University of St. Thomas Athletics
Friday, March 17
Tulsa, Okla.
3:00 p.m. Central
at
Oral Roberts
Photo by: Collin Boyles
Summit League schedule begins as Baseball travels to Oral Roberts
3/16/2023 10:49:00 AM | Baseball
St. Paul, Minn. -- The 2023 Summit League schedule officially begins March 17-19 as St. Thomas Baseball takes on Oral Roberts in a three-game series in Tulsa, Okla.
The Tommies and Golden Eagles begin the series Friday with a 3 p.m. (CT) first pitch, followed by start times of 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at J.L. Johnson Stadium.
Iowa Game (Last Time Out)
• St. Thomas held close with Iowa before late runs led to a 10-1 loss Wednesday, March 15 in Iowa City, Iowa.
• The Tommies left one runner on base in the second inning and put a runner on third with one out in the third inning before a ground out and foul out ended the scoring threat.
• Freshman pitcher Nolan Kemp recorded his first career start Wednesday
and held the Hawkeyes without a hit through 2.0 innings. He put runners on base by three walks and three hit by pitches, which led to the go-ahead run for Iowa in the bottom of the third inning.
• Following another Iowa run on a RBI double in the fourth inning, St. Thomas put its first three runners on base to start the fifth. Sam Kulesa singled to right field with runners on first and second to bring the Tommies back within one, 2-1.
• St. Thomas' final baserunners reached in the sixth and seventh innings, threatening to tie or take the lead in the sixth before Iowa scored one run for the fourth straight frame. The final blow came via a six-run inning by the Hawkeyes on two hits, two walks and two hit by pitches in the eighth.
• Kulesa, Charlie Bartholomew, Tanner Marsh, and Dylan O'Connell accounted for St. Thomas' four hits while the team left seven runners stranded through the game.
Extra Innings Play
• The Tommies and Saint Louis went to extra innings in game two of the double header on Saturday, March 4 during a thrilling 13-inning game.
• Tying the game with a leadoff home run in the eighth inning, SLU forced the game into an extra innings affair. The Tommies left one runner on base in each of the 10th, 11th, and 12th innings before taking the lead in the 13th with a Joe Roder double, followed by RBI singles from Enck and O'Connell.
• The Billikens put its first three batters on base in the home half of the 13th to set up a game-tying, two-RBI single with no outs. Two St. Thomas errors ensued while a bases load, hit by pitch ended the game.
Richartz Reaching Base
• Since Brigs Richartz led off the season with a single to center field on the very first pitch, he's reached base in every game of the season via a team-high 11 hits, two walks and one hit by pitch. He's led off three games with a base hit.
• Richartz led off the season with a six-game hitting streak, including two multi-hit games. He scored four runs over the first four games, Feb. 17-19 at CSU Bakersfield, including a three-run game during the Tommies' 8-4 win over the Roadrunners.
The Enck Attack
• Junior Matthew Enck went 5-for-11 during the Saint Louis series, including a 2-of-3 performance from the plate in game one to lead the Tommies.
• Enck finished game two with another two-hit game, this time going 2-of-4 with two RBI, two walks and one run scored.
Tommie Pitching Prowess
• Kolby Gartner has three starts this season, going 7.2 innings with seven hits and one walk allowed with three strikeouts. He now sits at 21.0 IP on the year, recording 15 strikeouts, five walks, and a 3.00 ERA in those appearances.
• St. Thomas currently has three of the top 10 pitchers in the Summit League based off of ERA with Kolby Gartner (t-2nd), Jacob Mrosko (7th) and Evan Esch (9th).
Next Up for the Tommies
• ORU began the season with four straight wins in a series sweep versus Northern Illinois before dropping a game against Missouri State to push their record to 4-1.
• Oral Roberts then won a series two games to one against Texas State, before dropping two of three in a series versus SF Austin, including a 12-inning showdown.
• Jonah Cox leads the team with a .438 batting average, 32 hits, 14 RBI, four walks and a .462 on-base percentage. Oral Roberts has seven batters hitting above .300, including Matt Hogan who leads the team with seven home runs, and 24 RBI's. Brooks Fowler (2-1) leads the starting rotation with a 2.14 ERA in 21.0 innings and four appearances, including a second team-best 22 strikeouts.
Leading Off
• St. Thomas began 2023 1-3 during Opening Weekend at CSU Bakersfield on Feb. 17-19.
• The Tommies fell in the first two games of the series by a combined 11-1 before coming away with an 8-4 win in game three of the four-game series.
