SATURDAY
The University of Mary baseball team returns to the diamond with a doubleheader at MSU Billings on Saturday, March 12. The games were moved to Saturday after attempts to play earlier in the week were foiled by inclement weather. Start time for game one is 1 pm CST/12 noon MT at Pirtz Park in Billings, MT.
 
RECORDS
The Marauders are 5-4 on the season… The Yellowjackets are 9-11 overall and 1-3 in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
 
SERIES NOTE
The Marauders and the Yellowjackets have faced off eight times previously with each team winning four. The last time the two programs faced off was 2009 in a four game set in Phoenix, AZ.
 
ROAD TRIP
The Marauders open the season with 22 games on the road. UMary's first scheduled home game is April 2 against Winona State.
 
BOOM
The Marauders offense has been tremendous to start the season, scoring at least eight runs in six of nine games. The Marauders are 31^st in the nation in scoring at 9.1 runs/game… The Marauders are 25^th in batting average (.326), 12^th in doubles/game (2.67), 27^th in home runs/game (1.33), 22^nd in on base percentage (.436) and 17^th in slugging percentage (.540).
 
HEAT
The Marauders pitchers strike out 10.9 hitters/nine innings to rank 39^th in NCAA D2 out of 252 teams.
 
RECORD PERFORMANCES
The Marauders set or tied several records in UMary's 23-17 win at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs on Feb. 28, 2022, rallying to score the final 12 runs of the game:

• Tied school record for runs in a game (23 also scored in 1999)
• 23 hits new school record (22 in 2000)
• 21 RBIs new school record (20 in 1999, 2008)
• 7 doubles (new NCAA-era record)
• 2 home runs and 6 RBIs for Ben Prediger ties NCAA-era record
• 4 runs scored by Michael Polson, Kyle Jameson and Derek Schoen tie NCAA-era record

 
NSIC HONORS WAGNER, PREDIGER
For the first time in program history, the University of Mary baseball team swept both the Northern Sun Player and Pitcher of the Week honors in the same week as both Ben Prediger and Austin Wagner were honored on March 1.
 
A catcher from Calgary, Alberta, Ben Prediger went 8-for-10 with a double, two home runs and 10 RBI in three wins over the University of Colorado Colorado Springs. The sophomore scored seven runs and slashed .800/.833/.1.500 with a 2.333 OPS. In a 9-4 win over the Mountain Lions on Sunday Prediger was 4-for-4 in the win with 3 RBI and 2 runs scored. Prediger wrapped up the series in a record performance on Monday in a 23-17 win as the Marauders tied a school record for runs in a game and establish new marks for hits (23) and runs batted in (21) in a single game. Prediger blasted two home runs and drove in six runs to tie UMary's NCAA era highs in both categories. He was 3-for-3 with three runs scored as the Marauders rallied from a 10-run deficit after four innings. Coming off the bench in the seventh inning, Prediger scored the first and last run of an 8-run inning. With the Marauders down 17-11, Prediger led off with a pinch hit single before scoring on a James Martin home run. Prediger capped the inning with a 3-run home run to give UMary a 19-17 lead. He later capped the scoring with a 3-run home run in the top of the 9th inning.
 
Making his second start of the year, Wagner was once again dominant on the hill. The junior lefthander struck out 11 in five innings on his way to his second win in the Marauders 15-5 victory at UCCS. Wagner allowed just two hits and didn't walk a batter. The lone run scored against him was unearned. The strikeouts matched his career high.
 
Prediger is the Marauders first NSIC Player of the Week since Jason Shaul was honored in April 2014. The previous Marauders NSIC Pitcher of the week was Jonathan Draheim in April 2021.
  
DOMINATION
Austin Wagner has dominated the opposition over the course of his first two starts this season. The junior lefthander is 2-0 with 17 strikeouts and one walk in 11 innings. He has allowed just five hits and two runs for a 1.64 ERA and a 0.55 WHIP. In his second start he struck out 11 and allowed just two hits, no walks and zero earned runs over five innings in a 15-5 UMary win at UCCS… Wagner is 18^th in NCAA D2 in hits allowed/nine innings (4.09), 12^th in strikeouts-to-walks ratio (17.0), 6^th in WHIP (0.55) and 27^th in strikeouts per nine innings (13.9).
 
RBI GUY
All-NSIC 3B and 2021 Freshman of the Year Calvin James is 3^rd in NCAA D2 in runs batted in per game at 2.22. The sophomore from Buffalo, MN, has 20 RBIs in nine games. He is also 12^th in doubles per game (.67). James is 13-of-35, hitting .371/.607/.714 for a 1.191 OPS with 13 runs scored, six doubles and two home runs.  
 
