St. Scholastica sweeps top four 2016 UMAC baseball awards
ST. PAUL, Minn.---The 2016 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) baseball season saw the College of St. Scholastica claim its 20th-coonsecutive regular season title and 19th-straight postseason crown. After all that success, for the second year in a row, the Saints swept the conference postseason awards announced Tuesday.
The Saints leader Corey Kemp earned his second UMAC Coach of the Year distinction in as many years, while junior Brian Minks took the top student-athlete honor being selected UMAC Player of the Year. Senior hurler Jordan Risse was named the UMAC Pitcher of the Year and first-year standout Conor Wollenzien earned the UMAC Rookie of the Year Award.
Under Kemp's direction, the Saints went 15-1 in the UMAC and 31-9 overall to qualify for their 12th-consecutive NCAA tournament appearance beginning Wednesday. The Saints ended the season winning 12 of their final 14 games. In his seventh season at the helm of the successful Saints program, Kemp's squad has lost just five UMAC games and he has grabbed the top coaching nod four times.
This season, the Saints dominated the UMAC in every overall offensive statistical category including average (.337), on-base (.418), slugging (.485), hits (450), runs (340), RBI (300) and doubles (93). On the mound, the Saints have been even better leading the league overall in earned run average (ERA) (2.74), strikeouts (280), strikeouts per game (7.84), runs allowed (125) and hits allowed (274).
In conference games, the Saints were even more impressive. They outscored their opponents 200-39 with four shutouts. The talented pitching staff boasted a 1.59 ERA and struck out nine batters per game. Offensively, they averaged nearly 15 hits a game and batted .402 as a team. Over 31 percent of the Saints' hits against UMAC foes went for extra bases including a league-best 16 home runs.
The Saints' conference success was led all season by Player of the Year selection Minks. The junior infielder led the UMAC in conference play in almost eveny offensive category including batting average (.524), OBP (.615), slugging percetage (.921), hits (33), runs (32), doubles (11), RBI (25), stolen bases (11), extra base hits (16) and total bases (58). He also drew 10 walks which ranked in the UMAC top-10.
In overall categories, Minks was just as good ranking first in OBP (.497), second in average (.397), hits (60) and runs (46), and third in RBI (60). Through the conference tournament, Minks has been on a nine-game hitting streak and also had a 10-game streak earlier in the season. He also boasted two or more hits in a single conference game 10 times and had two or more RBI in a single game against UMAC teams seven different times.
As valuable as Minks was at the plate for the Saints, Risse meant just as much to the team on the mound. This season, Risse was the top pitcher in the UMAC boasting a league-best seven wins and no losses in his 10 appearances. Overall, the senior boasted a 2.24 ERA in 60.1 innings pitched. He tossed 11.64 strikeouts per game in the process.
In conference play, Risse was even more impressive. He boasted a UMAC-best 0.39 ERA in 23 innings pitched giving up just one total earned run in his four appearances. Risse also tossed one complete game and picked up three total wins – second-most against UMAC teams in the regular season. His 31 strikeouts (12.13 per game) were also a league-best.
With a wealth of talent graduating for the Saints, future talent like Wollenzien will be needed to help carry on the team's success. In his first season with the Saints, Wollenzien was particularly impressive in conference play. In just 13 games, he was the top first-year boasting a .442 average – fifth-best among all UMAC hitters. He was second among all first-years in OBP (.519) and fourth overall in UMAC play. His .651 slugging mark was also 10th-best in the UMAC, while his 15 RBI were 14th and his 19 hits ranked in the top 25.
In his 23 games played overall, Wollenzien was still among the top Saints statistically recording 27 hits, 23 runs and 23 RBI. He also boasted a .375 average, .452 OBP and .542 slugging mark.
Minks and Risse were two of eight Saints and 25 total players to claim All-UMAC First-Team honors. They were joined by four-time selection Austin Colvard who was the UMAC Rookie of the Year in 2013. He led the UMAC in most overall hitting categories in 2016. Minks was joined by teammates Steven Neutzling and Daniel Wood as repeat selections – Neutzling was the 2015 Rookie of the Year and Wood was the 2015 Pitcher of the Year.
