Goin' Dancin'

Rated No. 19 in last week's edition of the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Division II Top 25 poll (May 11), Minnesota State (39-7) continues postseason play this week at the NCAA DII Baseball Central Region Tournament in Warrensburg, Mo.

The Mavericks are the fourth seed in the four-team sub-region bracket and will take on fifth-seed Augustana (44-10-1) in their first game, Thursday at 2:00 p.m. CST. The winner/loser of MSU and Augie's matchup will take on winner/loser that did likewise between first-seed Central Missouri (43-7) and eighth-seed Ouachita Baptist (33-22), Friday.
 

A Walk Down Memory Lane

MSU wrapped up last season 39-10 overall with a 28-6 in NSIC action. They were the NSIC regular season and tournament champions before finishing third with a 2-2 record in the 2021 NCAA DII Central Regional in Warrensburg, Mo.


Last Time in the Lot

MSU captured its second consecutive and seventh overall NSIC Tournament Championship last weekend with a perfect 4-0 run through the field, which included victories in the semifinal (5-4) and championship (6-5) over Augustana to secure the crown. Senior catcher Ben Livorsi provided late-game heroics with game-winning hits in both contests. He had a two-run double in the ninth inning of Saturday's game before launching a two-run home run during the eighth inning of Sunday's championship game. He was named the NSIC Tournament's Most Valuable Player.


Mavericks in the NCBWA Poll

The Mavericks were ranked #19 in the last edition of the National Collegiate Baseball Writer's Association Division II Top 25 Poll (May 11), marking their fourth-straight week ranked. MSU has appeared in all but four of this season's 14 releases by the NCBWA.


The Maverick Staff

The MSU pitching staff is among the best in NCAA DII again this season. The Mavericks rank fourth in the country and second in the NSIC with a 3.10 earned run average in 46 games. Additionally, MSU arms rank third in NCAA DII and second in the NSIC in terms of WHIP (1.17) and strikeout-to-walk ratio (3.55).


Altermatt Does it All!

Junior infielder and right-handed pitcher Nick Altermatt was noted as MSU's player to watch by the NSIC following a season where he was named a D2CCA Third Team All-American selection as a utility player/pitcher.

This season, Altermatt is leading the way for MSU on the offensive in batting average (.374), hits (64), runs batted in (61), home runs (11), total bases (119) and slugging percentage (.696). Additionally, Altermatt has carved up the opposition with his arm on the mound. In 10 starts and 54 innings pitched this season, Altermatt owns a perfect 10-0 record and leads the Mavericks with 74 strikeouts.


Steady Inkline

Another two-way threat this season is senior right-handed pitcher and outfielder Cam Kline. He is third on the Mavericks with a .359 batting average and .457 on-base percentage. On the bump, Kline has made nine starts and owns an 8-0 record. He owns MSU's second-lowest ERA (2.08) and an opponent batting average of .214.


Wickman the Whackman

Junior outfielder Ryan Wickman is the Mavericks' top newcomer this season. The Iowa Central CC (NJCAA) transfer is tied for second on the Mavericks in terms of batting average (.359) and leads MSU in on-base percentage (.488). He is the only Maverick to see action in each game this season while making 46 starts in centerfield. Wickman also leads the Mavericks in hit by pitch this season (17). He was hit eight times in a series against UMary (March 26-27). He matched a single-game NCAA DII record set by Cole Kwiatkowski (Findlay vs. Ohio Valley on March 5, 2021) when he was plunked five times in the Mavericks' first game against UMary (March 26).


New Bats on the Block

Some other new everyday faces for the Mavericks' include sophomores Jackson Hauge and Aidan Byrne. In terms of batting average, both Mavericks are batting around .350 through 46 games this season. Byrne leads the way ranking fifth among Maverick hitters with a .353 average while Hauge stands .342, which ranks sixth on the squad.


Got Hits?

Junior infielder Mikey Gottschalk stands fourth in the Mavericks' batting average rankings with a .358 mark in 134 at bats this season. After going 7-for-12 seven weeks ago in the series against UMD (April 2-3), Gottschalk was named NSIC Player of the Week. He hit his first four career home runs in the series, including three the opposite way.


