WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota baseball team kicks off its 2017 season with 10 nonconference games as part of their nine-day spring trip.
 
The Matchups:
February 26, 2017 | Lake Myrtle Park #7 * Auburndale, Fla. | 11 a.m. (EST)
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2016: 27-15-1 Overall) vs. Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders (2016: 24-22 Overall)
February 27, 2017 | Lake Myrtle Park, Main Field * Auburndale, Fla. | 11:15 a.m. (EST)
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2016: 27-15-1 Overall) vs. Wartburg Knights (2016: 34-13 Overall)
February 28, 2017 | Lake Myrtle Park #8 * Auburndale, Fla. | 11 a.m. (EST)
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2016: 27-15-1 Overall) vs. Franklin Grizzlies (2016: 15-24 Overall)
March 1, 2017 | Chain of Lakes Park, Stadium * Winter Haven, Fla. | 2:30 (EST)
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2016: 27-15-1 Overall) vs. Finlandia Lions (2016: 11-16 Overall)
March 3, 2017 | Lake Myrtle Park #4 * Auburndale, Fla. | 12:30 p.m. (EST)
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2016: 27-15-1 Overall) vs. Alma Scots (2016: 28-15 Overall)
March 3, 2017 | Chain of Lakes Park, Stadium * Winter Haven, Fla. | 4 p.m. (EST)
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2016: 27-15-1 Overall) vs. Rockford Regents (2016: 18-22 Overall)
March 4, 2017 | Chain of Lakes Park, Stadium * Winter Haven, Fla. | 9 a.m. (EST)
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2016: 27-15-1 Overall) vs. Capital Crusaders (2016: 19-17 Overall)
March 5, 2017 | Chain of Lakes Park #4 * Winter Haven, Fla. | 9 a.m. (EST)
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2016: 27-15-1 Overall) vs. Coe Kohawks (2016: 18-22 Overall)
 
GameDay Live On The Web:
• Live Stats: MSOE 1 | MSOE 2 | Coe


Last Action:
• This week's games in Winter Haven, Fla., are the 2017 season-openers for the Cardinals and all of their opponents.
 
Saint Mary's vs. Spring Trip Opponents—Their Last Meeting:
• vs. Milwaukee School of Engineering | March 1, 2015 * Winter Haven, Fla.: Saint Mary's, playing the first of 10 games during its week-long stay in Florida, banged out 14 hits—and scored 11 runs—in rolling to an 11-0 Game 1 win over Milwaukee School of Engineering at Lake Myrtle Park. And it was more of the same in the nightcap, as the Cardinals plated another nine runs in completing the sweep with a 9-2 victory over the Raiders | Recap
• vs. Wartburg | March 17, 2013 * Minneapolis, Minn.: After opening the season with a 12-2 loss to Wartburg in Tucson, Ariz., Saint Mary's was looking forward to getting another shot at the Knights when the two teams squared off again in the Metrodome. Unfortunately for coach Nick Winecke, his Cardinals didn't fare any better the second—or third—time around, as Wartburg handed Saint Mary's 7-0 and 5-4 setbacks in a doubleheader that started late Sunday night and finished in the wee hours of Monday morning | Recap
• vs. Franklin | February 28, 2016 * Winter Haven, Fla.: Saint Mary's managed just four runs in their nine-inning nonconference game against Franklin—the fourth coming on a Joe Seeger's (Oconomowoc, Wis.) one-out single in the bottom of the ninth—as the Cardinals slipped past the Grizzlies 4-3 to extend their winning streak to seven straight | Recap
• vs. Finlandia | April 8, 2011 * Winona, Minn.: The Cardinals, who came up empty in their first two at-bats, scored twice in the second, four times in the fifth and eight times in the sixth in cruising to a 14-1 Game 1 victory over the visiting Lions. Saint Mary's offense took its foot off the gas a bit in the second game, choosing to ride the right arm of freshman Luke Larson (Bloomington, Minn.), who tossed a complete-game seven-hitter in lifting the Cardinals to a sweep-clinching 5-1 Game 2 win | Recap
• vs. Alma: The Cardinals' doubleheader against the Scots on March 3 will be the first meeting in program history between the two teams.
