University of St. Thomas Athletics
Saturday, March 9
Chicago, Ill. / Granderson Stadium
2:00 p.m. Central
at
UIC
Baseball travels to Chicago for four-game series against UIC
3/7/2024 9:57:00 AM | Baseball
The Tommies continue on the road, playing the Flames in a weekend series
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The St. Thomas baseball team travels to Chicago to play UIC in a four-game series. Game time is set for 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 8, a doubleheader beginning at noon on Saturday, March 9, and 1:00 p.m. on Sunday March 10.
Be sure to follow along for live streams through links found at tommiesports.com/sports/baseball/schedule – and on Twitter @TommieBase and Instagram at @TommieBaseball
Last Time Out
Game One vs Southern Indiana– L, 14-11
• Leading the Tommies batting, Zan Von Schlegell went 5-for-6, including two triples.
• Walker Retz recorded season-high 6.0 innings and nine strikeouts on the mound.
Game Two vs Southern Indiana – L, 8-6
• Matthew Maulik led the Tommies with three hits and three RBIs in Saturday's game against the Screaming Eagles.
Game Three vs Southern Indiana – W, 7-6
• The Tommies' three triples against Southern Indiana is a single game record for Baseball in the DI-era
• Brigs Richartz went 4-for-4, and recorded career-high four RBIs. Along with Richartz, Maulik also went 4-for-4 at the plate. The duo combined for eight of 12 hits for the Tommies.
Tuesday vs Iowa – L, 9-3
• In the seventh inning, leadoff walk Zan Von Schlegell scored the Tommies' first run of the game as Joe Vos tallied an RBI and his first career triple. The Purple added two more runs in the seventh, closing the Hawkeye's lead to 7-3.
• The Hawkeyes regained the six-run lead, scoring two runs in the eighth inning and ultimately defeating the Tommies 9-3.
Next up for the Tommies
• St. Thomas travels to Chicago to play UIC in a four-game series
• This is the first time the two teams have met
•The University of Illinois Chicago baseball program (7-5) is led by Head Coach Sean McDermott in his 3rd season as a head coach, and 26th with the program.
•Sophomore, Jackson Bessette leads the Flame offensively, recording a .447 batting avg. and 1.117 OPS in 11 games played.
• On the mound, RHP Dillon Schueler has started in three games for UIC. In 15.0 innings played, the sophomore has recorded a 1.80 ERA, allowing three runs and walking nine batters.
Tommie Offense
•The St. Thomas offense has exploded in the first two weekends of the season, totaling 99 runs in 12 games played. In 2023, the Tommies recorded 34 runs in 15 games played in the months of February and March.
•Matthew Maulik (3), Max Nyrop (3), Joe Roder (2), Joe Vos (2), Ben Vujovich (2), Brigs Richartz (1) and Ben Taxdahl (1) have combined for 14 home runs to start the season. The Tommies totaled 14 home runs a season ago.
Summit League Ranks (As of 3/6/24)
Team
Batting Avg (1st/.309)
Home Runs (2nd/14)
RBIs (1st/91)
Strikeouts - Pitching (2nd/96)
Individual - Pitching
Earned Run Average (J. Mrosko – 4th/4.50)
Strikeouts (J. Mrosko – 1st/23)
Strikeouts (W. Retz – t-4th/15)
Opp. Batting Average (J. Mrosko – 2nd/.163)
Individual – Hitting
Batting Average (M. Maulik – 1st/.450)
Batting Average (B. Vujovich – 2nd/.440)
Batting Average (B. Richartz – 3rd/.426)
OPS (M. Maulik – 2nd/ 1.297)
Runs (B. Vujovich – 1st/20)
Doubles (B. Vujovich – t-4th/4)
Triples (B. Vujovich / B. Richartz – t-1st/2)
Home Runs (M. Maulik/ M. Nyrop – t-3rd/3)
Hits (B. Vujovich – t-1st/22)
Walks (B. Vujovich – 3rd/ 9)
Individual - Fielding
Putouts (M. Moris – 3rd/ 68)
Assists (M. Gottschalk – t-8th/22)
Milestones
• Brigs Richartz played in his 100th career game against Iowa on March 5. Max Moris (99) and Bun Vujovich (95) are nearing the 100 games played milestone.
•Brigs Richartz (114) and Ben Vujovich (108) have both hit 100 career hits this season. Max Moris (98) is two away from his 100th career hit.
• Walker Retz currently has recorded 104 career strikeouts. Evan Esch (98) and Kolby Gartner (88) have the 100 career strikeouts milestone on their horizon.
Tommie Baseball DI Record Holders
•Brigs Richartz – RBI (56), At Bats (382), Hits (109), Games played (100)
• Ben Vujovich -- Runs (65), Batting Avg. (0.319)
•Evan Esch – Innings pitched (101.2)
• Kolby Gartner – Games started pitching (21)
Summit League Weekly Honors
Jacob Mrsoko earned the Summit League Baseball Peak Pitcher of the week honor on Feb. 26 after his performance against SEMO:
• Earned first career win after a seven-inning, complete-game outing
• Allowed two earned runs on three hits while striking out a career-high 12 Redhawks
• Surrendered just one hit and fanned 11 through the first six innings
• Earned the first weekly award of his career
Summit League Preseason Poll
•Juniors Ben Vujovich (OF) and Evan Esch (LHP) were named the St. Thomas Player and Pitcher to Watch, as released in the 2024 Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• St. Thomas was selected to finish sixth in the Summit Preseason Poll.
