By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
AUBURNDALE, Fla. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota baseball team kicks off its 2019 season with 10 nonconference games as part of their nine-day spring trip.
 
The Opponents:
• Cabrini (Roster • Schedule • 2018 Statistics) * MSOE (Roster • Schedule • 2018 Statistics) * Rose-Hulman (Roster • Schedule • 2018 Statistics) * Capital (Roster • Schedule • 2018 Statistics) * Neumann (Roster • Schedule • 2018 Statistics) * RPI (Roster • Schedule • 2018 Statistics) * John Carroll (Roster • Schedule • 2018 Statistics)
 
The Matchups:
February 24, 2019 | Lake Myrtle Park #6 * Auburndale, Fla.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2018: 19-17 Overall) vs. Cabrini Cavaliers (2018: 20-19 Overall), 1:15 p.m. (EST)
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2018: 19-17 Overall) vs. MSOE Raiders (2018: 25-19 Overall), 4:45 p.m. (EST) | Live Stats
February 25, 2019 | Lake Myrtle Park #7 * Auburndale, Fla.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (2018: 19-17 Overall) vs. MSOE Raiders (2018: 25-19 Overall), DH, Noon (EST) | G1 Live Stats * G2 Live Stats
February 26, 2019 | Lake Myrtle Park Main * Auburndale, Fla.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (19-17 Overall) vs. Rose-Hulman Engineers (2018: 20-23 Overall), 4 p.m. (EST) | Live Stats
February 28, 2019 | Lake Myrtle Park #7 * Auburndale, Fla.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (19-17 Overall) vs. Capital Crusaders (2018: 14-24 Overall), Noon (EST)
March 1, 2019 | Osceola Heritage Park #4 * Kissimmee, Fla.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (19-17 Overall) vs. Neumann Knights (2018: 20-23 Overall), 1:45 p.m.
March 2, 2019 | Lake Myrtle Park #5 * Auburndale, Fla.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (19-17 Overall) vs. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Engineers (2018: 19-21 Overall), 2:45 p.m.
March 3, 2019 | Lake Myrtle Park Main * Auburndale, Fla.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (19-17 Overall) vs. John Carroll Blue Streaks (2018: 20-18 Overall), DH, 9 a.m.
 
Last Action:
• This week's games in Auburndale, Fla., are the 2019 season-openers for the Cardinals and all of their opponents.
 
Saint Mary's vs. Spring Trip Opponents — Their Last Meeting:
• vs. Cabrini—February 27, 2018 * Auburndale, Fla.: The Cardinals — who held Milwaukee School of Engineering to just one run in sweeping the Raiders 9-1 and 2-0 in their previous outing — could not get their offense on track against Cabrini. And before Saint Mary's finally plated their first run the Cavaliers had already scored three times — once in the fourth and twice in the fifth — in dealing the Cardinals a 3-1 setback | Recap
• vs. Milwaukee School of Engineering—February 26, 2018 * Auburndale, Fla.: The Cardinals limited the Raiders to a solo, seventh-inning run in cruising to a 9-1 victory in the opening game of the teams' nonconference doubleheader. And Saint Mary's did their Game 1 defensive effort one better in the nightcap, as the Cardinals got a two-run single from Justin Weinberg (Eagan, Minn.) in the top of the 10th inning — and three Saint Mary's pitchers combined on a 10-inning shutout—in a 2-0 Game 2 victory over the Raiders | Recap
• vs. Rose-Hulman—March 1, 2018 * Auburndale, Fla.: Matthew Piechowski (Hutchinson, Minn.) enjoyed his best offensive day as a Cardinal, finishing with a career-high four hits —  one more than Rose-Hulman was able to muster as a team — in leading the Cardinals to an 8-4 victory in the teams' nine-inning nonconference game | Recap
• vs. Capital—March 4, 2017 * Winter Haven, Fla.: The Cardinals scored three runs in three separate innings — including both the eighth and ninth — as Saint Mary's rolled to a 9-3 nonconference win over Capital | Recap
• vs. Neumann—February 25, 2018 * Auburndale, Fla.: Neumann scored in each of the first five innings — including putting up nine runs in the bottom of the fifth — in dealing the Cardinals a season-opening 15-4 setback. And the Knights' high-powered offense was at it again in Game 2 of the teams' nonconference doubleheader, scoring 10 more runs in completing the sweep with a 10-5 victory | Recap
• This week's games against RIT and John Carroll are the first in program history.
 
