COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. - Patrick Strey grew up in a baseball family.
 
Perhaps that's why he was such a well-rounded player.
 
The Eastview High School graduate, who won a state title playing for his father Tom as a senior in the spring of 2012, was equally at home at the plate and on the pitcher's mound.
 
"I identified more as a position player, but my skills projected more toward being a pitcher in college," he said. "One of the reasons I came to Saint John's was I had the opportunity to do both."
 
And Strey seized that chance, especially as a senior in the spring of 2016 when he batted .387 with a team-best 48 RBI while also logging 53.1 innings on the mound, striking out 45 batters and walking just 10.
 
His performance earned him All-MIAC first-team honors and was a big part of why his team finished 32-14, won the MIAC playoff title and advanced to the NCAA Division III Midwest Regional championship – the furthest the Johnnies have advanced in program history.
 
"That was a super tight-knit team," Strey said. "Guys understood what they were doing and bought into their roles. We won a lot of close games that season because we had players who came through when it mattered most."
 
Including in an MIAC doubleheader against archrival St. Thomas on April 26 of that year in Collegeville. Strey went 3-for-6 at the plate with five RBI as SJU swept the Tommies 4-1 and 8-7. It marked the first time SJU had swept St. Thomas since 1998, and the first time it had happened at home since 1993.
 
Strey also pitched all nine innings of game one, striking out four to pick up the win. That was the same game in which he belted his 18th double of the year, breaking a single-season program record.
 
"I always joke that I set the doubles record because I couldn't hit the ball over the fence," said Strey, who finished that season with 22 doubles. "I could get the ball to it, but not over it."
 
That's not exactly true. Strey also had five home runs that year, helping bolster his RBI total.
 
"It helped having teammates who knew how to put the ball in play and get on base," he said. "I got credit for driving them in. But RBIs don't happen if guys aren't getting on base before you come to the plate."
 
After defeating Saint Mary's 11-4 in the MIAC title game, the Johnnies advanced to regional play at Wisconsin-La Crosse. There they clawed their way back into the championship round against the host Eagles, who had blanked them 10-0 earlier in the tournament.
 
SJU needed to defeat La Crosse twice to earn a spot in the Division III World Series, but the Eagles proved too tall an obstacle to overcome, winning the first game 5-3 to claim the region title. Still, the Johnnies did set what was a single-season school record for victories at the time (it was broken two years later when SJU won 33 games).
 
"By the time you're a senior, you've put in so much work and you've been around the league so long," Strey said. "There's a confidence that sets in and you can just go out there and let it rip. I think that was the case for myself and a lot of my teammates that season."
 
Strey, a social science major, went into teaching after graduation. He found his way back to Eastview where he now teaches ninth and 10th grade history. He also took up coaching, serving as an assistant to his father, who won over 300 games in his career.
 
Tom Strey retired following the 2022 season and Patrick took over the head job – leading his team to a berth in the Class 4A state tournament in 2024.
 
"Both my parents were teachers, and growing up it seemed like a natural fit," said Patrick, who is also an assistant football coach at the school. "I like getting the chance to work with kids every day. I also get to coach at a high level and stay involved with the game. 
 
"I couldn't ask for anything more."
 
70 years ago (1956)
The SJU mile relay team of Don Mahowald, Keith and Kevin Hughes and Cyril Paul placed first at the Carleton Relays meet in a time of 3:38.2.
 
The foursome would later shave 10 seconds off that time to set a school record while winning the event at that season's MIAC meet.

80 years ago (1946)
The SJU baseball team played its first game since the end of World War II, beating St. Cloud Teachers College (now St. Cloud State) 7-2 to open the 1946 season before a crowd of 250 in Collegeville. Chub Fuchs was 2-for-3 at the plate to lead the way. Bud Streitz struck out nine to pick up the win on the mound.

90 years ago (1936)
Three Johnnie boxers won their matches in a competition in Mora. Leading the way was John Boyd, who emerged victorious by knockout just 40 seconds into the first round.