CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston baseball team will open up the 2016 season this weekend as they make the trek down to Rolla, Mo., to take on Missouri University of Science & Technology.

The Golden Eagles will take on the Miners Sat., Feb. 27 at 12 and 2 p.m. at the Missouri S&T Baseball Field and Sun., Feb. 28 at 12 and 2 p.m. Missouri S&T is 4-0 on the season entering the weekend. The Miners went 25-26 last season and 19-17 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC). UMC is coming off their best season in program history with a 14-36 (8-26 NSIC) mark in Head Coach Steve Gust's first season.

Minnesota Crookston returns a plethora of talent from last season's roster including eight starters in the field and four starters on the mound. The Golden Eagles increased their roster size to 43 this season. 32 players will open the season eligible to play this season with 11 players redshirting. Gust has increased the number from the 20 that he inherited from the previous roster prior to the 2015 season.

Missouri S&T has been led this season by Nick Ulrich, who is hitting .467 in 15 at-bats with three runs scored and six RBI's. In addition to Ulrich, Tyler Johnson is batting .385 with three runs scored and two RBI's.

On the mound, the Miners look to Keith Coulson, who is 1-0 with a complete-game shutout in his first appearance. Coulson had six strikeouts. Aaron Bedsworth comes in with a 1-0 mark with a 1.42 ERA in 6.1 innings pitched with 10 strikeouts.

Around The Horn
Catchers
The Golden Eagles are led behind the dish by Colton Haight (Sr., C, Rogers, Minn.) who has logged a lot of time behind the plate in his three previous seasons. Haight hit .298 last season with a .410 on-base percentage. He had a team-high 38 runs scored and added 27 RBI's. Zach Frazier (R-So., C, Grand Rapids, Minn.) came on last season, hitting .213 in 29 starts. Frazier and Haight both have strong command of the pitchers. In addition, newcomer David Olson (Jr., C, Stillwater, Minn.) will see time for the Golden Eagles behind the plate.

First Base
UMC is led by one of the best defensive first basemen in the NSIC in Ryan Haggstrom (Sr., 1B, Apple Valley, Minn.). Haggstrom was an All-NSIC Gold Glove recipient last season after posting a .995 fielding percentage with 399 putouts and 30 assists with just two errors. At the plate, Haggstrom led the Golden Eagles with a .346 batting average with 38 runs scored. He also added 33 RBI's. The 6-5 player led the team with 10 stolen bases on the season. Reed Hjelle (Fr., 1B/OF, East Grand Forks, Minn.) will provide a solid back-up at first for the Golden Eagles.

Second Base
The Golden Eagles return Thomas Kinsella (Sr., IF, North Branch, Minn.), who offered a strong bat for Minnesota Crookston last season. Kinsella started the year at third base, but found more comfort at second base for the Golden Eagles. Kinsella hit .309 in 49 starts. He had 31 runs scored, 13 doubles and 25 RBI's on the year. Patrick Amerson (Jr., IF, Eloy, Arizona) and Jeremy Spinner (So., IF, Phoenix, Ariz.) will provide depth at second base. Spinner is new to the team after transferring from Dakota College at Bottineau, while Amerson appeared in 20 games last season for the Golden Eagles.

Third Base
Minnesota Crookston will enter the weekend with Jason Angelo (So., IF, Manteca, Calif.) as the leader to play at third base. Angelo had a strong junior college career at City College of San Francisco. In addition, Colt Trebsech (Sr., IF, Glencoe, Minn.) provides a steady defensive option at third. Trebesch appeared in eight games last season with a .286 batting average. Amerson will also provide depth at the position.

Short Stop
The Golden Eagles are led by Ethan Mushitz (So., SS, East Grand Forks, Minn.) at the short stop position. The local product had a strong freshman year at the plate, hitting .314 with 32 runs scored, 10 doubles and 20 RBI's. He will look to continue to improve defensively. Spinner and Amerson will provide depth at the position.

Left Field
Minnesota Crookston will look primarily to two players in left field to open the season. Patrick Higgins (Jr., OF, Eagan, Minn.) has been a strong contributor over the past two seasons for the Golden Eagles. Higgins hit .274 last season with 28 runs scored and 16 RBI's. He will compete with Hjelle at the position, who will see time in left field with Haggstrom getting priority at first base. In addition, look for other players like Haight to see time back here when he isn't catching to utilize his bat.

