University of St. Thomas Athletics
Thursday, May 18
Las Cruces, N.M.
7:00 p.m. Central
at
New Mexico State
Photo by: Wesley Dean
St. Thomas finishes season May 18-20 at New Mexico State
5/17/2023 12:37:00 PM | Baseball
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- St. Thomas Baseball finishes its 2023 season with a three-game series May 18-20 at New Mexico State in Las Cruces, N.M.
The Tommies and Aggies play two night games Thursday and Friday beginning at 7 p.m. central followed by the season finale at 12 p.m. central from Presley Askew Field.
Live video will be available HERE with live stats available HERE. The live video is free, but viewers must create an account through WAC International TV.
The Last Time Out
• St. Thomas wrapped up its Summit League schedule with six straight games against Western Illinois, including the final four at Koch Diamond in St. Paul.
Game One - L, 7-4
• Charlie Bartholomew, Matthew Enck, and Sam Kulesa each went 2-of-4 from the plate while the bottom three hitters in the lineup accounted for the Toms' four runs, including Taxdahl's pinch hit home run in the eighth inning.
Game Two - W, 9-7
• Vujovich's on-base streak continued as he led off with a walk. Moris finished 3-of-4 with two runs scored, a solo home run, and a walk while Vujovich, Kulesa, and Roder recorded two hits each. Enck and Kulesa also added two runs each.
• Bryce Leedle (1-1) earned the win after throwing the final 1.2 innings with two hits, one walk, and one run allowed. Nolan Kemp started the game and went 6.0 innings with nine strikeouts, setting a career high in the second straight game.
Game Three - L, 13-3
• Ben Vujovich extended his leadoff on-base streak to five games Saturday as St. Thomas fell to WIU in seven innings at Koch Diamond.
• Vujovich led off the Tommie batting order with a home run and since taking over the leadoff spot on May 9th, he has totaled a team-best eight hits and six RBI to go along with two walks over the last five games.
• Jacob Mrosko (0-3) threw 4.1 innings for the Tommies and finished with a career high five strikeouts.
Game Four - L, 5-4
• Joe Vos recorded the program's first five-hit game of the NCAA Division I era. Five Tommies have totaled four-hit games over the past two seasons, including one by Vos this year, before he went 5-of-5 from the plate at Koch Diamond on Senior Day.
• Ben Vujovich's leadoff on-base streak continued Sunday as he led off the bottom of the first inning with a single to right field. He walked or hit to lead off every game during the series against Western Illinois and extended his hitting streak to six games.
Next Up for the Tommies
• St. Thomas travels to Las Cruces, N.M., to take on the New Mexico State Aggies in a three-game series May 18-20 in the final three games of the Tommie Baseball season.
• The Aggies are led by Keith Jones II who leads the team hitting .372 on the year. He also leads the team with 38 runs, 12 doubles, 29 walks, and an on-base percentage of .476. Kevin Jimenez is hitting .331 from the plate with 57 hits, 11 doubles, eight home runs, 16 walks, seven stolen bases, 39 RBI, and a .535 slugging percentage.
• The pitching staff is led by relievers Cade Swenson (1-0), Matthew Maloney (1-5) and Noah Estrella (3-2). Swenson leads the bullpen with a 3.16 ERA, followed by Maloney at 3.99 and Estrella at 5.98. Starter Treyjen Meza (1-7) leads the team with 60 strikeouts in 68.2 innings with a WHIP of 1.76.
• New Mexico State is currently 13-35 on the year and is currently looking to bounced back from a five-game losing streak by beating New Mexico 8-0 on Tuesday. The Aggies started off the season 0-13 before letting the bats fly in a 23-2 win against OUAZ. The Aggies would go on to win three of their next five games, including wins over Utah Tech and New Mexico. After starting off conference play 3-8, the Aggies swept Stephen F. Austin in a three-game series to gain confidence back. New Mexico State is currently 12th in the WAC conference with a record of 9-21, looking to gain momentum before the WAC conference tournament.