• vs. Capital | February 28, 2016 * Winter Haven, Fla.: Fueled by an eight-run fifth inning, the Cardinals pushed their winning streak to six in a row, cruising to an 11-7 win over Capital in the first of two nine-inning nonconference games | Recap
• vs. Coe | March 19, 2006 * Cedar Rapids, Iowa.: Coe proved to be a rather ungracious, as the Kohawks erupted for six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning to beat the Cardinals 8-2 in the first game, then held Saint Mary's to just two hits en route to a sweep-clinching 5-0 Game 2 victory | Recap
 
Cardinals' Up Next:
• The Cardinals are scheduled to return to action, weather permitting, on March 17-18, squaring off against Aurora, Wheaton (Ill.), and Cornell (Iowa) in Wheaton, Ill.
 
Scouting The Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2017 Roster | 2017 Schedule | 2016 Final Statistics
• Saint Mary's made its fourth conference tournament appearance in the last five years under coach Nick Winecke in 2016, falling to Saint John's 11-4 in the MIAC Playoff title game. … The Cardinals, who put together winning streaks of seven and eight games last season, finished with a 27-15-1 overall record—marking the third time under coach Nick Winecke that they have won 20 or more games in a season. … Saint Mary's 27 wins are the most since 1992, when the Cardinals finished 28-7. … The Cardinals boasted five First-Team All-MIAC selections—not to mention the league's Most Valuable Player—a year ago. Willie Doll (Amherst, Wis.) earned the MIAC's Max Molock MVP Award, and was joined on the All-MIAC First-Team by Ben Buerkle (Roseville, Minn.), Bob Kinne (St. Paul, Minn.), Steph Scatassa (Westchester, Ill.), and Nathan Mathwig (Woodbury, Minn.). … Doll was also named to the MIAC's All-Defensive Team for an unprecedented fourth straight season. Kinne joined Doll on the All-Defensive Team. … Doll and Mathwig were also named D3baseball.com All-Midwest Region First Team, with Kinne landing Second-Team honors, and Scatassa and Buerkle selected to the Third-Team. … Those same five were also named ABCA/Rawlings All-Midwest Region picks, with Doll the lone First-Teamer, while Buerkle and Scatassa made the Second-Team, and Kinne and Mathwig were on the Third-Team. … Doll also landed D3baseball.com and ABCA/Rawlings All-American honors, while Buerkle was a Third-Team CoSIDA Academic All-America selection. … Cale Pieczynski (Plover, Wis. / .450), Kinne (.438), and Doll (.412) all hit over .400 in the Cardinals' four 2016 MIAC Playoff games. … The Cardinals erupted for a season-high 19 runs in their MIAC Playoff elimination game against Hamline on May 13. … Saint Mary's scored 10 runs without making an out in their 10-run eighth inning against Hamline on May 13. … The Cardinals' 10-run eighth vs. Hamline marked the second straight year the Cardinals have scored 10 runs in an inning against the Pipers—having also achieved the feat in a 20-2 win on April 1, 2015. … Buerkle recorded a season- and career-high seven RBIs—on just two hits—in the Cardinals' 19-2 win over Hamline in the MIAC Playoffs on May 13. Buerkle collected a pair of two-run triples, while also adding a sacrifice fly and two RBI groundouts. … Buerkle's seven RBIs were the most in a single game since Jake Barry (Tinley Park, Ill.) achieved the feat on April 15, 2015. … Doll, who played in all 156 games during his four-year collegiate career—including 155 starts—closed out his senior year leading the team with a .438 batting average, while also compiling team-highs in at-bats (160), runs (49), hits (70), and on-base percentage (.523). … Doll was one of four Cardinal regulars who hit above .300—Kinne (.386), Buerkle (.386), Kinne (.380), and Cale Pieczynski (Plover, Wis. / .303) were the others. … Doll closed out his illustrious four-year playing career as the Cardinals' all-time career leader in games played (156), at-bats (591), runs (151), hits (220), doubles (44), total bases (316), and stolen bases (80). … Doll missed hitting for the cycle in Game 1 against Macalester on April 23 by a home run—the senior had a single, double, and triple, while also walking once, scoring four times and stealing a pair of bases. … Doll's four-hit game against Macalester on April 23 was his third of the season and sixth of his collegiate career. … Doll scored a career-high five runs—including two in the eighth inning—in Saint Mary's 19-2 MIAC Playoff win over Hamline on May 13. Doll also recorded two four-run games, giving him six games of four or more runs scored in his career. … Doll went 1-for-1 with four walks in Game 2 against Concordia on May 4. The four walks were the most by a Cardinal since Pat Krieger walked five times against Simpson on March 3, 2013. … Doll's walk-off home run against Augsburg on April 21 marked the second time the senior belted a game-winning home run in their last at-bat last season. Doll hit a three-run, game-winner against St. Olaf on April 16. … Doll's two home-run game against Augsburg was the first of his collegiate career. … Doll accounted for two of the Cardinals' five home runs against Augsburg on April 21—Pieczynski, Barry, and Jake Mencacci (Wheaton, Ill.) also hit round-trippers for the Cardinals. … Kinne hit two of the Cardinals' five home runs in the MIAC Playoffs, with Buerkle, Pieczynski, and Barry hitting the others. … With his two home runs in the MIAC Playoffs, Kinne closed out the year belting six home runs in his last 10 games. … Kinne led the team with eight home runs, 50 RBIs, and 14 multiple-RBI games—including two five-RBI efforts. … Kinne, in his first season with the Cardinals, set a single-season school record with his 50 RBIs, three more than the previous record of 47 set by Buerkle in 2015. … Along with Kinne's team-leading eight home runs, the Cardinals' other 16 HRs came from: Barry (5), Doll (4), Tyler Lursen (Maple Grove, Minn. / 2), Pieczynski (2), Buerkle (2), and Mencacci (1). … Kinne's home run against Concordia on Feb. 23 and Mencacci's HR vs. Augsburg on April 21 were the first of their collegiate careers. … Doll—who closed out the season with a team- and conference-leading 21 stolen bases a year ago—stole his team- and conference-leading 22^nd base of the season against Concordia on May 4. Doll was just two steals shy of the single-season school record—which he set in 2014—and owns a program-record 80 steals for his four-year career. … Buerkle led, or shared the team lead in doubles (14), triples (6), and walks (33). … Buerkle reached base safely in 42 of the Cardinals' 43 contests last season. … Buerkle—who hit safely in 34 of 36 games in 2015—had a hit in 38 of the Cardinals' 43 games last season, and has now collected at least one hit in 109 of the 118 games he's played in. … Buerkle has been held off the base paths just three times in 118 career contests. … Pieczynski owned both of the Cardinals' five-hit games last season—with both coming against Hamline. The senior went 5-for-6 in Saint Mary's 10-inning Game 2 loss to Hamline on April 12, before adding 5-for-6 game No. 2 against the Pipers in the MIAC Playoffs on May 13. … Lursen belted a pair of home runs and drove in seven runs in the Cardinals' two-game split against Saint John's on April 10. Lursen's ninth-inning Game 2 grand slam vs. the Johnnies was the first of his collegiate career. … Jacob Frost (Moline, Ill.) and A.J. Redders (Middleton, Wis.) each recorded their first collegiate three-hit games against Bethel on May 8. … The Cardinals hit a season-high four triples against Macalester on April 23. … Steph Scatassa (Westchester, Ill.) picked up his team-leading and career-high seventh pitching win of the season against St. Thomas in the Cardinals' MIAC Playoff opener on May 12, tossing a complete-game, four-hit