Saint John's baseball hosts Minnesota-Morris for a 5 p.m. non-conference game on Friday, April 24, in Collegeville and faces Augsburg for a 1 p.m. doubleheader on Saturday, April 25, at Parade Stadium in Minneapolis.

LIVE COVERAGE
-Friday, April 24 in Collegeville: Live Stats | Live Video
-Saturday, April 25 in Minneapolis: Live Stats | Live Video

A LOOK AT THE JOHNNIES: Saint John's (17-12, 8-6 MIAC) split its doubleheader at second-place Macalester on Tuesday (April 21) in St. Paul. SJU mustered only four hits and suffered a 3-2, walk-off loss in the opener but responded with 11 hits – including eight for extra bases (seven doubles and a home run) – for a 10-2 victory in the nightcap and the split. 

Game 1 – at Macalester 3, Saint John's 2
Macalester totaled three runs on seven hits to hand freshman Max Edwards (Rockford, Minn.) his first loss of the season (5-1 record). Edwards struck out six and walked four in 6.1 innings.

A leadoff walk stole second and scored on a two-out single for the Scots in the bottom of the first inning.

The Johnnies tied the game on a sacrifice fly from junior center fielder Riley Schwellenbach (Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge) in the top of the fifth inning, but Nathan Gumagay launched a solo homer down the left-field line.

Senior third baseman Reed Marquardt (Lindstrom, Minn./Chisago Lakes) reached on a fielding error by the left fielder with one out in the top of the seventh inning and junior catcher Mason McCurdy (Lake Elmo, Minn./Stillwater Area) evened the score at 2-2 with a double in the next at-bat, but was stranded at second.

The Scots recorded a one-out single and walk before Niko Alexander ripped the first pitch he saw down the left-field line for the walk-off RBI. 

Game 2 – Saint John's 10, at Macalester 2
SJU gained its first lead of the day in the top of the second inning after junior designate hitter Will Wareham (Lakeville, Minn./North) and Marquardt both doubled to start the frame and McCurdy followed with an RBI groundout.

Matchey led off the fourth inning with his second double of the game and Marquardt blasted a two-out, two-run shot to right field for a 3-0 lead. The long ball was his second of the season and sixth of his career.

The visitors tacked on two unearned runs – a sacrifice fly from junior first baseman Justin Brooks (Champlin, Minn./Champlin Park) and a balk – in the top of the fourth inning. 
MAC erased the shutout on a two-out single in the bottom of the fourth inning, but the Johnnies broke the game open with five runs in the top of the seventh. Four of SJU's first five batters reached and the Johnnies nearly batted around. McCurdy cracked a two-run double, scoring senior right fielder Brendan Hemr (Blaine, Minn./Centennial) from second and Marquardt from first. The throw beat Marquardt to the plate, but he maneuvered his arm to avoid the catcher.

Schwellenbach advanced two runners with a sac bunt and Koeppen walked to load the bases for a pinch-hit, bases-clearing double from junior Tanner Hoemann (Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View).

Macalester scored the final run with another two-out single in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Junior Hunter Hoen (Belle Plaine, Minn.) improved to 3-1 with the win, allowing the two runs on nine hits in seven innings of work. He struck out six.

Junior Brady Drkula (Cottage Grove, Minn./Park) made his season debut and pitched a hitless eighth inning with a strikeout and junior Carter Theisen (Rosemount, Minn.) closed the game with a scoreless ninth.

Macalester used eight pitchers, who only managed a combined two strikeouts to nine walks, in game two.

Eight of the 11 Johnnies with a plate appearance tallied a hit and 10 of the 11 reached base. Marquardt, Matchey and freshman shortstop Wil Koeppen (Minnetonka, Minn.) had two hits apiece. Marquardt drove in two runs, while Hoemann and McCurdy had three RBI each.

STAT COMPARISONS 
Batting Average
-AUG, .304
-SJU, .292
-UMM, .266

Slugging Percentage
-SJU, .411
-AUG, .398
-UMM, .394

On-Base Percentage
-AUG, .408
-SJU, .383
-UMM, .383

ERA
-SJU, 3.10
-UMM, 5.56
-AUG, 7.88

Opponent Batting Average
-SJU, .246
-UMM, .289
-AUG, .315

Fielding Percentage
-UMM, .968
-AUG, .961
-SJU, .960

A LOOK AT THE COUGARS: Minnesota-Morris (15-13, 11-4 UMAC) visits Concordia-Moorhead today for a nine-inning game and is currently riding a seven-game win streak thanks to season sweeps of North Central (Minn.) and Martin Luther. Prior to today's game, senior Ben Meuser was the team leader of the Cougar offense in batting (.347), hits (33), triples (3), RBI (26) and a share for doubles (7). Classmate Bradie Black boasts a .309 average with four home runs. The Cougar pitching staff has a 5.56 ERA and is led by sophomore Travis Godfrey, who is 3-3 with a 3.53 ERA and 40 punchouts through eight starts.

