Tanner Spencer, the University of Mary's all-time leader for baseball coaching wins, wrapped up his seventh season at the helm of the Marauders in 2026. Since taking over in December 2019, Spencer has guided Marauders baseball to their greatest stretch in program history at the NCAA Division II level. Under Spencer the Marauders have broken program records for wins in a season and qualified for their first NSIC conference tournament appearances in program history.
2026: The 2026 Northern Sun Coach of the Year, Spencer led the Marauders to 37 wins overall, 27 wins in the Northern Sun and an 11-game win streak, all program records. UMary also placed third in the NSIC regular season and in the league tournament, also program bests, while winning NSIC playoff games for the first time. Other firsts for the Marauders in 2026 included receiving votes in the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) NCAA Division II national poll and earning a spot in the NCAA Central Region regular season rankings.
Five Marauders earned 2026 All-NSIC honors (Isaac Pegors, Cole Smith and Lucas Burgum 1st team, Bryce Leafgren and Kalem Haney 2nd team) and three claimed NCAA All-Central Region accolades (Smith, Leafgren and Burgum), both program bests. Additionally the Marauders had an All-American (Smith, honorable mention NCBWA) for a second straight season.
UMary baseball posted a 3.40 grade point average for the spring with 23 players earning NSIC all-academic honors and five claiming CSC Academic All-Region recognition.
2025: The Marauders set a team record for NSIC wins and tied the NCAA team-win mark as UMary went 24-27 overall and 20-20 in the NSIC. The Marauders first NSIC Player of the Year, Isaac Pegors set team records for home runs (18) and RBIs while earning All-NSIC (1st team), All-Region and All-American honors. Pegors was also named to the CSC Academic All-American team. Bryce Leafgen was named to the All-NSIC 2nd team and Ryan Chamberlain was honored as the NCBWA national pitcher of the week.
2024: Carter Beck was named the NSIC Freshman of the Year and was a 2nd team All-NSIC selection. Joining Beck on the All-NSIC team was Mark Schommer (1st team), Kalem Haney (1st) and Noah Hull (2nd). Schommer also claimed all-region recognition. The Marauders tied the school record for home runs.
2023: The Marauders set program records for home runs (72), runs scored (406) and runs batted in (374). Cal James, named a CSC Academic All-American, was an All-NSIC 1st team selection. Jonathan Draheim, Noah Hull and Derek Shoen were 2nd team choices.
2022: The 2022 season saw the Marauders break the division 2 school record in wins and qualify for the NSIC tournament. The group again broke the school record for pitching strikeouts. Individually, Austin Wagner broke the all-time single season strikeouts mark (92), Derek Shoen broke the single season home run record (14) and Calvin James broke the single season doubles record (18).
2021: The 2021 campaign saw the Marauders break NCAA team records in wins, home runs and strikeouts on the mound. With a record of 21-20 overall and 18-14 in the NSIC, it was the first time the Marauders had posted a winning record in NSIC and NCAA play. UMary also qualified for the NSIC tournament for the first time. Individually, Derek Shoen was named NSIC first team all-conference at the first base position and Calvin James was named the NSIC Freshman of the Year and a 1st team all-conference player at third base.
2020: The Marauders played just 12 games before the season was closed down due to the COVID-19 word pandemic.
The program has held consistently high standards academically with a team GPA no lower than 3.2. Marauders baseball has also been highly active in the community through elementary reading, camps and clinics and numerous volunteer activities.
Spencer joined Minot State as the assistant head coach and recruiting coordinator in 2018. In his one season with the Beavers, MSU advanced to the finals of the 2019 NSIC tournament, set a school record for wins, broke the school record for strikeouts by nearly 100 and had a pitcher named to the All-NSIC Second-Team. Three players were offered professional contracts.
A native of Craik, Saskatchewan, Spencer played two seasons at the University of Nebraska Kearney. After the end of his playing career, Spencer spent the 2017-18 season as the pitching coach and the strength and conditioning coach. The Lopers experienced an increase of 14 wins over the prior season, lowered the team's ERA by nearly two runs and broke the school record for strikeouts. Three times the Lopers earned MIAA Pitcher of the Week honors and UNK landed a pitcher on the All-Conference Second-Team. Additionally, Alex Achtermann was the Conference and Region Player of the Year and was drafted by the Colorado Rockies of Major League Baseball (MLB).
In 2017 and 2018, Spencer served as the pitching coach for the Moose Jaw Miller Express in the Western Major Baseball League in Canada. Responsible to help recruit the roster for the summer league team, three players were Major League Baseball draft picks and ten eventually played professional baseball.
Spencer graduated from Nebraska Kearney with a bachelor's degree in exercise science and has a master's degree in sports management from Minot State. He is married to Kylee. Together they have a two year old son named Sutter.
Spencer becomes the eighth Marauders baseball coach since the program began in 1994-95.
By The Numbers
While at UMary, Tanner Spencer has coached:
- 2 All-Americans
- 7 All-Region performers
- 18 All-Northern Sun selections
- 1 NSIC Player of the Year
- 2 NSIC Freshmen of the Year
- 5 NSIC Players of the Week
- 8 NSIC Pitchers of the Week
- 2 regional players of the week
- 1 regional pitcher of the week
- 1 national pitcher of the week
- 2 NSIC all-tournament players
- 1 NSIC Preseason Player of the Year
- 91 NSIC All-Academic players
- 13 NSIC Myles Brand All-Academic Award recipients
- 2 CoSIDA/CSC Academic All-Americans
- 10 CoSIDA/CSC Academic All-District players.
Tanner Spencer's Record at UMary
| Year |
Overall |
Northern Sun |
| 2020 |
3-9 |
0-0 |
| 2021 |
21-20 |
18-14 |
| 2022 |
24-27 |
16-18 |
| 2023 |
23-27 |
16-19 |
| 2024 |
23-27 |
19-19 |
| 2025 |
24-27 |
20-20 |
| 2026 |
37-18 |
27-10 |
| Total |
155-155 |
116-100 |
