Preseason Poll
COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John's University was ranked No. 25 in
Collegiate Baseball's 2020 Preseason NCAA Division III poll released Dec. 17.
The Johnnies received 217 points in the poll, three behind Penn State-Harrisburg at No. 24 and five behind Hendrix (Ark.) at No. 23. St. Olaf and St. Thomas received votes but were not ranked in the top 40.
SJU ended the 2019 season with a 32-14 record and tied for second in the MIAC by one game with a 13-7 mark. The Johnnies made their 10th consecutive appearance in the MIAC Tournament and won their fourth playoff title in the last eight seasons with a 4-1 record. SJU advanced to the NCAA Concordia Chicago Regional but went 0-2, including an opening-round, 5-4 loss in 10 innings.
The Johnnies return a pair of All-Region student-athletes in senior designated hitter/pitcher
Joey Stock (2019; Cold Spring, Minn./Saint John's Prep) and senior outfielder
Wyatt Ulrich (2017; Indus, Minn./International Falls) this spring, but need to replace three honorees.
An All-MIAC honoree in 2019, Stock led the team in batting average (.353), slugging percentage (.706), on-base percentage (.467), extra-base hits (17) and RBI (39). He broke SJU's 19-year-old, single-season record for home runs with 12 last spring and was intentionally walked eight times, including five in the MIAC Tournament alone. His overall numbers were largely fueled by a 13-game stretch in which he batted .512 (22-for-43) with a 1.876 OPS, 10 home runs and 28 RBI. He reached base safely in each of the season's final 19 games.
Ulrich played 43 of the Johnnies' 46 games last year and led the team in runs scored (41) and triples (5), tied for the team lead in hits (58), and finished second in batting average (.343) and stolen bases (19). A two-time All-MIAC honoree, Ulrich earned the conference's Most Valuable Player award as a freshman in 2017 and led Division III in batting (.500, 61-for-122). He enters his senior season tied for second in SJU history in triples (9), third in runs (117), fourth in hits (172) and fifth in stolen bases (39).
A three-year player for the Bismarck Larks, Ulrich was a Northwoods League (NWL) All-Star last summer, while Stock participated in the NWL's Major League Dreams Showcase as a member of the St. Cloud Rox.
The Johnnies open the 2020 season with eight games March 2-6 in Ft. Myers, Fla., and travel to Tucson, Ariz., for seven games in four days March 21-24. SJU begins conference play March 28 at Gustavus Adolphus.
