By DONNY NADEAU
Saint Mary's Sports Information Director
 
CAROL STREAM, Ill. — The Saint Mary's University of Minnesota baseball team is back in action with a very busy weekend, taking part in the two-day Wheaton Tournament. The Cardinals play Concordia-Moorhead at 11 a.m. and Concordia-Chicago at 2 p.m. on Friday, followed by a 2 p.m. matchup against host Wheaton on Saturday. Saint Mary's concludes the weekend with a nine-inning nonconference game against North Central (Ill.) — also at Lee Pfund Stadium in Carol Stream, Ill. — on Sunday. First pitch in that contest is set for noon.
 
The Matchups:
March 22, 2019 * Lee Pfund Stadium * Carol Stream, Ill.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (6-4 Overall) vs. Concordia-Moorhead Cobbers (5-6 overall), 11 a.m. | Live Stats
March 22, 2019 * Lee Pfund Stadium * Carol Stream, Ill.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (6-4 Overall) vs. Concordia-Chicago Cougars (8-1 overall), 2 p.m. | Live Stats
March 23, 2019 * Lee Pfund Stadium * Carol Stream, Ill.
• Saint Mary's Cardinals (6-4 Overall) vs. Wheaton Thunder (8-2 overall), 2 p.m. | Live Stats
March 24, 2019 * Lee Pfund Stadium * Carol Stream, Ill.
• Saint Mary's (6-4 overall) at North Central Cardinals (8-1 overall), Noon 
 
Last Action:
• Saint Mary's—February 24-March 3, 2019 * Auburndale, Fla.: The Cardinals posted a 6-4 record during their 10-game spring trip, culminated by a trip-ending split against John Carroll. Saint Mary's dropped the opener vs. the Blue Streaks 9-3, before rebounding with a 10-7 win in the nightcap | Spring Trip Recaps
• Concordia-Moorhead—March 4-12, 2019 * Auburndale, Fla.: The Cobbers wrapped up their 11-game spring trip with a 5-6 record — kicked off by a four-game winning streak, while going 1-6 in their final seven | Spring Trip Recaps
• Concordia-Chicago—March 10-17, 2019 * Kissimmee, Fla.: The Cougars recorded a perfect 6-0 run during its spring trip, picking up wins over Amherst (13-3), St. Scholastica 3-1), Fredonia (12-1), Webster (4-1), Ramapo (8-4), and The College of New Jersey (3-2) | Spring Trip Recaps
• Wheaton—March 9-16, 2019 * Fort Pierce, Fla.: The Thunder concluded their spring trip going 6-2 — including wins over Norwich (15-1, 8-2), Geneva (6-1), Western Connecticut State (24-13), Cairn (8-3), and College of Mount Saint Vincent (11-1) | Spring Trip Recaps
• North Central (Ill.)—March 14-20, 2019 * Port Charlotte, Fla.: The Cardinals completed a 5-1 showing during its six-game spring trip to Florida — highlighted by a 3-1, 4-3 sweep of third-ranked College of Wooster on March 20.
 
Saint Mary's vs. Concordia-Chicago — Their Last Meeting:
• March 3, 2014 * Tucson, Ariz.: Saint Mary's, playing its first game of the 2014 season, held Concordia-Chicago to runs in just three of their nine innings in the team's nine-inning nonconference game. Unfortunately for coach Nick Winecke, in those three innings, the Cougars erupted for eight runs, as Concordia-Chicago handed the Cardinals an 8-4 setback | Recap
• March 6, 2014 * Tucson, Ariz.: It was a game of big innings when Saint Mary's and Concordia-Chicago squared off for a second time during their spring trip. Unfortunately, a three-run second proved to be the highlight of the Cardinals' offensive effort, while the Cougars boasted four multiple-run innings — not to mention scoring runs in six of the nine frames — in handing Saint Mary's a 13-4 nonconference setback | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Concordia-Moorhead — Their Last Meeting:
• April 29, 2019 * Moorhead, Minn.: James Green (East Bethel, Minn.) did his part, as the freshman right-hander tossed a complete-game four-hitter in the opening game of Saint Mary's doubleheader against Concordia. Unfortunately, the Cardinals could not provide Green with any offensive support, as Concordia scored the game's only run in the bottom of the second inning in dealing Saint Mary's a 1-0 setback. The Cardinals were much more generous to their Game 2 pitchers, erupting for eight runs — including five in the sixth inning — as Saint Mary's earned the split with an 8-3 victory | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. Wheaton (Ill.) — Their Last Meeting:
• March 16, 2019 * Carol Stream, Ill.: Saint Mary's grabbed leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but the Thunder scored the game's final two runs — one in the seventh to tie the game at 2-2, and another in the bottom of the eighth — to deal the Cardinals a 3-2 nonconference setback | Recap
 
