University of St. Thomas Athletics
University of Minnesota
Tommies head across the river to face Minnesota
4/27/2026 1:19:00 PM | Baseball
Tommies ready for midweek at Minnesota
ST. PAUL, MINN.- The St. Thomas Tommies are set to wrap up six game road stand across the river at Minnesota on Tuesday, April 28th. The Purple is looking to keep the momentum going as they are coming of their first series win of the season at Omaha.
St. Thomas vs. Minnesota: Tuesday, April 28th (6 p.m. first pitch)
Be sure to follow along for live stats and radio through links found at tommiesports.com/sports/baseball/schedule – and on Twitter @TommieBase and Instagram at @TommieBaseball.
Last time out
The Tommies picked up their first series win of the season over Omaha this past weekend in dramatic fashion. St. Thomas fell in game one before bouncing back and winning games two and three.
St. Thomas took care of business in game two 11-5 with freshman Owen Marsolek picking up the win on the mound for the Purple. Joe Roder and Nolan Welke led the offense with three RBIs each.
Game three was a rollercoaster with some late game heroics that pushed the Tommies past the Mavericks. After finding themselves down early St. Thomas put together a big fifth inning, plating seven to get back into it. The Tommies then made a statement in the ninth, scoring nine runs and securing the 18-12 victory and the series win. Easton Fritcher hit a three-run home run to give the Tommies the late lead, and they never looked back.
History with Minnesota
St. Thomas holds a 3-15 all-time record against the Gophers. The two squads have met twice already this season, and the Tommies have fallen in run rule fashion in both meetings.
Scouting the Gophers
Minnesota is also coming of a series win/sweep over the Northwestern Wildcats. The Gophers hold a 26-17 overall record and a 8-13 conference record. On offense, the Gophers are led by senior catcher Weber Neels who is hitting .364 with 12 home runs. On the bump, the Minnesota staff holds a 4.25 team ERA.
21 Innings, two days
St. Thomas and Northern Colorado set records for their 21-inning marathon game that took two days to complete. The game was suspended in the 11th inning on Friday, April 17th and picked back up again on April 18th. There were nine scoreless innings before both teams scored two in the 19th. The game ultimately ended via a walk off in the bottom of the 21st.
Reaching the Summit
Junior Owen Bond is making a name for himself amongst Summit League foes. Bond holds a .473 on-base percentage and four triples which leads the league. Bond is second in the league in batting average with a .356.
Tanner Recchio leads the league in stolen bases with 30, next closest is teammate Adam Puder with 13. Tanner also leads the Summit runs scored (37). Recchio and Joe Roder are tied for first in walks with 24 a piece.
Summit League Peak Performers
Tanner Recchio 3/10/26
Joe Roder 3/31/26
2026 Roster
The Tommies welcomed 17 newcomers to the 2026 roster
Roster makeup
Class:
Freshman/Red-shirt freshman: 15
Sophomores: 13
Juniors: 7
Seniors: 4
Graduate Students: 2
State:
Minnestoa: 25
Wisconsin: 8
Colorado: 3
Illinois: 2
Iowa: 2
Nebraska: 1
Leader of the pack
Head Coach Chris Olean enters his 17th season at the helm of the Tommie baseball program in 2026. Olean has totaled a 414-256-1 overall record (338-148-1 in NCAA Division III) since being named 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.
