The Johnnie baseball team hosts Wisconsin-Superior for a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Sunday, March 28, at Becker Park in Collegeville. - Live Stats/Live Video

SHIFT TO SUNDAY: This weekend's doubleheader, which was originally scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday (March 27), was postponed and rescheduled to Sunday, March 28, due to the rain forecast for Saturday.

Sunday's doubleheader will be comprised of a seven- and nine-inning game. Like MIAC play, if game one goes to extra innings, game two will change to a seven-inning contest.

SJU'S SPECTATOR POLICY: Spectators will be limited to SJU baseball parents first, then CSB/SJU students and staff (with a CSB/SJU ID) on a first-come, first-served basis for the remaining seats available. The baseball parents will receive an online document for pre-registration.

-No fans from the opposing team will be allowed at this time. This policy will be revisited in early April.

-Spectators allowed in Becker Park may sit in groups of 4. Available seating areas will be labeled.

-The area above the dugouts in Becker Park are reserved for the student-athletes (for additional social distance seating).

-No tailgating or gatherings in the parking lot or around the stadium will be allowed before, during or after the game/s.

Click here for SJU's spectator policy.

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (9-0 overall) stayed perfect with a non-conference sweep of St. Thomas, 3-2 and 3-2 in eight innings, on Wednesday (March 24) at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis. The victories extended the Johnnies' win streak to 14 games going back to last season. 

Junior first baseman Nathan Brandecker (South St. Paul, Minn.) went 3-for-6 on the day, including a two-run homer and the walk-off, RBI single in game two.

Offense was at a premium, as the two teams combined to bat .170 (17-for-100) on the afternoon.

Game 1
SJU issued eight free passes (seven walks and one hit batsman) through the first three innings of game one. UST, which entered the day batting .186 (22-for-118) with 11 walks in 33 innings, gained a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second thanks to four straight walks and a sacrifice fly.

Sophomore Alex Otto (Monticello, Minn.) ended the bases-loaded threat in the bottom of the second with a strikeout and eventually earned the win. He struck out four and allowed one hit in 4.1 scoreless
innings of relief to improve to 3-0 on the year.

Freshman outfielder Rodney Erickson (St. Paul, Minn./Woodbury) started the Johnnies' three-run sixth inning with a leadoff single. Sophomore second baseman Owen Dauk (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) followed with a sacrifice bunt, but the catcher's throw was off the mark to second base, placing runners on the corners. Sophomore designated hitter Max Nyrop (Alameda, Calif.) put SJU on the scoreboard with an RBI single and both runners advanced a base on the throw. Junior outfielder Soren Roe (Golden Valley, Minn./Blake) brought in Dauk with a sacrifice fly to tie the game at 2-2 and Brandecker did the same for the go-ahead run in the ensuing at-bat.

Freshman Kody Dalen (Carver, Minn./Chanhassen) stranded the tying run at third base in the bottom of the seventh to collect his first collegiate save.

Game 2
Brandecker blasted the two-run shot, his first collegiate homer, with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning. Nyrop started the half inning by smoking a line drive off the left-field fence, but was held to a single, extending his hit streak to seven games. Brandecker's home run was in a similar spot, 12 rows into the stands, two batters later.

The rest belonged to sophomore southpaw Casey Trapp (Blaine, Minn./Centennial), who threw six hitless innings. The Tommies' Matthew Enck ended the no-hit bid with a leadoff single to start the seventh inning. Trapp recorded his eighth strikeout of the game for the inning's first out and was relieved by Dalen. 

A fielder's choice served as the second out for UST, which was down to its last strike before Josh Thorp singled to put runners on first and second. The Tommies were down to their last strike once again when Charlie Bartholomew dropped a pinch-hit, two-run double down the left-field line to tie the game. The two outs allowed for UST's baserunners to sprint on contact and the short flyball was just missed by a diving Jack Schleper (Shakopee, Minn.).

Sophomore Matt Herold (North Oaks, Minn./Mounds View) allowed two singles in the eighth inning but kept UST scoreless.

The Tommies brought in Andrew Tri, who had 26 strikeouts in 13.1 scoreless innings so far this spring, to pitch the bottom half of the eighth. Erickson reached first thanks to a throwing error by Tri and moved to second on a sac bunt from Dauk. UST intentionally walked senior pinch-hitter Trey Cavello (Minnetrista, Minn./Holy Family Catholic) and Tri tallied a strikeout, but Brandecker ripped a single to right field for the walk-off win.

SJU was 3-for-6 with runners in scoring position in the two games, while UST was 2-for-14 (.143) and 0-for-3 with the bases loaded.

WALK-OFF WIN: The Johnnies' walk-off win was their second of the season and their third against St. Thomas since 2006. The previous two instances were made by seniors in Collegeville. Dan Keller '06 recorded SJU's last against the Tommies with a one-out, RBI single in the bottom of the 10th inning on April 26, 2016, and Jay Kasner '07 cranked a two-run homer in the bottom of the seventh inning on April 21, 2007.

GOOD STRETCH IN THE SERIES: SJU has now won each of the last seven meetings with UST and 12 of the last 15. The Johnnies' last loss to the Tommies occurred in the first round of the 2017 MIAC Tournament in Cold Spring, a 1-0 defeat in which the lone run scored on a two-out wild pitch in the bottom of the sixth inning. The two teams face each other for a MIAC, three-game series on Saturday-Sunday, April 10-11.

SOPHOMORE ARMS: SJU's sophomore trio of Herold, Otto and Trapp showcased their talents and shut down UST in Wednesday's wins. The three have combined for a 5-0 record, 1.70 ERA, .180 opponent batting average (23-for-128) and 48 strikeouts in 37 innings pitched so far in their young careers.
 
A LOOK AT THE YELLOWJACKETS: Wisconsin-Superior (6-4 overall) dropped its first four games of the 2021 season, two by one run, but bounced back with a current six-game win streak. The Yellowjackets recently won four games, but a combined score of 62-35, at home over Northland (Wis.) last weekend (March 20-21). 

Senior Brandon Rolf leads UWS in hits (13), runs (13) and stolen bases (10), while junior Bryce Flanagan touts a team-leading 11 RBI. Superior is batting .369, to the opponents' .314, and the pitching staff has an 8.69 ERA. Junior lefty Ryan Rodriguez is 1-1 with a 3.94 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 16 innings pitched.

IN 2019: SJU won the last meeting 18-3 on March 18, 2019, in Tucson, Ariz. The Johnnies gained an 8-2 lead after three innings before a nine-run outburst in the fourth. Junior catcher Ethan Roe (Golden Valley, Minn./Blake) cracked a two-run triple in the second inning and a two-run double in the fourth. He finished 2-for-3 with five RBI and two runs scored. The Johnnies totaled 16 hits and took advantage of 14 free passes (12 walks, two hit batsmen).

Mason Miller '20 made his second collegiate start and earned the win, allowing the three runs on seven hits in five innings. He struck out six. 

SERIES HISTORY: SJU leads the series against Wisconsin-Superior with a 7-3 record. The Johnnies have won the last three meetings by a combined score of 33-6, all in Tucson, Ariz.