Cardinals' Up Next:
• The Cardinals are scheduled to return to action, weather permitting, on March 22-23, squaring off against Concordia-Chicago, Concordia (Minn.), and Wheaton in Carol Stream, Ill.
 
Scouting the Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2018 Final Statistics
• Saint Mary's boasted two players who earned a total of four MIAC post-season honors in 2018. James Green (East Bethel, Minn.) was named First-Team All-MIAC, while also earning the conference's Rookie of the Year honor. Green and Joe Seegers (Oconomowoc, Wis.) were also selected to the MIAC All-Defensive Team. … The Cardinals made their second MIAC Playoff appearance in the last three years — and their fifth in the last seven seasons — a year ago, falling to Gustavus 5-2 in the opening-round elimination game. … Andy Tepp (Stevens Point, Wis.) closed out his first season as a Cardinal as the team's batting leader with a .344 average in 2018. Tepp was one of five Cardinal regulars to hit above .300—Zach Slowiak (Chippewa Falls, Wis. / .342), Justin Weinberg (Eagan, Minn. / .327), Joe Seegers (Oconomowoc, Wis. / .323), and Connor Cornell (Plymouth, Minn. / .304) were the others. … Along with his .323 batting average, Seegers boasted team-highs in at-bats (127), runs (27), hits (41), doubles (5), triples (3), and total bases (52). … Jake Barry (Tinley Park, Ill.) led the team in home runs with three. Tepp and Will Matthews (Geneva, Ill.) owned Saint Mary's other two home runs. Tepp's three-run, fifth-inning home run against Luther on March 27 was the first of his collegiate career, while Matthews delivered a walk-off, solo shot in the bottom of the seventh inning in Saint Mary's 3-2 win over Hamline on May 5. … Weinberg led the team with 22 RBIs and was joined by Tepp (18), Barry (16), Slowiak (15), Cornell (13), Matthews (13), Matthew Piechowski (Hutchinson, Minn. / 12), and Seegers (11) as the eight Cardinals with 10 or more RBIs. … Seegers led the team with 11 multiple-hit games, one more than Tepp, and Weinberg finished the year with a team-high six multiple-RBI games. … Seegers had his team- and career-high 13-game hitting streak snapped in Game 1 against Carleton on April 23, and had his 16-game streak of reaching base safely ended in Game 1 against Macalester on April 25. … Weinberg was held hitless in Game 2 against Mount Union on March 3, snapping his season-opening seven-game hitting streak. … Jordan Albrecht (Tomah, Wis.), Liam Belleveau (Middleton, Wis.), Mitchell Feyereisen (River Falls, Wis.), and Jacob French (Winona, Minn.) all recorded their first collegiate hits in Game 2 vs. Carleton on April 23, giving Saint Mary's eight players who collected their first hits as a Cardinal last season. Tepp, Cornell, Tommy Hill (Madison, Wis.), and Kodey Kiel (Owatonna, Minn.) all delivered their first hits during the Cardinals' spring trip to Auburndale, Fla. … Piechowski and Seegers set career highs in the Cardinals' 8-4 win over Rose-Hulman on March 1. Piechowski banged out a career-high four hits, while Seegers walked four times and scored four times — both career-bests — against the Fightin' Engineers. … Weinberg's four-hit performance in Game 2 against Saint John's on May 3 was the first of his collegiate career. … Seegers and Tepp drove in all seven of the Cardinals' Game 1 runs in Saint Mary's 7-4 win over Luther on March 27. … Green recorded his first collegiate shutout in a Cardinal uniform — scattering five hits and striking out seven — in Saint Mary's 2-0 Game 1 win over Macalester on April 25, while notching his first Cardinal pitching win with complete game No. 