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MIAC PLAYOFFS WEBSITE

MIAC BASEBALL WEBSITE

FRIDAY'S GAMES -- AUGSBURG 3, ST. THOMAS 2; AUGSBURG 6, CONCORDIA-MOORHEAD 1

Augsburg College will be making its second-ever appearance in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference baseball postseason playoffs this weekend in Dundas and Northfield, Minn. The No. 4-seed Auggies will open the playoffs on Friday (5/14) at 3:30 p.m., facing top-seed St. Thomas at Dundas Memorial Park. No. 3-seed St. John's will face No. 2-seed Concordia-Moorhead at 3:30 p.m. at Sechler Park in Northfield. The winners of the first-round games will meet at 7 p.m. in Dundas, with the losers meeting in an elimination game at 7 p.m. in Northfield.

Action will continue in the tournament on Saturday and Sunday (5/15-16), with the tournament champion receiving the automatic bid to the NCAA Division III national tournament.

All Augsburg games will feature live audio webcasts, via the Augsburg athletic website (click here).

DIRECTIONS FROM MINNEAPOLIS TO DUNDAS/NORTHFIELD  -- There is an alternate set of directions to Dundas Memorial Park, due to road construction closing the main road (Highway 1) from I-35 to Dundas. Take the Northfield exit off of I-35 (Highway 19, exit 69) and follow the directions on this link to Northfield, then to Dundas. Sechler Park in Northfield is also accessible from Highway 19 via either Armstrong Road or Sechler Park Road. Click here for Google Maps to Sechler Park.

PLAYOFF-BOUND BASEBALL MAKES HISTORY FOR AUGSBURG -- On the strength of five wins in its last eight conference games, the Augsburg baseball team clinched its second-ever berth in the MIAC postseason playoffs, and its first berth since 2005. With the baseball team clinching a conference postseason berth, it marks the first time in Augsburg history that four Auggie teams have clinched MIAC playoff berths in a single school year. Augsburg had three teams clinch MIAC postseason berths four previous times in school history. This school year, the Auggie volleyball, men's basketball and men's hockey teams joined the baseball team in clinching playoff berths.

SUCCESS UNDER BATEMAN -- Augsburg's baseball team has experienced a revival of fortunes in the seven seasons under head coach Keith Bateman. Bateman's teams have recorded 16 or more wins in each of his seven seasons at Augsburg, including this year's 19-20 record entering the MIAC playoffs. The 2005 MIAC Co-Coach of the Year, Bateman is 131-137-1 in his seven seasons at Augsburg.

FIVE AUGGIES ON COACHING STAFF -- Five former Augsburg players currently serve on the Auggie coaching staff. Third-base coach Pat Marsh (Augsburg '03) is the longest-tenured assistant coach, on the staff during all seven of head coach Keith Bateman's seasons. Troy Deden (Augsburg '06) is in his third season, as is volunteer assistant coach Aaron Hazen (Augsburg '07). First-base coach Jeff Stomberg (Augsburg '08) is in his second year as a volunteer assistant, while Jeremy Nelson (Augsburg '05) is in his first year as a volunteer assistant pitching coach. The only non-Auggies on the coaching staff are head coach Bateman (Bethel '98) and pitching coach Pete Fuller (Marist '04).

AUGSBURG VS. ST. THOMAS -- Augsburg split its doubleheader with St. Thomas on April 21 at Parade Stadium, falling 7-6 in the first game while winning 1-0 in the second game. Donald Blunt (JR, Richfield, Minn.) doubled and scored on a single by John Demgen (JR, Minneapolis, Minn./South HS) in the bottom of the seventh inning to give Augsburg the win in the second game.

The second game was a scoreless battle between St. Thomas pitcher Kris Edwards (JR, Edina, Minn.) and Augsburg starter Mark Heise (JR, Foley, Minn.). Edwards pitched the entire game for the Tommies, striking out four while walking two and allowing just six Augsburg hits. Meanwhile, Augsburg's Heise threw 4.2 innings of shutout action, striking out one while walking two before being relieved by Alex Glasenapp (SR, Minneapolis, Minn./South HS) in the fifth inning. Glasenapp was able to rescue the Auggies from jams in each of his three innings of work -- getting a flyout with the bases loaded to end the fifth inning, getting a flyout to end the sixth inning with runners at first and third, and getting a groundout to end the seventh inning with runners again at the corners.

Blunt, who had three hits and an RBI in the doubleheader, led off the seventh inning with a long drive to left field for his third double of the season. A sacrifice bunt by Mason Holmquist (JR, Prior Lake, Minn.) moved Blunt to third, and after two batters were intentionally walked to put a force on at each base, Demgen hit a chopper to right field over a drawn-in infield to bring home Blunt with the game-winning run.

