WINONA, Minn. — The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference handed out its post-season awards Tuesday afternoon — and the Saint Mary's University baseball team was struggling to find a little elbow room on the crowded podium.
 
The Cardinals had six players haul in a whopping eight post-season honors, as Tanner Bauman (Willmar, Minn.), Cameron Weber (Holmen, Wis.), Riley Bauman (Stratford, Wis.), Andrew Fischer (La Crosse, Wis.), Addison Hochevar (Lake Geneva, Wis.), and Dylan Westcott (Holmen, Wis.) were all named All-MIAC, while Riley Bauman and Westcott were also selected to the MIAC All-Playoff Team.
 
It was the second All-MIAC honor for both Hochevar and Fischer — the second consecutive year for Hochevar, while Fischer was also All-MIAC in 2022. Riley Bauman, meanwhile, was an honorable-mention All-MIAC selection a year ago.
 
Led by this senior-dominated contingent — with Riley Bauman being the lone junior among SMU's six award-winners — the Cardinals finished 13-7 in conference play and a return trip to the MIAC post-season tournament for the first time since 2021.
 
Weber and Tanner Bauman closed out the conference slate as the Cardinals' offensive leaders. Both hit .397 in 20 MIAC contests, with Weber going 27-for-68, with four doubles, 19 runs scored, 12 RBIs, and a team-best 16 stolen bases. Bauman, meanwhile, finished the year 23-for-58, including four doubles and two triples, and added 13 runs scored and 13 RBIs.
 
Overall, Weber closed out his fourth and final year with the Cardinals sporting a .331 batting average (44-for-133), with 31 runs scored and 24 RBIs. He was also a terror on the bases paths, posting a single-season program-record 28 steals in 33 attempts.
 
Tanner Bauman, meanwhile, finished his senior season with a .321 batting average, collecting 27 hits in 84 at-bats — including four doubles and three triples — and adding 19 runs scored and 16 RBIs.
 
Riley Bauman, the only other field position player to represent the Cardinals on the All-MIAC team, made the most of his junior campaign, starting all 20 games roaming the outfield for SMU, posting a .370 batting average (27-for-73) and owning 10 extra base hits — including a team-leading five home runs — while adding 17 RBIs and boasting a .658 slugging percentage.
 
In SMU's 39 games overall, Riley Bauman closed out the year owning a team-high .366 batting average, going 52-for-142 — including 10 doubles, three triples, and a team-leading seven home runs — while adding 28 runs scored and 29 RBIs.
 
Westcott, Fischer, and Hochevar were the aces of the Cardinals' pitching staff, helping SMU compile a 3.98 team ERA. Hochevar and Westcott led the team in innings pitched with 37.0 and 32.0 IP, respectively. Westcott finished the conference slate with a 3-1 record and 1.41 ERA, while Hochevar went 5-1 with a 3.16 ERA in a team-leading six MIAC starts. Fischer, meanwhile, made a team-high eight MIAC appearances — all in relief, compiling a 0-1 record and 2.20 ERA in 16 1/3 IP.
 
Overall, Hochevar closed out his senior season going 5-5 with a 4.18 ERA in a team-leading 56.0 innings, tossing three complete games and owning both of SMU's shutouts, while striking out a team-best 33 batters. Westcott was second on the staff with 49.0 innings logged, going 5-1 with a 2.39 ERA. He threw one complete game and struck out 26, while Fischer, the team's saves leader with four, ended the year with a 1-3 record and 3.89 ERA in 37.0 IP.
 
In earning MIAC All-Playoff team honors, Riley Bauman closed out the Cardinals' three-game in the MIAC Playoffs hitting .385 (5-for-13) with four runs scored and four RBIs, while Westcott went 1-0 with a 5.14 ERA and seven strikeouts in seven innings of work in SMU's 19-4 elimination game win over Saint John's.
 
Regular-season champion St. Olaf took home three of the MIAC's top four post-season honors, with Sam Lavin named the Max Molock Player of the Year, while Cole Pleimann was tabbed the league's Rookie of the year, and skipper Matt McDonald was selected Jim Dimick Coach of the Year. Bethel's John Solfest took home Mike Augustin Pitcher of the Year honors.