Saint John's plays host to league-leading St. Olaf for Senior Day and the regular-season finale at 1 p.m. Saturday, May 4, at Haugen Field at Becker Park. – Live Stats | Live Video

CLUBHOUSE DEDICATION: The new clubhouse's formal dedication and blessing ceremony is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. and the pre-game recognition of SJU's seniors will take place at 12:45 p.m.

14 SENIORS: SJU is 99-58 (57-26 MIAC) during the seniors' four seasons here in Collegeville (add a 7-1 overall record from 2020 to include the fifth-year seniors).

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (23-13, 12-6 MIAC) split with Macalester but secured its 14th-consecutive trip to the MIAC Tournament on Wednesday (May 1) at Division II Concordia-St. Paul.

SJU countered four Macalester home runs with two of its own and scored all eight runs with two outs in an 8-6 win in game one. The Johnnies, however, managed only four hits to the Scots' 12 in a 3-2 loss – their fifth one-run defeat of the season – in the nightcap. 

The Johnnies batted only .197 (12-for-61) in the doubleheader, including 2-for-18 (.111) with runners in scoring position and 5-for-26 (.192) with runners on base. SJU went 1-for-12 with runners on base and 0-7 with runners in scoring position in game two alone.

The games were moved to CSP's Barnes Field due to the Scots' home MIAC playoff tennis matches on Wednesday (the courts are adjacent to Macalester's Nicholson Field).

Game 1 (Saint John's 8, Macalester 6)
The Johnnies gained a quick 3-0 lead thanks to a two-out rally in the top of the first inning. Senior third baseman Joe Becker (New Prague, Minn.) and senior left fielder Jack Schleper (Shakopee, Minn.) singled before senior designated hitter Owen Best (Aurora, Colo./Regis Jesuit) put SJU on the scoreboard with an RBI single. Schleper and Best then scored when senior center fielder Jordan Amundson's (Eden Prairie, Minn.) fly ball to center was lost in the sun.

The Scots scored three two-out runs of their own, all unearned, on a three-run homer from Matt Odom – his 10th of the season – in the bottom of the third inning.

SJU was gifted an unearned run when junior first baseman Jackson Peter (Elrosa, Minn./Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa) reached on an error to start the fourth inning, moved to second on a wild pitch and to third on a groundout from sophomore shortstop Reed Marquardt (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes), and scored on another wild pitch with two outs for a 4-3 lead. Senior right fielder Rodney Erickson (St. Paul, Minn./Woodbury) and senior second baseman Owen Dauk (Apple Valley, Minn./Eastview) kept the inning alive with back-to-back walks before the Scots' Raymond McCaskey robbed Becker of a two-run single with a diving catch in left field to end the inning.

The lead did not last long as Hayes Waddell tied the game at 4-4 with a leadoff homer in the bottom of the fourth. 

Amundson put the visitors back in front – 5-4 – with a two-out, solo blast in the top of the fifth inning. The long ball was his third of the season and 13th as a Johnnie.

The two-out scoring continued for SJU with two more runs in the top of the sixth inning. Dauk was hit by a pitch and Becker followed with his second single of the game before Schleper greeted a new Mac pitcher with a two-run double for a 7-4 lead. The two RBI gave Schleper an even 100 for his collegiate career (the seventh Johnnie to reach the milestone).

The Scots were not done, however, as Waddell collected his second solo homer with one out and Josh Planko cut the Johnnies' lead to 7-6 with a home run of his own with two outs off senior Jeremy Klick (Maple Grove, Minn.).

Junior catcher Blake Mellgren (Northfield, Minn.) added some insurance with his second homer in as many games, and fourth of the season, with two outs in the top of the seventh inning.

Senior Griffin Larson (Edina, Minn.) allowed four runs (one earned) on six hits in five innings to improve to 6-0 this season. He struck out seven without a free pass.

Junior Connor Hartley (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Rosemount) pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning with two strikeouts for his first collegiate save.

Game 2 (Macalester 3, Saint John's 2)
The Scots broke the scoreless stalemate with two unearned runs with two outs in the bottom of the third inning and Odom made it 3-0 with a one-out homer in the fifth.

Erickson doubled with one out in the top of the eighth inning and back-to-back walks by Dauk and Becker loaded the bases and forced a pitching change. Schleper brought in Erickson on a fielder's choice in the next at-bat and a throwing error on the play scored Dauk for a 3-2 game.

Amundson was plunked by a 1-2 pitch to start the ninth inning and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Peter. A wild pitch moved him to third base but he was stranded there with a strikeout and bunt to end the game.

Senior Kody Dalen (Carver, Minn./Chanhassen) took the loss (2-3 record), allowing three runs (one earned) on eight hits in 4.1 innings. He struck out four, which enabled him to pass former teammate Casey Trapp '23 (172) for second in program history with 175. Joel Swenson '99 owns the school record with 201.

Junior Will Fazio (Minneapolis, Minn./Blake) gave up four hits and struck out five in 3.2 scoreless innings of relief.

Macalester's Ben King, who started the day with an 8.19 ERA and .313 opponent batting average in 29.2 innings pitched, stymied the Johnnies for his second win of the season. He induced 13 flyouts and gave up three hits, including two doubles, in seven scoreless innings. King retired his final 10 batters in order.

14 IN A ROW: Despite the game-two loss, the Johnnies clinched their 14th-straight trip to the MIAC Tournament (16th since it was established in 2003) thanks to Carleton's 8-7 win Wednesday in game two at Gustavus Adolphus to split that doubleheader in St. Peter. 

