Saint John's baseball opens its 2025 season with a 1 p.m. doubleheader against Luther (Iowa) on Sunday, March 2, at Haugen Field at Becker Park. – Live Stats

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: A trio of All-MIAC selections return as longtime Saint John's University baseball coach Jerry Haugen '76 looks to end his coaching career on a high note during the 2024 season.

Senior third baseman Joe Becker (New Prague, Minn.), senior pitcher Will Fazio (Minneapolis, Minn.) and senior pitcher Connor Hartley (Inver Grove Heights, Minn/Rosemount) are all back for the Johnnies, who finished 13-7 in the MIAC and 24-16 overall a year ago – advancing to the MIAC tournament for the 14th-consecutive season.

Now the Johnnies hope to build on that success as Haugen – who announced last December that this will be his final season – begins his 48th campaign at the helm.

The legendary head coach boasts an 891-720-5 (.553) career record, which places him fifth on NCAA Division III's winningest active coaches win list, as well as a 502-371 mark in MIAC play. He has directed the SJU baseball program to four MIAC playoff titles, three regular-season championships and 14 consecutive appearances in the MIAC Tournament (16 overall).

He's Back
Becker returns for the Johnnies in 2025 thanks to the NCAA's extra year of eligibility granted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. An American Baseball Coaches' Association (ABCA) All-Region selection last spring, he collected his second-straight All-MIAC honor in 2024 after he led SJU in batting (.371), hits (53), extra-base hits (27), home runs (12), RBI (54), slugging percentage (.741), multiple-hit games (17), multiple-RBI games (13) and ended the season with a 14-game hit streak. Becker also led the way by batting .571 (4-for-7) with a .667 on-base percentage, a home run, triple, three RBI and two runs scored in two MIAC Tournament games en route to MIAC All-Playoff Team honors.

He batted .420 (34-for-81) with runners on base, including .472 (25-for-53) with runners in scoring position, and .368 (21-for-57) with 21 RBI with two outs. In conference play, Becker tied for first in the MIAC in runs scored (22), tied for second in both home runs (6) and RBI (24), was eighth in slugging percentage (.614) and ninth in total bases (43).

Becker started SJU's last 124 games going back to 2021 and is the program's all-time leader in RBI, both in a single season (54) and career (136). He is also second all-time in total bases (291), third in home runs (21), tied for third in doubles (39), fourth in runs scored (126), tied for fifth in triples (8), sixth in hits (173) and seventh in walks (54).

Key Arms Return
SJU returns seven pitchers who saw action on the mound last spring. Hartley posted a 6-3 record with a 3.53 ERA and led SJU's pitching staff in innings (63.2) and strikeouts (52). He ended the regular season second in Division III in walks allowed per nine innings (0.76) and third in strikeout-to-walk ratio (10.00). Hartley tied for first in the MIAC in wins (5-1 record), was third among pitchers with 35 innings or more in ERA (4.00), tied for third in innings pitched (36.0) and tied for fourth in strikeouts (33) in conference play. 

Lefties batted .200 (5-for-25) against the right-handed Hartley and he held the opposition to a .227 average (15-for-66) with runners on base and .140 (6-for-43) with two outs.

Opponents batted .210 against Fazio, who collected a 2-2 record with a 3.27 ERA and 35 strikeouts in 33 innings (12 appearances with one start) last season. He went 1-0 with a 0.92 ERA, .197 opponent batting average and 22 strikeouts in 19.2 MIAC innings (seven appearances). Right-handed batters registered a .197 batting average against the southpaw. 

Sophomore Carter Theisen (Rosemount, Minn.) posted a 3-1 record with 22 strikeouts in seven appearances (six starts) covering 29.1 innings, while junior Vinny Schleper (Shakopee, Minn.) went 0-1 with a 3.79 ERA and a .118 opponent batting average in seven appearances (two starts), totaling 17 strikeouts in 19.0 innings. Senior Kade Bowar (Burnsville, Minn.) picked up a victory in six relief appearances (9.0 innings).

A pair of sophomores, Brady Drkula (Cottage Grove, Minn./Park) and Hunter Hoen (Belle Plaine, Minn.), each made a one-inning appearance last season and will be expected to contribute more to the Johnnies' pitching staff this spring.

Familiar Faces in the Infield
A trio of infielders return after making 25 starts or more in the lineup last season. Junior shortstop Reed Marquardt (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes) started 34 games at shortstop and batted .324 with 10 doubles, 27 runs scored, a homer and 16 RBI. 

Senior catcher Blake Mellgren (Northfield, Minn.) started 37 of the Johnnies' 40 games behind the plate and tied for third on the team with four home runs. He batted .279 with six doubles, a triple and 23 runs scored. Senior first baseman Owen Best (Aurora, Colo./Regis Jesuit) appeared in 30 games, including 26 starts (16 at designated hitter and 10 at first), and clubbed two homers with five doubles, a triple, 12 RBI and 11 runs scored.