Saint Mary's vs. North Central (Ill.) — Their Last Meeting:
• Sunday's meeting between Saint Mary's and North Central (Ill.) will be the first in program history.
 
Up Next:
• Saint Mary's: The Cardinals are back in action on Wednesday, as they travel to Wade Stadium in Duluth, Minn., for a pair of nonconference games against St. Scholastica. Game 1 first pitch is slated for 1 p.m.
• Concordia-Chicago: The Cougars kick off NACC play next Saturday, traveling to Madison, Wis., for a pair of games against Edgewood. First pitch in the opener is scheduled for noon.
• Concordia-Moorhead: The Cobbers are back in action on Wednesday, hosting Jamestown in a 3 p.m. nine-inning nonconference game in Moorhead, Minn.
• North Central (Ill.): The Cardinals begin CCIW play on Wednesday, as North Central returns to Zimmerman Stadium in Naperville, Ill., for a 3 p.m. matchup against Carroll.
 
Scouting the Saint Mary's Cardinals:
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2018 Final Statistics
• The Cardinals enter this weekend's action on the heels of a 6-4 showing during their 10-game spring trip. Saint Mary's opened with season with four straight wins, before going 2-4 in their final six contests. … The Cardinals closed out the 10-game spring trip hitting .326 as a team — and boasted seven regulars who hit .300 or better — including three hitting .400 or better. … Matthew Piechowski (Hutchinson, Minn.) enters the weekend leading the Cardinals with a .429 batting average, while also leading or sharing the team lead in at-bats (35), runs (12), hits (15), triples (1), home runs (1), RBIs (12), total bases (21), on-base percentage (.524), and stolen bases (4). … Piechowski belted his first collegiate home run — a grand slam — in the Cardinals' 11-1, season-opening win over Cabrini on Feb. 24 … Will Matthews (Geneva, Ill.) and Zach Drake (Westby, Wis.) also closed out the spring trip second and third to Piechowski with batting averages of .419 and .400, respectively. … Matthews is sitting second to Piechowski with 13 hits, followed by Andy Tepp (Stevens Point, Wis. / 12) and Joey Costello (Victoria, Minn. / 10). … Tepp shares the team lead with Piechowski with 12 runs scored, while Matthews boasts a team-best four doubles. … Liam Belleveau (Middleton, Wis.) went 2-for-4 — picking up his first two collegiate triples — in the Cardinals' win over Milwaukee School of Engineering on Feb. 25. Belleveau then recorded his first collegiate three-hit game, while posting career-highs with three RBIs and three runs scored against Rose-Hulman the following day. … Taylor Anderson (Waukesha, Wis.), Hunter Gustafson (Webster, Wis.), and Joe Bauer (Pine Island, Minn.) collected their first collegiate hits during the Cardinals' spring trip. … The Cardinals, who set a single-game school record with 16 walks against Milwaukee School of Engineering on Feb. 25, have drawn 66 walks through 10 games this season — led by Tepp and Dirk Drohner (Plover, Wis.) with 10 each. … The Cardinals have recorded 26 multiple-hit games, led by Piechowski and Matthews with five. Piechowski owns two three-hit games, while Matthews, Belleveau, and Connor Cornell (Plymouth, Minn.) all have one. … Tepp has recorded a team-high four multiple-RBI games. … Piechowski and Tepp both had seven-game hitting streaks during the Cardinals' spring trip. … Tepp and Dixon Irwin (Red Wing, Minn.) have reached base safely in each of the Cardinals' last nine games. … James Green (East Bethel, Minn.) — the MIAC Rookie of the Year and a First-Team All-MIAC selection a year ago — has logged a team-leading 12.0 innings, compiling a 2-0 record and a 1.50 ERA in two starts. Green allowed just one-hit in six shutout innings in his first start against Cabrini, before scattering five hits and allowing three runs in beating Neumann on March 1. … Ryan Wolfe (1-0, 2.61 ERA) has thrown 10.1 innings, while Eli Morison (1-1, 8.10 ERA) is third on the staff with 10.0 IP. … Luke Gilbertson (Windom, Minn.) earned his first win in a Cardinal uniform — allowing two runs on four hits in four innings in Game 2 against MSOE on Feb. 25, while Jake Kramlinger (White Bear Lake, Minn.) and Kodey Kiel (Owatonna, Minn.) each recorded their first collegiate saves — Kramlinger's vs. MSOE and Kiel's against Neumann on March 1. … The Cardinals have used 13 different pitchers, with Tyler Stilp (Lindstrom, Minn.) having made a team-leading five pitching appearances. … Green owns a team-best 16 strikeouts, while walking just two, with Wolfe fanning 11 batters this season. … Saint Mary's has outscored its opponents 86-69, including 10-5 in the first inning and 13-3 in the fifth. … Four of the Cardinals' six wins have been by 10 runs or more. … Saint Mary's scored a season-high 14 runs in an 18-14 loss to Rose-Hulman on Feb. 26. … The Cardinals are 6-1 when leading after the sixth inning, but are winless (0-3) when trailing heading into the seventh inning. … The Cardinals — who made their second MIAC Playoff appearance in the last three years, and their fifth in the last seven seasons a year ago — were picked to finish fifth in the 2019 MIAC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
 
