The Johnnie baseball team travels to Tucson, Ariz., for four games this Friday-Sunday (March 6-8).

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (2-0 overall) started its 2025 baseball season with a sweep of Luther (Iowa), 3-2 and 4-2, on Sunday afternoon (March 2) in Collegeville. Four SJU pitchers combined to hold Luther (0-5 overall) to a .233 batting average, while the Johnnies produced clutch hitting late in both games for the sweep.

Game 1 – Saint John's 3, Luther 2
SJU erased a 2-1 deficit with a pair of runs in the fifth inning for the win in game one. Senior second baseman Ryan Janzen (St. Cloud, Minn./Cathedral) started the bottom half of the inning with a leadoff single, stole second base and scored on a one-out double from junior shortstop Reed Marquardt (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes). Marquardt moved to third on a groundout and scored when senior first baseman Owen Best (Aurora, Colo./Regis Jesuit) laced a 3-2 pitch up the middle for what proved to be the game-winning run. 

The Johnnies gained an early 1-0 lead thanks to back-to-back, two-out doubles from Best and sophomore designated hitter Zach Helfmann (St. Louis Park, Minn.) in the first inning. Best ended the game 3-for-3 at the plate.

The Norse tied the game with an RBI double of their own from Garren Heinert in the top of the second inning and gained a 2-1 lead on a leadoff homer from Josh Matanich in the third.
 
Senior pitcher Connor Hartley (Inver Grove Heights, Minn./Rosemount) picked up the win, the 10th of his collegiate career (10-6 with a 3.58 ERA in 100.2 innings), after allowing the two earned runs on six hits in six innings. He struck out five and walked one.

Senior Kade Bowar (Burnsville, Minn.) pitched a 1-2-3 seventh inning, including strikeouts to the final two batters, for his first collegiate save.

Game 2 – Saint John's 4, Luther 2
Helfmann smoked a 0-2 pitch over the left-field fence for a two-run homer – the first of his collegiate career – to break a 2-2 stalemate in the bottom of the seventh inning. The blast proved to be the game-winning runs and provided the needed spark for an offense that stranded a runner on third base in each of the first four innings. The home team also left a leadoff double from senior third baseman Joe Becker (New Prague, Minn.) on base in the fifth inning and collected three singles in the sixth but left the bases loaded without a run scored.

Three-consecutive singles from junior right fielder Brendan Hemr (Blaine, Minn./Centennial), junior left fielder Owen Amrhein (Waconia, Minn.) and Janzen loaded the bases with one out in the fourth inning. Sophomore centerfielder Riley Schwellenbach (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge) then brought in the game's first run with a fielder's choice and Amrhein scored on a passed ball with two outs for a 2-0 lead. 

Luther tallied three doubles in the fifth inning, however, to tie the game at 2-2.

Sophomore Carter Theisen (Rosemount, Minn.) earned the win in relief, allowing two hits with four strikeouts in four scoreless innings. 

Senior southpaw Will Fazio (Minneapolis, Minn./Blake) made the start and gave up the two runs on six hits with five strikeouts.

Janzen led SJU's bats with a 3-for-4 performance, while Hemr went 2-for-3 with a walk.

LAST YEAR'S TUCSON TRIP: SJU went 2-2 over three days last March 16-18 (2024) in Tucson, Ariz. The Johnnies started the trip with a 12-6 win over NAIA SAGU-American Indian College (Ariz.) and split a doubleheader with Wesleyan (Conn.; L, 2-5; W, 4-1), before they allowed five runs in the seventh inning for a 5-4 loss to Luther in the trip's finale.

SJU batted .287 with 12 extra-base hits (eight doubles, two triples and two home runs), but left 33 men on base in the four games. The pitching staff allowed just a .217 opponent batting average with 28 strikeouts in 32 innings. Individually, Becker batted .500 (7-for-14) with two homers, a double, triple, five RBI and four runs scored. Left fielder Jack Schleper '24 matched Becker with seven hits (.438, 7-for-16) and also scored four runs.

A LOOK AT REGENTS: Rockford (2-0 overall) scored 26 runs off 29 hits in a doubleheader sweep against Eureka (Ill.) last Friday (Feb. 28) at home. The Regents clubbed three home runs on the day and took control of game one with a pair of three-run innings for a 9-5 victory. The home team totaled 16 hits and only needed eight innings to take care of the Red Devils, capped off by five runs with two outs in the bottom of the eighth to end the game early, 17-7. Senior shortstop Jake Bilotta was an All-NACC second-team selection last season, while senior pitcher Will Hissong and senior outfielder Joseph Stagowski were honorable mention. Bilotta batted with 19 doubles, 44 runs scored and 35 RBI, while Stagowski hit eight homers. Hissong posted five saves and broke the school record for appearances in a season with 22. He ended the 2024 season with a 5-2 record, 36 strikeouts and a .253 opponent batting average in 40.1 innings pitched.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies' series against the Regents is even at 1-1: 2010 in Chandler, Ariz. (L, 7-20) and 2012 in Tucson (W, 9-7).

A LOOK AT THE FALCONS: Concordia (3-3 overall) scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth inning to top Bethany Lutheran yesterday (March 5) 15-14 in Tucson. The two teams combined for 44 hits and five errors. CUW faces Crown and Linfield (Ore.) Friday before Saturday's doubleheader. Senior Kyle Flynn and freshman Graham Kasten are both 10-for-24 (.417) so far this season. Flynn has a team-leading eight runs scored, while Kasten has 10 RBI. Another senior, Brynden Cleveland, leads the Falcons with three home runs. 

SERIES HISTORY: SJU is 5-2 all-time against CUW with all four meetings occurring in Tucson: 2015 (L, 0-1, 10 inn.; W, 7-5, 8 inn.); 2016 (W, 10-7; W, 10-4); 2019 (W, 13-8; W, 4-0); and 2023 (L, 7-17, 7 inn.).

A LOOK AT THE FIREBIRDS: Carthage (4-2 overall) went 3-1 last weekend (Feb. 28-March 2) at the RussMatt Central Florida Invitational, where SJU will be over spring break March 16-22. Senior Max Cairo leads the team in batting average (.412), home runs (2), stolen bases (2) and RBI (8), while classmate Collin Callahan touts a team-best 10 hits and eight runs scored. A pair of starting pitchers, seniors Wyatt Modory and Bryce Schaum, have both recorded two strong starts so far this spring. Modory is 1-0 with a 2.38 ERA and .214 opponent batting average in 11.1 innings, while Schaum is 1-1 with a 1.80 ERA and 13 strikeouts with a gaudy .094 batting average in 10 innings. Carthage plays Linfield (Ore.) Saturday before taking on SJU Sunday.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 2-4 all-time against the Firebirds, all on a neutral field: 2005 in Port Charlotte, Fla. (L, 3-4, 10 inn.); 2007 at the Metrodome (L, 1-4; W, 9-7); 2010 at the Metrodome (L, 1-15; L, 7-9); and 2013 in Tucson (W, 10-5).