• Junior Kolby Gartner (0-1) tossed eight strikeouts in 5.1 innings during game one, totaling seven through the first 4.0 frames. He allowed just two baserunners through five innings.
• Sophomore Jacob Mrosko took a no-hitter into the sixth inning in game two before it was broken up on a one-out double down the left field line. Mrosko exited before three runs were scored in the sixth by CSUB.
• Of CSUB's 25 runs in the series, 11 were scored in the sixth inning.
Summit League Ranks (As of 3/16/23)
Team
1st in Opp. Batting Average, .229
2nd in Earned Run Average, 5.19
6th in Fielding Percentage, 0.954 percent
Individual - Hitting
26th in Batting Average, .275 AVG, Brigs Richartz
T-17th in Stolen Bases, 2 SB, Dylan O'Connell/Sam Kulesa
Individual - Pitching
T-2nd in Earned Run Average, 3.00 ERA,Kolby Gartner
3rd in Opposing Batting Average, .173 AVG, Kolby Gartner
T-3rd in Innings Pitched, 21.0 IP, Kolby Gartner
6th in Opposing Batting Average, .220 AVG, Jacob Mrosko
7th in Earned Run Average, 4.77 ERA, Jacob Mrosko
9th in Earned Run Average, 4.91 ERA, Evan Esch
Individual - Fielding
T-1st in Fielding Percentage, 1.000, Joe Vos/Ben Vujovich
T-5th in Caught Stealing By, 2, Charlie Bartholomew
9th in Putouts, 63 total putouts, Charlie Bartholomew
9th in Assists, 24 total assists, Sam Kulesa
Late Inning Blues
• The Tommies have allowed 62 runs this season, with over 50 percent of that total coming between the sixth and eighth innings. Opponents have scored 18 runs in the sixth and 16 runs in the eighth, including six given up to Iowa on Wednesday.
Preseason Headlines
• Freshmen Dylan O'Connell (3B) and Nolan Kemp (RHP) were named the St. Thomas Player and Pitcher to Watch, as released in the 2023 Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• St. Thomas was selected to finish fifth in the Summit Preseason Poll.
• Dylan O'Connell was named the 2023 Preseason Summit League Freshman of the Year by D1Baseball.com and Perfect Game.
• Ben Vujovich was named to the 2023 Preseason Summit League All-Conference Team by Perfect Game.
First Impressions
• St. Thomas has or will play five programs for the first time ever in 2023, including CSU Bakersfield, Sacramento State, Saint Louis, Kansas State, and Air Force. The Purple were scheduled to face UIC for the first time ever before weather and cold temperatures canceled the series.
A Look Back at 2022
• St. Thomas comes off a 16-29 overall record during the 2022 season, finishing fifth in the Summit League with a 10-14 record.
• The Tommies return 25 student-athletes from the 2022 roster and bring in 12 newcomers.
• The Tommies lost 16 games by one or two runs in 2022.
• St. Thomas earned notable wins over the 2022 Summit League Regular Season Champions North Dakota State, 6-0 on April 9 in St. Paul, Minn., and the Summit League Tournament Champions Oral Roberts, 4-3 on May 7 in Tulsa, Okla.
• In 2022 the Tommies ranked eighth in the nation with 208 earned runs allowed, tied for 20th with 10.27 K/9 Innings, tied for 34th with 8.42 H/9 Innings, tied for 52nd with a .974 fielding percentage, and tied for 82nd with an ERA of 4.90.
• The Tommies set a program record with 438 total strikeouts and in K/9 (10.27).
• St. Thomas garnered two player of the week and two pitcher of the week honors from the Summit League last season. Among the returners, Kolby Gartner was named the Pitcher of the Week once, Sam Kulesa the Player of the Week once and Brigs Richartz the Player of the Week once.
Leading the Pack
• Chris Olean begins his 14th season with St. Thomas in 2023. He has totaled an overall record of 355-186-1 (338-148-1 in NCAA Division III) since being named the head coach prior to the 2010 season.
• Olean is a three-time NCAA DIII Region Coach of the Year and closed out its DIII era by winning championships in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) and region en route to a national runner-up finish and 37-10 record.
• During the last 12 DIII seasons the Purple won eight MIAC Championships, capped by third-place national finishes in both 2012 and 2014, in addition to the runner-up finish in 2021.
• Olean mentored seven DIII All-American pitchers. He was voted MIAC and Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 2012, 2013, and 2021. In addition, Olean works with the Tommie pitching staff, which was a perennial top-10 group in DIII baseball.
Follow Along
For more information on St. Thomas Baseball, follow along on Twitter at @tommiebase and Instagram at @tommiebaseball
The Tommies and Golden Eagles begin the series Friday with a 3 p.m. (CT) first pitch, followed by start times of 2 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday at J.L. Johnson Stadium.
Iowa Game (Last Time Out)
• St. Thomas held close with Iowa before late runs led to a 10-1 loss Wednesday, March 15 in Iowa City, Iowa.
• The Tommies left one runner on base in the second inning and put a runner on third with one out in the third inning before a ground out and foul out ended the scoring threat.
• Freshman pitcher Nolan Kemp recorded his first career start Wednesday
and held the Hawkeyes without a hit through 2.0 innings. He put runners on base by three walks and three hit by pitches, which led to the go-ahead run for Iowa in the bottom of the third inning.
• Following another Iowa run on a RBI double in the fourth inning, St. Thomas put its first three runners on base to start the fifth. Sam Kulesa singled to right field with runners on first and second to bring the Tommies back within one, 2-1.
• St. Thomas' final baserunners reached in the sixth and seventh innings, threatening to tie or take the lead in the sixth before Iowa scored one run for the fourth straight frame. The final blow came via a six-run inning by the Hawkeyes on two hits, two walks and two hit by pitches in the eighth.
• Kulesa, Charlie Bartholomew, Tanner Marsh, and Dylan O'Connell accounted for St. Thomas' four hits while the team left seven runners stranded through the game.
Extra Innings Play
• The Tommies and Saint Louis went to extra innings in game two of the double header on Saturday, March 4 during a thrilling 13-inning game.
• Tying the game with a leadoff home run in the eighth inning, SLU forced the game into an extra innings affair. The Tommies left one runner on base in each of the 10th, 11th, and 12th innings before taking the lead in the 13th with a Joe Roder double, followed by RBI singles from Enck and O'Connell.
• The Billikens put its first three batters on base in the home half of the 13th to set up a game-tying, two-RBI single with no outs. Two St. Thomas errors ensued while a bases load, hit by pitch ended the game.
Richartz Reaching Base
• Since Brigs Richartz led off the season with a single to center field on the very first pitch, he's reached base in every game of the season via a team-high 11 hits, two walks and one hit by pitch. He's led off three games with a base hit.
• Richartz led off the season with a six-game hitting streak, including two multi-hit games. He scored four runs over the first four games, Feb. 17-19 at CSU Bakersfield, including a three-run game during the Tommies' 8-4 win over the Roadrunners.
The Enck Attack
• Junior Matthew Enck went 5-for-11 during the Saint Louis series, including a 2-of-3 performance from the plate in game one to lead the Tommies.
• Enck finished game two with another two-hit game, this time going 2-of-4 with two RBI, two walks and one run scored.
Tommie Pitching Prowess
• Kolby Gartner has three starts this season, going 7.2 innings with seven hits and one walk allowed with three strikeouts. He now sits at 21.0 IP on the year, recording 15 strikeouts, five walks, and a 3.00 ERA in those appearances.
• St. Thomas currently has three of the top 10 pitchers in the Summit League based off of ERA with Kolby Gartner (t-2nd), Jacob Mrosko (7th) and Evan Esch (9th).
Next Up for the Tommies
• ORU began the season with four straight wins in a series sweep versus Northern Illinois before dropping a game against Missouri State to push their record to 4-1.
• Oral Roberts then won a series two games to one against Texas State, before dropping two of three in a series versus SF Austin, including a 12-inning showdown.
• Jonah Cox leads the team with a .438 batting average, 32 hits, 14 RBI, four walks and a .462 on-base percentage. Oral Roberts has seven batters hitting above .300, including Matt Hogan who leads the team with seven home runs, and 24 RBI's. Brooks Fowler (2-1) leads the starting rotation with a 2.14 ERA in 21.0 innings and four appearances, including a second team-best 22 strikeouts.
Leading Off
• St. Thomas began 2023 1-3 during Opening Weekend at CSU Bakersfield on Feb. 17-19.
• The Tommies fell in the first two games of the series by a combined 11-1 before coming away with an 8-4 win in game three of the four-game series.
• Junior Kolby Gartner (0-1) tossed eight strikeouts in 5.1 innings during game one, totaling seven through the first 4.0 frames. He allowed just two baserunners through five innings.
• Sophomore Jacob Mrosko took a no-hitter into the sixth inning in game two before it was broken up on a one-out double down the left field line. Mrosko exited before three runs were scored in the sixth by CSUB.
• Of CSUB's 25 runs in the series, 11 were scored in the sixth inning.
Summit League Ranks (As of 3/16/23)
Team
1st in Opp. Batting Average, .229
2nd in Earned Run Average, 5.19
6th in Fielding Percentage, 0.954 percent
Individual - Hitting
26th in Batting Average, .275 AVG, Brigs Richartz
T-17th in Stolen Bases, 2 SB, Dylan O'Connell/Sam Kulesa
Individual - Pitching
T-2nd in Earned Run Average, 3.00 ERA,Kolby Gartner
3rd in Opposing Batting Average, .173 AVG, Kolby Gartner
T-3rd in Innings Pitched, 21.0 IP, Kolby Gartner
6th in Opposing Batting Average, .220 AVG, Jacob Mrosko
7th in Earned Run Average, 4.77 ERA, Jacob Mrosko
9th in Earned Run Average, 4.91 ERA, Evan Esch
Individual - Fielding
T-1st in Fielding Percentage, 1.000, Joe Vos/Ben Vujovich
T-5th in Caught Stealing By, 2, Charlie Bartholomew
9th in Putouts, 63 total putouts, Charlie Bartholomew
9th in Assists, 24 total assists, Sam Kulesa
Late Inning Blues
• The Tommies have allowed 62 runs this season, with over 50 percent of that total coming between the sixth and eighth innings. Opponents have scored 18 runs in the sixth and 16 runs in the eighth, including six given up to Iowa on Wednesday.
Preseason Headlines
• Freshmen Dylan O'Connell (3B) and Nolan Kemp (RHP) were named the St. Thomas Player and Pitcher to Watch, as released in the 2023 Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• St. Thomas was selected to finish fifth in the Summit Preseason Poll.
• Dylan O'Connell was named the 2023 Preseason Summit League Freshman of the Year by D1Baseball.com and Perfect Game.
• Ben Vujovich was named to the 2023 Preseason Summit League All-Conference Team by Perfect Game.
First Impressions
• St. Thomas has or will play five programs for the first time ever in 2023, including CSU Bakersfield, Sacramento State, Saint Louis, Kansas State, and Air Force. The Purple were scheduled to face UIC for the first time ever before weather and cold temperatures canceled the series.
A Look Back at 2022
• St. Thomas comes off a 16-29 overall record during the 2022 season, finishing fifth in the Summit League with a 10-14 record.
• The Tommies return 25 student-athletes from the 2022 roster and bring in 12 newcomers.
• The Tommies lost 16 games by one or two runs in 2022.
• St. Thomas earned notable wins over the 2022 Summit League Regular Season Champions North Dakota State, 6-0 on April 9 in St. Paul, Minn., and the Summit League Tournament Champions Oral Roberts, 4-3 on May 7 in Tulsa, Okla.
• In 2022 the Tommies ranked eighth in the nation with 208 earned runs allowed, tied for 20th with 10.27 K/9 Innings, tied for 34th with 8.42 H/9 Innings, tied for 52nd with a .974 fielding percentage, and tied for 82nd with an ERA of 4.90.
• The Tommies set a program record with 438 total strikeouts and in K/9 (10.27).
• St. Thomas garnered two player of the week and two pitcher of the week honors from the Summit League last season. Among the returners, Kolby Gartner was named the Pitcher of the Week once, Sam Kulesa the Player of the Week once and Brigs Richartz the Player of the Week once.
Leading the Pack
• Chris Olean begins his 14th season with St. Thomas in 2023. He has totaled an overall record of 355-186-1 (338-148-1 in NCAA Division III) since being named the head coach prior to the 2010 season.
• Olean is a three-time NCAA DIII Region Coach of the Year and closed out its DIII era by winning championships in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) and region en route to a national runner-up finish and 37-10 record.
• During the last 12 DIII seasons the Purple won eight MIAC Championships, capped by third-place national finishes in both 2012 and 2014, in addition to the runner-up finish in 2021.
• Olean mentored seven DIII All-American pitchers. He was voted MIAC and Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 2012, 2013, and 2021. In addition, Olean works with the Tommie pitching staff, which was a perennial top-10 group in DIII baseball.
Follow Along
For more information on St. Thomas Baseball, follow along on Twitter at @tommiebase and Instagram at @tommiebaseball
Players Mentioned
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