A Fifth To Build On
MIAC baaeball preview courtesy of Matt Higgins and the MIAC office
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BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – Though it's not even the end of February, baseball is definitely in the Minnesota air. Recently, multiple teams from the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) actually played outdoors thanks to unseasonably warm temperatures to signal the start of another promising season in the MIAC.
A year ago, the 2016 MIAC standings featured incredible parity at the top, as the top four teams were all separated by just one game and all four had a chance to earn the MIAC title over the season's final conference series. In the end, the University of St. Thomas held off the other three challengers to win the championship by a single game with a 14-6 MIAC record and a 25-15 overall mark. The title was the 13th in 14 season for Head Coach Chris Olean's program dating back to 2003. The Tommies now have 35 overall MIAC baseball championships, nearly double the next-best total.
One of those other contenders saved their late-season magic for the postseason, as Saint John's went 3-0 to win its second MIAC Playoff title in as many years – this time on its new home field, no less – and then the Johnnies went 4-2 at the NCAA Midwest Regional to continue its tremendous run. Saint John's finished 32-14 overall and was part of a three-way tie for second in the MIAC standings at 13-7 and returns with high hopes for more success in Head Coach Jerry Haugen's milestone 40th season.
Hamline and Saint Mary's also had outstanding seasons, sharing second place with the Johnnies with 13-7 conference records, and they also joined the Playoff fun and advanced deep in the tournament. The Pipers finished 28-15 overall and Saint Mary's was 27-15-1 to give the MIAC an extremely formidable top four in 2016.
Concordia just missed out on a Playoff spot a year ago, as the Cobbers were over .500 in the conference at 11-9 and finished with a solid 21-18 overall record. Both Augsburg and Bethel also went .500 overall with identical 19-19 records, and that pair also shared sixth place in the conference standings with 9-11 MIAC records. Gustavus also tied those two for sixth with a 9-11 conference mark and finished with a winning record overall with a 20-18 mark. Carleton (12-28, 8-12 MIAC), Macalester (17-18, 6-14 MIAC) and St. Olaf (11-26, 5-15 MIAC) rounded out the 2016 standings.
The 2017 is already under way, and really gets going in the coming week thanks to the addition of U.S. Bank Stadium. The new home of the Minnesota Vikings is all set to host indoor baseball in the NFL's off-season, and 10 of 11 MIAC teams have games scheduled there in February and March.
Even with the possibility of February's outdoor baseball going away in a hurry thanks to an impending storm, the 2017 season has arrived and if it's anything like the 2016 campaign, the action on the diamond is going to be a season-long, drama-filled celebration of MIAC baseball.
COACHES CAST THEIR VOTES
After winning the 2016 title and adding to its impressive run of MIAC success, big things are anticipated for St. Thomas once again in 2017, as the Tommies finished atop the 2017 MIAC Baseball Preseason Coaches' Poll. Olean's club received eight first-place votes and 98 points to earn the status as favorite heading into the season. The team graduated star pitcher Eric Veglahn, who is already starting a promising professional career, but is excited about its offensive prospects in 2017 with the return of junior Jake Smith (OF), Hunter Hart (1B) and Zach Gottfredaen (2B), who all hit better than .290 with more than 30 RBI a year ago.
It's no surprise to see Saint John's second in the coaches' poll with the other three first-place votes and 91 points after last season's success. The Johnnies bring back an outstanding pitching staff, led by ace Alex Kendall and valuable reliever Nick Noack, and senior third baseman Derek Schiebel returns after joining Kendall on the All-MIAC and All-Region teams in 2016.
Hamline and Saint Mary's were separated by just four points in the coaches' poll, as the Pipers were picked third with 75 points and the Cardinals were a close fourth with 71 points, with both expected to return to the four-team Playoffs. Hamline's offense will again be led by slugging 1B Jacob Picht and standout pitchers Alex Bauermeister and Nolan Schoonveld both return to give the Pipers talent on the hill. All-American 3B Ben Buerkle is back for Saint Mary's to write the final chapter of his standout career, and senior OF Bob Kinne and pitcher Nathan Mathwig certainly bolster the Cardinal's hopes to challenge for the MIAC title and another trip to the postseason.
Concordia and Bethel were just outside the Playoff picture a year ago, and coaches expect them to be both closely-matched and in contention again this season, as the Cobbers (62 points) edged the Royals (61 points) for fifth in the poll. Concordia has closer Joe Hallock, home-run leader Chad Johnson and infielder Turner Storm back, who led the team in hitting a year ago. Bethel brings back plenty of talent, just a year removed from the program's first MIAC title. Bryce Marquardt is back after breaking the single-season hits record and he'll be joined by Bret Neuville and Lars Anderson.
Just eight points separated the trio of Augsburg (43 points), Gustavus (39 points) and St. Olaf (35 points) as they each hope to improve and make a Playoff push in 2017. Augsburg's hopes starts with the return of MIAC & Midwest Region Rookie-of-the-Year Mike Brookshaw, who hit .415 as a rookie, and seniors Josh Marlowe and Rhett Hebig also bolster the Auggie lineup. Gustavus has a lot of talent back in the infield thanks to the return of Isaiah Welckle and Brock Peterson, and Josh Chatfield returns in the outfield with the team's top batting average. St. Olaf's young nucleus – led by P/IF Jake Mathison, and outfielders Joe Keiski and Sam Stuckmayer – looks to come of age as Head Coach Matt McDonald's club looks to make a big jump in 2017.
Macalester (17 points) and Carleton (13 points) rounded out the final two spots in the 2017 coaches' poll, but both have reason to be optimistic as they open the season. The Scots have two All-MIAC players back in infielder Quentin Stuart and outfielder Nick McMullen, and infielder Ben Castagnetti joined McMullen on the All-Region team. Carleton graduated star player Hayden Tsutsui but brings back All-MIAC outfielder Griffin Bolte and has high hopes for the return of infielder Willie Freimuth and pitcher/infielder Austin Heuer.
2017 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.