SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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• 2022: 4-4 MIAC, 12-13 Overall

HAMLINE PIPERS

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2022: 1-5 MIAC, 7-15 Overall

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SMU v. HAM * A YEAR AGO:

April 29, 2021 * St. Paul, MN

W, 8-1; W 9-4 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S LAST ACTION:

April 16, 2022 * Winona, MN

Macalester * L, 2-1 (8); L, 3-0

HAMLINE LAST ACTION:

April 13, 2022 * Collegeville, MN

Saint John’s * L, 4-0; L,, 9-2

SAINT MARY’S UP NEXT:

April 20, 2022 * Winona, MN

Augsburg * 2:30

HAMLINE UP NEXT:

April 20, 2022 * St. Paul, MN

Bethel * 2:30

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals head into their home conference doubleheader against Hamline sitting at 12-13 overall, including a 4-4 showing through the first eight games of conference play.

• LAST TIME OUT: The Cardinals’ offense was as ice-cold as the 37-degree temperatures against Macalester last Saturday, as SMU managed just one run in 15 innings in dropping both games of its conference doubleheader against the Scots, 2-1 and 3-0, at Max Molock Field

• HOME SWEET HOME: The Cardinals’ matchup against Hamline marks the second of three straight home doubleheaders for SMU, which played 21 of its first 23 games away from Max Molock Field.

• LEADING THE CHARGE: Trevon VanEgtern (La Crosse, Wis.)  leads the Cardinals with a .337 batting average, going 30-for-89 through 25 games, while fellow regulars Cameron Weber (Holmen, Wis.) and Brandon Merfeld (La Crosse, Wis.) are also hitting above .300, sitting at .318 and .304, respectively.

… As a team, the Cardinals are hitting .256 (200-for-782).

• ON THE RUN: The Cardinals have scored 125 runs in 25 games, with Merfeld and Weber leading the way, scoring 22 and 21 runs, respectively. VanEgtern (14), Tanner Bauman (Willmar, Minn. / 13), Tyler O’Brien (Belle Plaine, Minn. / 12), and Daniel Marxen (Maple Grove, Minn. / 10) have also scored 10 or more runs this season.

• HIT PARADE: The Cardinals have five players who have recorded at least 20 hits this season, led by VanEgtern with 30 and Weber with 28. O’Brien has collected 24 hits, one more than Marxen, and three in front of Merfeld. … VanEgtern and Weber lead the team with seven multiple-hit games, one more than Marxen, Coons, Merfeld, and O’Brien. … SMU had three players collect three hits in Game 2 against Bethel on April 13 and has now had six players record three hits in a game.

• EXTRA, EXTRA: Saint Mary’s has belted out 60 extra-base hits through 25 games, including 42 doubles, four triples, and 14 home runs. … O’Brien, Weber, and Merfeld share the team lead in doubles with seven, followed by VanEgtern and Marxen with six. … Weber leads the team with two triples, with O’Brien and Coyle accounting for the other two.

• BOMBS AWAY: With their two home runs against Bethel on Wednesday, the Cardinals pushed their home run total to 14. Marxen leads the way with four HRs, one more than VanEgtern, and two in front of Mason Coyle (Madison, Wis.) and Jake Mercado (Belle Plaine, Minn.). Coons, Weber, and Merfeld own the Cardinals’ other three round-trippers. … All seven SMU home run hitters this season have belted their first career HRs this season.

• DRIVING ‘EM HOME: As a team, Saint Mary’s has driven in 109 runs through 25 games, led by Marxen with 20 and VanEgtern with 15. O’Brien is third on the team with 12 RBIs, followed by Weber 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 — who leads the team with five multiple-RBI games — has driven in a career-best four runs twice this season. 

• STREAKING ALONG: Arndt, O’Brien, and Coons have all put together season-high eight-game hitting streaks this season, but VanEgtern’s four-game run is SMU’s longest active hit streak. … Marxen has reached base safely in each of SMU’s last nine contests. 

• ON THE MOUND: Saint Mary’s has used 12 different pitchers through its first 25 games — and boasts seven hurlers who have logged more than 10 innings. Luke Gilbertson (Windom, Minn.) leads the Cardinal staff with 43 1/3 innings pitched, followed closely by Addison Hochevar (Lake Geneva, Wis.) and Jordan Zabel (Elgin, Minn.) with 33 2/3 and 30 1/3 IP, respectively. … Andrew Fischer (La Crosse, Wis. / 3-1, 5.73 ERA) leads the staff in appearances with nine, two more Justin Haugo (Springfield, Minn. / 1-1, 4.72 ERA), Gilbertson (2-2, 4.15 ERA), Hochevar (1-4, 5.08 ERA), and Dylan Westcott (Holmen, Wis. / 0-1, 6.43 ERA). … Hochevar and Gilbertson lead the staff with seven starts.

• COMPLETING WHAT THEY STARTED: Gilbertson and Jordan Zabel (Elgin, Minn. / 2-3, 4.4 ERA) 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.

• PITCHING FIRSTS: Timmy 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. … Fischer set Wheaton down in order in the bottom of the seventh to preserve SMU’s 3-2 win and in his first save in a Cardinal uniform.

• SAVING THE DAY: Westcott has recorded four of the Cardinals’ seven pitching saves, with Fischer collecting the other three — including getting the game-ending strikeout with the bases loaded in last Wednesday’s 8-6, Game 2 win over Bethel. 