1 in a 3-2 Game 1 win over Gustavus on April 21. … Eli Morison (Minneapolis, Minn.) posted his first collegiate complete game in leading Saint Mary's to a 3-1 win in the opener against Carleton on April 23. … Green (2-3, 1.68 ERA) and Ryan Wolfe (4-2, 4.82 ERA) led the Cardinal pitching staff in innings pitched with 59.0 and 46.2 innings, respectively, while Morison (1-2, 3.18 ERA, 34.0 IP), R.J. Brown (Broadview, Ill. / 4-3, 3.72 ERA, 29.0 IP), Jonathan Cieminski (Fountain City, Wis. / 1-2, 5.95 ERA, 19.2 IP), Tyler Stilp (Lindstrom, Minn. / 1-2, 3.31 ERA, 16.1 IP), Kiel (1-0, 2.93 ERA, 15.1 IP), and Nathan Mathwig (Woodbury, Minn. / 2-0, 5.40 ERA, 13.1 IP) also hurled 10 or more innings last season. … Stilp and Mathwig made a team-leading 11 pitching appearances, one more than Kiel. … Wolfe posted a pair of collegiate firsts in the Cardinals' Game 2 win over St. Thomas on April 10. The sophomore right-hander tossed his first career nine-inning complete game, with the 1-0 final score earning him his first shutout as a Cardinal. Wolfe also struck out a career-high eight batters, while allowing just four hits and walking one in the nine-inning win. … Cieminski collected his first collegiate pitching in in the Cardinals' 10-4, Game 2 win over St. Olaf on May 6, allowing four runs on six hits in five innings of work. … Kiel earned his first collegiate win with three innings of scoreless, no-hit relief in the Cardinals' 8-3 win over Concordia on April 29. … Stilp earned his first collegiate win, throwing two innings of scoreless, hitless relief in Saint Mary's 2-1, 10-inning win over Bethel on April 28. … Dom Lonetti (St. Paul, Minn. / 1-0, 0.00 ERA) and Jake Kramlinger (White Bear Lake, Minn. / 1-2, 2.70 ERA) each picked up their first collegiate pitching wins during the Cardinals' spring trip to Florida, while Stilp and Austin Lenhardt (Winona, Minn. / 0-1, 3.18 ERA) each notched their first collegiate saves in the Cardinals' sweep of MSOE on Feb. 26. … Seven Cardinal hurlers recorded 10 or more strikeouts in 2018 — led by Green (49), Wolfe (39), and Brown (28). … With his team-leading third save of the season against Augsburg on May 2, Mathwig became the program's all-time saves leader with 14, while also owning the top spot in pitching appearances with 54. … The Cardinals' 10-1 Game 2 loss to Bethel on April 28 snapped their season-high eight-game winning streak, while also putting an end to Saint Mary's run of three straight doubleheader sweeps. … Saint Mary's erupted for 17 hits in Game 2 against Carleton on April 23 — getting hits from 13 different players. … Saint Mary's scored six runs on just two hits — plating four runs on bases-loaded walks — in its 10-5 win over Alma on March 17. …The Cardinals scored six or more runs in 10 of their 19 wins — including a season-high 16 runs against Penn State-Brandywine on March 4. … The Cardinals' 16 runs and 19 hits against Penn State-Brandywine were the most since Saint Mary's banged out 19 hits in drubbing Finlandia 19-4 on March 1, 2017. … The Cardinals combined 21 runs in sweeping St. Olaf 11-8 and 10-4 on May 6 were the most in a doubleheader sweep since scoring 25 in sweeping Milwaukee School of Engineering 15-3 and 10-3 to open the season in 2017. … The Cardinals finished the year 15-4 when scoring first and 15-1 when leading after the sixth inning. … The Cardinals' 11-8, eight-inning win over St. Olaf on May 6 was their fifth extra-inning game of the season. The Cardinals also beat Bethel (1-0) and MSOE (2-0) — both in 10 innings — while dropping eight-inning decisions to Mount Union (3-2) and Luther (2-1).