The Saint Mary’s baseball team returns to MIAC action with a road doubleheader on Saturday, as the Cardinals head to Bethel’s Hargis Park in Arden Hills, Minn., for a 1 p.m. showdown against the Royals.

SAINT MARY’S CARDINALS

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2024: 10-4 MIAC, 17-13 Overall

BETHEL ROYALS

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2024: 9-6 MIAC, 16-12 Overall

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SMU-BU * LAST MEETING:

April 12, 2023 * Winona, MN

L, 11-2; L, 11-2 * Series History

SAINT MARY’S * LAST ACTION:

April 24, 2024 * La Crosse, WI

UW-La Crosse * L, 12-2 (8)

BETHEL * LAST ACTION:

April 23, 2024 * Arden Hills, MN

Augsburg * W, 7-2; W, 10-9 (12)

 SAINT MARY’S * UP NEXT:

May 3, 2024 * Winona, MN

St. Scholastica * 1:00/3:30

BETHEL * UP NEXT: 

April 30, 2024 * Arden Hills, MN

Northwestern (Minn.) * 2:30/5:00

SAINT MARY’S SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Cardinals head into their conference doubleheader at Bethel sitting at 17-13 through 30 games, while boasting a 10-4 mark in conference play.

• LAST TIME OUT: The Cardinals dropped a pair of road nonconference games against UW-Stout and UW-La Crosse on Tuesday and Wednesday. SMU got a 2-run HR from Ryan Csida (Kimberly, Wis.) in the top of the 10th inning to give the Cardinals a 12-10 lead over the Blue Devils Tuesday, only to surrender a three-run home run in the bottom of the inning in falling to UW-Stout 13-12. The following day, the Cardinals could not match UW-La Crosse’s offensive firepower, falling to the 12th-ranked Eagles 12-2.

• ROAD WARRIORS: The Cardinals are in the midst of an six-game road trip — including conference DHs at Saint John’s and at Bethel, and nine-inning nonconference games at UW-La Crosse and UW-Stout … Saint Mary’s is 8-3 on its home turf this season, while sitting at 9-10 away from Max Molock Field.

• GAME 1 DOMINANCE: The Cardinals have played nine doubleheaders this season — and have won Game 1 in all nine of those contests. … SMU has five doubleheader sweeps and three splits. SMU has yet to be swept in a twinbill this seasons. … The Cardinals have swept Illinois College (5-2, 10-5), Saint Joseph’s (4-2, 11-3), Hamline (1-0, 7-2), Carleton (22-2, 9-3), and Augsburg (2-1, 3-2), while splitting with Macalester (W, 9-3, L, 14-4), St. Olaf (W, 12-4, L, 7-4), Gustavus (W, 13-2, L, 4-1), and Saint John’s (W, 5-2, L, 13-3).

• STREAK-SNAPPER; The Cardinals had their season-high six-game winning streak ended with their 14-4, Game 2 loss to Macalester on April 6. … SMU’s 7-0 victory over UW-Superior on March 28 snapped the Cardinals’ season-high three-game losing streak. 

• AT THE PLATE: Csida heads into the weekend leading the Cardinals with a .361 batting average. He is one of five SMU players who sport batting averages above the .300 mark, being joined by Cameron Weber (Holmen, Wis. / .345), Riley Bauman (Stratford, Wis. / .343), Tanner Bauman (Willmar, Minn. / .333), and Brinton Anderson (Pulaski, Wis. / .303). 

• ON THE RUN: The Cardinals have scored 185 runs through 30 games this season …. Weber and Csida share the team lead with 25 runs scored, four more than both Riley Bauman and Mason Coyle (Madison, Wis.). Cam Miller (Kimberly, Wis. / 19), Anderson (14), Tanner Bauman (13), and Will Boeckman (Big Lake, Minn. / 11) have also crossed home plate more than 10 times. … SMU has had a player score three runs in a game nine times this season.

• RUNS A PLENTY: The Cardinals scored 22 runs in beating Carleton 22-2 in the opening game of the Cardinals MIAC sweep of Carleton on April 5. The 22 runs were the most in a game since SMU beat Graceland 23-3 on March 25, 2015. … SMU has scored 10+ runs six times — in wins over Illinois College (10-5), Saint Joseph’s (11-3), Carleton (22-2), St. Olaf (12-4), and Gustavus (13-2), and in last Tuesday’s 13-12 loss to UW-Stout. On the flip side, SMU has surrendered 10 or more runs eight times, going 0-8 in those eight contests.