Leading the Pack
• Chris Olean begins his 15th season with St. Thomas in 2024. He has totaled an overall record of 369-219-1 (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
Any and all information pertaining to the St. Thomas baseball team can be found at tommiesports.com and on Twitter @TommieBase and Instagram at @TommieBaseball.
Be sure to follow along for live streams through links found at tommiesports.com/sports/baseball/schedule – and on Twitter @TommieBase and Instagram at @TommieBaseball
Last Time Out
Game One vs Southern Indiana– L, 14-11
• Leading the Tommies batting, Zan Von Schlegell went 5-for-6, including two triples.
• Walker Retz recorded season-high 6.0 innings and nine strikeouts on the mound.
Game Two vs Southern Indiana – L, 8-6
• Matthew Maulik led the Tommies with three hits and three RBIs in Saturday's game against the Screaming Eagles.
Game Three vs Southern Indiana – W, 7-6
• The Tommies' three triples against Southern Indiana is a single game record for Baseball in the DI-era
• Brigs Richartz went 4-for-4, and recorded career-high four RBIs. Along with Richartz, Maulik also went 4-for-4 at the plate. The duo combined for eight of 12 hits for the Tommies.
Tuesday vs Iowa – L, 9-3
• In the seventh inning, leadoff walk Zan Von Schlegell scored the Tommies' first run of the game as Joe Vos tallied an RBI and his first career triple. The Purple added two more runs in the seventh, closing the Hawkeye's lead to 7-3.
• The Hawkeyes regained the six-run lead, scoring two runs in the eighth inning and ultimately defeating the Tommies 9-3.
Next up for the Tommies
• St. Thomas travels to Chicago to play UIC in a four-game series
• This is the first time the two teams have met
•The University of Illinois Chicago baseball program (7-5) is led by Head Coach Sean McDermott in his 3rd season as a head coach, and 26th with the program.
•Sophomore, Jackson Bessette leads the Flame offensively, recording a .447 batting avg. and 1.117 OPS in 11 games played.
• On the mound, RHP Dillon Schueler has started in three games for UIC. In 15.0 innings played, the sophomore has recorded a 1.80 ERA, allowing three runs and walking nine batters.
Tommie Offense
•The St. Thomas offense has exploded in the first two weekends of the season, totaling 99 runs in 12 games played. In 2023, the Tommies recorded 34 runs in 15 games played in the months of February and March.
•Matthew Maulik (3), Max Nyrop (3), Joe Roder (2), Joe Vos (2), Ben Vujovich (2), Brigs Richartz (1) and Ben Taxdahl (1) have combined for 14 home runs to start the season. The Tommies totaled 14 home runs a season ago.
Summit League Ranks (As of 3/6/24)
Team
Batting Avg (1st/.309)
Home Runs (2nd/14)
RBIs (1st/91)
Strikeouts - Pitching (2nd/96)
Individual - Pitching
Earned Run Average (J. Mrosko – 4th/4.50)
Strikeouts (J. Mrosko – 1st/23)
Strikeouts (W. Retz – t-4th/15)
Opp. Batting Average (J. Mrosko – 2nd/.163)
Individual – Hitting
Batting Average (M. Maulik – 1st/.450)
Batting Average (B. Vujovich – 2nd/.440)
Batting Average (B. Richartz – 3rd/.426)
OPS (M. Maulik – 2nd/ 1.297)
Runs (B. Vujovich – 1st/20)
Doubles (B. Vujovich – t-4th/4)
Triples (B. Vujovich / B. Richartz – t-1st/2)
Home Runs (M. Maulik/ M. Nyrop – t-3rd/3)
Hits (B. Vujovich – t-1st/22)
Walks (B. Vujovich – 3rd/ 9)
Individual - Fielding
Putouts (M. Moris – 3rd/ 68)
Assists (M. Gottschalk – t-8th/22)
Milestones
• Brigs Richartz played in his 100th career game against Iowa on March 5. Max Moris (99) and Bun Vujovich (95) are nearing the 100 games played milestone.
•Brigs Richartz (114) and Ben Vujovich (108) have both hit 100 career hits this season. Max Moris (98) is two away from his 100th career hit.
• Walker Retz currently has recorded 104 career strikeouts. Evan Esch (98) and Kolby Gartner (88) have the 100 career strikeouts milestone on their horizon.
Tommie Baseball DI Record Holders
•Brigs Richartz – RBI (56), At Bats (382), Hits (109), Games played (100)
• Ben Vujovich -- Runs (65), Batting Avg. (0.319)
•Evan Esch – Innings pitched (101.2)
• Kolby Gartner – Games started pitching (21)
Summit League Weekly Honors
Jacob Mrsoko earned the Summit League Baseball Peak Pitcher of the week honor on Feb. 26 after his performance against SEMO:
• Earned first career win after a seven-inning, complete-game outing
• Allowed two earned runs on three hits while striking out a career-high 12 Redhawks
• Surrendered just one hit and fanned 11 through the first six innings
• Earned the first weekly award of his career
Summit League Preseason Poll
•Juniors Ben Vujovich (OF) and Evan Esch (LHP) were named the St. Thomas Player and Pitcher to Watch, as released in the 2024 Summit League Preseason Coaches' Poll.
• St. Thomas was selected to finish sixth in the Summit Preseason Poll.
Leading the Pack
• Chris Olean begins his 15th season with St. Thomas in 2024. He has totaled an overall record of 369-219-1 (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
Any and all information pertaining to the St. Thomas baseball team can be found at tommiesports.com and on Twitter @TommieBase and Instagram at @TommieBaseball.
Players Mentioned
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