For Immediate Release
Monday, April 8, 2024
NSIC Media Relations

NSIC Player of the Week
#23 Jack Hines (IF, 6-2, 205, Sr., R/R, Lombard, Ill. / Willowbrook HS) – Augustana
 - Led Augustana to a 5-0 week
- Hit .450 (9-for-20) with four home runs, a double, two triples, 15 RBIs, nine runs scored
- Also added a sac fly, stolen base, and finished with a 1.755 OPS
- Had back-to-back multi home run games against UMary, including a grand slam in both
- Had a hit in each game and has now recorded at least a hit in 24 of 28 games
- Leads the NSIC with 14 home runs, 51 RBI, and a 1.435 OPS
- Named NSIC Player of the Week for the second time this season (3/12/24)

NSIC Pitcher of the Week
#48 Caleb Saari (RHP, 6-5, 240, Sr., R/R, Moorhead, Minn. / Moorhead HS) - Augustana
- Threw a 7-inning complete game shutout against UMary on Friday afternoon
- Struck out 10 while allowing just five hits
- Held the Marauders to a .208 average and got a pair of strikeouts looking
- Leads the team with a season WHIP of 0.98 and an opponent's batting average of .206
- Named NSIC Pitcher of the Week for the second time this season (3/12/24)


Other Top Performances - Player
Jake Hjelle (UMC)
- Hit .400 (6-of-15) in 3-of-4 series win over Winona State
- Had five RBI and four runs scored with a pair of walks
- Hit a home run in a game 2 win last Friday
Michael Gabbard (UMD)
- Was 8-14 (.571) and 3 RBIs over all four games against WSC
- Held a 1.000 field percentage with 8 put outs over 10 total chances
- Drove in the game winning fourth run in game three to break UMD's 10 game losing streak
Aidan Byrne (MSU) 
- Went 10-17 (.588 AVG) resulting in 11 total bases against Minot State
- Finished the weekend with a .647 slugging percentage and a .611 on-base percentage 
- Collected six runs on the weekend to go along with three RBI
- Went 2-2 in stolen base attempts
Brent Riddle (MINOT) 
- Went 6-for-12 on the weekend with 2 doubles, a triple, and an RBI for Minot State
- Added a stolen bases, and defensively had 12 putouts without and error
Nicholas Ochoa  (NSU) 
- Hit .417 (5-for-12) in the four-game series against St. Cloud Stat
- Recorded a slugging percentage of .417 and an on base percentage of .533
- Tallied five total bases, two runs, and one RBI on the weekend
- Was perfect on the defensive side with one putout and two assists after starting in all four games
Ben Serie (USF) 
- Led a USF offense that put up 45 runs over 4 games against Bemidji State
- Game 1 he went 1-2 with an RBI
- Game 2 he went 2-4 with 2 RBI 2 Runs Scored. He hit a triple and a homerun in this game
- Game 3 USF scored 22 runs. Ben went 3-4 with 5 RBI 3 Runs Scored and a stolen base
- Game 4 he went 1-4 with 1 RBI and 2 runs scored
- For the weekend, Ben went 7-14 with 9 RBI and 7 Runs Scored. He strukout once in 4 games
- Overall, he is hitting .324 for the season with a .945 OPS
- He has 53 total bases, a .520 slugging %, and a .425 OB%
Keenan Wenzel (SMSU)
- Batted .385 (5 for 13) with two home runs, three RBIs, three runs scored and 11 total bases
- Helped SMSU win three of four games from Concordia-St. Paul
- Closed with a .846 slugging pct. and a .500 on-base pct. with three walks and one sac bunt
- Had 11 put outs, eight assists and zero errors
- His two-run home run in the fourth inning of game four of the series cut SMSU's deficit 4-3 and an even-tual 6-5 walk-off victory
Drew Beier (SCSU)
- Hit .375 (6-for-16) with a home run and eight RBI with three stolen bases in four-game sweep of Northern State
- Hit his second home run of the season and matched a season-high in RBI with three in a 5-3 series-opening win on Thursday
- Had a career-best three stolen bases in a 12-3 win on Friday
- Has hit safely in seven straight games and has seven multi-RBI games this season
Cole Fuecker (WSU)
- Was 7-of-16 (.333) at the plate 
- Collected four RBI
- Had two walks and two doubles

Other Top Performances - Pitcher
Brody Sorenson (UMC) 
- Pitched a complete game in a win over Winona State
- Allowed two runs on five hits, striking out seven and walking just one
Brayden Buttweiler (UMD) 
- Threw 6.1 innings allowing three runs (one earned) on six hits
- Collected his third win of the season to break UMD's 10 game losing streak
- Held WSC to one run through the first five innings
Mitch Gutknecht (MSU) 
- The LHP came on in relief going three innings in Friday's DH against Minot State 
- He collected five strikeouts while only allowing one hit and no runs 
- Sported a .100 batting average against over the weekend
-Craig Schmich (MINOT)
- Picked up the win on the mound with 6 strong innings
- Struck out seven, allowing a run on three hits against Minnesota State
Owen Weadge (USF) 
- Threw 6.0 innings of shutout ball against Bemidji State this past weekend
- Allowed 1 hit and 3 walks
- Recorded 9 strikeouts and the win to improve to 3-1 on the year
- Overall, he has a 3.00 ERA, 1.21 WHIP, 40 strikeouts, and is 2nd in the NSIC in Opponent BA at .201
- In conference play, he has a 2.70 ERA and 29 strikeouts
- He is 2-0 and is 3rd in the NSIC in hits allowed with 28
Carter Petron  (SMSU) 
- Tossed a nine-inning, six-hit shutout to help SMSU win the final three games of the series over CSP
- Struck out five CSP batters (with two in the ninth inning), while walking four and hitting one batter
- Finished the game tossing 114 pitches with 73 for strikes
- The nine-inning shutout is the first by an SMSU pitcher since the 2015 season
- Is now 4-1 on the season with a 2.23 ERA in 32 ? innings recording 29 strikeouts
Jack Habeck (SCSU)
- Notched his fourth win of the season in an 8-2 win on Saturday to close out a four-game series sweep over Northern State
- Went 6.1 innings while only allowing one earned run on 10 hits with six strike outs
- The 6.1 innings was the second-longest outing of his season
- His four wins rank fourth in the NSIC, while his 40.0 innings pitched ranks seventh
Corbin Kirk (WSC)
- Pitched second straight complete game in Friday's 6-0 win at Minnesota Duluth
- Fired four-hit shutout with seven strikeouts and no walks
- Threw just 82 pitches with 58 strikes
- Has allowed just one run in last 14 innings pitched
Kole Hinrichsen (WSU) 
- Put together a solid outing against the University of Minnesota Crookston
- Threw six innings, scattering seven hits
- Struck out seven and did not allow a walk
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)

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.