shutout. … Scatassa's effort against St. Thomas was his second complete game of the season—with both ending in shutout wins. The senior hurled a five-hit shutout in a 2-0 Saint Mary's win against Carleton on April 26. … Scatassa's playoff performance against St. Thomas was his seventh collegiate complete game and third career shutout. … Scatassa (7-2, 2.17 ERA) logged a team-high 74.2 innings, while Jacob Dawson (Oakdale, Minn. / 53.0 IP), Austin Jacobs (Cannon Falls, Minn. / 52.0 IP), Ben Johnson (Brooklyn Park, Minn. / 46.0 IP), and Mathwig (31.1 IP) also threw more than 30 innings last season. … Scatassa made a team-high 13 starts a year ago—two more than Dawson—while Mathwig was the team-leader with 19 pitching appearances, one more than Ryan Fejt (Westchester, Ill.). … Scatassa, who equaled his career high with eight strikeouts against Carleton on April 26, struck out a team-leading 61 batters. … Mathwig collected his team-leading sixth save in Game 1 against Concordia on May 4. … Mathwig was one save shy of the single-season school record of seven, set by Tyler Krysiak in 2013. … Jacobs (4-4, 4.50 ERA) went the first eight innings in the Cardinals' Game 2 win over Macalester on April 23—it was the longest start of his collegiate career. … Jacobs recorded his first collegiate save with a perfect ninth inning in the Cardinals' 7-6 win over Cornell on March 18. … Eli Morrison (Minneapolis, Minn. / 2-1, 2.57 ERA) and Jesse Barron (Minnetonka, Minn. / 1-1, 4.38 ERA) have both notched their first collegiate pitching wins this season—Morrison's coming in a start against Houghton on Feb. 27 (4 IP, 0 R, 4 H) and Barron's coming in relief vs. Elmira on Feb. 25 (2.2 IP, 1 R, 3 H). … The Cardinals scored a school-record 284 runs last season. It's the second straight year Saint Mary's has broken the single-season run record, having plated 274 runs in 2015. … Saint Mary's owned 11 games of 10 or more runs—including the season-high 19-run effort against Hamline on May 13. … The Cardinals outscored their opponents 40-26 in the first inning and 38-17 in the second a year ago. … Saint Mary's was 21-5 when scoring the game's first run. … Saint Mary's finished 22-2-1 when leading after the sixth inning. … Saint Mary's was held to two runs or less in nine of its 15 losses last season. … Saint Mary's collected five doubleheader sweeps last season. … The Cardinals won Game 1 in seven of their last nine doubleheaders—and 10 times in their 14 twinbills a year ago. … The Cardinals' 5-2 Game 1 win over Concordia on May 4 snapped their 12-game losing streak against the Cobbers, and was their first win over Concordia in Moorhead, Minn., since April 14, 2001—a span of nine games. The sweep of the Cobbers, meanwhile, was the Cardinals' first two-game sweep in Moorhead, Minn., since the 1982 season. … After not playing an extra-inning game in their first 25 games, the Cardinals played extra innings three times in a five-game stretch—falling to Hamline 7-6 in 10 innings on April 12, tying UW-Oshkosh 11-11 in 10 innings on April 15, and falling to Augsburg 6-5 in nine innings on April 21. … The Cardinals' 11-11, 10-inning tie against the Titans on April 15 marked the second time in as many meetings that Saint Mary's and UW-Oshkosh have gone to extra innings. Saint Mary's beat UW-Oshkosh 1-0 in 14 innings in their last meeting on March 25, 2012. … The Cardinals went through a five-game stretch last season in which four games were against nationally ranked teams—UW-La Crosse and St. Thomas—while the other contest was vs. NCAA Division I University of Minnesota. … Saint Mary's 9-1 loss to the University of Minnesota on March 30 marked the first time the Cardinals and Gophers had squared off in program history. …  Saint Mary's March 12 twinbill against St. Scholastica marked the earliest outdoor games played at Max Molock Field in more than 20 years.