Center Field
Dalton Parks (Sr., OF, West Valley City, Utah) returns in center after starting 49 games as a junior. Parks didn't hit for average last season, but had a .353 on-base percentage with a team-high 38 walks on the year. Parks had a .973 fileding percentage in center last season. He will be backed up by Timothy Scott, Jr. (Sr., OF, Macon, Ga.), who has improved in practice and should see time in the outfield. Scott appeared in 15 games last season, primarily as a pinch-runner.

Right Field
Two sophomores who have improved dramatically over the last year will battle for the time in right field. Riley Thompson (So., OF, Owatonna, Minn.) started 13 games last season, while hitting .240 with six runs scored. He is joined by Mitchell Bornhauser (So., OF, Northfield, Minn.), who only appeared in four games, but his first career collegiate hit was a double in Clearwater, Fla., last season. Bornhauser will push for playing time this season.

Designated Hitter
Kenny Perez (Sr., DH, Orlando, Fla.) returns at designated hitter for the Golden Eagles. Perez was the only player, other than Haggstrom, to start all 50 games last season. He hit .341 on the season with 21 runs scored, 18 doubles, four home-runs, a team-high 37 RBI's and a .516 slugging percentage. Also look for strong bats like Haight and Hjelle to potentially see time behind Perez, who also can play first or third.
 
Starting Pitchers
The Golden Eagles are led in their starting rotation by Nolan Wahlberg (Sr., RHP, Blaine, Minn.). Wahlberg came in and quickly set the school wins record with a 6-4 mark on the season with a 4.52 ERA and five complete games in 77.2 innings pitched. Wahlberg had 28 strikeouts on the season. He is joined by Jarad Nelson (Sr., RHP, Karlstad, Minn.), who also had a strong season, with a 4-3 mark and two complete games in 69.2 innings pitched last season.

Also returning to the rotation will be Trevor Buttermore (Sr., RHP, North St. Paul, Minn.). Buttermore struggled with command at times last season, but is poised for improvement in that area. He started nine games last season with 41.2 innings pitched and 25 strikeouts.

Look for newcomer Zac Carrillo (Jr., RHP, Manteca, Calif.) to have an impact of some sort in the starting rotation. Carrillo had a strong career at City College of San Francisco before transferring to UMC. Cody Pamperin (Jr., RHP, Shakopee, Minn.) is also battling for a spot. Pamperin has seen time as a starter and reliever. Last season he was primarily used out of the pen with a 2-2 mark in 23.2 innings pitched. Luke Thoma (Sr., RHP, Little Falls, Minn.) also has experience starting or relieving. Thoma started seven games with 49.2 innings pitched and 27 strikeouts last season.

Left-Handed Pitchers
The Golden Eagles have three lefties on the 2016 roster. UMC is still trying to determine who will start and who will come out the pen but all three will see time for the Golden Eagles. Nate Albrecht (Fr., LHP, Wahpeton, N.D.) give UMC a big leftie, who saw success on the North Dakota High School scene. UMC also has Skyler Carlson (Jr., LHP, Thompson, N.D.), who had a strong career at Lake Region State College.

In addition, Aaron Hollcraft (Fr., LHP, Crookston, Minn.), one of the best athletes out of Crookston High School in recent history, will offer a strong arm for the Golden Eagles once the UMC men's basketball season is over. The two-sport athlete figures to contribute in some way.

Bullpen
The Golden Eagles have several experienced arms in the bullpen. Marcus Campbell (Sr., RHP, St. Croix Falls, Wis.) has improved in the off-season after appearing in 12 innings out of the pen last year. In addition, Thoma figures to see time out of the pen. Cayden Barta (Jr., RHP, Fargo, N.D.) appeared in 9.2 innings last season out of the pen. Wyatt Huso (So., RHP, Eagan, Minn.) had a 1-1 mark in 14.1 innings pitched out of the pen last season.