Summit League Ranks (As of 5/17/23)
Team
Earned Run Average (5th/7.30)
Fielding Percentage (t-4th/.966)
Runners Caught Stealing (1st/26)
Sacrifice Hits (3rd/25)
Individual - Pitching
Earned Run Average (E. Esch - 8th/4.73)
Opp. Batting Average (E. Esch - 5th/.234)
Strikeouts (E. Esch/W. Retz - t-10th/48)
Individual - Hitting
Batting Average (B. Vujovich - 29th/.287)
Doubles (M. Moris - t-17th/9, B. Vujovich - t-25th/8)
Hits (B. Vujovich - 30th/41)
Home Runs (B. Taxdahl - t-26th/4)
Stolen Bases (B. Vujovich - t-17th/7, D. O'Connell - t-19th/6, B. Richartz - t-24th/5)
Triples (B. Vujovich, B. Richartz, D. O'Connell - t-9th/2)
Walks (M. Enck - t-20th/19)
Individual - Fielding
Putouts (C. Bartholomew - 6th/271)
Assists (M. Enck – 5th/93)
Fielding % (C. Bartholomew - 3rd/.996, J. Roder - 4th/.994)
Runners Caught Stealing (C. Bartholomew – t-2nd/12, M. Moris – t-6th/10)
An International Game
• St. Thomas and New Mexico State are the only programs in NCAA Division I with players from the United States, Canada, and Mexico on their rosters.
• Pitcher Kevin Millar is from Georgetown, Ontario, and Santiago Gutierrez Albarran is from Mexico City, Mexico, while the other 35 are from the U.S.
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.
Don't Run on Us
• The duo of Charlie Bartholomew and Max Moris lead the way for the Summit League's best backstop at throwing out baserunners. St. Thomas leads the Summit with 26 runners caught stealing.
• Bartholomew is tied for second in the league with 12 runners caught stealing while Moris is sixth with 10 runners caught.
The Youth Movement
• The Tommies are led by a group of youngsters as seven of the team's 11 regular fielding starters and six of eight pitchers with at least 15.0 innings thrown this season are underclassmen.
• Four of the top six Tommies in batting average are underclassmen while the top two pitchers (Evan Esch and Walker Retz) in ERA and strikeouts are sophomores.
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 362-207-1 (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 Aggies play two night games Thursday and Friday beginning at 7 p.m. central followed by the season finale at 12 p.m. central from Presley Askew Field.
Live video will be available HERE with live stats available HERE. The live video is free, but viewers must create an account through WAC International TV.
The Last Time Out
• St. Thomas wrapped up its Summit League schedule with six straight games against Western Illinois, including the final four at Koch Diamond in St. Paul.
Game One - L, 7-4
• Charlie Bartholomew, Matthew Enck, and Sam Kulesa each went 2-of-4 from the plate while the bottom three hitters in the lineup accounted for the Toms' four runs, including Taxdahl's pinch hit home run in the eighth inning.
Game Two - W, 9-7
• Vujovich's on-base streak continued as he led off with a walk. Moris finished 3-of-4 with two runs scored, a solo home run, and a walk while Vujovich, Kulesa, and Roder recorded two hits each. Enck and Kulesa also added two runs each.
• Bryce Leedle (1-1) earned the win after throwing the final 1.2 innings with two hits, one walk, and one run allowed. Nolan Kemp started the game and went 6.0 innings with nine strikeouts, setting a career high in the second straight game.
Game Three - L, 13-3
• Ben Vujovich extended his leadoff on-base streak to five games Saturday as St. Thomas fell to WIU in seven innings at Koch Diamond.
• Vujovich led off the Tommie batting order with a home run and since taking over the leadoff spot on May 9th, he has totaled a team-best eight hits and six RBI to go along with two walks over the last five games.
• Jacob Mrosko (0-3) threw 4.1 innings for the Tommies and finished with a career high five strikeouts.
Game Four - L, 5-4
• Joe Vos recorded the program's first five-hit game of the NCAA Division I era. Five Tommies have totaled four-hit games over the past two seasons, including one by Vos this year, before he went 5-of-5 from the plate at Koch Diamond on Senior Day.
