THIS WEEK
The University of Mary baseball team opens their 2021 home schedule with a trio of Northern Sun games against the University of Sioux Falls. The Marauders and the Cougars open the series with a single 9-inning contest on Friday, April 2. First pitch is slated for 11 am. On Saturday the two teams square off in a doubleheader starting at 12 noon. All home games are played at Bismarck's Municipal Ballpark.
 
FAN ATTENDANCE POLICY
The University of Mary baseball team will take to the field at home this weekend with fans in the stands. Admittance is free to the general public and is limited to the first 100 spectators, including UMary students, faculty and staff, when the Marauders host the University of Sioux Falls on Friday and Saturday, April 2-3, at Municipal Ballpark…. An additional amount of fans will also be admitted if they are on the Family & Friends list submitted by the Marauders baseball program or the Visiting Fans list determined by the opposing head coach… The gates open one hour prior to first pitch… Masking is required for all spectators in attendance regardless of state and local guidance. Additionally, fans must follow all Covid-19 safety, sanitation, and social distancing guidelines.
 
TEN
Friday marks the start of a 10-game home stand for the Marauders, including a pair of 3-game weekend series and two midweek doubleheaders.
 
706
When the Marauders take to the field on Friday against the Cougars, it will be 706 days/23 months 6 days / 1 year 11 months 6 / 100 weeks 6 days / 16,944 hours since UMary has played a home baseball game. The Marauders last home game was on April 27, 2019, when UMary defeated Southwest Minnesota State 6-4. Current Marauders Jaxon Kostka, William Kranz, Alex Kowski, Jonathan Draheim, Andrew Brooks and Brandon Gill all played in the game, with Gill picking up the win in relief.
 
RECORDS
The Marauders are 5-7 overall and 3-4 in Northern Sun play… Sioux Falls is 6-8 overall and 2-8 in the NSIC.
 
LAST WEEK
The Marauders opened their NSIC season a week ago, sweeping a doubleheader at Concordia-St. Paul 5-3 and 9-2… UMary was swept at #RV Minnesota State, with two losses coming in the Mavericks final at bats… The 7-game road trip ended with a split at Winona State on Tuesday. UMary won the opener 9-3 before WSU captured the night cap 8-7.
 
ACE HIGH
Lefthander Austin Wagner, a transfer from NCAA Division I Abilene Christian, has had a pair of dominant starts this season for the Marauders. In two games he has limited opponents to one run on four hits and two walks in 10 innings. He has struck out eight batters. Wagner has a WHIP of 0.60 and a 0.90 ERA.
 
ACE HIGH PART ll
In three starts this season Jonathan Draheim has a perfect 3-0 record. The sophomore righthander opened the season with a 3-1 complete game win at Southwest Baptist University, retiring the first 16 hitters of the game… The Marauders won his second start 5-3 at Concordia-St. Paul, allowing seven hits, three runs and one walk in six innings… Draheim remained perfect on the season in a 9-3 win at Winona State, allowing two earned runs, six hits and a walk while striking out seven in a 7-inning complete game… In three starts Draheim has a 2.70 ERA with a 0.90 WHIP covering 20 innings. Hea has allowed 17 hits, walked two and struck out 15.
 
POTPOURRI

• The Marauders blasted four solo shots in the 5-3 win at Concordia-St. Paul. The four home runs are the second-most the Marauders have hit in a game since beginning NCAA play in 2007, bested only by the six UMary hit against Upper Iowa on April 28, 2007.
• The two home runs by Calvin James in the 5-3 win at Concordia-St. Paul ties the Marauders NCAA-era single game record, which has been accomplished 11 times. James was also the last player to leave the park twice in a game when he hit two home runs against Southern Nazarene on February 1, 2020. He also hit a home run in the following game.
• Two games after James hit two home runs, Ty Jones blasted two balls out of the park at Minnesota State, the 12^th time a UMary player had hit a pair of home runs in the team's NCAA era. Jones also drove in five runs in the game.
• Opponents are hitting just .227 off Marauders pitchers, the second lowest mark among NSIC teams behind only Minnesota State (.203).
• In the Marauders last three losses, the opposition scored the winning run in their final at bat of the game

 
BOX SCORE GEMS

• Liam Sommer has picked up a pair of wins for the Marauders this season, both in relief outings
• Andrew Brooks has yet to allow a run this season in five relief appearances spanning 4.1 innings of relief. Brooks has allowed one hit and has struck out seven.
• In his lone outing of the season, Mark Schommer has a pitching line of one run on two hits and a walk with three Ks in 3.0 innings of work.
• Ty Jones pitched a gem against Minnesota State, the top offensive team in the NSIC. A day after hitting two home runs in the game Jones limited the Mavericks to one run on three hits in five innings, walking one batter and striking out five.

 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Derek Shoen owns a slash line of .342/.419/.684 and an OPS of 1103 to lead the Marauders in each category. He has 3 doubles, 2 triples, 2 home runs and 9 RBIs in 10 games. Shoen also has started two games on the hill for UMary.
• Calvin James is hitting .311 with a .360 on base percentage and is slugging .556 with a 916 OPS. He has 2 doubles, three home runs and 8 RBIs.
• Dakota Finley leads the Marauders with 4 doubles and is hitting .289/.326.447
• Right fielder Braxton Inniss has scored a team-leading 9 runs and has 3 doubles

 
ON THE RUN
The Marauders have stolen 18 bases in 21 attempts this season. Ty Jones, Calvin James, Dakota Finley and Spencer Gillund are all 2-for-2 on steal attempts.
 
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Spencer Gillund returns to anchor the infield at shortstop. The former NJCAA All-American, NCAA Division I transfer and Northwoods League player posted a 905 OPS in limited play last season for UMary. The Enderlin, ND, native also was a 2-time all-region player at Bismarck State College and is the Marauders NSIC Player to Watch… Newcomer Austin Wagner is UMary's Pitcher to Watch. The lefthander is a transfer from NCAA Division I Abilene Christian, where he was the Wildcats top starter. Wagner ranked 6th in the nation in strikeout—to-walk ratio (22-to-1) and was among the Southland Conference leaders in WHIP (0.81) and ERA (1.96). the Wisconsin native led his hometown Fond du Lac Dock Spiders to the 2018 Northwoods League title… Wagner headlines a deep pitching staff for the Marauders. Sophomores Daniel Turner and Jonathan Draheim enter their third year in the starting rotation. Turner was 2-1 with a 0.91 WHIP last year, including a win over national power Central Missouri... Outfielder Ty Jones and infielder Derek Shoen, in his first year at UMary, will both see double duty in the field and on the mound… Paxton Miller and Andrew Brooks gained valuable experience with the Bismarck Larks in the Northwoods League last summer and key a bullpen that will also feature Shaun Hickey, Liam Sommer, Jayden Smith, Mitch Oehme, Anthony Leedle, Kody Jones and more… Third baseman Cal James made an immediate impact with the bat last year as a true freshman. OF Braxton Inniss, a transfer from NCAA D1 Northern Colorado, and C Tyrus Barclay, a grad transfer from Emporia State, will play key roles.
 
HOME
Following the home opener against Sioux Falls, UMary next hosts Upper Iowa in a doubleheader on Wednesday, April 7.
 
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