For Immediate Release
Monday, April 22, 2024
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Player of the Week
#17 Nicholas Ochoa (C, 5-10, 190, Jr., R/R, Santa Ana, Calif. / Segerstrom HS) – Northern State
- Led the Wolves on the week hitting .471 (8-for-17) with 13 RBIs and ten runs
- Recorded three homeruns, two doubles and one triple on the week along with two stolen bags
- Was a single shy of the cycle in game one against Bemidji State
- Tallied 12 RBIs in the three game series sweep against the Beavers
- Notched a slugging percentage of 1.235 and an on base percentage of .609
- Was perfect on the defensive side with seven putouts and seven assists

NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#24 Lukas Frers (LHP, 6-1, 180, Sr., L/L, Surrey, B.C.) - University of Mary
- Struck out 12 hitters in 5.0 shutout innings as UMary defeated Sioux Falls 13-2
- Allowed just two hits and didn’t walk a batter
- Struck out seven straight batters at one stretch

Other Top Performances - Player
Jack Hines (Augie)
- Batted .478 (11-for-23) with a double, two home runs, eight RBI, and seven runs scored to lead the Vikings to a 6-0 week
- Tied the program record with his 17th home run of the season against Concordia-St. Paul on Sunday
- Also held a .480 on base percentage and .783 slugging percentage
- Recorded three multi-hit games and had at least a hit in each game
- Went 4 for 5 with an RBI and two runs scored in game two against Concordia-St. Paul
- Leads the NSIC with 14 home runs in conference play and 17 overall
Jack Munson (BSU) 
- Batted. 529 over five games collecting nine hits in 17 at bats
- Hit two home runs, one double and totaled four RBI
- Slugged .941 and had on-base percentage of .556 to lead the team with a 1.497 OPS
- Recorded two or more hits in all but one game during the week including three two-hit games and one three-hit game
- Went 3-for-4 with a double, RBI, and run scored at Northern State on April 20
Noah Hull (UMary)
- Was 10-for-19 over five games as UMary went 4-1, including a sweep of Sioux Falls
- Posted two home runs, had six RBIs and scored six times 
- Slashed .526/.609/.842 (1.386 OPS) with four walks and a hit in each game
- Was a 4-for-5 effort with a home run and five RBIs in a 14-4 opening game win over USF
- Is now third all-time at UMary in career home runs (29) and 5th in RBIs (108)
Danny Wensloff (UMC) 
- Helped the Golden Eagles to a 4-1 mark on the week, including series wins over BSU and MSU
- Was 7-of-15 for the week, hitting .467
- Scored six runs and had five RBIs, including two home runs
- Was 2-of-2 in game two Saturday, with a home run and three RBIs in a win
- Had a home run in game two against Bemidji State Wednesday
Garrett Stauffacher (UMD) 
- Helped lead the UMD offense to a 3-2 record last week against SCSU and MINOT
- Was 5-9 (.555), with four runs score and 2 RBIs
- Held a 1.000 FLD%, with three put outs and an assist 
-  Hit 3-for-4 against Minot State with a triple
Ryan Wickman (MSU) 
- Was 8-for-19 (.421 AVG) against USF and UMC
- Finished the week with  four runs, two home runs, and six RBI
- Led the team in total bases with 16 while accumulating a .842 slugging percentage and a .455 on-base percentage
- Moved into fifth all-time in MSU runs (161) and stolen bases (50)
Brian Parry (MINOT)
- Hit .579 (11-for-19) for the Beavers in five games
- Had 4 doubles, 4 RBIs, and stole a base
- Defensively he added 5 putouts and 5 assists
Owen Latendresse (SMSU)
- Helped lead SMSU to a 4-1 week batting .474 (9 for 19)
- Added a double, home run, scored five runs and six RBIs
- He finished with a .684 slugging pct., a .476 on-base pct
- Stole two bases in three attempts
- Was 1 for 4 with two RBIs in a game one win over Northern State
- Followed that up with a 4 for 5 and two RBIs in game two over NSU
- Had two hits in two of three games versus Winona State over the weekend
Sawyer Smith (SCSU) 
- Hit .389 (7-for-18) with three home runs and 10 RBI
- Recorded an on-base percentage of .478 and a slugging percentage of .889
- Had a hit in four of five games and two hits in three games over the week 
- Recorded an RBI in four games with three multi-RBI games
- Went 3-for-8 with two home runs, seven RBI and three runs in doubleheader against UMD 
- Went 4-for-10 with a home run, three RBI and three runs in a series win over Wayne State
Cole Fuecker (WSU) 
- Went 7 for 11 at the plate in the SMSU series
- Collected 7 RBIs in the series
- On the weekend, batted .363, .367, and .377