Liv to See Another Season

Among Minnesota State's best extra-base hitters last season was junior catcher Ben Livorsi, who led the Mavericks with three triples. Additionally, Livorsi led Maverick catchers with a .995 fielding percentage, which saw him make just a pair of errors on 371 chances.

This season, Livorsi ranks third with nine home runs and a .618 slugging percentage. He owns a .994 fielding percentage behind the dish for MSU. Livorsi was the Mavericks' most-renowned hitter during the conference tournament. During the final two games, he clutched up for key extra-base game-winning hits in the final two innings of each contest that led MSU to its second-straight and seventh overall NSIC Tournament title.


Ross the Boss

Senior first baseman Ross Indlecoffer sits at seventh on the Mavericks roster with a .331 batting average. He ranks fourth on the team with a .608 slugging percentage.


Culley with a K

Sophomore southpaw Nathan Culley owns the Mavericks' lowest ERA at a 1.11 mark. He also ranks second on the team with a .201 opponent batting average. Culley is 4-1 this season and tied with a team-high two saves while sporting a 1.20 WHIP.


You Don't Knoll Me

After making his 10th start and 11th appearance vs. Augie in the NSIC Tournament semifinal game (May 14), Knoll saw his ERA fall back to fifth-best (2.71). He owns a 9-2 record and the Mavericks' fifth-best opponent batting average (.214).


Dirty Denk

Denk, a right-handed pitcher from Lakeville, Minn., was honored as NSIC Preseason Pitcher of the Year in January after he was named the NSIC Pitcher of the Year a season ago. Last season, he was also named a D2CCA Third Team All-American after finishing among the best in national ranks for NCAA Division II pitchers. He held the 27th-lowest earned run average in the nation at 2.22. In 11 starts, Denk owned a 10-0 record which came in at fourth in terms of wins. He was efficient in his outings with an 15.40 strikeout-to-walk ratio (second in NCAA DII). Denk was named honorable mention for NCBWA All-American honors while being named to the 2021 NCBWA All-Central Region First Team and All-NSIC First Team.

This season, Denk owns a 3.29 ERA with six starts and 10 appearances under his belt. In 52 innings pitched, Denk sports a .247 opponent batting average.


The Mighty MavPen

Senior right-handed pitcher Jackson Uner has been dominant during the 2022 campaign. The Stillwater, Minn., native owns the lowest ERA of any Maverick bullpen arm this season at a 2.63 clip. In 13.2 innings on the hill, he owns a .184 opponent batting average, which is lowest among any other pitchers on the Maverick staff this season. He is tied for the team-high with a pair of saves this season.

Freshman right-handed sidearm thrower Derek Lilledahl has also been a key piece of the Maverick bullpen. He is the only other bullpen arm on the staff to own a sub-3.00 ERA (2.92). Over the course of 14 appearances this season, Lilledahl has thrown 12.1 innings with a .250 opponent batting average.


2022 Maverick Captains

The Minnesota State Maverick baseball captains for this season are Jack Friedges, Ross Indlecoffer and Brendan Knoll.


The Skipper

Now with 13 seasons under his belt as the MSU skipper, head coach Matt Magers hit the 500-win plateau last season following a Mavericks' 10-6 win over Sioux Falls, May 14, 2021. Magers was named the NCBWA Central Region and NSIC Coach of the Year last season. He has produced a 544-168 (.764) record and sits in second place for all-time wins at Minnesota State behind his predecessor Dean Bowyer (1977-2008 / 990 wins). Magers is 1-of-3 coaches at MSU who has eclipsed the 200-win mark (Jean McCarthy: 1964-76 / 250 wins).


Minnesota State History

The 2022 season marks the 82nd for Maverick baseball. MSU owns an all-time record of 1,913-918-7 (.675) in 2,838 total games. Minnesota State has five Northern Intercollegiate Conference titles (1968, 1969, 1979, 1980, 1981), 19 North Central Conference championships (1970, 1971, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2007), six Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championships (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2021) and seven NSIC Tournament crowns (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2017, 2021, 2022). The program has made 39 appearances in the NCAA Division II National Tournament (1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2021, 2022) and eight in the NCAA Division II World Series (1971, 1979, 1980, 1986, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014) including third-place finishes in 2012 and 2014 and a national runner-up performance in 2013. Additionally, the Mavericks have earned All-American selections 30 times.

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