• HIT PARADE: Csida leads the Cardinals with 39 hits, with Riley Bauman (37) and Weber (36) also reaching the 30-hit plateau. Coyle (28), Daniel Sherman (Richfield, Minn. (25),, Anderson (23), meanwhile, have all massed 20+ hits. … Csida has put together a team-leading 13 multiple-hit games — all 12 being two-hit games — while Riley Bauman delivered a single-game season-high four hits against Dominican on March 4. … As a team, SMU has collected 14 hits in a game twice — vs. Carleton on April 5 and against Gustavus on April 18.

• PERFECTION: Riley Bauman went 5-for-5 and Csida added a 4-for-4 performance in SMU’s 13-12 nonconference loss to UW-Stout last Tuesday. Bauman followed that up with a hit in his first at-bat against UW-La Crosse the following day, while Csida opened 2-for-2 against the Eagles, before both were held hitless in the fifth inning. … Bauman’s career-high five hits in the SMU baseball team’s loss to UW-Stout last Tuesday marked the second straight season the Cardinals have had a player record five hits in a game — Weber achieved the feat last year against Bethany Lutheran.

• EXTRA, EXTRA: Sixty-eight of the Cardinals’ 269 hits this season have been for extra bases, including 45 doubles, nine triples, and 14 home runs. … Riley Bauman and Coyle are the team-leaders in doubles with eight, two more than Csida. … Riley Bauman also leads the team with three triples, one up on Tanner Bauman.

• BOMBS AWAY: Riley Bauman has clubbed six of the team’s 14 home runs. Csida has hit three-round-trippers and Stephen Golden (Centerville, Minn.) owns a pair of HRs, with Coyle, Boeckman, and Anderson accounting for the other four. … Anderson clubbed HR No. 1 of his career against Gustavus on April 17. … Csida launched his first collegiate HR — a lead-off shot against Benedictine on March 8 — while Golden belted his first two home runs as a Cardinal against Carleton on April 5. … SMU has hit three home runs in a game twice this season — against Carleton on April 5 and at UW-Stout last Tuesday.

• BOMBS AWAY II: Csida became the second Cardinal to record a two-home run game this season, lacing a pair of HRs in last Tuesday’s 13-12, 10-inning loss to UW-Stout. The two home runs by both Csida and Golden marks the first time SMU has had two players hit two home runs in a game in the same season since Ben Buerkle and Jake Barry each hit two round-trippers during the 2017 season.

• DRIVING ‘EM IN: Csida has delivered a team-best 26 RBIs, followed by Riley Bauman (22), Weber (20), Coyle (18), Anderson (17), Tanner Bauman (10), and Sherman (10). … Weber owns a team-best six multiple-RBI games, one more than Riley Bauman.

• LUCKY NO. 7: Csida recorded a single-game career-high seven RBIs in SMU’s 10-inning loss to UW-Stout last Tuesday. The seven runs were the most in a game since Ben Buerkle drove in seven against Hamline on May 13, 2016.

• STREAKING: Weber and Csida have both put together season-high nine-game hitting streaks this season, while Riley Bauman’s current four-game run is the team’s longest active hitting streak. … Weber closed out the 2023 season riding a 15-game hitting streak, and picked up at least one hit in each of SMU’s first four games this season, before going 0-for-6 against Dominican on March 4. … Csida was held off the bases in Game 2 against Gustavus on April 17 snapping a streak of 25 consecutive games in which the freshman had reached base. Csida has reached base safely in 27 of the team’s 28 games.

• OUCH: The Cardinals, who were hit by a pitch 32 times in 35 games in 2023, have already been plunked 40 time this season — with Weber and Csida both getting hit a team-leading nine times, one more than Miller.

• CATCH ME IF YOU CAN: Saint Mary’s is 74-for-95 in stolen base attempts this season, with Weber leading the way, going 26-for-30, followed by Csida (10-for-13), Riley Bauman (8-for-12) and Coyle (7-for-8). … With his first-inning Game 2 steal against St. Olaf on April 13, Weber became the program’s single-season stolen base leader with 24, one more than Will Doll ’16, who set the previous mark of 23 during the 2014 season. … SMU stole a school-record 11 bases in its Game 1 win over Carleton on April 5, with Weber setting a single-game school record with four steals. … With their 74 stolen bases, SMU is 14 steals shy of the single-season school record of 88, set during the 2021 season.