 
Scouting The Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders:
2017 Roster | 2016 Final Statistics | 2017 Schedule
• The Raiders head into their 2017 spring trip on the heels of a 24-22 campaign in 2016—including a 10-9 showing in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC). … MSOE made its first-ever appearance in the NACC tournament, reaching the title game, where it fell to top-seeded Concordia-Chicago 5-1. … The Raiders return five starting position players and all 46 starts on the mound from last season. … Tyler Doyle compiled a team-leading .362 batting average and was one of five Raiders to hit .300 or better in 2016—Matt Melbye (.350), Jimmy Carrington (.313), Nick Gross (.303), and Josh Peltier (.300) were the others. … Doyle also led the Raiders in at-bats (188), runs (32), hits (68), triples (2), walks (21), stolen bases (7), on-base percentage (.427), and slugging percentage (.500). … Carrington boasted a team-best 11 doubles and 38 RBIs, while Owen Burnikel (.245) belted a team-leading six home runs. … Jacob Roley through a team-high 75.1 innings, compiling a 5-4 record and a 4.70 ERA. Roley also struck out a team-best 52 batters and made a team-high 11 starts. …  … Roley was one of seven Raider pitchers to throw 20 or more innings. … Michael Boehmer collected a team-high six wins, going 6-5 with a 2.60 ERA—and shared the team lead in saves (3) with Brandon McCumber (5-3, 5.13 ERA). … Sam Crawford (4-4, 4.81 ERA) appeared in a team-leading 16 games. … MSOE plated 10 or more runs eight times last season—including a pair of 15-run games. The Raiders beat Marian 15-3 on April 17, and Dominican (Ill.) 15-5 on April 30. On the flip side, MSOE surrendered a season-high 15 runs in a 15-6 loss to UW-Milwaukee on April 26.
 
Scouting The Wartburg Knights:
2017 Roster | 2016 Final Statistics | 2017 Schedule
• Wartburg is coming off a 34-13 campaign a year ago—including a 24-4 showing in Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play, a berth in the IIAC tournament title game and a second straight appearance in the NCAA Division III national tournament. … Wartburg, which fell to Luther 10-4 in the IIAC title game, went 1-2 in its NCAA appearance, sandwiching an 8-0 win over Westminster between losses to Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (7-2) and Washington University-St. Louis (5-1). … Wartburg's 24 conference wins were the most in IIAC history. … Wartburg boasted six players who hit .300 or better, led by Tanner Johnson (.362) and Jacob Thumann (.355). Clay Henning (.340), Milton Croes (.338), Zach Hovick (.329), and Ryan Kemp (.306) were the others. … Thumann also led the Knights in runs (41), hits (59), doubles (15), home runs (12), total bases (114), and slugging percentage (.687). … Kemp owned team-highs in at-bats (183), triples (4) and RBIs (36), while Croes was the team-leader in walks (32) and on-base percentage (.458). … Wartburg stole 86 bases in 2016, led by Blake Mahoney (.282) with 29 and Kemp with 13. … Parker Bolt (7-2, 2.36 ERA) and Max Langheinrich (6-2, 3.81 ERA) threw the most innings among the Knight pitcher staff, finishing the season with 84.0 and 78.0 innings pitched, respectively. … Taylor Gilson (8-4, 4.56 ERA) led the team in wins (8), appearances (13), with Langheinrich tossing a team-best six complete games—one more than Gilson. … Wartburg boasted four pitchers with 50 or more strikeouts a year ago—Gilson (69 Ks), Parker Bolt (7-2, 3.36 ERA / 56 Ks), Tanner Eckhart (4-0, 1.30 ERA / 54 Ks), and Langheinrich (52 Ks). … Wartburg scored 10 or more run eight times last season, including a season-high 18 runs in an 18-12 win over Loras on May 1. … Wartburg owned a season-high a 10-game winning streak from March 20-April 9, and set the single-game school record with 15 strikeouts against Cornell on March 5.