Scouting the Concordia-Chicago Cougars
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• The Cougars head into this weekend's action riding an eight-game winning streak — including wins over a pair of nationally ranked teams in Webster and The College of New Jersey. … Concordia's lone loss this season was a season-opening, 4-3 setback at the hands of Spalding on March 1. … The Cougars enter play this weekend hitting .309 as a team, and boast five regulars — Mateo Calle (.520), Jose Mercado (.462), Brody Mariotti (.367), Bryan VanDuser (.321), and Brayden Benavides (.320) — who are hitting above .300 through the first nine games. … Along with his .462 batting average, Mercado also leads or shares the team lead in at-bats (39), runs (14), hits (18), triples (2), total bases (23), and on-base percentage (.500). … Mariotti has belted four of the Cougars' eight home runs and also leads the team in slugging percentage (.767). … Concordia has four players with 10 or more hits — Mercado (18), Calle (13), Mariotti (11), and Connor Brandon (10). … Twenty-nine of Concordia's 92 hits have been for extra bases — 18 doubles, 3 triples, and eight home runs. … Mercado owns a team-high seven multiple-hit games, two more than Calle, while Mariotti owns a team-best four multiple-RBI games — including a five-RBI performance against Fredonia on March 13. … Mariotti heads into the weekend riding a seven-game hitting streak, one shy of Mercado's season-high eight-game effort, which was snapped with an 0-for-4 showing against The College of New Jersey. … Mariotti and VanDuser have each reached base safely in all nine games this season. … On the mound, Kyle Strepek (1-0, 0.46 ERA) has logged a team-high 18.2 innings, while Alex Crinigan (1-0, 0.82 ERA) and Noah Dressler (2-0, 4.50 ERA) have tossed 11.0 and 10.0 innings, respectively. … Crinigan owns the Cougars' lone complete game, while Cole Carman (1-1, 1.86) and Mike Robin (0-0, 0.00 ERA) have recorded Concordia's two saves. … Strepek leads the team with 20 strikeouts, followed by Crinigan with 14, and Dressler and Carman with 10 each. … As a staff, Concordia boasts a 2.24 ERA and opponents are hitting just .218. … Concordia has scored 10 or more runs in four of its nine games this season — including a season-high 17-run effort in a 17-9 win over Spalding on March 2.
 
