pick as a sophomore in 2012, Graves begins his senior season 10th in school history with 11 home runs, three away from the program's top five.
Junior Aaron Pfaff (New Ulm, Minn./Cathedral) started 33 of the season's 34 games in left field and batted .347 in a team-leading 121 at-bats. He also led SJU in runs scored (30), doubles (11), hits (42) and stolen bases (10), and begins his junior season 20 hits shy of 100 for his career.
Junior Brett Becker (North Oaks, Minn./Mounds View) made 23 appearances (18 starts) and led the team in batting (minimum 50 at-bats) with a .362 average and finished second with eight stolen bases (8-for-8). The versatile Becker may also see time at second base this spring.
Senior Tom Druk (Plymouth, Minn./Orono) batted .333 with seven hits, including three doubles, and three RBI in 11 appearances (six starts).
New MIAC Doubleheader Format
The MIAC's doubleheader format will look a little different in 2014. The first game will still be seven innings, but game two will be a nine-inning game, unless the first game goes to extra innings. If the opener goes to extras, then game two will revert back to a seven-inning contest.
2014 Schedule
SJU begins the 2014 season with nine games in five days over spring break (March 3-7) in Fort Myers, Fla. The Johnnies are scheduled to visit Mount Union (Ohio) for three nine-inning games March 14-16 and travel March 26 to the new Siebert Field to face the University of Minnesota. St. Olaf travels to Collegeville in the MIAC opener for both teams March 29.