The first game was a back-and-forth battle. St. Thomas got singles from its first four hitters of the game, and combined with a sacrifice fly, plated three runs to open the doubleheader. But Augsburg tied the game in the bottom of the second inning, taking advantage of three hits, including an RBI single by Blunt, and a two-error play on a dropped fly ball that produced two unearned runs.

Augsburg took a 4-3 lead with a run in the fourth inning, as Tim Gerding (SO, Robbinsdale, Minn./Cooper HS) doubled to drive home Eric Olson (SR, New Prague, Minn.). But St. Thomas scored four runs in the fifth inning to take the lead for good. A two-run double by Tayler Rahm (JR, Savage, Minn./Holy Angels HS), a run-scoring single by Drew Cremisino (JR, Forest Lake, Minn.) and a sacrifice fly by Charles Bruchu (FY, Lake Elmo, Minn./Hill-Murray HS) accounted for the Tommie runs.

Augsburg scored twice in the sixth inning, with an RBI single by Demgen and a bases-loaded walk, but the Auggies left the bases loaded against Tommie reliever Brandon Stone (SR, Roseville, Minn.) and stranded two runners on base in the bottom of the seventh.

AUGSBURG VS. CONCORDIA-MOORHEAD -- Augsburg dropped a pair of games to Concordia-Moorhead on April 10 at Parade Stadium, falling 6-4 and 2-1. Joe Pierce (SR, Eden Prairie, Minn.), Jeff Butler (FY, Prior Lake, Minn.) and John Demgen (JR, Minneapolis, Minn./South HS) each had three hits in the doubleheader, with Butler stroking a triple in the first game and Pierce hitting a triple in the second game.

In the opening game, Concordia took the early lead, scoring twice in the first inning and once in the second inning. But Augsburg rallied to tie the game in the fourth with three runs. However, the biggest blow of the game came in the top of the seventh, as Adam Johnson (SR, Pelican Rapids, Minn.) hit a two-out, two-run home run to left-center to give the Cobbers the lead to stay. Pitching in relief of starter Chris Fellows (SR, Orotonville, Minn.), Johnson earned the pitching win with two innings of scoreless relief. Fellows struck out four in five innings of work.

Kristofer Ozga (JR, Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Stevenson HS) struck out five while walking five in 5.2 innings of work for Augsburg.

The second game proved to be a pitching duel between Augsburg's Alex Glasenapp (SR, Minneapolis, Minn./South HS) and Concordia's Eddie Massee (SR, Appleton, Minn./Lac Qui Parle Valley HS). Each pitching six innings, Glasenapp struck out six while allowing three, and Massee struck out two while walking four.

Dan Wackler (JR, Buffalo, Minn.) scored both Cobber runs, scoring on a single by Nick Lewis (SR, Fergus Falls, Minn.) in the first inning and scoring on a first-and-third play in the third inning, coming home when the Auggies got the runner from first out on a pickoff. Augsburg scored its lone run in the sixth, as Pierce tripled and scored on a groundout by Eric Olson (SR, New Prague, Minn.).

AUGSBURG VS. ST. JOHN'S -- Augsburg split an MIAC doubleheader with St. John's on April 25, winning the opener 12-6 while losing 9-5 in the nightcap. Joe Pierce * (SR, Eden Prairie, Minn.) led the Auggies with a 5-for-7 effort in the doubleheader, going 3-for-4 with a double and two runs scored in the first game, while going 2-for-3 with two runs scored and an RBI in the second game.

Adam Seaman (FY, Richfield, Minn.) hit a three-run homer for the Auggies in the third inning of the first game, part of his 4-for-8 performance in the doubleheader. Craig Henry (SR, Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial HS) hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning as part of his 3-for-5, 4-RBI performance in the second game.

Trailing 6-4 after three innings, Augsburg scored eight runs in the final three innings to take the first-game victory, earning the win for reliever Marshall Nelson (JR, Albertville, Minn./West Lutheran HS), who struck out four in three innings of relief. Mason Holmquist (JR, Prior Lake, Minn.) had a two-run double and scored twice in the game, as one of six Auggies to have multiple-hit games among the 17 Auggie hits.

In the second game, a six-run third inning, where the Johnnies sent nine batters to the plate, proved to be the difference. St. John's took advantage of three Augsburg errors to score four unearned runs in the game against four Auggie pitchers.

Pierce and Seaman each went 2-for-3 in the second game, with Pierce scoring two runs. Hayden Zimmerman pitched a complete-game victory for St. John's, striking out five.

In addition to Pierce's and Seaman's performances, four Auggies had three hits in the doubleheader -- Henry, Holmquist, Donald Blunt (JR, Richfield, Minn.) and Eric Olson (SR, New Prague, Minn.).

Kyle Henkemeyer went 6-for-7 with four RBI for the Johnnies in the doubleheader, while Andrew Gurbadahad four hits and three RBI, and Joe Eiden went 3-for-8 with five RBI and four runs scored. Henkemeyer had a double and triple, while Gurbada had a double and home run, and Eiden hit two doubles.

