SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

Home | Roster | Stats | Schedule

• 2022: 6-8 Overall

WHEATON THUNDER

Home | Roster | Stats | Schedule

2022: 3-7 Overall

NORTH CENTRAL CARDINALS

Home | Roster | Stats | Schedule

2022: 10-5 Overall

March 19, 2022

Wheaton * Rained out

March 20, 2022 * Noon

No. Central * L, 5-1

March 21, 2022 * Noon

Wheaton * Carol Stream, IL

Live Stats

SMU v. WHEATON

LAST MEETING:

March 23, 2019 * Wheaton, IL

L, 12-5 * Series History

SMU v. NO. CENTRAL:

LAST MEETING:

March 24, 2019 * Naperville, IL

W, 7-4 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S LAST ACTION:

March 15, 2022 * Waverly, IA

Wartburg * L, 6-4; W, 3-2

SAINT MARY’S UP NEXT

March 27, 2022 * Mankato, Minn.

Bethany Lutheran * 1:00

WHEATON LAST ACTION

March 12, 2022 * Tucson, AZ

Hamline * L, 1-0

WHEATON UP NEXT:

March 22, 2022 * Carol Stream, IL

Illinois Inst. Tech. * 5:00

NO. CENTRAL LAST ACTION

March 17, 2022 * Port Charlotte, FL

Wooster * L, 18-2

NO. CENTRAL UP NEXT:

March 30, 2022 * Lisle, IL

Benedictine * 3:00

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals head into their weekend action sitting at 6-7 overall. SMU went 4-4 during its season-opening eight-game spring trip, before going 1-2 in its three-game set against Luther and splitting a doubleheader against Wartburg in a four-day stretch.

• LAST TIME OUT: The Cardinals battled Wartburg to a split in the teams’ nonconference doubleheader in Waverly, Iowa, last Tuesday. Luther scored three runs in the first and plated the game’s final three runs in a come-from-behind 6-4 victory in the opener, while Saint Mary’s jumped out to a 3-0 lead and beat the Knights 3-2 in the nightcap.

• WALKING OFF: Saint Mary’s and Luther both claimed 7-6, walk-off victories in last Sunday’s doubleheader. Luther got a two-run scoring double to cap a three-run seventh inning in winning the opener, while Trevon VanEgtern (La Crosse, Wis.) laced a run-scoring single in the bottom of the 11th to give Saint Mary’s the win in Game 2.

• ROAD WARRIORS: The Cardinals are in the midst of playing their first 22 games of the 2022 season on the road. Saint Mary’s — which played six road contests this week — does not play its first home contest until April 5, when they welcome Augsburg to Max Molock Field for a 2:30 p.m. conference doubleheader.

• LEADING THE CHARGE: Ben Coons (Kimberly, Iowa) leads the team with a .326 batting average, percentage points in front of Brandon Merfeld (La Crosse, Wis.), who is sitting second on the team, hitting .320. Daniel Marxen (Maple Grove, Minn. / .308), VanEgtern (.304), and Jack Arndt (Coon Rapids, Minn. / .304) are also hitting above .300 through 13 games.

• ON THE RUN: As a team, the Cardinals have scored 82 runs in 13 games, with Merfeld and Cameron Weber (Holmen, Wis.) leading the way, scoring 15 and 13 runs, respectively.

• HIT PARADE: The Cardinals have seven players who have recorded at least 10 hits this season, led by Weber with 16 and Coons with 15. VanEgtern and Arndt are sitting third with 14 runs scored, followed by Marxen and Tyler O’Brien (Belle Plaine, Minn.) with 12, and Merfeld with 10. 

• EXTRA, EXTRA: Saint Mary’s has belted out 31 extra-base hits through 13 games, including 22 doubles, three triples, and six home runs. … O’Brien leads the team in doubles with five, followed by Weber, Marxen with four, and Weber, Coons, and Merfeld with three each. … Weber, O’Brien, and Mason Coyle (Madison, Wis.) own the team’s three triples.

• BOMBS AWAY: Marxen launched his team-leading second home run against Luther last Sunday. Weber, VanEgtern, Jake Mercado (Belle Plaine, Minn.), and Merfeld own the Cardinals’ other four round-trippers. Mercado and Merfeld hit their first collegiate home runs in Game 1 of last Tuesday’s doubleheader against Wartburg, while Marxen, Weber, and VanEgtern all belted their first home runs in a Cardinal uniform during SMU’s eight-game spring trip.

• DRIVING ‘EM HOME: As a team, Saint Mary’s has driven in 71 runs through 13 games, led by Marxen with 13 and Arndt with 11. … Arndt delivered a career-high five RBIs in Saint Mary’s 9-7 win over Grove City on Feb. 28, while Marxen drove in a career-best four runs in the Cardinals’ season-opening 14-10 win over Concordia the previous afternoon.

