For Immediate Release
Tuesday, April 5, 2022
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Player of the Week
#3 Mikey Gottschalk (IF, 5-10, 160, Jr., L/R, Blaine, Minn. / Blaine HS) - Minnesota State
- Had a career week, leading the Mavericks to a three-game series sweep over Minnesota Duluth
- Hit a team-high .583 and recorded his first four home runs of his career
- Batted 7-for-12 in the series with a double as well as five runs scored and a team-high nine RBI
- Led the Mavericks with a 1.667 slugging percentage in the series sweep
- Is tied for the Mavericks’ team lead in on-base percentage (.643)

NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#9 RJ Martinez (LHP, 5-10, 167, Sr., L/L, Sun City, Calif. / Valley View HS / Yavapai CC) - Minot State
- Turned in a record-setting effort in a complete-game, 9.0 inning shutout in a 7-0 win over Upper Iowa
- Scattered five hits as he set a new single-game, NCAA Division II-era school record with 13 strikeouts
- Needed just 107 pitches as he faced 34 batters as he improved to 4-0 on the season
- Named NSIC Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season (3/7/22) 

Other Top Performances - Player
#3 Carter Howell (AUGIE) tallied five hits and five runs across five games for Augustana. He helped Augustana to a 5-0 record last week as he hit three home runs and had five RBI. He held a batting average of .263 in the series wins against UMary and Minnesota Crookston.
#29 Sam Kalbere (BSU) hit .462 from the plate (6-13) versus Wayne State. He recorded four RBI with a three-run home run in an 11-6 win. He scored two runs in the win.
#30 Bryce Nelson (CSP) slashed .636/.636/.909 in the team’s weekend sweep of SMSU. He picked up seven hits in 11 at-bats, including a double and a triple. He drove in a team-leading six runs while scoring four times in the three games. He registered a 1.000 fielding percentage at third base. 
#23 Derek Shoen (UMary) had a record-setting week for the Marauders as he set school NCAA era marks for home runs (3) and RBIs (7) in a single game at Augustana. He had three hits in two of the four games as he went 7-for-13 with four home runs, 4 runs scored and 9 RBI. He also walked twice and was hit once. He slashed .538/.625/1.462 for an OPS of 2.665.
#2 Declan Buckle (MINOT) had a career week hitting a pair of home runs in a 6-4 win Saturday and finishing the week hitting safely in all four games he played, leading the Beavers with his three home runs, his 8 hits, and his 8 runs scored.
#7 Jack Paulson (NSU) in three games last week, hit 4-of-12 (.333) with two doubles, a walk, and four runs scored. In a 3-2 victory over Sioux Falls he batted 3-for-4 with a double and two runs, it was his third 3-hit game of the season and second game of the season with two runs scored.
#22 Sam Riola (SCSU) slashed .636/.714/1.818 as he went 7-for-11 with four home runs, a double and seven RBI. He scored six runs and walked three times as SCSU took 2 of 3 from Sioux Falls.
#20 Alex Logelin (WSC) went 8-for-19 at the plate with three homers and 7 RBI vs. Minot State and Bemidji State. He hit safely in all five games with three multi-hit games. He was 2-for-5 with two HR and three RBI in 6-4 loss to Minot State Tuesday. He went 1-for-3 with a homer and three RBI in Sunday’s 7-1 win over Bemidji State. He had a 1.053 slugging percentage and .542 on-base percentage during the week.
#9 Carter Brinkman (WSU) helped lead Winona State to its first two NSIC road wins of the year over the weekend at UMary. He was 2-for-3 with the game-winning home run & 2 RBI in a 3-1 win. Then he was 2-for-5 with two runs scored in game two, a 7-4 victory. He scored three runs overall across the two games.