Risse earned his second career First-Team honor after being Honorable Mention a year ago and All-UMAC in 2014, while Al Marolt earned the nod for the first time after being Honorable Mention in 2015. Pitchers Martin Alcoverde and Jacob Dzubay also grabbed All-UMAC honors for the first time in their careers.
UMAC runner-up University of Northwestern-St. Paul was rewarded with four First-Team selections including Tyler Osborn who picked up the award for the third-straight season. He was joined by first-time selections Nathan Ehnstrom, Benjamin Jenney and Ryan Sutterer.
Martin Luther College was the lone remaining team with a repeat selection as Jason Lindemann was named a back-to-back honoree. The Knights' other spot on the First-Team list was filled by pitcher Johnathan Kock who was an Honorable Mention pick in 2015.
Northland College finished fifth in the conference thanks to three UMAC First-Teamers including Mitch Howard who finally earned the notation after three-straight Honorable Mentions. Alex Elliott and first-year hurler Carson Ferry were also named First-Team.
After making the playoffs for the first time since 2007, the University of Minnesota Morris had three players earn All-UMAC honors including Chandler Erickson, Jackson Gessell and Joey Hyde, while newcomer and playoff participant Unviersity of Wisconsin-Superior had two selections in Travis Miller and Chad Patko.
Bethany Lutheran College also had two honorees in Drew Quame and Alek Zentzis, while Harry Ballantyne of Crown College earned the honor after being an Honorable Mention in 2014. The 18-player Honorable Mention list was headlined by Trevor Bernsdorf of St. Scholastica who was Player of the Year last season and was the top rookie honored in 2014. Nick Caldeen of Bethany Lutheran, David Cruz of Crown and Braxton Lindow of Northwestern were all Honorable Mention selections a year ago.
Each year the UMAC recognizes the team sportsmanship award, an accolade that is selected by the UMAC coaches and awarded to the team that best represented sportsmanship throughout the entire season. Martin Luther earned the honor for the second-consecutive season. Each team also had one representative on the individual sportsmanship award list.
Player of the Year Award* – Brian Minks, Jr., St. Scholastica
Pitcher of the Year Award^ – Jordan Risse, Sr., St. Scholastica
Rookie of the Year Award# – Conor Wollenzien, Fy., St. Scholastica
Coach of the Year Award – Corey Kemp, St. Scholastica
First-Team UMAC All-Conference
| Name |
Year |
School |
Position |
Hometown/High School |
| Martin Alcoverde |
Jr. |
St. Scholastica |
Pitcher |
Tucson, Ariz./Sahurita |
| Harry Ballantyne |
Jr. |
Crown |
Outfield |
Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville South |
| Austin Colvard |
Sr. |
St. Scholastica |
Outfield |
Little Canada, Minn./Roseville |
| Jacob Dzubay |
Jr. |
St. Scholastica |
Pitcher |
St. Michael, Minn./St. Michael-Albertville |
| Alex Elliott |
So. |
Northland |
Infield |
Middleton, Wis./Middleton |
| Nathan Ehnstrom |
So. |
Northwestern |
Utility |
Aitkin, Minn./Aitkin |
| Chandler Erickson |
Jr. |
Minnesota Morris |
Catcher |
Chokio, Minn./Chokio-Alberta |
| Carson Ferry |
Fy. |
Northland |
Pitcher |
Paw Paw, Mich./Homeschool |
| Jackson Gessell |
So. |
Minnesota Morris |
Outfield |
Grand Rapids, Minn./Grand Rapids |
| Mitch Howard |
Sr. |
Northland |
Outfielder |
Black Earth, Wis./Wisconsin Heights |
| Joey Hyde |
Jr. |
Minnesota Morris |
Pitcher |
Kasson, Minn./Kasson-Mantorville |
| Benjamin Jenney |