• ON THE MOUND: Saint Mary’s has used 18 different pitchers this season, with Addison Hochevar (Lake Geneva, Wis. / 4-3, 4.66 ERA) and Eric Stomberg (St. Paul, Minn. / 5-1, 2.76 ERA) leading the way with 38 2/3 and 32 2/3 innings pitched, respectively. Dylan Westcott (Holmen, Wis. / 3-1, 2.03 ERA, 31.0 IP), Andrew Fischer (La Crosse, Wis. / 1-2, 349 ERA, 28 1/3 IP), and TJ Bergland (Farmington, Minn. / 1-2, 6.85 ERA, 23 2/3 IP) have also logged more than 20 innings. … Fischer has made a team-leading 11 pitching appearances, one more than Westcott and Mason Windschitl (Excelsior, Minn.), while Hochevar leads the staff with eight starts, two in front of Stomberg. … Fischer and Hochevar own SMU’s two complete games.

• SAVING THE DAY: Fischer picked up his team-leading fourth save of the season against Saint John’s last Saturday, tossing a scoreless seventh in SMU’s 5-2 victory. … Westcott and Mason Windschitl (Excelsior, Minn.) each own one save. … Windschitl’s save against Augsburg on April 9 was the first of his collegiate career.

• FANNING THE FLAMES: The SMU pitching staff has combined to strike out 148 batters in 30 games this season, led by Fischer with 28, Stomberg with 26, and Hochevar with 21. … Fischer has struck out a single-game season-high seven batters twice this season — against Luther on Feb. 26 and vs. Saint Joseph’s on March 9.

• MIAC HONORS: Hochevar was named MIAC Pitcher of the Week on April 1, after putting together his third career complete game, a one-hit gem in beating Hamline 1-0 on March 30, while Weber collected his first weekly honor, earning MIAC Player of the Week accolades on April 8 – thanks to hitting .471 and stealing nine bases in SMU’s four games that week.

• THROWING UP ZEROS: The Cardinals’ 7-0 win over UW-Superior on March 28 and their 1-0 victory over Hamline two days later marked the first time SMU has posted back-to-back shutouts since blanking Augsburg (1-0) and Bethel (1-0) in late April, 2019.

• COMEBACK KIDS: The Cardinals put together three, five-run innings to beat Illinois Chicago (twice) and Marian during their eight-game spring trip. SMU scored five runs in the fifth inning of 5-2 and 10-5 wins over Illinois Chicago on March 3, before racking up five runs in the bottom of the ninth inning of a 7-6, walk-off win over Marian two days later.

• GETTING SOME (VERY) EARLY SWINGS: SMU’s season-opener against Bethany Lutheran on Feb. 25 and its game against Luther the followed day marked the earliest games played on Max Molock Field in program history. Saint Mary’s has never played a game in February on its home field.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: As a team, the Cardinals are hitting .290 (269-for-927), including 68 extra-base hits, while scoring 185 runs and boasting 154 RBIs. SMU’s pitching staff, meanwhile, boasts a 5.75 ERA. … Saint Mary’s has scored at least three runs in 26 of its 30 games this season, … Saint Mary’s owns a 10-2 record when scoring at least six runs. … The Cardinals are 15-1 when holding their opponent to less than six runs, and are 15-1 when leading or tied after the sixth inning. … Saint Mary’s is 12-5 when scoring the game’s first run. … SMU’s 13-12, 10-inning loss to UW-Stout on Tuesday was its first extra-inning game of the season.

BETHEL SCOUTING REPORT:

• FOR THE RECORD: The Royals head into their conference doubleheader against Saint Mary’s sitting at 16-12 overall, including 9-6 in MIAC play.

• LAST TIME OUT: BU collected a pair of wins against Augsburg in the teams’ MIAC doubleheader on Tuesday in Arden Hills, Minn. Bethel picked up a 7-2 win in the opener, before getting a game-winning, walk-off single by Noah Wenberg in the bottom of the 12th inning to secure a 10-9 victory in the nightcap.

• HOME SWEET HOME: Bethel is in the midst of closing out its regular-season schedule with 11 consecutive home games. BU has already hosted Hamline (L, 6-5; W, 12-0) and Augsburg (W, 7-2; W, 10-9), and will entertain Northwestern (Monday), St. Scholastica (Wednesday), and UW-Stout (Saturday) to close out the regular season. … Bethel is 3-3 on its home field this season, while going 13-9 on the road — including 5-6 in neutral-site games.

• WHEN DARKNESS FALLS: The Royals’ Game 2 against Augsburg on Tuesday — halted in the top of the 12th tied at 9-9, before being concluded on Wednesday — marks the second time this season the nightcap of their doubleheader has been suspended by darkness. BU trailed St. Olaf 15-6 in the top of the eighth on April 18 when the game was halted. This contest has yet to be concluded. 

• COMING IN HOT: With their sweep of Augsburg on Tuesday, the Royals have now won three straight, and six of their last eight.