DON'T STEAL ON HENRY -- For the third straight year, Augsburg baseball catcher Craig Henry (SR, Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial HS) led the MIAC in throwing out baserunners trying to steal, with 20 caught in 68 attempts in overall play, 12 in 37 attempts in MIAC games-only. In his career, Henry has thrown out a third of all baserunners trying to steal, with 65 runners caught in 194 career stolen-base attempts, 42 caught in 123 career attempts in conference play.

An All-Region catcher last season, Henry is one of only two MIAC Class of 2010 seniors to earn All-MIAC first-team honors each of his first three seasons (Macalester's James Murrey is the other).

This season, Henry is hitting .409, with a team-high 56 hits and 12 doubles, to go along with one triple, three home runs, 33 runs scored, 34 RBI, a .577 slugging percentage and .451 on-base percentage. Henry also has seven stolen bases on the season. In his career, Henry is hitting .384 with 46 doubles, nine triples, seven home runs and 97 RBI.

PIERCE CLEANING UP AT THE PLATE, IN THE FIELD -- Augsburg first-baseman Joe Pierce (SR, Eden Prairie, Minn.) has had a career year this season, entering the postseason hitting a conference-best (overall) .458 (55-of-120), with 26 runs scored, seven doubles, three triples, three home runs and a team-best 40 RBI. He carried a 32-game hitting streak earlier this season -- the second-longest consecutive-game hitting streak in NCAA Division III baseball this year and the 16th-longest in Division III history.

His slugging percentage is .642 (second-best in the MIAC in overall statistics), and with 11 walks and six hit-by-pitch, he has an on-base percentage of .518 (second-best in the MIAC) -- a number all the more remarkable considering that Pierce has played most of the season in the No. 4 spot in the Auggie batting order. He has struck out just five times this season in 139 plate appearances. In the field, he has had one of the top fielding seasons for an Augsburg infielder in recent years, with a .996 fielding percentage, with just one error in 237 defensive chances.

In his three seasons at Augsburg, Pierce is hitting .435 with 22 doubles, four triples, five home runs, 73 RBI a .624 slugging percentage and a .504 on-base percentage.

SEAMAN HAS IMPRESSIVE DEBUT SEASON -- In his first season at Augsburg after transferring from Division II Tarleton State (Texas), designated hitter Adam Seaman (SO, Richfield, Minn.) has had an impressive season, hitting .291 (25-of-86) with a team- and MIAC-high six home runs, to go along with five doubles and a triple, 22 RBI and a .581 slugging percentage. He's had eight multiple-hit games this season. Seaman hit .235 in 12 games at Tarleton State in 2009.

TWO-SPORT STAR GLASENAPP -- Pitcher Alex Glasenapp (SR, Minneapolis, Minn./South HS) has one of the more unique backgrounds of any player on the Auggie squad. A two-sport athlete, Glasenapp earned All-MIAC honorable-mention honors as a defensive lineman on the Auggie football team, with 64 tackles (27 solo) in 2009, including 8.0 tackles for-loss and a team-high 3.5 sacks, ranking seventh in the MIAC in sacks in overall play. In his football career (35 games), Glasenapp finished with 185 tackles (73 solo), with 24.5 tackles for-loss, 12.5 sacks, six pass breakups, three forced fumbles and three blocked kicks.

As a pitcher this season, Glasenapp has a 6-5 record with a 5.20 earned-run average in 14 appearances (11 starts), including the lone complete game for the Auggies this season. In a team-high-tying 53.2 innings of work, Glasenapp has struck out a team-best 39 against 25 walks and a .359 opponent batting average.

OZGA MAKES SUCCESSFUL MOVE TO BULLPEN -- After starting 10 games this season, pitcher Kristofer Ozga (JR, Hawthorn Woods, Ill./Stevenson HS) has made a successful move to the bullpen, appearing in nine games in relief this season -- including the last six games in a row (both ends of three doubleheaders) entering the MIAC playoffs. Ozga has a 4-4 record with three saves and a 4.36 ERA, with 29 strikeouts and a .289 opponent batting average in a team-high-tying 53.2 innings of work.

HEISE, NELSON, NORDBY HAVING SOLID YEARS -- Starting pitchers Mark Heise (JR, Foley, Minn.) and Marshall Nelson (JR, Albertville, Minn./West Lutheran HS) have had solid seasons. Heise has a 4.50 ERA with a 2-3 record in 15 appearances (six starts), while Nelson has a 6-3 record and 7.68 ERA in 43.1 innings of work, with 29 strikeouts. The Auggies' closer this season has been Bryant Nordby (JR, Brownton, Minn./McLeod West HS), who has five saves -- third-best in the MIAC in overall statistics -- with nine strikeouts in 16.2 innings of work.