THIS WEEK
Unseasonable temperatures and snowfall have forced the University of Mary baseball team to move its first two scheduled home series to Wayne, NE.
 
In a series site reversal, the Marauders will play their March 30 doubleheader against Wayne State College in Wayne, NE, at the Pete Chapman Baseball Complex, home of the Wildcats. The Northern Sun doubleheader is slated to start at 1:30 pm.
 
UMary will then host a trio of games against Minnesota State University in a neutral site series in Wayne on Saturday and Sunday, April 1-2. Saturday's doubleheader starts at 3 pm at the Pete Chapman Baseball Complex. Game two at 6:30 pm switches sites to Hank Overlain Field. The Marauders and the Mavericks wrap up their 3-game series at 12 noon Sunday at Pete Chapman Baseball Complex.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Marauders dropped a doubleheader relocated to Mauston, WI, against Concordia-St. Paul on Tuesday, March 22, by scores of 6-5 and 7-6 (16 innings).
 
THE RECORDS
The Marauders are 9-11 this season and 2-3 in the Northern Sun… The Wayne State Wildcats are 8-14 and 2-6… The Minnesota State Mavericks are 17-5 and 7-1.
 
RANKED
Seven of the Marauders first 11 games this season were against teams who have ranked in the NCBWA Top 25 poll this season. Unranked when UMary played Central Oklahoma to open the season, the Bronchos reached a high of #5 in the poll before falling out of the rankings. MSU Denver was #23 at the time the Roadrunners played the Marauders and reached #13 before also exiting the poll.
 
MARAUDERS ROW
The Marauders offense is off to a tremendous start this season. UMary has posted double digit runs in nine of 20 game and has scored five or more in 17 of 20 games… Among NCAA Division II teams the Marauders offense ranks:

• 8th in home runs/game (1.8)
• 9th in slugging percentage (.551)
• 17th in doubles/game (2.40)
• 23^rd in scoring (8.8 runs/game)
• 40^th in batting average (.315)
• 53^rd in on base percentage (.413)

 
KA-BOOM
Ten different Marauders have hit home runs this season. Derek Shoen leads the way with 7. Noah Hull and newcomer Josh Walker both have six. Daniel Martin and Krece Papierski have four apiece. Overall the Marauders have cracked 36 home runs in just 20 games. The Marauders set a team record for home runs last season (2022) with 51.
 
CLIMBING THE CHARTS

• Derek Shoen owns 32 career home runs with the Marauders and is second all-time at UMary. Tyler Liffrig is the Marauders career record-holder with 39 (2007-10)
• Shoen is tied for 3^rd all-time in RBIs (105) with Michael Feldman. Liffrig and Jeff Wedul are tied for most career RBIs with 141 each.
• Cal James is tied for third in career doubles with Jeff Duppong. Both have 38 in their careers. Liffrig tops the list (44) with Feldman (41) second.
• James is close behind Shoen in RBIs with 101 for 6^th all-time, just behind Brennan Quintus in 6^th (103).
• James is 6^th in career hits with 157 to equal Jason Shaul (2013-16). Andy Leer tops the list with 189, followed by Feldman (186), Liffrig (172), Travis Dressler (167) and Casey Gray (160).
• James is tied with Liffrig for 6^th all-time in runs scored (108) with Tyler Steffan and Schoen is 8^th at 105.

 
4 DIGIT OPS
Four Marauders own an OPS (On-base percentage plus slugging percentage) of four digits, with another two in the 900s. Derek Shoen leads the way at 1.275 followed by Noah Hull (1.033), Cal James (1.005) and Josh Walker (1.005). Daniel Martin (0.988), Kalem Haney (.911) and Krece Papierski (0.899) are close behind.
 
IMPACT DEBUTS
Outfielders Josh Walker and Dan Walker have made an immediate impact for UMary. A transfer from Sacramento State, Walker is hitting .292/.390/.615 with six home runs and a team-best 26 RBIs. He ranks 25^th in home runs/game (.38) and is 5^th in RBIs/game (1.62)… Martin, a New Mexico transfer, is slashing .352/.431/.557 with four home runs, 19 RBIs and a team-best 26 runs scored. He is 40^th in the nation in runs/game (1.30).
 
DOUBLING DOWN ON TWO
Marauders second sacker Kalem Haney leads the Marauders in doubles with 10 and ranks 5^th in the nation in doubles/game (.56). The redshirt freshman is hitting .317/.403/.508 with 15 runs scored and 11 RBIs.
 
DRAHEIM MOVING UP CHARTS
Jonathan Draheim is moving up the charts in several career categories. The senior righthanded is 5^th in innings pitched (189.2), 4^th in starts (34), 3^rd in strikeouts (150), and two wins behind the career-mark of Ryan Astle (15). Draheim is also one shutout behind the career totals of Astle and Dale Dingmann.
 
NOTHING IS FREE
Austin Wagner has yet to issue a walk this season through 24 innings. The dominant lefthander is 3-0 in four starts and has struck out 15 while allowing 25 hits. He leads NCAA Division II in strikeout-to-walk ratio and walks allowed per nine innings. He is 56^th in WHIP (1.04).   
 
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 9th 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 play road games at Sioux Falls on April 4 and at Winona State on April 7-8.
 
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