University of St. Thomas Athletics
Friday, May 12
St. Paul, Minn.
12:00 p.m. Central
at
Western Illinois
Photo by: Wesley Dean
Tommie Baseball closes out home season May 12-14
5/11/2023 9:30:00 AM | Baseball
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- St. Thomas Baseball wraps up its home season and six straight games against Western Illinois May 12-14 at Koch Diamond.
The Tommies and Leathernecks wrap up an initial three-game series with the first game of a doubleheader at 12 p.m. Friday, with WIU serving as the home team during the first game. The Purple will switch back to the home team to start a three-game series Friday, finishing with 1 p.m. start times on Saturday and Sunday.
Live video will be available HERE with live stats available HERE.
The Last Time Out
• St. Thomas was swept during a three-game series at home against No. 24 Oral Roberts. The Tommies fell 8-3 on Friday, 11-2 on Saturday and 8-1 on Sunday at Koch Diamond.
Game One - L, 8-3
• Both teams scored in the first inning for the second straight game. Richartz led off the game with a double and was thrown out at home trying to score following a throwing error. Max Moris reached base on the throwing error and scored on an RBI single by Bartholomew.
• Joe Vos recorded his second career home run in the bottom of the second inning to give the Tommies a 2-1 lead. ORU scored seven unanswered runs combined in the fifth, eighth and ninth innings.
• Kolby Gartner was part of a no decision during his ninth start of the season. He finished with 7.0 innings pitched, seven strikeouts, and two earned runs and walks allowed.
Game Two - L, 11-2
• Nolan Kemp (0-3) started on the mound for the Tommies and allowed just one run over the first four innings before exiting with one out in the sixth inning. He finished the day with a career high eight strikeouts.
• Extra base hits set up the Tommies' lone runs of the game. Dylan O'Connell doubled to left field in the bottom of the first inning before Charlie Bartholomew tied the game at 1-1 with an RBI single. Brigs Richartz tripled in the eighth inning and was brought home on a wild pitch.
Game Three - L, 8-1
• Sam Kulesa and Max Moris contributed multi-hit games during the series finale, both going 2-of-4 from the plate. Kulesa scored the Toms' lone run of the day while Moris recorded the only St. Thomas extra-base hit.
• Joe Vos recorded the game's first hit in the bottom of the second inning before the Golden Eagles scored two runs in the third and five in the fifth.
• Kulesa led off the home half of the seventh inning with a single to right center field, and despite a double play two batters later, was brought in on an RBI single up the middle by Dylan O'Connell.
• The Tommies put runners on base in each of the first seven innings.
Next Up for the Tommies
• The Leathernecks are led by Nick Mitchell who leads the team hitting .384, which ranks fifth in the Summit League. He also leads the team with 58 hits (3rd in Summit), 15 doubles (2nd in Summit), five triples (2nd Summit), 29 walks (third Summit), a .609 slugging percentage (4th Summit), and a .484 on-base percentage (4th Summit). Derek Botaletto is hitting .309 from the plate with 51 hits, nine doubles, two home runs, 12 walks, eight stolen bases, and a .400 slugging percentage.
• The pitching staff is led by starters Jake Armstrong (3-5) and Tyler Kapraun (2-6), who hold a 5.15 and 6.43 ERA, respectively. Armstrong has struck out 41 batters in 64.2 innings with 35 walks allowed and is holding opponents to a .285 batting average. Kapraun has struck out 42 in 56.0 innings with 30 walks allowed and an opposing batting average of .295.
• Western Illinois is currently one spot behind St. Thomas in the Summit League standings with a 3-12 record in conference games. WIU earned wins over South Dakota State 14-4 (8) on April 8 in Macomb, Northern Colorado 5-4 on April 22 in Macomb, and Omaha 5-2 on May 5 in Omaha, Neb. The Leathernecks have won two of their last four games, including a 17-10 victory over Lindenwood on May 2.
Summit League Ranks (As of 5/8/23)
Team
Earned Run Average (5th/7.29)
Fielding Percentage (5th/.964)
Opp. Batting Average (5th/.293)
Individual - Pitching
Earned Run Average (E. Esch - 8th/4.73)
Opp. Batting Average (E. Esch - 5th/.234, K. Gartner - 7th/.251)
Strikeouts (E. Esch - 8th/48)
Individual - Hitting
Batting Average (C. Bartholomew - 28th/.281, J. Roder - 31st/.275)
Hits (B. Richartz - 34th/36)
On-Base % (J. Roder – 23rd/.380)
Runs (B. Richartz - t-35th/18)
Stolen Bases (D. O'Connell - t-14th/6)
Walks (M. Enck - t-23rd/16)
Individual - Fielding
Putouts (C. Bartholomew - 10th/208)
Assists (M. Enck – 4th/83)
Fielding % (C. Bartholomew - 3rd/.996, J. Roder - 4th/.993)
Caught Stealing (C. Bartholomew - 5th/9, M. Moris - 6th/8)
Fresh Esch
• Sophomore Evan Esch was named the TicketSmarter Summit League Peak Pitcher of the Week following his start Saturday, April 15 against North Dakota State.
• The weekly award is the first of Esch's career, who has made 11 appearances on the mound in 2023 and made 14 with eight starts as a freshman. It also marks the first weekly honor by a Tommie this season.
• Esch followed up with another stellar outing Monday, April 24 at South Dakota State, tossing a career-high 11 strikeouts in another 6.0-inning performance. He held the Jackrabbits to one hit and retired 13 straight batters between the second and sixth innings. After allowing his only run, Esch struck out the side in the first inning on his way to striking out eight of the first nine batters faced.
• Esch threw a career-long 7.0 inning outing on April 30 against Omaha to earn his second win of the season. He tallied nine strikeouts with two earned runs allowed.