• LEADING THE CHARGE: Zach Thompson heads into the weekend sporting a team-leading .402 batting average. Thompson is one of five Royals with batting averages sitting above .300, being joined by Matthew Carlsen (.386), Carson Christiansen (.371), Xavier Lortie (.329), and Jordan Krupke (.306).

• ON THE RUN: Bethel has scored 211 runs in 28 games and has six players — Lortie (28), Carlsen (26), Thompson (24), Krupke (24), Christiansen (22), and Nolan Jurgenson (21) — who has crossed home plate 20+ times.

• HIT PARADE: Carlsen has amassed a team-leading 44 hits in 114 at-bats. Thompson and Christiansen are a distant second on the team with 33 hits each, with Krupke (30) also reaching the 30-hit plateau. … Lortie (27), Jurgenson (20), and Noah Wenberg (20) give BU seven players with at least 20 hits through 28 games. … Carlsen posted a single-game, season-high six hits against Johns Hopkins on March 16. … BU boasts four players with 10+ multiple-hit games, led by Carlsen with 12. … Bethel laced a season-high 20 hits against Macalester on April 8.

• EXTRA, EXTRA: Ninety-one of Bethel’s 274 hits this season have gone for extra bases — including 61 doubles, 10 triples, and 20 home runs. … Carlsen leads the squad with 12 doubles, followed by Thompson and Christiansen with eight, and Krupke with six. … Carlsen, Thompson, and Christiansen have all laced a team-leading two triples, with Lortie, Joe Meurer, Call, and Brody Schneider hitting BU’s other four three-baggers. … BU has posted a season-high five doubles in a game three times this season.

• BOMBS AWAY: Carlsen has clubbed a team-leading five home runs, while Lortie, Meurer, and Krupke are all two back with three round-trippers. Christiansen and Isaac Call both own two HRs, with Thompson and Wenberg hitting the other two. … Lortie has launched BU’s lone two-HR game of the season against Rowan on March 15.

• DRIVING ‘EM HOME: BU boasts three players — Carlsen (29), Christiansen (23), and Lortie (20) — who have driven in 20 or more runs, with Krupke (19), Thompson (19), Wenberg (19), Jurgenson (16), Meurer (14), and Call (10) giving the Royals nine players with 10 or more RBIs. … Carlsen has recorded five RBIs in a game twice, with Lortie also posting a five-RBI performance. … Carlsen and Christiansen share the team lead with eight multiple-RBI games. … The Royals delivered a season-best 18 RBIs against Macalester on April 8.

• STREAKING ALONG: Krupke has reached base safely in each of the Royals’ last 20 games,, while Thompson has been on base in each of the team’s last 19 contests.

• ON THE MOUND: Bethel has used 18 different pitchers this season, including three who have logged 30 or more innings. John Soifest (3-4, 4.47 ERA) leads the staff in innings pitched with 46 1/3, followed by Max Sutter (1-1, 7.93 ERA) with 36 1/3 IP, and Ty Koehn (4-0, 3.26 ERA) with 30 1/3 IP. … Ryan Parker (2-2, 2.53 ERA, 21 1/3 IP has made a team-leading 12 pitching appearances — all in relief — while Solfest and Sutter lead the staff with seven starts. … Solfest, Koehn, and Jackson Hunter (1-1, 8.27 ERA, 20 2/3 IP) have accounted for BU’s three complete games, with Parker lead the staff with two saves.

• FANNING THE FLAMES: Bethel pitchers have combined to strike out 189 batters, and boasts seven hurlers who have notched at least 10 Ks this season. Solfest leads the Royals staff with 54 strikeouts, followed by Koehn (27), Parker (21), Sutter (18), and Hunter (18). … Solfest has fanned a single-game, season-high nine batters twice — against MSOE on March 14 and vs. Hamline on April 20.

• CRUNCHING THE NUMBERS: As a team, Bethel is hitting .299, going 274-for-917, with 61 doubles, 10 triples, 20 home runs, 211 runs scored, and owns 194 RBIs. The BU pitching staff, meanwhile, has a combined 6.34 ERA, with opponents hitting .297 off them. … Bethel has plated 10 or more runs in a game nine times — all wins. BU has scored a season-best 18 runs twice — beating Johns Hopkins 18-8 on March 16 and topping Macalester 18-5 on April 8. On the flip side, BU has only allowed 10+ runs in a game four times, surrendering 10 runs in losses to Carleton (10-9 and 10-2) and St. Olaf (10-4), while allowing a season-high 14 runs in falling to Buena Vista 14-1 on Feb. 25.