Scouting the Concordia Cobbers
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• The Cobbers enter the weekend with a 5-6 record. CC kicked off the year winning the first four contests of its spring trip — including a 19-2 win over King's (Pa.) and a 29-1 rout of Penn State-New Kensington. … Despite the season-opening four-game win streak, the Cobbers head to Lee Pfund Stadium having won just once in their last seven contests — including a current three-game losing streak. … As a team, the Cobbers head into this week's action boasting a .319 batting average, and boast nine players with 15 or more at-bats who are hitting above .300 — led by Nate Hoeft (.526), Luke Schultz (.379), Beau Wilmer (.368), and Austin Ver Steeg (.367). … Along with his .367 batting average, Ver Steeg also leads or shares the team lead in runs (10), hits (11), RBIs (8), and stolen bases (3). … Concordia has four players — Ver Steeg (11), Schultz (11), Mason Penske (11), and Hoeft (10) — with 10 or more hits. … Concordia has belted 113 hits through 11 games, including 21 doubles and five triples. … Twenty-one of the 26 Cobbers with an at-bat this season have collected at least one hit. … Concordia does not have a player who has played in all 11 games this season — Andy Gravdahl leads the way with 10 games played. … Penske, Schultz, and Ver Steeg all share the team lead with four multiple-hit games, while Ver Steeg is the team-leader in multiple-RBI contests with three. … Concordia's pitching staff, which owns a 3.28 ERA, has three hurlers — Ty Syverson (2-0, 1.50 ERA, 12.0 IP), Cole Christensen (1-1, 2.25 ERA, 12.0 IP), and Fletcher Andel (0-1, 4.35 ERA, 10.1 IP) — who have logged 10 or more innings this season. … Christensen owns the team's lone complete game and Toby Sayles has the Cobbers' lone save. … Christensen leads the Cobber staff with 15 strikeouts, three more than Syverson. … The Cobbers have outscored their opponents 53-9 from the fifth inning on — including 16-1 in the fifth, 15-4 in the sixth, and 21-2 in the seventh. … The Cobbers have been held to two runs or less in five of their six losses. On the flip side, CC has scored 10 or more runs in three of its five wins — including a season-high 29-run outburst in beating Penn State-Kensington 29-1 on March 6. … Concordia is unbeaten (5-0) when leading after the sixth inning, but are winless (0-6) when trailing heading into the seventh inning.
 