• FANNING THE FLAMES: The SMU pitching staff has struck out 160 batters through 25 games, led by Hochevar with 37, followed by Gilbertson (23), Zabel (21), Fischer (21), Haugo (17), and Smith (15). … Hochevar struck out a career-high nine batters in last Saturday’s 3-0, Game 2 loss to Macalester. The nine Ks were one more than his previous career-best of eight in SMU’s 3-2 win over Wheaton on March 22.

• WALKING OFF: Saint Mary’s and Luther both claimed 7-6, walk-off victories in their nonconference doubleheader split on March 13. Luther got a two-run scoring double to cap a three-run seventh inning in winning the opener, while VanEgtern laced a run-scoring single in the bottom of the 11th to give Saint Mary’s the win in Game 2.

• THIS AND THAT: The Cardinals have scored six or more runs in nine of their 12 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 11 of its 13 losses. … Saint Mary’s has scored in the first inning in six of its 25 games — winning all six. … SMU is 10-2 when leading after six innings, but are only 2-11 when trailing heading into the seventh frame. … 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 has played three extra-inning games this season — beating Luther 7-6 in 11 innings on March 13 and topping St. Olaf 5-4 in 10 innings on April 9, before dropping a 2-1, eight-inning decision to Macalester last Saturday.

• FOR THE RECORD: The Pipers come into their conference doubleheader against Saint Mary’s sitting at 7-15 overall, while sporting a 1-5 record through their first six conference games.

• LAST TIME OUT: Hamline was on the losing end of a second straight conference sweep last Wednesday, managing just two runs in falling to Saint John’s 4-0 in the opener and 9-2 in the nightcap in Collegeville, Minn.

• ROAD WARRIORS: Hamline’s matchup against Saint Mary’s is its third straight road doubleheader, coming off road twinbills against Concordia and Saint John’s last week. Hamline has played 20 of its first 22 games on the road this season. The Pipers are 1-1 at home, while going 6-14 away from their home diamond at CHS Field.

• STREAKING ALONG: The Pipers head into their showdown with Saint Mary’s mired in a season-high five-game losing streak, marking the third time this season HU has lost more than three games in a row. Hamline has also suffered through a season-opening four-game losing streak, as well as a three-game slide. On the flip side, five of HU’s seven wins have come during three-game and two-game winning streaks.

• AT THE PLATE: Cullen Buck and Max Gerstner are the Pipers’ batting leaders, hitting .361 and .304, respectively. The pair are the only Pipers who have hitting above .300 through 22 games. … As a team, Hamline boasts a .245 batting average.

• RUNNING WILD: Buck has scored a team-leading 15 runs, one more than Gerstner, while Owen Christenson and Tyler Johnson have also scored 10 or more runs this season, coming in with 10 runs scored. … Buck and Gerstner have both scored a team-best three runs in a game — Buck’s coming against Wesleyan (Conn.) on March 13 and Gerstner’s vs. Dickinson State five days later.

• HIT PARADE: Hamline has eight players who have collected at least 10 hits this season, including three — Buck (22), Mac Enlow (22), and Max Gerstner (21) — who have eclipsed the 20-hit plateau through 25 games. … Buck and Gerstner share the team lead with five multiple-hit games, one more than Enlow. … Gerstner, Buck and Enlow share the single-game team lead with three hits in a game.

• EXTRA, EXTRA: Hamline has amassed 31 extra-base hits this season, including 31 doubles, five triples, and eight home runs. … Enlow owns a team-leading six doubles, two more than Gerstner and Johnson, while Buck, Braeden Bourne, and Stephen Schmidt all have three. … Gerstner and Bourne have each hit two triples, with Buck owning HU’s other three-bagger

• GOING DEEP: Hamline’s three home runs this season have come from three different players — Buck, Enlow, and Johnson. 

• DRIVING ‘EM IN: Enlow is the Pipers’ RBI leader with 14, followed closely by Johnson (11), Owen Christenson (11), and Gerstner (10). … Christenson and Enlow have posted a team-best four multiple-RBI games, followed by Gerstner with three. … Colton Peters drove in a single-game team-high four runs against Wesleyan (Conn.) on March 13.

• STREAKING ALONG: Enlow put together the team’s longest hitting streak of the season — 11 straight games with a hit — earlier this season, but Bourne has the team’s longest active streak at four games.

• ON THE MOUND: Hamline has used 18 different pitchers this season, and boast five who have logged at least 20 innings. Zach Branson leads the team with 29.0 IP, followed by Ryan Conn (25 2/3 IP), Conor Mestemacher (25 1/3 IP), Braden Schneider (22 2/3 IP), and Jonah Smallfield (21.o IP). … Schneider (1-3, 8.34 ERA), Mestemacher (4-1, 4.26 ERA), and Smallfield (1-1, 3.00 ERA) led the HU staff with nine pitching appearances, while Branson (0-4, 5.90 ERA) has made a team-high six starts.

• FANNING THE FLAMES: The Hamline pitching staff has struck out 145 batters, led by Branson with 29 strikeouts. Followed by Mestemacher with 23 and Schneider with 22.

• BY THE NUMBERS: Hamline has scored 10 or more runs just once this season, beating Dickinson State 12-10 on March 19. On the flip side, Hamline has allowed 10 or more runs eight times, including a season-high 16 runs in falling to Luther 16-0 on April 9. … Hamline has been held to five runs or less in 10 of its 15 losses this season. … Hamline has played seven games decided by shutout, going 3-4.