LAST SPRING: SJU suffered a 9-2 loss to Minnesota-Morris last April 10 (2025) in Collegeville. The Cougars out-hit the Johnnies by a 14-4 margin and jumped out to a 6-1 lead after three innings. The game was the fifth in three days (seventh in five days) for SJU, which went 2-for-16 with runners on base, including 1-for-13 with runners in scoring position.

UMM started the game with three-consecutive singles, two that did not leave the infield, and gained a quick 2-0 lead on a one-out, two-run single. Marquardt doubled to start the bottom half of the inning and scored on a one-out double from Matchey.

The Cougars tacked on four more runs on five hits in the third inning and added insurance with a single tally in the sixth and two more in the seventh.

Sophomore center fielder Nolan Dumonceaux (Forest Lake, Minn.) doubled to start the bottom of the seventh inning, advanced to third on a groundout and scored on a sacrifice fly from Marquardt to end the game's scoring. First baseman Owen Best '25 walked four times.

Senior Vinny Schleper (Shakopee, Minn.) was saddled with the loss – SJU's first to the Cougars since March 22, 1991 – after he allowed six runs on 10 hits in 2.2 innings.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 19-22 all-time against Minnesota-Morris, including an 11-10 record in Collegeville. The record improves to 12-9 (8-3 on the home diamond) since 1980. 

A LOOK AT THE AUGGIES: Augsburg (8-13, 5-9 MIAC) brings a four-game win streak to the field Saturday thanks to 35 runs in a sweep at Northwestern (Minn.) – 19-11 and 16-2 – on Wednesday (April 22). The Auggies also swept Concordia-Moorhead with scores of 4-1 and 5-0 on Sunday (April 19) in Minneapolis. Senior outfielder Stanley Regguinti went 8-for-8 at the plate against UNW and leads the team in nearly every offensive category: batting (.436), runs (26), hits (34), doubles (11) and RBI (18). Senior southpaw Austin Lang is 1-1 with a .204 opponent batting average, 3.71 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 26.2 innings. Senior righty Manny Weiss is 2-1 with a 4.03 ERA and 28 strikeouts in a team-best 29.0 innings.

A YEAR AGO: SJU celebrated Jerry Haugen Day with a sweep of Augsburg, 2-0 and 13-3 in eight innings, last April 26 (2025) at Haugen Field at Becker Park. The Johnnies batted .391 (25-for-64) with seven extra-base hits (six doubles and a home run) on the day, while three pitchers combined to hold the Auggies to a .228 average (13-for-57). The visitors went 3-for-28 (.107) with runners on base and 0-for-13 with runners in scoring position in the doubleheader.

Marquardt went 6-for-8 with five runs scored, a double and two RBI from the leadoff spot. 

Third baseman Joe Becker '24 went 5-for-8 with five RBI and three runs scored. He ended game two with a two-out, two-run homer in the bottom of the eighth inning to induce the 10-run rule. 

Game 1 – at Saint John's 2, Augsburg 0
Theisen pitched the complete-game, seven-inning shutout for his fifth win of the season (5-2 record). He threw 76 pitches (48 strikes) and allowed four hits in a game that lasted 1:19. One of the hits allowed was a double that was lost in the sun.

The Johnnies loaded the bases with three free passes with one out in the bottom of the first inning. Becker was hit by the first pitch of his at-bat and Best was plunked by his third before Matchey walked. Hemr lifted a sacrifice fly in the ensuing at-bat to plate what proved to be the game-winning run.

Marquardt started the bottom of the third inning with a single and scored when Becker roped a double down the left-field line (but was thrown out at third attempting to stretch the hit into a triple).

Game 2 – at Saint John's 13, Augsburg 3 (8 inn.)
Augsburg jumped out to a 3-0 lead, thanks to two unearned runs, in the top of the first inning before SJU posted 13 unanswered runs. Marquardt singled to start the bottom of the first, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI single off the bat of Becker. 

SJU added two unearned runs of its own in the second inning. Junior designated hitter Zach Helfmann (St. Louis Park, Minn.) reached on a fielding error and the Johnnies loaded the bases following bunt singles from second baseman Ryan Janzen '25 and senior center fielder Owen Amrhein (Waconia, Minn.). A double play brought in a run and Marquardt tied the game at 3-3 with a double down the left-field line.

Best led off the bottom of the third with a ground-rule double to left and eventually scored on an infield single from Janzen.

The Johnnies broke open the lead with a four-run fourth inning, sparked by a bases-clearing double by Hemr, and tacked on an unearned run in the sixth. 

An RBI single from Matchey made it 10-3 in the seventh inning and Marquardt drove in another run in the eighth inning before Becker's blast.

Hoen improved to 3-0 with the win after he allowed the three runs (one earned) on six hits in five innings.

Sophomore Drew Lange gave up three hits in three scoreless innings of relief for his first collegiate save.

Becker and Marquardt combined to go 8-for-11 with six runs scored and six RBI in game two. Amrhein, Janzen and Matchey collected three hits apiece.

SERIES HISTORY: The Johnnies are 51-14 against the Auggies since 1993, including a 25-7 record on Augsburg's home field. SJU has won 23 of the last 26 meetings overall.