Scouting the Wheaton Thunder
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• Wheaton heads into the weekend sporting an 8-2 record, but after opening the season on a seven-game winning streak, the Thunder have dropped two of their last three. … Wheaton comes into its nonconference games against Saint Mary's, Concordia-Moorhead, and Concordia-Chicago hitting .340 as a team, and boast nine players with 20 or more at-bats who are hitting above .300. … Joel Pierce — one of just four players to have played in all 10 games this season — is hitting a team-leading .395, followed by Caleb Grotelueschen (.375), Ben Brittain (.371), and Noah Ritchie (.350). … Along with his team-leading .395 batting average, Pierce also leads the Thunder in at-bats (38), hits (15), doubles (5), home runs (2), and total bases (26). … Nick Mallman (.344) leads the team in runs (13), triples (3), and RBIs. … Mallman has recorded 11 hits — six for extra bases (2 2B, 3 3B, 1 HR) — and owns a team-high .688 slugging percentage and .522 on-base percentage. … Wheaton has stolen 28 bases on 34 attempts this season — and boasts six players with three of more stolen bases, led by Ritchie with five. … The Thunder have collected 114 hits through 10 games, including 23 doubles, 13 triples and six home runs. … Michael McCraith (2-1, 2.45 ERA) has logged a team-high 18.1 innings on the mound, while Christian Bolhuis (2-1, 8.31 ERA) has thrown 13.0 innings and Caleb Selk has added 10.1 innings of work. … McCraith and Bolhuis share the team lead with three starts each, while Selk has appeared in a team-high five games and owns the Thunder's lone save. … McCraith has struck out a team-best 33 batters, with Bolhuis, Alex Hanvey (0-0, 1.50 ERA), and Kevin Champlin (1-0, 2.57 ERA) chipping in 10 strikeouts each. … As a staff, the Thunder own a 3.78 ERA and opponents are batting just .229. … Wheaton has outscored its opponents in every inning but the second — including 17-2 in the fourth, 16-7 in the seventh, and 10-3 in the eighth. The Thunder have been outscored 16-2 in the second inning. … The Thunder have limited their opponents to two runs or less in five of their eight wins this season. … Wheaton is 5-0 when scoring in the first inning, and 6-0 when scoring the game's first run. … Both of Wheaton has been held to two runs or less in both of its losses this season — falling to Washington College 8-1 and 6-1 on March 15. … The Thunder have scored 10 or more runs three times this season — including a season-high 24-run outburst in a 24-13 win over Western Connecticut State on March 12.
 
Scouting the North Central Cardinals
2019 Roster | 2019 Schedule | 2019 Statistics
• The Cardinals head into this weekend's games with a near-perfect 8-1 record. North Central had its season-opening six-game winning streak snapped with a 3-2 loss to Babson on March 17, before bouncing back with back-to-back wins over third-ranked College of Wooster three days later. … North Central is hitting .292 as a team through nine games, led by Rob Marinec (.406), Colin Weilbacher (.406), Jeremy Quade (.406), and John Carmody (.344). … Marinec, Weilbacher, and Quade all share the team lead with 13 hits, two more than Carmody, while Marinec also leads the Cardinals in total bases (21) and slugging percentage (.656). … Quade has scored a team-best 13 runs, one more than Matt Sutherland (.229), and also leads the Cardinals with five doubles and nine walks. … Carmody has accounted for two of North Central's three home runs, with Marinec belting the other. … Twenty-four of North Central's 89 hits this season have been for extra bases — 19 doubles, two triples, and three home runs. … The Cardinals have stolen 14 bases in 17 attempts, led by Weilbacher and Quade with three steals each. … Marinec owns a team-high five multiple-hit games, while Carmody is the team-leader with three multiple-RBI performances. … Weilbacher heads into the weekend riding an eight-game hitting streak, while Marinec and Quade have each reached base safely in all nine games this season. … North Central boasts four pitchers who have thrown more than 10 innings this season — Austin Polezoes (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 16.0 IP), John Clifford (3-0, 0.77 ERA, 11.2 IP), Charlie Klemm (1-0, 1.59 ERA, 11.1 IP), and Luke Lamm (0-0, 5.25 ERA, 12.0 IP). … Polezoes has made a team-high three starts, and shares the team lead in appearances (3) with Clifford, Lamm, Tyler Jones (0-0, 0.00 ERA), Justin Rios (0-0, 0.00 ERA), and Matt Bebar (0-0, 0.00). … Lamm is the team's strikeout leader with 17, followed closely by Klemm (13) and Polezoes (12). … North Central's starting pitchers have allowed just 10 earned runs through nine games, while the entire Cardinal pitching staff boasts a 1.89 ERA and opponents are hitting just .235. … North Central has outscored its opponents in every inning but the fourth — including 11-3 in the first and 13-0 in the seventh. … The Cardinals have held their opponents to two runs or less in four of their eight wins. … North Central is 5-1 when scoring the game's first run. … North Central has plated 10 or more runs twice this season — beating SUNY Canton 12-2, while scoring a season-high 20 runs in routing Blackburn 20-7.