Feb. 8-9 at St. Mary's: LIVE STATS   LIVE VIDEO

BISMARCK, N.D. – After a marked increase in wins last season, the University of Mary baseball squad can't wait for the 2014 season to start. Following nearly a month of rising before the sun to practice daily at 5:45 AM, the Marauders are now set to take to the field. 
 
U-Mary opens its season this weekend with a four game set in San Antonio, Texas, on Saturday and Sunday, February 8-9, against the 15^th ranked St. Mary's University Rattlers. The Marauders will help the Rattlers open their new ballpark.
 
In his third season directing the Marauders, head coach Joel Barta saw the team take a big step forward last season, improving by eight wins overall despite playing 11 fewer games. The Marauders finished 17-21-1 overall in 2013 with an 8-15 mark in conference play. U-Mary also improved a couple slots in the conference standings and posted the same number of Northern Sun wins as in 2012 but in 13 less contests.
 
With just five of their top 10 positional players returning and two of the top five pitchers in innings thrown from last year, the Marauders will have some positions to fill. However the holdovers will provide significant experience and leadership on the field.
 
A starter since the first pitch of his freshman year, senior Alex Deyle is back to man shortstop for a fourth straight season. Known for his defensive excellence, the senior from Bismarck, ND, hit .254 last season with 18 runs scored, 14 RBI and nine stolen bases, tops among returners.
 
Jason Shaul was one of the Marauders most dynamic offensive players in 2013. After transferring from Ridgewater (Minn.) Community College, the junior led the team in runs batted in (27), home runs (6) and runs scored (28). Playing a combination of second, third and outfield, the New Ulm, Minn., native hit .341 and posted a .545 slugging percentage and a .431 on base percentage.
 
Limited to just 19 games, senior second baseman Austin Grunstad  had a breakout season offensively. A defensive standout, Grunstad hit a career-high .396 with an on-base percentage of .476 and a .585 slugging percentage, all team highs. The Williston, N.D., native also led the team with three triples.
 
Senior Sam Ingemansen returns to start for the third straight season behind the plate. The defensive stalwart from Bismarck, N.D., started a total of 65 games behind the dish over the past two years. He hit a career-high five doubles and increased his average to .226.
 
A spot starter his first two years, Derek Somerville moved into the lineup full time last season, starting 38 games. Playing third and some first, the senior from Minot, N.D., hit a career-high .256 with a .348 on base percentage. He hit nine doubles, scored 18 times and drove in 22 runs.
The Marauders defense will be anchored by an experienced group of defenders in the middle of the field. Deyle starts at shortstop for the fourth straight season, Grundstad returns at second and Ingemansen is behind the plate for the third straight year.
 
Mason Schiff, a sophomore from Dickinson, N.D., is projected to anchor third base.
 
A trio of Marauders will hold down first base and designated hitter. Somerville and two sophomores, Scott Held and Dwight Mack, will rotate between the two spots. Mack will also see time behind the plate and possibly elsewhere in the infield.
 
Shaul mans left field on a daily basis while senior Sam Salveson will hold down right field.  The senior from Mandan, N.D., had limited plate appearances last season after starting 16 games in the field as a sophomore. He will also be a key relief pitcher.
 
Center field will be stationed by two freshmen, Trenten Hove from Trenton, N.D., and Andrew Beyer from Fargo, N.D. Another freshman, Raymond Williams III, will also see time throughout the outfield.
 
Shane Trattles and Michael Vollrath provide the experience in a rotation that will include two newcomers.
 
Trattles, who earned NCBW National Pitcher of the Week and Northern Sun Pitcher of the Week honors after throwing a no-hitter in 2013, was 2-3 with a save last year. In 11 appearances, including five starts, the transfer from Ridgewater Community College posted two complete games and a 6.65 ERA. The native of Sauk Center, Minn., struck out 20 hitters and walked eight in 44.2 innings.
 
A junior lefty from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, Vollrath started eight games as a freshman and six last season. He cut his runs allowed nearly in half last season, posting a 3.95 ERA in 41 innings. In 10 games he posted a record of 1-4. He threw a shutout, gave up 57 hits, walked just 13 and struck out 16.
 
Zach Steckler, a sophomore from Fargo who transfered from Fergus Falls (Minn.) Community College, and freshman Nicholas Stobbe of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, will hold down the other two rotation spots.
 
Travis Famias, a junior lefty from Bismarck, and Salveson will be the main late inning relief specialists for the Marauders. Famias has pitched in 32 games in his first two seasons and recorded three saves as a freshman.
 
Seniors Brad Horan and Adam Brewers will also be in the relief mix and are in line to start games this season also. A valuable reliever from Rapid City, S.D., Horan has a 3.58 ERA in his three seasons at U-Mary, pitching a combined 32.2 innings in 21 games. In his first year with the Marauders in 2013, Brewers, a 6-4 lefty, struck out five hitters in six innings. 
 
After a four-game set at St. Mary's, the Marauders are off until a 10-game spring break trip to Vero Beach, Fla. Northern Sun action begins March 22 with a pair of doubleheaders at Concordia University – St. Paul.
 
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