Other Top Performances - Pitcher
#20 Tanner Brown (AUGIE) recorded 12 strikeouts across 7.2 innings pitched allowing just a pair of hits. Opponents hit just .087 off of him and he had an ERA of 1.17.
#6 Luke DeGrammont (CSP) delivered his league-leading second complete game shutout in a 10-0 win over SMSU on Saturday. He allowed just two hits and three walks while striking out seven in the win. The shutout was his second in three NSIC starts. He ranks sixth in the NSIC with a 1.87 ERA and fourth with a .174 opponent average. He has allowed just seven hits in 21.1 innings in NSIC play, putting him in third with an .099 opponent average in league play.
#31 Kody Jones (UMary) allowed just one run over two starts last week. He limited Augustana to a run on 3 hits and a walk while striking out five. He was even better Saturday against Winona State, throwing five scoreless innings, striking out 7 while allowing three hits and a walk. For the week, he  allowed one run in 9.0 innings with 12 strikeouts, limiting hitters to six hits and one walk.
#23 Brendan Knoll (MSU) posted a one-hit shutout to open a three-game series in which the Mavericks swept the UMD. He pitched six innings where he walked one Bulldog and struck out five others. He improved to 4-1 on the season after earning the victory in the 18-0 contest. He held a .053 opponent batting average over the weekend.
#40 Max Otto (NSU) picked up his fifth win of the season in a 3-2 victory over Sioux Falls. He pitched his second straight complete game, and his third of the season. He allowed USF to only score two earned runs off eight hits and did not walk a single batter. Otto threw one strikeout in the game.
#26 Riley Ahern (SCSU) went 7.0 innings allowing two earned runs on three hits with eight strikeouts. 
#27 Brody Sintek (WSC) pitched a complete game six-hit shutout Saturday in a 11-0 win over Bemidji State. He struck out seven and walked just one batter for second complete game win of the season. He threw just 86 pitches with 56 strikes in win.
#19 Kyle Gendron (WSU) led Winona State to its first NSIC road win of the year with 3-1 win over UMary. He struck out six batters while walking just one and allowed just 2 hits in 4.0 innings pitched. He allowed just one unearned run in the game.
 
NSIC Baseball Players of the Week
2/8/22
Player:  #29 Ben Thoma - Minnesota Crookston
Pitcher:  #33 Jake Dykhoff  - Minnesota Crookston
2/15/22
Player:  #2 JT Mix - Augustana
Pitcher:  #33 Jake Dykhoff  - Minnesota Crookston (2)
2/22/22
Player:  #4 Noah Christenson - Sioux Falls
Pitcher: #40 Max Otto - Northern State
3/1/22
Player: #11 Ben Prediger – University of Mary
Pitcher: #13 Austin Wagner – University of Mary
3/7/22
Player: #6 Colin Lynam – Wayne State
Pitcher: #9 RJ Martinez – Minot State
3/14/22
Player: #5 Nick Altermatt - Minnesota State
Pitcher: #15 Nicolas Herold – Winona State
3/22/22
Player: #4 Jaden Werner – Concordia-St. Paul
Pitcher: #6 Luke DeGrammont – Concordia-St. Paul
3/29/22
Player: #14 Drey Dirksen – Augustana 
Pitcher: #20 Tanner Brown – Augustana 
4/5/22
Player: #3 Mikey Gottschalk- Minnesota State
Pitcher: #9 RJ Martinez – Minot State (2)

About the NSIC
The NSIC is a 16-team, 18-sport, NCAA Division II conference with institutions located in Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota. The NSIC is a model Division II conference that uses high-level athletics competition to develop champions in the classroom and community while empowering student-athletes to be impactful and positive leaders. Formed in 1992 by the merger of the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (men’s league) and the Northern Sun Conference (women’s league), the NSIC has flourished over the past quarter century, maturing into a 16-team union of Upper Midwest colleges and universities. The NSIC has won 25 team national championships and crowned 90 individual national champions. For additional information, visit NorthernSun.org.

About NCAA Division II
The NCAA, the national governing body for college athletics, is a volunteer association of more than 1,000 colleges and universities that classify their athletics programs in one of three membership divisions. The 300+ institutions in NCAA Division II support a balanced approach in which student-athletes can earn scholarships based on their athletic ability, pursue their desired academic degree, and participate in all the campus and surrounding community have to offer. Division II student-athletes annually graduate at rates higher than their student body peers, and they have access to the best championships-participant ratio among the NCAA’s three divisions. Division II gives student-athletes the unique opportunity to compete in the classroom, on the field, in their career, for their causes, and on their terms. For additional information, visit NCAA.org.