• Esch leads all active Tommies with 94 career strikeouts during the Division I era. Walker Retz follows with 71 while Kolby Gartner has 70.
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.
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 361-202-1 (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 Leathernecks wrap up an initial three-game series with the first game of a doubleheader at 12 p.m. Friday, with WIU serving as the home team during the first game. The Purple will switch back to the home team to start a three-game series Friday, finishing with 1 p.m. start times on Saturday and Sunday.
Live video will be available HERE with live stats available HERE.
The Last Time Out
• St. Thomas was swept during a three-game series at home against No. 24 Oral Roberts. The Tommies fell 8-3 on Friday, 11-2 on Saturday and 8-1 on Sunday at Koch Diamond.
Game One - L, 8-3
• Both teams scored in the first inning for the second straight game. Richartz led off the game with a double and was thrown out at home trying to score following a throwing error. Max Moris reached base on the throwing error and scored on an RBI single by Bartholomew.
• Joe Vos recorded his second career home run in the bottom of the second inning to give the Tommies a 2-1 lead. ORU scored seven unanswered runs combined in the fifth, eighth and ninth innings.
• Kolby Gartner was part of a no decision during his ninth start of the season. He finished with 7.0 innings pitched, seven strikeouts, and two earned runs and walks allowed.
Game Two - L, 11-2
• Nolan Kemp (0-3) started on the mound for the Tommies and allowed just one run over the first four innings before exiting with one out in the sixth inning. He finished the day with a career high eight strikeouts.
• Extra base hits set up the Tommies' lone runs of the game. Dylan O'Connell doubled to left field in the bottom of the first inning before Charlie Bartholomew tied the game at 1-1 with an RBI single. Brigs Richartz tripled in the eighth inning and was brought home on a wild pitch.
Game Three - L, 8-1
• Sam Kulesa and Max Moris contributed multi-hit games during the series finale, both going 2-of-4 from the plate. Kulesa scored the Toms' lone run of the day while Moris recorded the only St. Thomas extra-base hit.
• Joe Vos recorded the game's first hit in the bottom of the second inning before the Golden Eagles scored two runs in the third and five in the fifth.
• Kulesa led off the home half of the seventh inning with a single to right center field, and despite a double play two batters later, was brought in on an RBI single up the middle by Dylan O'Connell.
• The Tommies put runners on base in each of the first seven innings.
Next Up for the Tommies
• The Leathernecks are led by Nick Mitchell who leads the team hitting .384, which ranks fifth in the Summit League. He also leads the team with 58 hits (3rd in Summit), 15 doubles (2nd in Summit), five triples (2nd Summit), 29 walks (third Summit), a .609 slugging percentage (4th Summit), and a .484 on-base percentage (4th Summit). Derek Botaletto is hitting .309 from the plate with 51 hits, nine doubles, two home runs, 12 walks, eight stolen bases, and a .400 slugging percentage.
• The pitching staff is led by starters Jake Armstrong (3-5) and Tyler Kapraun (2-6), who hold a 5.15 and 6.43 ERA, respectively. Armstrong has struck out 41 batters in 64.2 innings with 35 walks allowed and is holding opponents to a .285 batting average. Kapraun has struck out 42 in 56.0 innings with 30 walks allowed and an opposing batting average of .295.
• Western Illinois is currently one spot behind St. Thomas in the Summit League standings with a 3-12 record in conference games. WIU earned wins over South Dakota State 14-4 (8) on April 8 in Macomb, Northern Colorado 5-4 on April 22 in Macomb, and Omaha 5-2 on May 5 in Omaha, Neb. The Leathernecks have won two of their last four games, including a 17-10 victory over Lindenwood on May 2.
Summit League Ranks (As of 5/8/23)
Team
Earned Run Average (5th/7.29)
Fielding Percentage (5th/.964)
Opp. Batting Average (5th/.293)
Individual - Pitching
Earned Run Average (E. Esch - 8th/4.73)
Opp. Batting Average (E. Esch - 5th/.234, K. Gartner - 7th/.251)
Strikeouts (E. Esch - 8th/48)
Individual - Hitting
Batting Average (C. Bartholomew - 28th/.281, J. Roder - 31st/.275)
Hits (B. Richartz - 34th/36)
On-Base % (J. Roder – 23rd/.380)
Runs (B. Richartz - t-35th/18)
Stolen Bases (D. O'Connell - t-14th/6)
Walks (M. Enck - t-23rd/16)
Individual - Fielding
Putouts (C. Bartholomew - 10th/208)
Assists (M. Enck – 4th/83)
Fielding % (C. Bartholomew - 3rd/.996, J. Roder - 4th/.993)
Caught Stealing (C. Bartholomew - 5th/9, M. Moris - 6th/8)
Fresh Esch
• Sophomore Evan Esch was named the TicketSmarter Summit League Peak Pitcher of the Week following his start Saturday, April 15 against North Dakota State.
• The weekly award is the first of Esch's career, who has made 11 appearances on the mound in 2023 and made 14 with eight starts as a freshman. It also marks the first weekly honor by a Tommie this season.
• Esch followed up with another stellar outing Monday, April 24 at South Dakota State, tossing a career-high 11 strikeouts in another 6.0-inning performance. He held the Jackrabbits to one hit and retired 13 straight batters between the second and sixth innings. After allowing his only run, Esch struck out the side in the first inning on his way to striking out eight of the first nine batters faced.
• Esch threw a career-long 7.0 inning outing on April 30 against Omaha to earn his second win of the season. He tallied nine strikeouts with two earned runs allowed.
• Esch leads all active Tommies with 94 career strikeouts during the Division I era. Walker Retz follows with 71 while Kolby Gartner has 70.
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.
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 361-202-1 (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 --
Players Mentioned
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