• RACKING ‘EM UP: Saint Mary’s has compiled 28 multiple-hit games, led by Coons with five, and Marxen and Weber with four each. SMU has had five players record three hits in a game — including Arndt and O’Brien, who has done it a team-leading twice. … Marxen leads the Cardinals with four multiple-RBI games, one more than Arndt. … Arndt drove in a season- and career-high five runs in the Cardinals’ win over Grove City on Feb. 28.

• STREAKING ALONG: Arndt and Coons both had their season-high eight-game hitting streaks snapped against Luther last weekend. Coons has collected at least one hit in 10 of the 12 games he’s played, while Arndt has had at least one hit in nine of his 12 games played. 

• ON THE MOUND: Saint Mary’s has used 12 different pitchers through its first 13 games — and boasts five hurlers who have logged more than 10 innings. Luke Gilbertson (Windom, Minn.) leads the SMU staff with 17.0 innings pitched, followed by Andrew Fischer (La Crosse, Wis. / 14 2/3 IP), Jordan Zabel (Elgin, Minn. / 14 1/3 IP), Addison Hochevar (Lake Geneva, Wis. / 13.2 IP), and Timmy Smith (South St. Paul, Minn. / 12.0 IP). … Dylan Westcott (Holmen, Wis. / 0-1, 6.00 ERA) has made a team-leading five pitching appearances, one more than Justin Haugo (Springfield, Minn. / 0-1, 3.00 ERA), while Gilbertson (1-1, 5.29 ERA), Hochevar (0-1, 5.27 ERA) and Zabel (0-3, 6.91 ERA) have all made a team-high three starts.

• COMPLETING WHAT THEY STARTED: Gilbertson and Jordan Zabel (Elgin, Minn.) tossed back-to-back complete games in SMU’s spring trip-ending split against Northwestern on March 5. Gilbertson allowed four runs on seven hits in a 6-4 win, while Zabel surrendered five runs on six hits in suffering the 5-1, Game 2 loss. The complete game was the first of Zabel’s career, while Gilbertson owns four career complete games.

• THE WIN, AND THE SAVE: Smith picked up his first collegiate pitching win and Westcott earned his first save as a Cardinal in SMU’s 14-10 win over Concordia on Feb. 27. Smith allowed three runs – only one of which was earned — on five hits in four innings of relief, while Wescott worked a scoreless ninth. Westcott picked up save No. 2 the following day, working a one-run ninth in SMU’s 9-7 win over Grove City.

• SAVING THE DAY: Westcott worked a 1-2-3 seventh inning in last Tuesday’s 3-2, Game 2 win over Wartburg to earn his third save. The sophomore right-hander owns all three of SMU’s saves this season.

• FANNING THE FLAMES: The SMU pitching staff has struck out 88 batters through 13 games, led by Smith and Hochevar with 13 strikeouts each, followed by Zabel, Fischer, and Gilbertson with 12 each.

• THIS AND THAT: The Cardinals have scored six or more runs in five of their six wins — including a season-high 16-run showing in dropping Rose-Hulman 16-7 on March 3. On the flip side, Saint Mary’s has been held to five runs or less in five of its seven losses. … Saint Mary’s has scored in the first inning in just one of its 13 games — plating three runs in its 14-10, season-opening win over Concordia on Feb. 17. … Saint Mary’s has scored four or more runs in an inning five times — posting five, four-run innings, as well as a season-high eight-run second inning in its 16-7 win over Rose-Hulman on March 3. … Saint Mary’s 7-6, 11-inning win over Luther last Sunday was its first extra-inning game of the season. … 

?• A YEAR TO REMEMBER: The Cardinals captured their first-ever MIAC Playoff title — beating St. Thomas 6-3 in the championship game. … Saint Mary’s made its first NCAA National Tournament appearance in 28 years, opening with a 15-13 win over Aurora, before falling to both Northwestern (Minn.) 3-1 and Johns Hopkins 7-2.

• A LONG TIME COMING: Saint Mary’s appearance in the NCAA Regional last season marked the first time since 1993. Saint Mary’s finished 4-2 in regional play that year, falling to UW-Oshkosh 6-0 in the opener, before bouncing back with wins over UW-Whitewater (5-3), Concordia (12-7), and UW-Oshkosh (4-2), before falling to the Titans 5-2 in the championship game.

• MAKING HISTORY: The Cardinals’ win over Aurora in their NCAA Regional opener on May 28 was their program-record 30th of the season. SMU surpassed the previous single-season record of 28 with its 6-3 win over St. Thomas in the MIAC Playoff title game on May 22. … Saint Mary’s has won 20 or more games five times under current head coach Nick Winecke.