Sr. |
Northwestern |
Pitcher |
Albertville, Minn./Maranatha Christian |
| Johnathan Kock |
Jr. |
Martin Luther |
Utility |
Mequon, Wis./Luther Prep |
| Jason Lindemann |
Jr. |
Martin Luther |
Catcher |
Egg Harbor, Wis./Luther Prep |
| Al Marolt |
Sr. |
St. Scholastica |
Infield |
Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial |
| Travis Miller |
Fy. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Infield |
Whittier, Calif./La Serna |
| Brian Minks* |
Jr. |
St. Scholastica |
Infield |
St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Cathedral |
| Steven Neutzling |
So. |
St. Scholastica |
Infield |
St. Cloud, Minn./St. Cloud Cathedral |
| Tyler Osborn |
Jr. |
Northwestern |
Outfield |
Clive, Iowa/Des Moines Christian |
| Chad Patko |
Jr. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Infield |
Stone Lake, Wis./Hayward |
| Drew Quame |
Jr. |
Bethany Lutheran |
Infield |
Eagle Lake, Minn./Mankato East |
| Jordan Risse^ |
Sr. |
St. Scholastica |
Pitcher |
Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington |
| Ryan Sutterer |
Jr. |
Northwestern |
Infield/Pitcher |
Anoka, Minn./Anoka |
| Daniel Wood |
Sr. |
St. Scholastica |
Pitcher |
Canyon, Minn./South Ridge |
| Alex Zentzis |
Jr. |
Bethany Lutheran |
Outfield |
Forest Lake, Minn./Forest Lake |
UMAC All-Conference Honorable Mention
| Name |
Year |
School |
Position |
Hometown/High School |
| Tate Andrews |
Fy. |
North Central |
Infield |
Coon Rapids, Minn./Coon Rapids |
| Elvis Artiles Cuello |
Jr. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Outfield |
Dominican Republic, Colegio Dominicano DeLaSalle |
| Xavier Baez-Ortiz |
So. |
Northland |
Outfield |
Lehigh Acres, Fla./Gateway Charter |
| Trevor Bernsdorf |
Jr. |
St. Scholastica |
Outfield |
Meadowlands, Minn./Floodwood |
| Nick Caldeen |
So. |
Bethany Lutheran |
Catcher |
Blaine, Minn./Blaine |
| David Cruz |
Jr. |
Crown |
Outfield/Pitcher |
Staten Island, N.Y./McKee |
| Gideon Dunn |
Fy. |
Crown |
Outfield/Pitcher |
Tampa, Fla./Steinbrenner |
| Joe Gonrowski |
So. |
St. Scholastica |
Pitcher |
Elk River, Minn./Elk River |
| Tyler Hannan |
So. |
Minnesota Morris |
Pitcher |
Delano, Minn./Delano |
| John Hietpas |
Sr. |
Northwestern |
Infield |
Woodbury, Minn./East Ridge |
| Zach Kuefler |
Fy. |
Minnesota Morris |
Infield |
Annandale, Minn./Annandale |
| Cory Kukkola |
Fy. |
North Central |
Infield |
Fountain Hills, Ariz./Fountain Hills |
| Karl Kuschel |
So. |
Martin Luther |
Outfield |
Mukwonago, Wis./Wisconsin Lutheran |
| Jake Lewis |
Sr. |
Wisconsin-Superior |
Pitcher |
Proctor, Minn./Proctor |
| Jared Lindemann |
Fy. |
Martin Luther |
Infield |
Egg Harbor, Wis./Luther Prep |
| Braxton Lindow |
Jr. |
Northwestern |
Outfield |
Cannon Falls, Minn./Cannon Falls |
| Alex Loberger |
So. |
Northland |
Outfield |
Maribel, Wis./Denmark |
| Brandyn Olsen |
Jr. |
Bethany Lutheran |
Pitcher |
Blue Earth, Minn./Blue Earth Area |
UMAC Sportsmanship Awards
Team Award – Martin Luther
Bethany Lutheran – Anthony Radloff, Fy., Green Bay, Wis./Preble
Crown – Gideon Dunn, Fy., Tampa, Fla./Steinbrenner
Martin Luther – James Hemmelman, Sr., Winona, Minn./Luther
Minnesota Morris – Ryan Wynn, Sr., Pine RIver, Minn./Pine River Backus
North Central – Taylor Madrinich, Sr., West Bend, Wis./West Bend West
Northland – John Aguirre, So., Minocqua, Wis./Lakeland Union
Northwestern – Braxton Lindow, Jr., Cannon Falls, Minn./Cannon Falls
St. Scholastica – Jake Kuschke, Sr., Mahtomedi, Minn./Mahtomedi
Wisconsin-Superior – Seth Wage, Sr., Wausau, Wis./Wausau West