FAST START
In his first season at UMary, sophomore catcher Ben Prediger is slashing .667/.714/1.111 with an OPS of 1.825. In seven games he is 12-of-18 with two doubles, two home runs eight runs scored and 10 RBIs. He is second in NCAA D2 in hitting, third in on base percentage and fourth in slugging percentage… He tied the Marauders NCAA-era single-game records for home runs (2) and RBIs (6) in the Marauders 23-17 win at UCCS.
 
FOUR SCORE
Kyle Jameson has scored four runs in a game three times in the seven games he has played for the Marauders, tying the UMary NCAA-era single game record each time. The sophomore outfielder in his first season at UMary leads NCAA D2 in runs scored/game with 2.0. For the season Jameson is 10-for-21 with two doubles, two home runs, 14 runs scored and five RBIs for a slash line of .476/.607/.571 and a 1.464 OPS.
 
LEADOFF
Michael Polson has settled into the leadoff slot in his first season with the Marauders. The shortstop from Westminster, CO, has produced five multi-hit and multi-run games in eight starts. He is hitting .400/.476/.571 (14-of-35) for a 1.047 OPS with 14 runs scored, four doubles, a triple and six RBIs.   
 
CLUTCH
Hitting third and playing first base, 2021 All-Northern Sun performer Derek Shoen is putting a charge into the ball. The junior is hitting .345/.512/.655 with eight runs scored three doubles, two home runs and 11 RBIs. His six times being hit by a pitch places Shoen among the nation's leaders.
 
2021 IN REVIEW

• 3B Calvin James was named the NSIC Freshman of the Year in 2021 and was a first team selection. James slashed .358.443/.636/1.079 with 34 runs scored. 13 doubles, 9 home runs and 34 RBIs.
• 1B/P Derek Schoen was named to the 2021 All-NSIC first team as a first baseman. He slashed .340/.414/.667/1.081 with 32 runs scored, 10 doubles, 11 home runs, and 32 RBIs. He also struck out 33 hitters in 37 innings on the hill.
• 2B James Martin was named the 2021 NSIC Gold Glove winner at second base. He committed just one error in 142 chances for a .993 fielding percentage. Martin also turned 11 double plays. Offensively he stole nine bases and scored 18 runs.   

 
NUMBERS TO KNOW | 2021EDITION
7 | The Marauders return seven regulars from last year
 
14 | 14 of the Marauders top 15 pitchers return from last season
 
21 | The Marauders set an NCAA-era program record (2007 and on) for wins in a season. The old mark was 18 in 2010. This is the most wins overall for the Marauders since posting 30 wins in 2002.
 
18 | The 18 wins in NSIC play is a team record, eclipsing the previous total of 14 in 2008.
 
.563 | The Marauders NSIC winning percentage of .563 (18-14) is a program-best, ahead of the program mark of .550 (11-9) in 2007. The 2007 season – UMary's 1st year in the Northern Sun – is the only other season the Marauders have had a winning record in the NSIC.
 
2002 | The Marauders finished 2021 with a winning record for the first time since 2002, when UMary went 30-15, won the DAC-10 tournament and advanced to the NAIA regional tournament.
 
343 | UMary pitchers struck out a school-record 343 hitters in 2021
 
6 | Jonathon Draheim set a Marauders UMary NCAA-era single season record for wins with six. The previous record was five by Matt Medeiros (2010) and Jeff Skadeland (2013). The school record for single season wins is 10 by Marauders Hall of Famer Ryan Astle in 2002. Draheim threw a no-hitter during the season. He led the Marauders in innings pitched (55.1) and had a 4.23 ERA. Draheim walked six, struck out 44 and had four complete games. 
 
5 |Paxton Miller set a Marauders NCAA-era (2007 and on) record for saves in a season with five. The previous high was three by Chris Scott and Charles Bielejeski in 2019 and Travis Famias in 2012. The school record is eight by Chad Kruckenberg (1998) and Travis Dressler (2004).
 
1.6 | Andrew Brooks averaged 1.6 strikeouts/inning. The righthander fanned 38 batters in 24 innings and allowed just 11 hits.
 
.968 | The Marauders set a school record for fielding percentage at .968. The old record was .962 in 2013. UMary ranked 4th in the NSIC and 46th in NCAA D2. 
 
50 | The Marauders 50 home runs in 2021 set a new school record (48 in 2000)
 
11 | Derek Schoen hit 11 home runs in 2021, one shy of the school record of 12 set by Steve Laasko in 1998… Jeff Wedul (2000), Todd Houston (1998), and Tyler Liffrig (2008, 2009) also hit 11... Schoen and Liffrig are tied for the NCAA-era home run record.
 
10 | Ty Jones finished 2021 with 10 home runs, one behind Derek Schoen. He is tied for 7^th in a single season at UMary.
 
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