 
Scouting The Franklin Grizzlies:
2017 Roster | 2016 Final Statistics | 2017 Schedule
• The Grizzlies head into their spring trip coming off a 15-24 season a year ago, including a 10-16 showing in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC). … Franklin was picked to finish fifth in the 2017 HCAC Preseason Coaches' Poll. … Jordan Clark hit a team-leading .339 during his freshman campaign a year ago, while also leading the team in at-bats (165), runs (29), hits (56), doubles (15), home runs (5), RBIs (32) and slugging percentage (.533). … The Grizzlies boasted 10 players with 10 or more RBIs, led by Clark (32), Frank Podkul (25), Joe Ardizzone (22), and Drew Kammerer (20). … Podkul shared the team's home run lead (5) with Clark. … Clark and Tanner Nicholson each stole 10 bases in 13 tries a year ago. … The Franklin pitching staff boasted a 4.52 ERA—the same as the Grizzlies' opponents' ERA. … Justin Brown (0-4, 5.76 ERA) made a team-leading 13 appearances in 2016. Brown was one of seven Franklin pitchers to make 11 or more pitching appearances. … Hayden Cleveland (2-4, 3.77 ERA) and Christian Sullivan (5-2, 3.67 ERA) logged the most innings a year ago at 74.0 IP and 68.2 IP, respectively. … Sullivan's five wins, four complete games and one shutout were all team-highs. … Cleveland struck out a team-high 65 batters, followed by Sullivan (58) and Jacob McMain (2-4, 3.82 ERA, 53 Ks). … Franklin scored 10 or more runs four times last season—including a season-high 21 in a 21-18 win over Earlham on April 2. On the flip side, Franklin surrendered 10 or more runs four times, including allowing 18 twice—in a 21-18 win over Earlham on April 2 and in an 18-10 loss to Defiance on April 10. … Nine of Franklin's 15 wins came on their home field. The Grizzlies were 6-7 on the road, including 2-5 in neutral-site games.
 
Scouting The Finlandia Lions:
2017 Roster | 2016 Final Statistics | 2017 Schedule
• The Lions head into the 2017 season on the heels of an 11-16 showing last season. … The Lions played just two games—season-ending 9-4 and 12-11 wins over Northland on April 28. Finlandia played its first 25 games on the road last season. … Luke Paul, Adam Johns, and Joey Krug were the Lions' top three offensive threats, hitting .296, .295, and 293, respectively. … Krug also led the team in at-bats (92) hits (27), doubles (8), total bases (38), and slugging percentage (.413). … Patrick Coles (.274 BA)—the only Lion to play all 27 games a year ago—and Joshua Gregory shared the team lead in runs with 16 each. … Krug and Seth Ensor accounted for Finlandia's two home runs in 2016. … Paul drove in a team-high 13 runs, three more than Coles. … Gregory owned a team-best 14 stolen bases on 16 attempts. … Coles and Krug each boasted seven multiple-hit games, and Coles, Krug and Ensor all had two multiple-RBI performances. … Paul was also the leader of the Lions' pitching staff, compiling a 5-1 record and 2.40 ERA, while tossing six complete games in 45.0 innings pitched. … Paul fanned 37 batters. …  Victor Pichardo (1-3, 7.14 ERA) made a team-leading seven appearances—one more than Paul and Aaron Froelich (2-2, 4.31 ERA). … Finlandia scored 10 or more runs three last season—beating North Central (Minn.) 10-7 and Northland 10-5 and 12-11. On the flip side, Finlandia surrendered 10 or more runs in a game nine times, including two games of 20 or more runs—a 21-8 loss to Rockford and a 26-0 setback against UW-Superior. 
