For Immediate Release
Monday, May 8, 2023
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Player of the Week
#8 Jake Hjelle (OF/1B, 6-4, 230, R-Jr., R/R, East Grand Forks, Minn. / East Grand Forks HS) – Minnesota Crookston
- Was 11-of-20, hitting .550 in five games for the Golden Eagles
- Scored nine runs, had two doubles, one triple, four home runs, and 16 RBIs
- Had a 1.500 slugging percentage and a .609 on-base percentage 
- Helped the Golden Eagles to a 4-1 mark on the week
- UMC finished in third-place finish in the NSIC standings, the best in program history
- Named NSIC Player of the Week for the second time this season (3/21/23)

NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#20 Drew Lingen (RHP, 6-2, 225, Fr., R/R, Rochester, Minn. / John Marshall HS) - Winona State
- Threw a 7-inning complete-game shutout in a 2-0 win over Sioux Falls
- Allowed just three hits, struck out six and did not concede a walk to the 25 batters faced

Other Top Performances - Player
#14 Drey Dirksen (AUGIE) held a batting average of .667 in Augustana's series win against Winona State. He went 4-for-6 at the plate with one double, one triple and a home run. He logged two RBIs and scored six runs for AU.
#26 Krece Papierski  (UMary) drove in 13 runs and scored six times as the Marauders went 4-1 in the final week of the regular season. He was 10-for-17 with two doubles and a home run for an imposing slash line of.588/.667/.882 for an OPS of 1.549. He drove in multiple runs in all five games and had at least one hit and one run scored in each game also. He also had two 3-hit games.
#31 Gunnar Kozlowitz (MINOT) continued to lead the way for the Beavers, bashing a pair of home runs and driving in 7 runs in Minot State's five games on the week. He went 8-for-13 at the plate with a walk, and defensively he added 14 putouts and 1 assist without an error.
#22 Sam Riola (SCSU) went 7-for-17 (.412) over four games with four runs scored, two doubles, a triple and five RBI as the Huskies went 2-2. He produced a pair of three-hit games and stole two bags.
#6 Colin Lynam (WSC) hit .500 for the week going 8-of-16 at the plate vs. Minnesota State and St. Cloud State. He was 3-of-5 with a home run, a double, four RBIs and 3 runs scored in a 11-5 win at SCSU Friday. He went 2-of-3 with homer, 4 RBIs and two runs scored in a 12-4 win at SCSU Friday. He also went 2-for-4 vs. Minnesota State Tuesday and 1-of-4 with double and 2 RBIs vs. Minnesota State Tuesday.
#12 Jess Ondell  (WSU) was 7-of-11 at the plate across three games. He hit a home run vs. Sioux Falls, scored five times and collected 5 RBIs while drawing one walk. 

Other Top Performances - Pitcher
#22 Caleb Kranz  (AUGIE) spent 5.2 innings on the mound in Augustana's 10-6 win over Winona State. He struck out seven batters, had an ERA of 1.59. He earned the win to move to 6-1 on the season.
Jonathan Draheim (UMary) was 2-0 on the week in two starts. He struck out 18 batters without a walk over 12.1 innings. Struck out six without a walk and allowed just five hits and one run in a 13-1 UMary win over Bemidji State. Working on short rest the Marauders all-time career leader in wins (18), starts (41), innings pitched (235.2) and strikeouts (191) struck out 12 in 7.1 innings of the Marauders 13-7 season-ending win over UMD. He finished the season 7-3 with 56 strikeouts to seven walks in 65.1 innings.
#3 Alex Koep (UMC) pitched five innings, allowing just one earned run on two hits in a win over Southwest Minnesota State. He struck out five and walked just one.
#22 Jonah Prokott (MINOT) the right-handed reliever picked up his third win of the season, coming out of the bullpen and pitching three innings of relief against Bemidji State. He scattered 4 hits and allowed 1 earned run while striking out 4 in the victory. He also pitched two scoreless innings of relief against Southwest Minnesota State, striking out 4 and not allowing a hit.
#4 Drew Beier (SCSU) tossed a complete-game gem to lead St. Cloud State to an 8-2 win in the opener against Northern State on Tuesday, striking out eight batters while allowing a lone earned run. Beier scattered five hits and walked just two, earning his sixth win of the season.
Jarrett Ramer (UIU) dominated game one against Northern State behind another stellar performance. The righty from Kenosha, Wis. threw a complete game going seven innings on just 77 pitches. Ramer allowed two runs in the seventh and scattered five hits across his time on the hill with four strikeouts. He recorded 15 outs in a row surrendering just one baserunner due to an error over a five-inning span. The win improved Ramer's record to 5-3 while earning his second-straight, complete game victory.
 

NSIC Baseball Players of the Week
2/7/23
Player: #7 John Nett – St. Cloud State
Pitcher: #26 Riley Ahern – St. Cloud State 
2/14/23
Player: #7 John Nett – St. Cloud State (2)
Pitcher: #13 Bryant Bagshaw - Minot State 
2/21/23
Player: #23 Jack Hines - Augustana
Pitcher: #13 Bryant Bagshaw - Minot State (2)
2/27/23
Player: #3 Trevor Winterstein - Augustana
Pitcher: #37 Ryan Jares  - Augustana
3/6/23
Player: #28 Mark Ossanna - Minot State
Pitcher: #33 Jake Dykhoff - Minnesota Crookston 
3/13/23
Player: #2 Keenan Wenzel - SMSU
Pitcher: #17 Ansen Dulas - SMSU
3/21/23
Player: #8 Jake Hjelle – Minnesota Crookston
Pitcher: #40 Jonah Lewis – Concordia-St. Paul
3/28/23
Player: #32 Josh Dykhoff – Minnesota Crookston
Pitcher: #33 Jake Dykhoff - Minnesota Crookston (2)
4/4/23
Player: #14 Drey Dirksen - Augustana
Pitcher: #28 Seth Miller - Augustana
4/11/23
Player: #6 Colin Lynam – Wayne State
Pitcher: #28 Seth Miller - Augustana (2)
4/18/23
Player: #4 Trey Wells – Wayne State
Pitcher: #24 Keaton Parker – Upper Iowa
4/25/23
Player: #22 Sam Riola - St. Cloud State
Pitcher: #33 Jake Dykhoff - Minnesota Crookston (3)
5/2/23
Player: #15 Josh Walker - UMary
Pitcher: #18 Cole Schumacher – Sioux Falls
5/8/23
Player: #8 Jake Hjelle – Minnesota Crookston (2)
Pitcher: #20 Drew Lingen - Winona State

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 105 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.