THIS WEEK
In a four-game series starting a day later than originally planned, the University of Mary baseball team wraps up their non-conference schedule with four games at Truman State University in Kirksville, MO, on Saturday and Sunday, March 4-5. The Marauders and Bulldogs will play a doubleheader both days with first pitch scheduled for 12 noon. The format for Saturday is a 9-inning ballgame in game one followed by a 7-inning contest. Sunday starts with a 7-inning game followed by a 9-inning contest.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Continuing their trip to the Mile High City after playing Regis earlier in the week, the Marauders squared off against #23 Metropolitan State University of Denver. After a pair of high-scoring games in a Saturday doubleheader (16-10 and 10-6 wins by MSUD), the Roadrunners finished the weekend sweep with a 10-0 win on Sunday.
 
THE RECORDS
The Marauders are 3-8 this season… The Truman State Bulldogs are 6-2.
 
RANKED
Seven of the Marauders 11 games this season were against teams ranked in this week's NCBWA Top 25 poll. Unranked when UMary played Central Oklahoma to open the season, the Bronchos are now #10 in the country. Last weekend's opponent MSU Denver was #23 at the time the Roadrunners played the Marauders and are now #13.   
 
MARAUDERS ROW
The Marauders offense is off to a tremendous start this season. UMary has posted double digit runs in five of 11 game and has scored five or more in nine of 11 games… Among NCAA Division II teams the Marauders offense ranks:

• 6^th in home runs/game (2.0)
• 6^th in slugging percentage (.619)
• 9^th in doubles/game (2.91)
• 34^th in scoring (8.6 runs/game)
• 40^th in on base percentage (.420)
• 42^nd in batting average (.314)

 
KA-BOOM
Nine different Marauders have hit home runs this season. Newcomers Daniel Martin and Josh Walker have four home runs each while Noah Hull and Derek Shoen own three each. Overall the Marauders have cracked 22 home runs in just 11 games. The Marauders set a team record for home runs last season (2022) with 51.
 
CLIMBING THE CHARTS

• Derek Shoen hit his 28^th home run last week as a Marauder to move into second place on UMary's all-time career chart, passing Jeff Wedul (27 from 1998-2001). Tyler Liffrig is the Marauders career record-holder with 39 (2007-10)
• Shoen is 6^th in RBIs with 94, trailing Liffrig and Wedul (141 each), Michael Feldman (105), Brennan Quintas (103) and Andy Leer (97)
• Cal James is 4^th all-time in doubles with 36. Liffrig tops he list (44), ahead of Feldman (41), and Jason Duppong (38).

 
4 DIGIT OPS
Five Marauders own an OPS (On-base percentage plus slugging percentage) of four digits, with another four in the 900s. Noah Hull leads the way at 1.306 followed by Derek Shoen (1.266), Cal James (1.227),
Josh Walker (1.112), and Krece Papierski (1.034).
 
IMPACT DEBUTS
Outfielders Josh Walker and Dan Walker have made an immediate impact for UMary. A transfer from Sacramento State, Walker is hitting .306/.390/.722 with four home runs and a team-best 14 RBIs… Martin, a New Mexico transfer, is slashing .277/.358/.596 with four home runs, 12 RBIs and 13 runs scored.
 
DOUBLING DOWN ON TWO
Everything seemed to come up as twos last week for Marauders second sacker Kalem Haney. The Redshirt freshman had a pair of games in Colorado where he posted two hits and both were doubles.  Over a four-game span Haney was 6-for-13 with four doubles and a triple, scored three times and drove in seven.   
 
RECORDS
The Marauders set team records for runs (26), hits (24), RBIs (25) and home runs (9) in a 26-14 win at Southern Nazarene on February 14.
 
PROJECTIONS
After back-to-back NSIC tournament appearances – the first in program history – the Marauders were picked to finish 4th in the 2023 NSIC Preseason Baseball Coaches Poll. This is the highest preseason projection for the Marauders since beginning play in the NSIC in Spring 2007.
 
2023 MARAUDERS NSIC PRESEASON PITCHER TO WATCH
Lefty Austin Wagner had a second straight dominant season for the Marauders and set a couple strikeout records along the way. The senior from Fond Du Lac, WI, posted a record of 5-4 with three complete games across 68 innings in 12 starts, all team-highs. He struck out a UMary season-record 92, an average of 12.2 per innings. His 15 strikeouts against the Bulldogs broke the school record. Wagner also walked just 15 batters and had a WHIP of 1.06.
 
2023 MARAUDERS NSIC PRESEASON PLAYER TO WATCH
A 2-time first team all-conference selection, Derek Shoen broke the Marauders single season records for home runs (15) and RBIs (51) in 2022. The senior from Truman, MN, scored 50 runs and hit .339 with a .473 on base percentage and a .644 slugging percentage. Schoen also picked up a pair of saves. Additionally he was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-District baseball team. Only the fourth UMary player to earn 1st team All-NSIC honors, Shoen set single game school records with three home runs and seven RBIs last spring. Shoen is 3rd all-time at UMary with 25 career home runs and 9th in RBIs with 83.
 
KEY RETURNERS
An experienced ballclub, the Marauders return eight regulars in the field and nine pitchers from last year's squad. Key returners for the Marauders include 2021 All-NSIC third basemen Cal James, who set a school record with 18 doubles last year, SS Michael Polson, outfielders Kyle Jameson and Kendall Keller, OF/1B Noah Hull, and catchers Krece Papierski and Ben Prediger. Returning starting pitchers include Jonathan Draheim, who with 11 career wins is closing in on Ryan Astle's school record of 11, Kody Jones, Parker Wakelyn and Joseph Sinclair. Relievers who saw significant action last year include Liam Sommer, Paxton Miller, Mark Schommer, and Jayden Smith.
 
CAL CLIMBING THE CHARTS
Cal James, the 2021 NSIC Rookie of the Year and all-conference player, set a UMary record last season for doubles with 18. He is 5th all-time at UMary with 36 (record 44 by Tyler Liffrig). The junior third baseman is 9th all-time in RBIs with 91 (Jeff Wedul and Tyler Liffrig 144) and 6th in home runs with 20 (Liffrig 39). He is also 9^th in hits with 145 (Andy Leer 189).
 
2022 IN REVIEW | RECORDS EDITION
Here's an (almost) complete list of records set by the Marauders during the 2022 season:
•             In a 23-17 win at UC Colorado Springs on Feb. 28, 2022, the Marauders tied the school record for runs in a game, set a record for hits (23), record for RBIs (21), record for doubles (7), and tied NCAA-era record for runs scored by individuals (4 by Michael Polson, Kyle Jameson and Derek Shoen)
•             8-game win streak (NCAA-era record)
•             15 strike outs by Austin Wagner against Minnesota Duluth
•             3 home runs and 7 RBIs by Derek Shoen at Augustana (single game NCAA era record)
•             6 home runs in a single game (ties NCAA era record)
•             92 strikeouts by Austin Wagner (single season record)
•             18 doubles by Cal James (single season record)
•             15 home runs by Derek Shoen (single season record)
•             51 RBIs by Derek Shoen single season record)
•             23 wins was an NCAA single season team record
•             414 strikeouts and 403.2 innings pitched– single season team record
•             51 home runs is a single season team record
•             Single season team record for putouts (1,211) and total chances (1,752)
 
NEXT UP
The Marauders are scheduled to open Northern Sun play at Upper Iowa University on March 18-19.  
 
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