 
Scouting The Alma Scots:
2017 Roster | 2016 Final Statistics | 2017 Schedule
• The Scots are coming off a 28-15 season a year ago, including an 18-10 showing in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA). … The Scots—whose 28-15 effort in 2016 was one of the best in school history—went 1-2 in the MIAA Tournament a year ago, sandwiching a pair of losses to Hope (5-4 and 12-2) around a 9-5 win over Adrian. … Alma boasted seven players who hit .300 or better a year ago, led by Doug Walters (.353) and David Carles (.343). … Matthew (.310) led the team in at-bats (155) and hits (48), while Yoan De La Rosa (.300) scored a team-best 36 runs and Carles belted a team-leader 13 doubles, one more than Dayne San Miguel. … Adam Thoryk hit three of the Scots' eight home runs. … Alma had 10 players who delivered 10 or more RBIs, led by Walters (37), Alex Peczynski (29), and Thoryk (26). … The Alma pitching staff with be without its top three starters from a year ago—Phil Jock, Matt Launstein, and Collin Nash—as well as leading reliever Blake Ordiway. … Launstein finished with a team-low 3.21 ERA, while Alex Valasek (7-2, 3.45 ERA) earned a team-best seven wins, one more than Jock (6-5, 4.57 ERA) and Nash (6-2, 5.15 ERA). … Valasek logged a team-high 75.2 IP, including a team-high 12 starts, with Jock (61.0 IP) close behind. … Ordiway (1-1, 3.74 ERA) made a team-leading 19 appearances and collected three of the team's seven saves. … The Alma pitching staff fanned 250 batters, led by Valasek with 64 and Jock with 62. …  Alma scored 10 or more runs nine times last season, including a season-high 16 in a 16-1 win over Olivet. … Alma allowed 35 runs in dropping a pair of games to Adrian on April 17, falling 17-0 and 18-1. … Alma put together winning streaks of five, seven, and eight games last season.
 
Scouting The Rockford Regents:
2017 Roster | 2016 Final Statistics | 2017 Schedule
• The Regents are coming off an 18-22 season a year ago, including an 8-12 effort in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC). … Rockford will play its first 18 games on the road this season—the Regents do not open the home portion of their season until April 2, when they host Marian. … The Regents open 2017 without their lone First-Team NACC performer Evan Frantini, who concluded his senior season ranked in the NACC top-10 in six different categories—including leading the conference in doubles (20) and RBIs (42). … Cole Logemann (.333), Frantini (.324), Ryan Scarpetta (.320), and Bryce Hinkelman (.304) all hit above .300 last season. … Robert Smith (.221) led the team in at-bats with 154, while Frantini and Scarpetta shared the team lead with 47 hits, each. … Along with his team-leading 20 doubles—one shy of the single-season school record—and 42 RBIs, Frantini also led the Regents in triples (3), walks (26), and slugging percentage (.523). … Smith boasted a team-best 11 stolen bases. … Joseph Valdez returns for his sophomore season to lead the Regents' pitching staff. Valdez, an NACC All-Freshman Team selection a year ago, tossed 38.2 innings in his 11 appearances. He finished the season with a 3-1 record, a 3.03 ERA, and was tied for ninth in the conference with two saves. … David Camacho (4-5, 4.05 ERA) logged a team-high 60.0 IP on the mound for the Regents in 2016. … Camacho's four pitching wins were a team high. … Thomas Goodyear (2-2, 5.45 ERA) made a team-high 11 pitching appearances, one more than Valdez (3-1, 3.03 ERA), Nathan Mulzer (1-0, 3.09 ERA), Thomas Bolen (1-3, 4.15 ERA), Adam O'Malley (0-6, 4.83 ERA), and Tyler Joyce (1-1, 6.23 ERA). … Goodyear fanned a team-best 44 batters, four more than Valdez and six in front of Mulzer. … Rockford collected seven of its 18 wins at home, going 7-10 on its home diamond. The Regents were 11-12 on the road—including 6-6 in neutral-site games.
