THIS WEEK
Northern Sun play commences for the University of Mary baseball team this week when the Marauders visit Wayne State College and Minnesota State University… In a midweek doubleheader delayed a day due to weather concerns, UMary visits Wayne State for a pair of games on Thursday, March 24. First pitch is slated for 12 noon at the Pete Chapman Baseball Complex in Wayne, NE… The Marauders then take on the Mavericks in a three-game set this weekend. UMary and Minnesota State face off in a doubleheader starting at 1:30 pm on Saturday, March 26, at Bowyer Field in Mankato, MN. The Marauders and Mavericks then play a single 9-innning game on Sunday, March 27, at 12 noon.
 
RECORDS
The Marauders are 8-7 overall this season entering play at WSC… The Wildcats are 9-7 overall and 3-0 in the NSIC after sweeping Southwest Minnesota State last weekend… The Mavericks enter the week 9-3 overall and 2-1 in NSIC play before hosting Bemidji State on Thursday. MSU took 2-of-3 from Minot State at home last weekend.
 
ROAD WARRIORS
The Marauders have yet to play at home this season. UMary has played 14 true road games plus a neutral site game against St. Cloud State… The Marauders first 22 games are all away from home… The first UMary home game is scheduled for April 2 with a visit from Winona State, which kicks off a run of 13 straight home games.   
 
WINNING
For the first time since 2013 the Marauders are entering Northern Sun play with a winning record. UMary was 9-6-1 in non-conference play in 2013 before playing an NSIC game.
 
LAST WEEK
The Marauders wrapped up non-conference action with four games in Missouri. The Marauders opened with a 9-3 win at Northwest Missouri State before taking a 12-6 victory at William Jewell. The Cardinals won the last two games of the 3-game set with the Marauders 5-4 and 12-2.
 
BOOM
The Marauders offense has been tremendous to start the season, scoring at least eight runs in nine of 15 games games. UMary has a team batting average of .301 and is ranked in the top 50 of NCAA D2 in several offensive categories:

• 16^th in doubles/game (2.47)
• 30^th in slugging percentage (.511)
• 43^rd in scoring (8.3 runs/game)
• 44^th in home runs/game (1.2)
• 45^th in triples/game (.40)
• 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 9.8 hitters/nine innings to rank 56^th in NCAA D2 out of 251 teams.
 
RBI GUY
All-NSIC 3B and 2021 Freshman of the Year Calvin James is 2^nd in NCAA D2 in runs batted in per game at 1.80. The sophomore from Buffalo, MN, has 27 RBIs in 15 games. He is also 3^rd in doubles per game (.67) and 17^th in runs scored/game (1.53). James is 24-of-58, hitting .414/.500/.7776 for a 1.276 OPS with 23 runs scored, 10 doubles, a triple and three home runs.  
 
DOMINATION
Austin Wagner has dominated the opposition over the course of his first four starts this season. The junior lefthander is 2-0 with 29 strikeouts and three walks in 21 innings. He has allowed just 18 hits and nine runs for a 3.86 ERA and a 1.00 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 15^th in strikeouts-to-walks ratio (9.67),49^th in WHIP (1.00) and 58^th in strikeouts per nine innings (12.43).
 
FAST START
In his first season at UMary, sophomore catcher Ben Prediger is slashing .542/.645/.875 with an OPS of 1.520. In ten games he is 13-of-24 with two doubles, two home runs, nine runs scored and 10 RBIs… He came off the bench to tie 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 12 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 is 18^th in NCAA D2 in runs scored/game with 1.5. Jameson ranks 6^th in hit by pitches/game (0.58) and 42^nd in on base percentage (.529) For the season Jameson is 14-for-38 with three doubles, a triple, three home runs, 18 runs scored and 11 RBIs for a slash line of .368/.529/.737 and a 1.266 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 seven multi-run games in 13 starts. He is hitting .321/.429/.409 for an .838 OPS with 19 runs scored, four doubles, a triple and seven 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 .321/.478/.596 with 15 runs scored, five doubles, three home runs and 18 RBIs. His seven times being hit by a pitch places Shoen among the nation's leaders.
 
POWER PLAY
After hitting one home run and 10 doubles in his first two seasons with the Marauders (159 at bats), James Martin has found his stroke as a senior in 2022. The Montana native has four home runs three doubles and a triple in 41 at bats so far this season. The 2021 NSIC Gold Glove second baseman is hitting .293/.341/.707 for a .954 OPS with eight runs scored and 12 RBIs.
 
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.
 
NUMBERS TO KNOW | 2022 EDITION
7 | The Marauders return seven regulars from 2021
 
14 | 14 of the Marauders top 15 pitchers return from 2021
 
.931 | The Marauders lead the Northern Sun with an OPS of 931 while hitting .301/.420/.511
 
.511 | UMary's team slugging percentage of .511 leads the NSIC
 
  
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 earned 2021 All-NSIC first team honors 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 selected 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 | 2021 EDITION
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 set 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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