• FOR THE RECORD: The Thunder head into this weekend’s games on the heels of a 3-7 showing in their first 10 contests. Wheaton went 1-2 in its season-opening weekend in Louisville, Kent., before 2-7 mark in seven spring-trip games in Tucson, Ariz.

• LAST TIME OUT: Wheaton held Hamline to just one run on four hits in the team’s nine-inning, spring break-ending contest on March 12, but that one run was enough, as the Pipers scored the game’s only run in the top of the ninth inning in dealing the Thunder a 1-0 setback in Tucson, Ariz.

• HOME SWEET HOME: After opening the season with 10 neutral-site games in Tucson, Ariz., the Thunder will play their next eight contests on their home field at Lee Pfund Stadium in Carol Stream, Ill. Wheaton does not play another road game until heading to Elmhurst, Ill., for a CCIW doubleheader against Elmhurst.

• STREAK-SNAPPER: Wheaton’s 14-1 win over Northland on March 11 snapped its season-high six-game losing streak. The Thunder followed up that 14-1 win with a 12-9 victory over Dakota Wesleyan, before having their two-game win streak snapped with a 1-0 loss to Hamline.

• AT THE PLATE: Ben Weaver enters the weekend as the team’s offensive leader, hitting a team-best .414, going 12-for-29. Weaver is one of three Thunder players boasting batting averages above .300 — Joe Klein (.350) and Graham Core (.342) are the other two.

• RUNNING WILD: Core and Harrison Stanton share the team lead in runs scored with nine each, while Weaver, Klein, Noah Yi, and Kyle Wu have all scored four times. … Core has scored three runs in a game twice — against both Northland and Dakota Wesleyan on March 11.

• HIT PARADE: Wheaton has three players who have accumulated 10 or more hits through 10 games, led by Core with 13. Weaver is second with 12 and Stanton is third with 10. … Core leads the team with four multiple-hit games, one more than both Weaver and Diel. … Klein, Weaver, and Stanton have all recorded a team-best three-hit games.

• EXTRA, EXTRA: The Thunder have collected 29 extra-base hits this season, including 19 doubles, eight triples and two home runs. Core and Stanton lead the doubles brigade with three each, followed by Mason Diel, Matthias Haggerty, Klein, Wu, and Jacob Snyder with two each. Weaver has delivered three of the team’s eight triples, while Stanton owns two, and Klein, Larken Lancaster, and Carson Slater have hit the other three.

• GOING DEEP: Stanton and Matt Nelson own the team’s two home runs. Stanton hit his against Bethany Lutheran on March 8, while Nelson launched his round-tripper against Spalding on Feb. 26.

• DRIVING ‘EM IN: Stanton has driven in a team-high 12 runs, followed by Core with eight and Weaver with seven. … Stanton has recorded four multiple-RBI games — including two three-RBI contests — while Core and Wu have driven in two or more runs in a game three times. … Weaver collected five of his seven RBIs against Dakota Wesleyan on March 11.

• STREAKING ALONG: Core put together a season-high eight-game hitting streak earlier this season, while Weaver’s five-game hit streak is longest active streak on the team. … Weaver and Klein have both reached base safely in each of the team’s last six games.

• ON THE MOUND: Wheaton has three pitchers who have logged more than 10 innings this season — Klein (1-0, 0.45 ERA, 20.0 IP), Alex Vlaisavich (0-1, 3.55 ERA, 12 2/3 IP), and J.D. Van Hook (1-1, 4.35 ERA, 10 1/3 IP). … David Soifeit (0-1, 16.20 ERA), John McCraith (0-1, 9.00 ERA), and Bjorn Bostrom (0-1, 12.27 ERA) have all made a team-high four appearances, while Klein leads the staff with three starts, one more than both Vlaisavich and Van Hook.

• FANNING THE FLAMES: As a staff, the Thunder have struck out 68 batters through 10 games, led by Vlaisavich with 13 Ks and Klein and Van Hook with 10 each.

• SCORING IN BUNCHES: As a team, Wheaton has scored 60 runs in 10 contests — and have plated at least eight runs in all three of its wins. The Thunder beat Spalding 8-2 for its first win on Feb. 26, before adding 14 in a 14-1 win over Northland and 12 in beating Dakota Wesleyan on March 11. On the flip side, Wheaton has allowed 10 or more runs in four of its seven losses — including a season-high h15 runs in falling to Bethany Lutheran 15-8 on March 8.

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals head into the weekend sporting a 9-5 overall record, including a 2-5 showing in their seven-game games at the Snowbird Baseball Classic last week in Port Charlotte, Fla.

• LAST TIME OUT: North Central closed out its seven-game run at the Snowbird Baseball Classic on Thursday, dropping an 18-2 decision to Wooster. Wooster scored 15 of its 18 runs in three innings — plating four runs in the first inning and four more in the ninth, to go along with a seven-run seventh — in rolling past the Cardinals.