Other Top Performances - Pitcher
J.D. Hennen (AUGIE)
- Allowed one run in a seven inning complete games to help the Vikings knock off Wayne State
- Struck out 12 and allowed five hits
- Allowed an opponents’ batting average of .192
- Moved his record to 3-0 and has racked up 48 strikeouts in 33 innings while allowing an opponent's batting average of .210
Jake Osowski (UMC)
- Picked up his seventh win of the season, moving to 7-0
- Allowed just two runs on six hits in 6.1 innings in the win over MSU
- Struck out five, and walked just two
Henry Wilkinson (UMD)
- Went 6.0 innings allowing two runs (one earned) on nine hits against Minot State
- Struck out two batters as she earned his first win of the season
Jake Matthaidess (MSU)
-0 Worked 6.1 innings for the Mavericks in relief
- Accumulated four strikeouts with a batting average against of .190
- Earned his third win on the season against USF
Jonah Prokott (MINOT)
- Dominated on the hill striking out 10 to earn his second win of the season
- Allowing two runs on five hits in 8.1 innings
- The 10 strikeouts and 8.1 innings both were career highs
Max Otto (NSU)
- Improved his record to 5-3 in the 19-4 win over Bemidji State
- In 7.0 innings pitched, he tallied ten strikeouts against 26 batters
- Held hitters to a .200 batting average while only allowing five hits
- Recorded an ERA of 5.14 while pitching a complete game
Kolby Kiser (SMSU)
- Tossed a seven-inning complete four-hitter in SMSU's 2-1 victory over Winona State
- Did not allow an earned run while striking out two and walking one
- Is now 5-2 on the season with a 2.54 ERA in 56 ? innings with a team-high 57 strikeouts
Kaden Pfeffer (SCSU)
-  Earned the win against UMD after allowing two runs (one earned) on six hits with five strike outs
- Recorded his first career complete game (seven innings
- Lowered his ERA to 4.50 and setting a season-high in strike outs
Corbin Kirk (WSC)
- Fired four-hit shutout in Saturday's 4-0 win over St. Cloud State
- Second shutout and third complete game of season
- Threw 66 strikes in 101-pitch outing with five strikeouts and one walk
- Allowed just two runners to reach second base in game
Pierce Gritzmaker (WSU)
- Pitched 6.0 innings in the final game against SMSU
- Only allowed 7 hits and 4 runs in six innings
- Had a 3.95 ERA against the Mustangs
- Also has a 3.95 ERA this season
NSIC Baseball Players of the Week
2/13/24
Player: #4 Trey Wells – Wayne State  
Pitcher:  #12 Corbin Kirk – Wayne State
2/20/24
Player: #19 Mason Nadolney – Concordia-St. Paul
Pitcher: #21 Luke Tupy – St. Cloud State
2/27/24
Player: #2 Cal James – St. Cloud State
Pitcher: #26 Owen Weadge – Sioux Falls
3/4/24
Player: #2 Keenan Wenzel  - SMSU
Pitcher: #8 Ashton Michek  – Augustana
3/12/24
Player: #23 Jack Hines - Augustana
Pitcher: #48 Caleb Saari - Augustana
3/18/24
Player: #29 Noah Hull - UMary
Pitcher: #21 Luke Tupy – St. Cloud State (2) 
3/25/24
Player: #23 Nick Thimsen – Concordia-St. Paul
Pitcher: #23 Peter Tveite – Winona State
4/1/24
Player: #1 Isaac Nett - SMSU
Pitcher: #33 Pierce Gritzmaker  - Winona State
4/8/24
Player: #23 Jack Hines - Augustana (2)
Pitcher: #48 Caleb Saari - Augustana (2)
4/15/24
Player: #12 Chase McDaniel – SMSU
Pitcher: #49 Mariano Gomez – Augustana
4/22/24
Player: #17 Nicholas Ochoa – Northern State
Pitcher: #24 Lukas Frers - University of Mary

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 27 team national championships and crowned 113 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.