ONE FROM THE SEASON RECORD: Becker currently has 51 RBI, which tie him with former teammate Max Nyrop '23 for second-most in an SJU season and are one shy of the program record of 52 set by Ryan Roder '97 in 1997. The program's all-time leader in RBI with 133, Becker is also third in both home runs (20) and total bases (279), tied for third in doubles (39), fifth in runs scored (122), seventh in hits (166) and tied for ninth in triples (7). He is currently riding a 10-game hit streak.

WALKING TO THE RECORD: SJU's all-time leader in runs scored (153) and hit-by-pitch (67), Dauk is third in program history with 79 walks, three from the record of 82 held by Casey Haugen '07. Dauk is also tied for fifth in triples (8), tied for seventh in total bases (248), eighth in home runs (16) and doubles (31), and 10th in stolen bases (29). He has reached base safely in each of the Johnnies' last 24 games.

STAT COMPARISONS: As expected, the regular-season champions lead the MIAC in four statistical categories in conference play. SJU has the upper hand, slightly, in slugging percentage and fielding percentage.

Batting Average
1. STO, .346 (.324 overall)
6. SJU, .294 (.294 overall)

Slugging Percentage
2. SJU, .509 (.487 overall)
3. STO, .472 (.446 overall)

On-Base Percentage
1. STO, .421 (.409 overall)
5. SJU, .384 (.376 overall)

ERA
1. STO, 3.90 (4.35 overall)
3. SJU, 4.77 (4.18 overall)

Opponent Batting Average
1. STO, .249 (.258 overall)
2. SJU, .261 (.238 overall)

Fielding Percentage
6. SJU, .9579 (.954 overall)
7. STO, .9576 (.955 overall)

A LOOK AT THE OLES: St. Olaf (26-11, 16-2 MIAC) won the MIAC regular-season championship outright with a doubleheader split vs. Hamline on Wednesday (May 1) in Northfield. The Oles clinched the title with a 12-1 win but dropped game two by a 7-2 score. Senior Sam Lavin leads the team at the plate and on the mound. He touts a team-best .399 batting average, as well as 10 doubles, six home runs, 43 RBI, a .630 slugging percentage and .491 on-base percentage. Lavin is also 6-2 with a 3.15 ERA, .207 opponent batting average and 78 strikeouts in 54.1 innings pitched. Junior Evan Hammonds leads the Oles in hits (56), runs scored (44) and stolen bases (11).

LAST SEASON: SJU swept St. Olaf, 7-2 and 10-3, last May 3 (2023) in Collegeville. The Johnnies batted .387 (24-for-62) with four home runs, two triples and two doubles on the day, while seven pitchers combined to allow three earned runs in 16 innings, aided by five double plays.

Erickson went 7-for-7 on the day from the No. 9 spot in the lineup. His solo home run to start the bottom of the sixth in game one gave SJU a 7-1 lead and enabled him to become the 38th Johnnie in program history to reach 100 career hits.

Dauk and pitcher Jack Haring '23 tied SJU season records in the doubleheader. Dauk crossed the plate four times to tie the Johnnies' season record for runs scored – 44 – set by Cole Weaver in 2016 and Haring made his 19th relief appearance in game one, which tied the school record held by Case Paxton '09 (2007), Hayden Zimmerman '12 (2010) and Joey Long '13 (2012).

Game 1 (Saint John's 7, St. Olaf 2)
The Johnnies scored a run or more in each of the first four innings to gain a 6-0 lead. Peter brought in the game's first run with an infield single in the first inning, Becker made it 2-0 with an RBI groundout in the second and Schleper padded the lead with a sacrifice fly in the third.

SJU broke the game open with a three-run fourth inning. Catcher Matt Herold '23 and Erickson started the frame with back-to-back singles and moved up a base on a sac bunt from Dauk. Following a wild pitch that scored Herold, Becker followed with his second triple of the season and first baseman Max Nyrop '23 brought him in with an RBI groundout.

The Oles erased the shutout in the fifth inning and ended the scoring with a two-out single in the seventh.

Erickson's solo shot in the sixth inning was his second in as many days and fourth of the season.

Hartley made his first collegiate start and improved to 3-1 with the win. He struck out two and allowed one run on five hits in five innings. Haring pitched the final two innings and gave up the other run on three hits. 

Erickson went 3-for-3, while Becker and Peter added two hits apiece.

Game 2 (at Saint John's 10, St. Olaf 3)
The Johnnies plated two runs on a throwing error in the first inning of game two and tacked on two more in the second on an RBI groundout from Becker and an RBI single off the bat of Amundson. Schleper doubled to start the bottom of the third and scored on a two-out single from Erickson to give the home team a 5-0 lead.

STO cut the gap with a pair of unearned runs in the top of the fourth, but the Johnnies totaled five runs over the next three innings thanks to a solo homer in each frame. Schleper started the bottom of the fifth with his second dinger of the spring, and 10th of his career, and Erickson tripled with two outs. He scored on Dauk's double in the next at-bat. Peter homered with two outs in the sixth inning and catcher Zach Selchow '23 crushed one to right in the seventh. Erickson, Dauk and Becker followed Selchow with three-straight singles and Nyrop ended the Johnnies' scoring with a fielder's choice.

Junior pitcher Kade Bowar (Burnsville, Minn.) increased his season record to 3-0 with the win in relief. He surrendered the two unearned runs in two innings. 

Senior Quinn Krueger (Woodbury, Minn.) made his first start of the season and struck out four in three scoreless innings.

Erickson completed his perfect day at the plate with a 4-for-4 performance and Schleper went 3-for-4.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 19-6 against the Oles since 2010, including wins in 13 of the last 16 meetings. SJU is 9-3 in the last six doubleheaders played in Collegeville.