• COOLING OFF: After opening the season with eight consecutive wins — scoring 10 or more runs in seven of the eight games — North Central has gone 1-5 in its last six contests.

• TOUGH STRETCH: Three of North Centrals’ seven games at the Snowbird Baseball Classic last week were against nationally ranked teams. The Cardinals fell to No. 2 Marietta on March 11, before dropping a 5-0 decision to No. 8 Webster and a 2-1 decision vs. No. 22 Denison the following two days. 

• HOME SWEET HOME: Sunday’s games against Saint Mary’s and Illinois Institute of Technology are the first home games of the season for the Cardinals, who played their first 16 games on the road. North Central finished 2021 with a stellar 15-3 record on its home field.

• AT THE PLATE: Michael Patterson heads into the weekend hitting a team-leading .417, percentage points ahead of Paul Beverly, who is second with a .413 batting average. Meanwhile, Jared Wojcik (.386), Luke Lehnen (.345), John Petty (.339), and Dom Listi (.314) are all hitting above .300 through the team’s first 14 games.

• RUNNING WILD: North Central has scored 118 runs in 14 contests this season, and boasts six players who have already scored 10 or more runs. Listi leads the Cardinals with 20 runs scored, followed by Beverly (15), Lehnen (15), Rob Marinec (13), and Patterson (10). … 

• HIT PARADE: Petty has belted a team-leading 21 hits in 62 at-bats, one more hit than Lehnen, Marinec, and Patterson. Beverly (19), Wojcik (17), Listi (16), and Justin Rios (11) have also picked up 10 or more hits for the Cardinals this season. … Marinec and Lehnen have recorded a team-leading seven multiple-hit games this season. … Lehnen recorded a season-high five hits against Ripon on March 5.

• EXTRA, EXTRA: The Cardinals have banged out 53 extra-base hits this season, including 33 doubles, six triples, and 14 home runs. Marinec and Rios lead the team with six doubles each, while North Central’s six triples have come from five different players — led by Lehnen with two.

• GOING DEEP: The Cardinals are averaging a one run a game through 14 games. Marinec leads the team with five home runs — and boasts a 1.194 slugging percentage in 10 games played — while Beverly has racked up three round-trippers. Listi and Wojcik have each hit two HRs, with Lehnen and Trey Roach accounting for the other two. … Marinec hit two of his five home runs against Ripon on March 5.

• DRIVING ‘EM IN: Marinec and Beverly lead the Cardinals in RBIs with 24 and 20, respectively, with Listi sitting third with 10 RBIs. … Marinec has driven in two of more runs in a game seven times this season. … North Central has had a player record six RBIs in a game twice this season — Beverly achieved the feat against Heidelberg on Feb. 27 and Marinec matched that effort against Ripon on March 5.

• STREAKING ALONG: Marinec enters the weekend riding a team-high nine-game hitting streak. … Beverly had his eight-game hitting streak snapped with an 0-for-2 showing against Denison on March 14. … Beverly had reached base safely in each of North Central’s first 13 games, before being held off the base paths against Wooster last Thursday.

• ON THE MOUND: North Central boasts five pitchers who have logged more than 10 innings this season, led by Luke Lamm (3-2, 4.81 ERA) with 24 1/3 IP. Jason Shanner (2-0, 1.89 ERA, 19.0 IP), Ryan Behling (1-1, 5.68 ERA, 19.0 IP), Charlie Klemm (2-1, 4.96 ERA, 16 1/3 IP), and Robert Deischer (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 10 1/3 IP) are the other “workhorses for the Cardinals. … Nolan Shannon (0-0, 0.00 ERA) has made a team-high six appearances — all in relief — while Lemm leads the staff with five starts.

• FOR THE WIN: Lamm is the team-leader with three wins in five starts, one win in front of both Shanner, and Klemm, while Behling and Robert Deischer own North Central’s other two wins.

• SAVING THE DAY: Shanner and Shannon have been the go-to guys down the stretch, with both collecting two saves to account for the team’s four saves this season.

• FANNING THE FLAMES: North Central pitchers have stuck out 138 batters this season, led by Shanner with 32 Ks. Lamm is second with 28 strikeouts, followed by Behling (20), Klemm (19), A.J. Kutcher (13), Deischer (11).

• PUTTING UP BIG NUMBERS: North Central has 10 or more runs in a game eight times — including seven of its nine wins. On the flip side, the Cardinals are 1-2 when allowing their opponent to score in double figures. … The Cardinals are 8-0 when leading after six innings, while going 7-1 when scoring in their first at-bat.

• A YEAR AGO: North Central captured its sixth straight CCIW regular-season, before falling to Millikin 4-3 in the title game of the CCIW Tournament, leaving the Cardinals with a 38-6 overall record. … The 38 wins in 2021 were a single-season program record.