New-Look Cobbers Picked Fifth In MIAC Preseason Poll
MIAC men's baseball preview courtesy of Matt Higgins and the MIAC office
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. -- The 2015 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) baseball will prove whether or not the number 13 is a lucky one for St. Thomas, or for the rest of the conference. This season, the Tommies aim for 13th-straight conference title, while the rest of the teams in a very competitive will try to end that streak at 12.
Head Coach Chris Olean guided UST to a 12th-straight MIAC title in 2014, in addition to the MIAC Playoff championship and another trip to the Division III College World Series, where St. Thomas wrapped up a 39-9 season with a third-place finish in the national tournament. UST was alone at the top of the MIAC standings with an 18-2 conference record, and claimed title No. 12 in a row by at least four games over the rest of the field.
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From there, the conference was about as competitive as it can get, as the next seven teams in the standings were separated by just five games. Bethel was second with a 14-6 record (23-12 overall), as the Royals edged the third-place duo of Saint John's (21-10 overall, 13-7 MIAC) and Saint Mary's (18-23 overall, 13-7 MIAC) by a single game for the No. 2 spot. Carleton also had a great season with a 22-14 overall record and a 12-8 conference mark, and just missed the final Playoff spot in fifth place.
After the Knights, it was a three-way tie for sixth as Hamline (19-15 overall), Concordia (18-16 overall) and St. Olaf (20-20 overall) all finished .500 or better overall and an identical 9-11 in MIAC play. Augsburg (13-24 overall, 6-14 MIAC), Macalester (14-24 overall, 5-15 MIAC) and Gustavus (7-24 overall, 2-18 MIAC) rounded out the final three spots in the 2014 standings. In all the MIAC had seven of its 11 teams finish .500 or better overall last season.
With the first pitches of the 2015 season already thrown, the big question will be whether St. Thomas stays a step ahead of the rest of the league, or if another scenario plays out. Will another contender emerge from a crowded back to dethrone UST? Will the parity throughout the standings all rise together to create a multiple-team race for the title? What does Mother Nature have in store for Minnesota ballparks this spring? Fortunately, those answers are just around the corner.
COACHES CALL FOR ANOTHER TOMMIE TITLE
The MIAC baseball coaches expect St. Thomas' time at the top to continue, as the Tommies were the unanimous top choice in the 2015 MIAC Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll. UST received 10 first-place votes and 100 points and were tabbed as the favorite to win title No. 13 in a row in a system that didn't allow coaches to vote for their own team.
The coaches expect Saint John's and Bethel to be the top contenders again in 2015, as the Johnnies received the other first-place vote and edged the Royals for second place in the poll. SJU finished with 86 points, and Bethel was third with 83. The coaches expect a repeat of the four-team Playoff field in 2015, as Saint Mary's came in fourth in the poll with 69 points.
However, Concordia, St. Olaf and Hamline all figure to be in the running for the postseason as well, as the Cobbers were fifth with 57 points, the Oles were sixth with 53 and Hamline was seventh with 52. Augsburg (39) edged Carleton (33) for eighth place by six points, and Macalester (18) and Gustavus (15) rounded out the final two spots in the poll.
ONE COACHING CHANGE, SEVERAL MILESTONES
There was one major changing of the guard in the MIAC coaching ranks this season, as Concordia's Bucky Burgau retired with a MIAC-best 711 career wins, and turned the Cobbers over to Chris Coste, who was a member of the Philadelphia Phillies World Series championship team in 2008 and was a 3-time MIAC MVP for Burgau and Concordia during his collegiate playing days.
Amazingly enough, Burgau wasn't the only MIAC coach to hit the 700-win milestone last season, as Saint John's Jerry Haugen - who enters his 38th year leading the Johnnies - also notched his 700th win last season and could overtake Burgau as the MIAC's all-time wins leader this season. St. Olaf Head Coach Matt McDonald - entering his 21st season - won his 500th game last season as well to give the MIAC an unheard of trio of coaching milestones in 2014.
After Haugen and McDonald, Gustavus' Mike Carroll (19th season) and Macalester's Matt Parrington (16th season) are the next-longest-tenured, followed by Augsburg's Keith Bateman (12th season) and Carleton's Aaron Rushing (10th season). Saint Mary's Nick Winecke starts season No. 7 in Winona and Olean is seeking his sixth MIAC title in as many seasons leading St. Thomas. Brian Raabe starts season No. 4 at Bethel and Hamline's Jim Weyandt is opening his third campaign as the Pipers' head coach.
WHO TO WATCH FOR
If the Tommies can capture a 13th-straight MIAC title, chances are it will be led to victory by its starting pitching. UST graduated two MIAC MVPs in Tim Kuzniar and Tyler Peterson, along with All-MIAC staples J.D. Dorgan and Ben Podobinski, but talented starters Eric Veglahn and Colin Wendinger both return to give Olean the best rotation in the league again, and outfield Kelvin Strok hit .327 last year and will be one of the leading returns in the Tommie lineup.
