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St. Cloud State Baseball Ready to Defend NSIC Tournament Title

Posted on by angelo
St. Cloud State Baseball Ready to Defend NSIC Tournament Title

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – St. Cloud State Baseball (32-17, 28-11 NSIC) is scheduled to open the 2024 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) on Wednesday when the Huskies take on Wayne State (26-21, 21-16 NSIC) at City Park in Bismarck, ND The Huskies earned the fourth seed in the tournament and will face the fifth-seeded Wildcats at noon CT.

FOLLOW THE HUSKIES

First Round: #4 St. Cloud State vs. #5 Wayne State – Wednesday, May 8 / 12:00 p.m. CT / Live Stream ($) / Live Stats / NSIC Tournament Center Page / Tickets

Note: The NSIC tournament will be broadcast on the NSIC Network for a fee of $10 per game or $30 for a tournament pass.

JAMES AND TUPY EARN ALL-NSIC HONORS

Graduate third baseman Cal James (Buffalo, Minn.) and redshirt junior pitcher Luc Tupy (New Prague, Minn.) were both named to the All-NSIC first team after outstanding seasons at their respective positions.

James was nothing short of spectacular in his final collegiate season with the Huskies after earning All-NSIC honors in 2021 and 2023 while being named the 2021 NSIC Freshman of the Year at U-Mary. This season, James produced a .366/.504/.686 slash line with 13 home runs, 14 doubles, 49 RBIs and 53 runs. Among conference leaders, James ranks fourth in on-base percentage (.504), fifth in home runs (13), sixth in OPS (1.190), sixth in slugging percentage (.686) and seven for points scored (53). His 13 home runs rank eighth in SCSU’s single-season top 10, while his 42 career home runs rank 18th.th among active D-II players. James was named NSIC Player of the Week following SCSU’s 3-1 trip to Colorado (Feb. 24-26), as he hit .500 (9-for-18) in the four games with four homers, 11 RBIs and eight races.

Tupy earned his second career All-NSIC First Team honors after being named to the First Team in addition to being named the 2022 NSIC Freshman of the Year. Tupy cemented his place as one of the nation’s best pitchers going 7-2 in 11 starts with a 2.98 ERA, 1.14 WHIP and .202 opposing batting average on a team leading 63.1 innings pitched. Among conference leaders, Tupy leads the NSIC in strikeouts (82) while ranking second in opposing batting average (.202), third in wins (seven), fourth in ERA (2, 98) and seventh for IP (63.1). Tupy was twice named NSIC Pitcher of the Week this season, struck out eight or more batters in six times, including in three of his last four starts, while reaching 10 strikeouts three times. He has allowed one run or less in five of 11 starts and has gone six or more innings in eight of his last nine outings. Tupy has a real chance to move to the top of the single-season strikeout list, as his 82 strikeouts currently rank eighth all-time and are 25 strikeouts shy of the program record. 107 established by David Deminsky in 2010.

SMITH LEADS THE WAY

Junior Sawyer Smith (Somers, Wis.) led the way offensively for the Huskies this season, leading the team in numerous categories, including batting average (.381), hits (75), triples (three) and product point (58). He also ranks in the NSIC top 10 in several of these categories, ranking first in doubles (19), third in RBI (58), fifth in hits (75), eighth in triples (three), ninth in percentage of moves (. 675) and 10th in batting average (.381). The Husky shortstop also leads the team in games with multiple hits (24) and multiple RBIs (18).

Smith’s season will go down in the SCSU record books, as he currently ranks in SCSU’s top 10 in extra base hits (sixth, 33), total hits (ninth, 133) and runs scored products (10).th, 58). He’s also closing in on the top 10 in doubles, hits and home runs.

THE QUARTET OF LEFT-HANDERS TAKES THE MOUNT

St. Cloud State left-handed trio – junior redshirt Luc Tupy (New Prague, Minn.), senior Payton VanBeck (Elrosa, Minn.) and Sr. Jack Habeck (Appleton, Wis.) – Started in 31 of SCSU’s 49 games this season. The three Huskies currently rank 7-9-11 in innings pitched in the NSIC this season, with Tupy recording 63.1 innings pitched, followed by VanBeck with 61.2 IP and Habeck with 58.1 IP.

Tupy solidified his position as the ace of the Husky rotation after twice being named NSIC Pitcher of the Week. In 11 starts this season, Tupy is 7-2 this season with a 2.98 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, .202 opposing batting average and 82 strikeouts, leading the NSIC.

VanBeck has pitched five or more innings in eight of 10 starts this season and has allowed one earned run or less in four starts. He is currently 5-3 this season with a 3.65 ERA. Habeck has recorded wins in three of his last four starts and enters the weekend with a 6-3 record and a 5.40 ERA. He went 7.1 innings throughout the season with a season-best six strikeouts to earn the win against Mary on April 14.

Additionally, junior Kaden Pfeffer (Racine, Wis.) was outstanding in the midweek starting role for the Huskies, going 5-0 with a 3.44 ERA. The Husky junior has recorded three complete games in his last three starts, tying Tupy for the most this season. This is also the most for a Husky pitcher since Dominic Austing had three in 2018 and the first time since 2015 that the Huskies have had a pair of Huskies with three or more complete games each. SCSU’s seven complete games as a team are the most since recording nine in 2022.

COACH DOLAN REACHES 600th CAREER VICTORY, OTHER HIGHLIGHTS OF THE 2024 PROGRAM

With a 13-11 win over U-Mary on April 14, head coach Pat Dolan recorded its 600th career win at St. Cloud State. Already the winningest coach in program history, Dolan is now 611-241-1 in 17 seasons at SCSU. In total, Dolan’s 863 career victories at four-year institutions rank him 15th.th nationally among active Division II coaches. Adding his time at Itasca Community College (1995-96), Dolan has 917 career wins. Dolan led the Huskies to six conference championships and 10 NCAA regional appearances during his 17 seasons at the helm of the Huskies, including a program-record 54 wins in 2015.

  • With 32 wins, the Huskies earned their third straight 30-win season and their 14th 30-win season in program history, all under Coach Dolan.

  • The Huskies concluded the regular season with a 28-11 record in NSIC play, which is tied for its second-most conference wins in program history, trailing only its 31 wins in 2015 and tying its 2022 total. SCSU reached 20 conference wins for 11th time in program history, all falling under Dolan.

  • SCSU has won or split the last 10 series it played March 29-30 against Sioux Falls. During that span, the Huskies are 22-7.

  • SCSU won or split 12 of the 13 NSIC series played in the regular season, with its only series loss coming against Minnesota State on March 21–22.

  • The Huskies finished 17-6 on the road in 2024, their most road wins since going 24-2 in 2015.

For all the latest news on St. Cloud State Baseball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on TwitterFacebook and Instagram.