A New Outfield
SJU will have an all-new outfield in 2025 after losing a combined 407 starts across the three positions due to graduation. Five Johnnies are expected to contend for playing time right away:  juniors Owen Amrhein (Waconia, Minn.), Brendan Hemr (Blaine, Minn./Centennial) and Jake Slipka (St. Paul, Minn./Centennial); and sophomores Zach Helfmann (St. Louis Park, Minn.) and Riley Schwellenbach (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge). Schwellenbach recorded the most varsity experience last spring, where he made 16 appearances as a pinch runner and scored seven runs with six stolen bases.

Other New Faces to the Lineup
Four Johnnies are expected to see time right away in SJU's lineup this spring. Senior second baseman Ryan Janzen (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) made 13 appearances and went 2-for-5 at the plate with four runs scored in place of Owen Dauk '23, who made 158 starts.

Sophomore infielder Justin Brooks (Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park) and junior first baseman Collin Kray (Little Falls, Minn.) are names to look for in 2025, as well as sophomore utility Alex Matchey (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater Area), a transfer from North Iowa Area C.C.

The 2025 Non-Conference Schedule
The Johnnies' 40-game schedule includes 20 non-conference contests comprise of 14 different opponents. The 14 teams combined for a 319-263 record (.548) in 2024, of which five recorded 25 wins or more. Denison (Ohio) went 42-8 and reached the NCAA Division III Super Regionals, while Johns Hopkins (Md.) posted a 35-11 record and reached the national tournament. 

SJU opens the 2025 season on with four games over three days (March 7-9) in Tucson, Ariz., and travels to the Orlando area March 16-22 for nine games. The Johnnies return to Minnesota for a March 26 doubleheader at Northwestern and play two more Upper Midwest Athletic Conference opponents – Minnesota-Morris (nine-inning game on April 10) and Crown (doubleheader on April 14) – in Collegeville.

The MIAC (Home) Schedule
The Johnnies open MIAC play with a March 29 doubleheader against Macalester in Collegeville and are scheduled to host four other doubleheaders against the following conference opponents:

    -Gustavus Adolphus (Saturday, April 5)
    -Hamline (Wednesday, April 9) 
    -Augsburg (Saturday, April 26)
    -Concordia (Monday, April 28)

The four-team, double-elimination MIAC Tournament is scheduled for May 8-10 at Becker Park in Collegeville.

A LOOK AT THE NORSE: Luther (0-3 overall) started its 2025 season with three losses – all by two runs or less – Feb. 14-15 at Redlands (Calif.). The Norse were picked to finish third out of nine teams in the American Rivers Conference (ARC) preseason coaches' poll after ended the 2024 season with a 28-16 record (15-9 ARC). Four All-ARC honorees return from last season: fifth-year pitcher Blake Jondle, sophomore pitcher/utility Noah Kindem, fifth-year first baseman Josh Matanich and senior catcher Gavin Scurr. Matanich batted .462 (6-for-13) with two doubles, a home run, two RBI and three runs scored in California.

LAST SPRING: SJU ended its Tucson trip with a 5-4 loss to Luther last March 18 (2024). The Johnnies out-hit the Norse by an 8-2 margin, but left 11 men on base and had a runner thrown out at the plate for the first out of the seventh inning.

Both teams were 2-for-8 with runners in scoring position, though SJU went 0-for-2 with the bases loaded and 0-for-7 with two outs. The Johnnies loaded the bases in the bottom of the fifth, but the inning ended on a double play, and left the bases full in the eighth.

Starting pitcher Kody Dalen '24 pitched six no-hit innings but did not get the decision. He struck out seven and walked four. Luther entered the game batting .331 with a .514 slugging percentage and .417 on-base percentage.

SJU built a 2-0 lead with single runs in the second and third innings. First baseman Jackson Peter '24 walked to start the second, moved second on a wild pitch and stole third before scoring on an RBI single from designated hitter Andrew Mahlke '24. Second baseman Owen Dauk '23 was hit by a pitch with one out in the third inning and advanced to third on a pair of wild pitches. Luther's catcher attempted a throw to get Dauk at third, but it sailed wide into left field and enabled him to score.

Luther scored five runs on two hits – thanks to four walks – to take the lead in the top of the seventh inning. Two of the first three runs scored on wild pitches and four of the five overall came with two outs.

Marquardt reached on a bunt single in the bottom of the seventh, but was thrown out at the plate on a triple off the bat of right fielder Rodney Erickson '24. Dauk followed with a walk and Becker cut the deficit to 5-3 with an RBI single.

Left fielder Jack Schleper '24 led off the bottom of the eighth with a single and sprinted to third on a pinch-hit single from Best before Mellgren lifted a sacrifice fly to center field.

Wyatt Rudolf '24 took the loss in relief of Dalen, allowing four runs on one hit in 0.2 innings. He struck out one and walked three. Fazio gave up one run on one hit and Jeremy Klick pitched a scoreless ninth.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 11-7 all-time against Luther on the diamond, including a 4-1 record in Collegeville (1-3 in Decorah, Iowa and 6-3 at a neutral site).