Hello Everyone,

We have been extremely lazy as of late and since it’s a new year we might as well toss up a fall recap and a spring preview all in one! The team finished the fall with a trip to Iowa where they went 1-3 against D1 Northern Iowa. The team did not finish the fall the way they wanted to, but it is more fuel to make the spring a memorable one. The team finished the fall with an impressive 9-5 record. The team heads into the spring with a 7-2 conference record with one conference series remaining against UW-Superior. The team is in unfamiliar waters as they are in the driver seat heading into the spring. With a series win they should clinch a playoff birth and head to Sheboygan for the second time in three years. The last time the team was in town was with an at large bid so this year they are feeling more confident than ever to not only make the playoffs but to make a serious run with hopes of heading to the World Series for the first time in program history.

The team did not have one guy they could lean on all year, each game there was a different guy stepping up and leading the team to victory. On the offensive side of the ball a handful of returners are helping to lead the charge. Junior Brian Dexheimer has been the one consistent offensive leader this year. Plagued by an arm injury Brain has been tossed in the DH role more this year than normal. Dex is batting .448 (13-29) with a staggering .568 OBP and slugging .517. Dex also has a coupe doubles and second of the team with 8 RBIs. Senior Austin Ridl has once again been one of the keys to success for the team. He is batting .353 (15-34), .421 OBP and an unbelievable .618 slugging percentage. Austin leads the team in home runs (2) and RBIs (11). Brady Geronime is leading the charge for the new guys, batting .409 (9-22), .480 OBP, .455 Slugging. Brady is also a guy that we can toss at a handful of positions so it has been pretty easy to get him into the lineup. He is also second on the team in stolen bases (5), right behind the leader Aaron Schwecke (7).

One strong part about the team has been in the pitching staff. The team has 5 quality starters, which the team has been lacking in the past. The team ERA is up a little compared to the past but the staff has been making the tough outs when it matters. Leading the way is Senior Marshall Dalziel. Marshall leads the staff in Innings (20), Complete Games (2), and Tied for the Strike Out lead (15). New guy Geoff Fisher leads the staff in wins (3) and is second in innings (17). Geoff is a crafty lefty that keeps hitters off guard and will be looked upon to help the staff in the spring. Aaron Schwecke, Brock Chenier, and Ben Smith have all been looked upon to eat innings while trying to be more of an influence on the offensive side of the ball. Ben had a rough fall with battling an arm injury and the flu, which kept him from eating the innings he normally is used to. Using the winter to recover we hope we can get Ben at the top of his game and make a deep playoff push.

The team has a lot to look forward to this spring. A group of guys are heading to Tampa, FL over spring break to play 6 games in the NCBA Spring Showcase where they will be playing teams from all over the country. The team has one conference series left against UW-Superior. They will also be playing a weekend series against 2016-17 NCBA hopeful UND as well. Along with the two NCBA teams, they will play 6 games against D3 JV teams (University of St. Thomas, University of Northwestern). All the hard work over the fall and leading into the spring will hopefully be rewarded to a playoff spot in Sheboygan, WI in May. We hope that you can make a game this spring and cheer us on as we look to secure that playoff spot.

As always follow us on twitter @umnclubbaseball, also download the app Lyft and use the code UMNCB16 for a free $20. When you use our code the team will receive $10. Stay out of the cold and take a ride with our code.

~STAFF~