 
Scouting The Capital Crusaders:
2017 Roster | 2016 Final Statistics | 2017 Schedule
• The Crusaders finished 19-17 a year ago, including posting a 7-11 record in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC). … The Crusaders are loaded with experience this season, returning 39 letterwinners off of last year's squad. … Logan Bastin leads the way for Capital, coming off a solid junior season in which he was named Second-Team ABCA/Rawlings All-Mideast Region, wile earning Third-Team D3baseball.com All-Mideast Region honors. … Bastin and Brett Colburn led the Crusaders' offensive attack in 2016—Colburn hit a team-best .415, with Bastin right on his heels with a .408 batting average. … Colburn led the team in at-bats (147), hits (61), and on-base percentage (.470) while Bastin was the team-leader in home runs (7), RBIs (43), total bases (84), and slugging percentage (.672). … Alexander Smith (.327) scored a team-leading 40 runs and owned the team lead in doubles with 13, one more than Bastin. … Tyler Cetnarowski (.286) and Jake Foley (.255) shared the team lead with 11 stolen bases. … Colburn collected a team-high 22 multiple-hit games—including a five-hit performance against Hanover on March 3—while Bastin was the team-leader in multiple-RBI games with 12. … The Crusaders boasted nine pitchers who logged 20 or more innings pitched a year ago, led by Brendon Borkey (4-4, 4.08 ERA) with 50.0. … Casey Hamrick (1-0, 4.05 ERA) made a team-leading 18 pitching appearances—he was one of five hurlers with 10 or more appearances—while Borkey owned a team-high eight starts. … Capital boasted two pitchers—Gabe Morris (1-1, 1.73 ERA) and Shane Wellman (4-0, 1.75 ERA)—with ERA's below 2.00. … Wellman closed out 2016 as the team's strikeout leader with 52, while limiting opposing batters to just a .183 batting average. … Capital was 8-0 when scoring 10 or more runs, while also going 8-0 when limiting its opponents to two runs or less. … Capital scored six or more runs in 16 of its 36 games, going 16-4. … The Crusaders did not lose game when leading after six innings (15-0).
 
Scouting The Coe Kohawks:
2017 Roster | 2016 Final Statistics | 2017 Schedule
• Coe enters the 2017 season coming off an 18-22 showing a year ago, including a 12-16 mark  in the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (IIAC). … The Kohawks qualified for the IIAC post-season tournament, but after opening with a 9-5 win over the University of Dubuque, Coe fell to Wartburg (8-2) and Buena Vista (9-8). … The Kohawks will be without the services of two-time ABCA/Rawlings All-Central Region Third-Teamer Craig Konrardy, led the Kohawks became the third player in school history with multiple seasons with over 60 hits during his senior campaign in 2016. Konrardy also broke Coe's career hits record with 220, and became the third player in school history with over 600 career at-bats. … Konrardy hit a team-leading .401 a year ago. He was one of four Kohawk regulars to hit above .300—Kevin DeLaney (.380), Michael Redmond (.363), and Andrew Brierton (.333) were the others. … Konrardy also led the team in hits (61)—one more than DeLaney—total bases (90), slugging percentage (.592), walks (14), and on-base percentage (.459). … Redmond scored a team-leading 39 runs and laced a team-high 12 doubles, while Grant Henning (.298) finished the year leading the squad with 42 RBIs. … Konrardy and Henning each launched a team-best four home runs, with Brierton adding three. … Coe stole 35 bases last season, led by Konrardy and DeLaney with 11 each. … Konrardy and DeLaney each put together 19 multiple-hit games in 2016, while Henning boasted a team-leading 11 multiple-RBI performances. … DeLaney closed out the season a year ago recording a hit in each of the Kohawks' last 17 contests, while Redmond ended the year on an 11-game hitting streak. … Coe boasted seven pitchers who logged more than 20 innings last season, led by Ben Jacobson (7-1, 4.79 ERA, 67.2 IP), Thomas Schaedel (3-4, 4.20 ERA, 60.0 IP), and Zach Kammin (2-5, 4.27 ERA, 52.2 IP). … Jacobson, an ABCA/Rawlings Third-Team All-Central Region selection a year ago— led the team in wins (7) and shutouts (2), and shared the team lead in complete games (4) with Schaedel. … Lucas Robbins (1-3, 5.48 ERA) was the team's saves leader with three, one more than Kammin, while Kammin was the Kohawks' strikeout leader with 48. … The Kohawks were shut out just once in 40 games last season—falling to Luther 3-0 on April 22. … Coe was a perfect 8-0 when limiting its opponent to two runs or less, including three shutout victories. … The Kohawks were just 3-18 when allowing six runs or more.