• Ben Vujovich's leadoff on-base streak continued Sunday as he led off the bottom of the first inning with a single to right field. He walked or hit to lead off every game during the series against Western Illinois and extended his hitting streak to six games.
Next Up for the Tommies
• St. Thomas travels to Las Cruces, N.M., to take on the New Mexico State Aggies in a three-game series May 18-20 in the final three games of the Tommie Baseball season.
• The Aggies are led by Keith Jones II who leads the team hitting .372 on the year. He also leads the team with 38 runs, 12 doubles, 29 walks, and an on-base percentage of .476. Kevin Jimenez is hitting .331 from the plate with 57 hits, 11 doubles, eight home runs, 16 walks, seven stolen bases, 39 RBI, and a .535 slugging percentage.
• The pitching staff is led by relievers Cade Swenson (1-0), Matthew Maloney (1-5) and Noah Estrella (3-2). Swenson leads the bullpen with a 3.16 ERA, followed by Maloney at 3.99 and Estrella at 5.98. Starter Treyjen Meza (1-7) leads the team with 60 strikeouts in 68.2 innings with a WHIP of 1.76.
• New Mexico State is currently 13-35 on the year and is currently looking to bounced back from a five-game losing streak by beating New Mexico 8-0 on Tuesday. The Aggies started off the season 0-13 before letting the bats fly in a 23-2 win against OUAZ. The Aggies would go on to win three of their next five games, including wins over Utah Tech and New Mexico. After starting off conference play 3-8, the Aggies swept Stephen F. Austin in a three-game series to gain confidence back. New Mexico State is currently 12th in the WAC conference with a record of 9-21, looking to gain momentum before the WAC conference tournament.
Summit League Ranks (As of 5/17/23)
Team
Earned Run Average (5th/7.30)
Fielding Percentage (t-4th/.966)
Runners Caught Stealing (1st/26)
Sacrifice Hits (3rd/25)
Individual - Pitching
Earned Run Average (E. Esch - 8th/4.73)
Opp. Batting Average (E. Esch - 5th/.234)
Strikeouts (E. Esch/W. Retz - t-10th/48)
Individual - Hitting
Batting Average (B. Vujovich - 29th/.287)
Doubles (M. Moris - t-17th/9, B. Vujovich - t-25th/8)
Hits (B. Vujovich - 30th/41)
Home Runs (B. Taxdahl - t-26th/4)
Stolen Bases (B. Vujovich - t-17th/7, D. O'Connell - t-19th/6, B. Richartz - t-24th/5)
Triples (B. Vujovich, B. Richartz, D. O'Connell - t-9th/2)
Walks (M. Enck - t-20th/19)
Individual - Fielding
Putouts (C. Bartholomew - 6th/271)
Assists (M. Enck – 5th/93)
Fielding % (C. Bartholomew - 3rd/.996, J. Roder - 4th/.994)
Runners Caught Stealing (C. Bartholomew – t-2nd/12, M. Moris – t-6th/10)
An International Game
• St. Thomas and New Mexico State are the only programs in NCAA Division I with players from the United States, Canada, and Mexico on their rosters.
• Pitcher Kevin Millar is from Georgetown, Ontario, and Santiago Gutierrez Albarran is from Mexico City, Mexico, while the other 35 are from the U.S.
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.
Don't Run on Us
• The duo of Charlie Bartholomew and Max Moris lead the way for the Summit League's best backstop at throwing out baserunners. St. Thomas leads the Summit with 26 runners caught stealing.
• Bartholomew is tied for second in the league with 12 runners caught stealing while Moris is sixth with 10 runners caught.
The Youth Movement
• The Tommies are led by a group of youngsters as seven of the team's 11 regular fielding starters and six of eight pitchers with at least 15.0 innings thrown this season are underclassmen.
• Four of the top six Tommies in batting average are underclassmen while the top two pitchers (Evan Esch and Walker Retz) in ERA and strikeouts are sophomores.
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 362-207-1 (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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