Saint John's also has a few key losses as MIAC Pitcher-of-the-Year Justin Thompson and outfielders Dylan Graves and Joe Lampe graduated, but Haugen is excited about the return of All-Region 2B Brett Becker, starting pitcher Collin Felhaber and outfielder Aaron Pfaff. Bethel brings back a lot of its talent from a year ago, as the Royals advanced all the way to the MIAC Playoff championship game. All-MIAC pitcher Joe Zorn and outfielder Grant Anderson are both back, as is outfielder Matt Conrad who nearly hit .400 (.395) a season ago.
Saint Mary's used an incredible late-season surge to get into the MIAC Playoffs, and though it loses All-MIAC selections Kevin Gannon and Taylor Thelemann, the Cardinals have a lot of talent back. Willie Doll (All-MIAC and All-Defensive Team) and Ben Buerkle (MIAC Rookie-of-the-Year) both received conference honors in the outfield last season, and two-time All-MIAC catcher Jon Schlemmer is back behind the plate. In his first season leading the Cobbers, Coste has a good nucleus to build on despite the loss of All-Region slugger Jordan Gefroh. Infielder Phil Kuball and outfielder Devin Johnson will anchor the lineup and standout reliever Bryce Feia is back after six saves and a 1.40 ERA in 2014.
The Oles graduated a lot of talent from a year ago, but are excited to have sophomore starter Ryan Tapani back in the rotation after going 4-3 in eight starts as a rookie, and a pair of juniors - Kap Davis (.339) and Tim Maus (22 RBI) are back to lead the Oles offensively. Hamline's hopes start with versatile P/OF Matt Connell, who was an All-Region selection and hit .393 while also starting six games on the mound. Outfielder Evan Cordell and his .421 average are back as well, and sophomore starter Ryan Gick is also back in the Piper rotation. Hamline will move into a new ballpark as well this season, as they'll share the brand-new CHS Field in St. Paul with the St. Paul Saints.
Augsburg ace Tanner Oakes returns for his senior season after an All-MIAC and All-Region junior season. The Auggies also have Steven Piette back in the bullpen and the outfield, and infielder Ave Welckle and his .300 average also return to Minneapolis. Carleton graduated a pair of All-Region players in Jeff Dsida and David Stillerman, but there's still a lot to like about the Knights. Hayden Tsutsui is back for his junior season after earning All-Region honors in each of the first two, and standout pitcher/hitter Nolan Baker is back after All-Region accolades in 2014 as well. Jack Violetta joins Baker in the rotation again to give Carleton an outstanding 1-2 punch at the top.
Macalester is happy to see C/OF Tom Forster back for his senior season after earning All-MIAC and All-Region honors last season, and he'll be joined by infielder Quentin Stuart and pitcher Joseph Aulisi as the Scots try to return to the postseason for the first time since 2011. Gustavus is excited about the return of a pair of seniors, as Garrett Fuchs and his .364 average are back in the infield, and pitcher Grant Soderberg is back at the top of the rotation.
CIRCLE THESE DATES
A few of the MIAC's teams have already headed south to begin their 2015 seasons, though most of the conference is getting set for opening day in the coming weeks. MIAC doubleheaders are scheduled to start on Saturday, March 28, with conference play running through Monday, May 4. The MIAC Playoffs will return to Veterans Field in Minnetonka, Minn., for the fifth-straight season, and the four-team, double-elimination tournament is set for May 8-10.
The top two teams in the Coaches' Poll will meet for a doubleheader with major MIAC championship implications on Wednesday, April 15, when St. Thomas hosts Saint John's at 2:30 p.m. The other two returning Playoff teams will meet in the regular-season MIAC finale, as Bethel travels to Saint Mary's for a huge series on May 3 at 1 p.m.
Concordia, St. Olaf, Hamline and Carleton all hope to contend for Playoff spots as well, so their head-to-head doubleheaders will be of maximum importance. The Cobbers and Pipers will square off to close the regular season on Saturday, May 2, at 1 p.m., and Playoff implications could be huge when Concordia heads to Hamline. The two Northfield rivals will meet in a key early-season series, as the Knights travel across town to face the Oles on April 7 at 2:30 p.m.
Augsburg, Macalester and Gustavus are all hoping to ascend upward in the standings this season and get into the postseason conversation as well, so their meetings will be crucial to each team's success. Gustavus visits Augsburg on April 4 at 1 p.m. and the Gusties also head to Macalester on April 25 for a 2:30 p.m. doubleheader, while the Auggies and Scots meet in a Twin Cities showdown at Parade Stadium on April 30 at 4 p.m.
2015 MIAC Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll
Coaches voted for every team in the conference except their own team. Points were assigned for each vote (10 for first, nine for second, etc.) Teams are ranked in order of highest point total to lowest with vote totals listed and first-place votes shown in parentheses.
2015 MIAC Baseball Playoffs
The 2015 MIAC Baseball Playoffs will feature the conference's top four teams squaring off in a double-elimination tournament with a trip to the NCAA Tournament on the line. The Playoffs will return to Minnetonka's Veterans Field for the fifth-straight season with three days of action on May 8-10. There will be two games Friday, May 8, three games Saturday, May 9, and one or two games to decide the champion on Sunday, May 10. The winner will receive the MIAC's automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament.