University of St. Thomas Athletics
Friday, April 14
St. Paul, Minn.
12:00 p.m. Central
vs
North Dakota State
Photo by: Nick Wosika
Forecast changes series as Tommie Baseball hosts Bison April 14-15
4/13/2023 1:02:00 PM | Baseball
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- St. Thomas Baseball welcomes in North Dakota State for its official home opener April 14-15 at Koch Diamond.
The Tommies and Bison, originally scheduled to play Friday, Saturday and Sunday, will now play a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. Friday followed by the series finale at 1 p.m. Saturday, weather permitting. Forecasted rain forced the schedule change.
All St. Thomas home games will be streamed live HERE with live stats available HERE. Saturday's game will feature a winter hat giveaway for the first 75 fans.
The Last Time Out
• St. Thomas got back into the win column after taking two of three games at Northern Colorado April 7-9 in Greeley, Colo. The Purple wrapped up their trip to Colorado with an 18-3 loss at Air Force in Colorado Springs, Colo.
• The Tommies opened the series against the Bears with a 21-9 win in seven innings, scoring in all seven innings. St. Thomas racked up a season-high 19 hits as all but one starter recorded a hit and an RBI. Brigs Richartz recorded his first career cycle as he singled in the first inning to drive in one RBI, homered with one runner on base in the third inning, tripled in the fifth inning and doubled in the sixth inning.
• Northern Colorado held St. Thomas scoreless in game two, book ending the game with four runs in the first inning and six runs in the eighth. After the four-run first inning, starting pitcher Walker Retz did not allow a run over the next six innings. Retz finished with six strikeouts, four walks and one earned run allowed in 7.0 IP.
• The Toms completed their first series win of the season with a 7-5 victory on Sunday. After trailing 5-0 exiting the third inning, St. Thomas scored three runs in the fifth and four in the ninth to complete the comeback. Tanner Marsh and Brigs Richartz came up with RBI hits in the fifth inning to trail 5-3. Back-to-back singles and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases in the ninth inning before a passed ball and UNC error allowed St. Thomas to take the lead. Another late error helped the Tommies cross their final run. Nolan Kemp started and threw 3.0 innings while Tucker Huhn, Bryce Leedle and Duke Coborn combined to throw the final 6.0 innings of scoreless ball. Coborn earned the win after throwing the final 3.0 innings with five strikeouts and four hits allowed.
• Air Force grounded St. Thomas after scoring seven runs in the first inning and eight in the fourth of Monday's game. The Tommies recorded 11 hits to the Falcons' 12, its sixth game this season with hits reaching double digits.
Next Up for the Tommies
• St. Thomas opens its home schedule with a three-game series against North Dakota State. The Tommies and Bison meet for the only series this season.
• The Bison are led by Peter Brookshaw and Cadyn Schwabe, who are the lone NDSU players to hold a batting average above .300. Brookshaw leads the squad with a .315 batting average, a .615 slugging percentage, 41 hits, 27 runs, 12 doubles and nine home runs. Schwabe paces the team with a .434 on-base percentage, 27 runs, 14 stolen bases and two triples.
• The pitching staff is led by Parker Puetz who holds a 3.46 ERA in 26.0 innings. Cade Feeney (3-3) has won three straight starts for the Bison and was named the Summit League Peak Pitcher of the Week after throwing five strikeouts over 6.0 innings during an 8-1 upset over No. 23 Texas Tech. Feeney is 47th in the country with a 5.22 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
• North Dakota State dropped 15 of its first 16 games of the season before winning six of a 10-game stretch. NDSU most recently stole a series-opening win from No. 23 Texas Tech, 8-1, before dropping the final two games, 8-5 and 8-3. NDSU most recently fell at Minnesota, 12-9, on Tuesday, April 11.
The Lead Off Man
• Since Brigs Richartz led off the season with a single to center field on the very first pitch, he reached base in a team-best 12 straight games before being denied a 13th in the series finale at Oral Roberts.
• He leads the team with 28 hits, 36 total bases, and one triple. Richartz has led off six games with a base hit and eight games by reaching base. He has hit third over the last four games and six times overall this season.
• Richartz led off the season with a six-game hitting streak, including two multi-hit games. He scored four runs over the first series, Feb. 17-19 at CSU Bakersfield, including a three-run game during the Tommies' 8-4 win over the Roadrunners.
• Richartz recorded the program's first cycle under head coach Chris Olean in game one at Northern Colorado. He singled in the first inning to drive in one RBI, homered with one runner on base in the third inning, tripled in the fifth inning and doubled in the sixth inning.
Summit League Ranks (As of 4/13/23)
Team
5th in Fielding Percentage, .960
5th in Earned Run Average, 7.21
6th in Opp. Batting Average, .303
Individual - Pitching
1st in Opposing Batting Average, .204 AVG, Kolby Gartner
2nd in Saves, 1, Evan Esch
5th in Earned Run Average, 4.85 ERA, Kolby Gartner
6th in Earned Run Average, 4.99 ERA, Duke Coborn
Individual - Fielding
T-5th in Caught Stealing By, 4, Charlie Bartholomew/Max Moris
7th in Assists, 50 Total Assists, Matthew Enck
7th in Caught Stealing By, 3, Max Moris
8th in Fielding Percentage, .993, Charlie Bartholomew
9th in Putouts, 135 Total Putouts, Charlie Bartholomew
Hitting 21
• The Tommies scored a season-high 21 runs during the series opener April 7 at Northern Colorado, which is also the first time the program has topped 20 runs in a game since joining NCAA Division I. The Toms' 21 runs are the most for the team since totaling 21 against Macalaster in 2016 and 22 against Macalaster in 2015.
• St. Thomas tallied a season-high 19 hits and scored in every inning of the game. All but one starter recorded a hit and an RBI, and all but two totaled multiple hits. Charlie Bartholomew, Brigs Richartz, Ben Taxdahl and Ben Vujovich each totaled three RBI, including home runs by Richartz and Taxdahl. Richartz's long ball was part of the program's first cycle under head coach Chris Olean.
Kolby Knowledge
• Kolby Gartner has five starts this season, going 3.0 innings with three strikeouts, four hits, four walks and three earned runs allowed in a no decision during game one at Northern Colorado. He now sits at 26.0 IP on the year, recording 21 strikeouts, 12 walks, and a 4.85 ERA in those appearances, his ERA ranking fifth in the Summit League.
• Gartner opened the season for the Tommies on the mound Feb. 17 with eight strikeouts in 5.1 innings at CSU Bakersfield. He followed up with a complete game loss Feb. 25 at Sacramento State, throwing four strikeouts with one walk and one earned run allowed, and went 7.2 innings with three strikeouts, one walk and three earned runs allowed March 4 at Saint Louis.
• Gartner leads the Tommie pitching staff in ERA (4.85), wins (1), WHIP (1.23), complete games (1), innings pitched (26.0), and opposing batting average (.204).
Mad Max March Extends to April
• Since the start of March, junior Max Moris has led the Tommies with 20 hits, including eight multi-hit games, while hitting .351 from the plate. He also leads St. Thomas with a .422 on-base percentage and four doubles during the 13-game stretch.
• Moris entered the UNC series on an eight-game on-base streak that was snapped during game two. With his double in game one, Moris extended his hit streak to seven games, the longest by a Tommie this season. He was held without a hit over the next two games (0-9) to snap the hitting streak and a nine-game on-base streak.
First to Strike
• The Tommies have scored first in 10 of its 22 games this season, going 3-7 in those games. St. Thomas won its first game when its opponent scores first during a 7-5 comeback victory at Northern Colorado to secure the series win on April 9.
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.
Leading the Pack
• Chris Olean begins his 14th season with St. Thomas in 2023. He has totaled an overall record of 356-193-1 (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 and Instagram at @tommiebase
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
The Tommies and Bison, originally scheduled to play Friday, Saturday and Sunday, will now play a doubleheader starting at 12 p.m. Friday followed by the series finale at 1 p.m. Saturday, weather permitting. Forecasted rain forced the schedule change.
All St. Thomas home games will be streamed live HERE with live stats available HERE. Saturday's game will feature a winter hat giveaway for the first 75 fans.
The Last Time Out
• St. Thomas got back into the win column after taking two of three games at Northern Colorado April 7-9 in Greeley, Colo. The Purple wrapped up their trip to Colorado with an 18-3 loss at Air Force in Colorado Springs, Colo.
• The Tommies opened the series against the Bears with a 21-9 win in seven innings, scoring in all seven innings. St. Thomas racked up a season-high 19 hits as all but one starter recorded a hit and an RBI. Brigs Richartz recorded his first career cycle as he singled in the first inning to drive in one RBI, homered with one runner on base in the third inning, tripled in the fifth inning and doubled in the sixth inning.
• Northern Colorado held St. Thomas scoreless in game two, book ending the game with four runs in the first inning and six runs in the eighth. After the four-run first inning, starting pitcher Walker Retz did not allow a run over the next six innings. Retz finished with six strikeouts, four walks and one earned run allowed in 7.0 IP.
• The Toms completed their first series win of the season with a 7-5 victory on Sunday. After trailing 5-0 exiting the third inning, St. Thomas scored three runs in the fifth and four in the ninth to complete the comeback. Tanner Marsh and Brigs Richartz came up with RBI hits in the fifth inning to trail 5-3. Back-to-back singles and a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases in the ninth inning before a passed ball and UNC error allowed St. Thomas to take the lead. Another late error helped the Tommies cross their final run. Nolan Kemp started and threw 3.0 innings while Tucker Huhn, Bryce Leedle and Duke Coborn combined to throw the final 6.0 innings of scoreless ball. Coborn earned the win after throwing the final 3.0 innings with five strikeouts and four hits allowed.
• Air Force grounded St. Thomas after scoring seven runs in the first inning and eight in the fourth of Monday's game. The Tommies recorded 11 hits to the Falcons' 12, its sixth game this season with hits reaching double digits.
Next Up for the Tommies
• St. Thomas opens its home schedule with a three-game series against North Dakota State. The Tommies and Bison meet for the only series this season.
• The Bison are led by Peter Brookshaw and Cadyn Schwabe, who are the lone NDSU players to hold a batting average above .300. Brookshaw leads the squad with a .315 batting average, a .615 slugging percentage, 41 hits, 27 runs, 12 doubles and nine home runs. Schwabe paces the team with a .434 on-base percentage, 27 runs, 14 stolen bases and two triples.
• The pitching staff is led by Parker Puetz who holds a 3.46 ERA in 26.0 innings. Cade Feeney (3-3) has won three straight starts for the Bison and was named the Summit League Peak Pitcher of the Week after throwing five strikeouts over 6.0 innings during an 8-1 upset over No. 23 Texas Tech. Feeney is 47th in the country with a 5.22 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
• North Dakota State dropped 15 of its first 16 games of the season before winning six of a 10-game stretch. NDSU most recently stole a series-opening win from No. 23 Texas Tech, 8-1, before dropping the final two games, 8-5 and 8-3. NDSU most recently fell at Minnesota, 12-9, on Tuesday, April 11.
The Lead Off Man
• Since Brigs Richartz led off the season with a single to center field on the very first pitch, he reached base in a team-best 12 straight games before being denied a 13th in the series finale at Oral Roberts.
• He leads the team with 28 hits, 36 total bases, and one triple. Richartz has led off six games with a base hit and eight games by reaching base. He has hit third over the last four games and six times overall this season.
• Richartz led off the season with a six-game hitting streak, including two multi-hit games. He scored four runs over the first series, Feb. 17-19 at CSU Bakersfield, including a three-run game during the Tommies' 8-4 win over the Roadrunners.
• Richartz recorded the program's first cycle under head coach Chris Olean in game one at Northern Colorado. He singled in the first inning to drive in one RBI, homered with one runner on base in the third inning, tripled in the fifth inning and doubled in the sixth inning.
Summit League Ranks (As of 4/13/23)
Team
5th in Fielding Percentage, .960
5th in Earned Run Average, 7.21
6th in Opp. Batting Average, .303
Individual - Pitching
1st in Opposing Batting Average, .204 AVG, Kolby Gartner
2nd in Saves, 1, Evan Esch
5th in Earned Run Average, 4.85 ERA, Kolby Gartner
6th in Earned Run Average, 4.99 ERA, Duke Coborn
Individual - Fielding
T-5th in Caught Stealing By, 4, Charlie Bartholomew/Max Moris
7th in Assists, 50 Total Assists, Matthew Enck
7th in Caught Stealing By, 3, Max Moris
8th in Fielding Percentage, .993, Charlie Bartholomew
9th in Putouts, 135 Total Putouts, Charlie Bartholomew
Hitting 21
• The Tommies scored a season-high 21 runs during the series opener April 7 at Northern Colorado, which is also the first time the program has topped 20 runs in a game since joining NCAA Division I. The Toms' 21 runs are the most for the team since totaling 21 against Macalaster in 2016 and 22 against Macalaster in 2015.
• St. Thomas tallied a season-high 19 hits and scored in every inning of the game. All but one starter recorded a hit and an RBI, and all but two totaled multiple hits. Charlie Bartholomew, Brigs Richartz, Ben Taxdahl and Ben Vujovich each totaled three RBI, including home runs by Richartz and Taxdahl. Richartz's long ball was part of the program's first cycle under head coach Chris Olean.
Kolby Knowledge
• Kolby Gartner has five starts this season, going 3.0 innings with three strikeouts, four hits, four walks and three earned runs allowed in a no decision during game one at Northern Colorado. He now sits at 26.0 IP on the year, recording 21 strikeouts, 12 walks, and a 4.85 ERA in those appearances, his ERA ranking fifth in the Summit League.
• Gartner opened the season for the Tommies on the mound Feb. 17 with eight strikeouts in 5.1 innings at CSU Bakersfield. He followed up with a complete game loss Feb. 25 at Sacramento State, throwing four strikeouts with one walk and one earned run allowed, and went 7.2 innings with three strikeouts, one walk and three earned runs allowed March 4 at Saint Louis.
• Gartner leads the Tommie pitching staff in ERA (4.85), wins (1), WHIP (1.23), complete games (1), innings pitched (26.0), and opposing batting average (.204).
Mad Max March Extends to April
• Since the start of March, junior Max Moris has led the Tommies with 20 hits, including eight multi-hit games, while hitting .351 from the plate. He also leads St. Thomas with a .422 on-base percentage and four doubles during the 13-game stretch.
• Moris entered the UNC series on an eight-game on-base streak that was snapped during game two. With his double in game one, Moris extended his hit streak to seven games, the longest by a Tommie this season. He was held without a hit over the next two games (0-9) to snap the hitting streak and a nine-game on-base streak.
First to Strike
• The Tommies have scored first in 10 of its 22 games this season, going 3-7 in those games. St. Thomas won its first game when its opponent scores first during a 7-5 comeback victory at Northern Colorado to secure the series win on April 9.
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.
Leading the Pack
• Chris Olean begins his 14th season with St. Thomas in 2023. He has totaled an overall record of 356-193-1 (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 and Instagram at @tommiebase
-- St. Thomas Athletics --
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