Minnesota Crookston will have several newcomers who should have a major impact on the pen. Freshman Zach Seipel (RHP, Eagan, Minn.), originally came to UMC as a catcher but quickly proved what he could do as a pitcher. Seipel will figure prominently in the bullpen. Also look for Matthew Dallas (Jr., RHP, Boise, Idaho) to make an impact after transferring from Blue Mountain College. UMC will also utilize their lefties out of the pen. In addition, Haggstrom and Trebesch also have experience as pitchers, as well as in the field.
 
Coaching Staff
Steve Gust did a great job in his first season to turn UMC from a 1-47 record in 2014 under the previous staff to a program-best 14 wins in 2015. The next step for the Golden Eagles is to continue to build on last season's successes and climb up in the NSIC standings.

Gust is joined on the bench by former UMC player Ryan Paasch. Paasch is in his first season with the Golden Eagles. He worked primarily out of the bullpen in his career and holds the school record for appearances. He will aid Gust with the pitchers this season.

In addition, Kyle Isaacson has provided a great resource to the Golden Eagles as a Volunteer Assistant Coach, who has been around a lot for the Golden Eagles. Isaacson was a former catcher and will also assist with hitting. Isaacson also has a strong background in Strength and Conditioning. He was a former player for Gust at Dakota Wesleyan University.

Former minor league baseball player Alex Sumner is back as a Volunteer Assistant Coach for the Golden Eagles. He will also be around a lot and help with hitting and the infield. Sumner was also a player for Gust at Dakota Wesleyan University.

Michael Lukkason will also be a Volunteer Assistant Coach and make the games he can due to also having a full-time job. Lukkason was another former player for the Golden Eagles.

Redshirts
UMC has 11 players set to redshirt this season, who will contribute for the Golden Eagles beginning in the 2017 season. David Anaya (Jr., IF/OF, Tucson, Ariz.) played last season but will redshirt this year in order to have two more years to play. As is the case for Matt Nelson (So., UT, Lakeville, Minn.) and Brandon Kresl (Jr., 1B, Crookston, Minn.). UMC also has several newcomers that will redshirt with Clarke Peterson (Fr., C, East Grand Forks, Minn.), Esten Beneda (Fr., RHP, Lankin, N.D.), Jacob Butcher (Jr., RHP, Palmer, Alaska), Trevor Seis (Fr., 3B, Antigo, Wis.), Anthony Stewart (Jr., OF, Oak Harbor, Wash.), Wyatt Peppel (Fr., OF, Greenbush, Minn.), Seth McCarthy (Jr., RHP, Denver, Colo.) and Eric Newman (Fr., RHP, Buffalo, Minn.).

Active Roster

#	Full Name	Pos.	Ht.	Wt.	Year	Bat	Throw	Hometown	Previous School
2	Patrick Amerson	IF	5-8	170	Jr.	R	R	Eloy, Ariz.	Dakota Wesleyan University
3	Colt Trebesch	IF/RHP	5-10	165	Sr.	R	R	Glencoe, Minn.	Mesabi Range C.C.
4	Jarad Nelson	RHP	5-10	180	Sr.	R	R	Karlstad, Minn.	Northland C.T.C.
5	Dalton Parks	OF	5-9	140	Sr.	R	R	West Valley City, Utah	Brown Mackie College (Kan.)
7	Zach Frazier	C	6-4	210	R-So.	R	R	Grand Rapids, Minn.	Grand Rapids H.S.
8	Ryan Haggstrom	1B/RHP	6-5	215	Sr.	R	R	Apple Valley, Minn.	Eastview H.S.
9	Timothy Scott, Jr.	OF	6-0	170	Sr.	R	R	Macon, Ga.	Mesabi Range C.C. (Minn.)
10	Jason Angelo	IF	5-10	165	So.	R	R	Manteca, Calif.	City College of San Francisco
11	Patrick Higgins	OF	5-10	175	Jr.	R	R	Eagan, Minn.	Eagan H.S.
12	Skyler Carlson	LHP	6-1	210	Jr.	L	L	Thompson, N.D.	Lake Region State College
13	Thomas Kinsella	IF	6-1	190	Sr.	R	R	North Branch, Minn.	Anoka-Ramsey C.C.
14	Trevor Buttermore	RHP	6-1	230	Sr.	R	R	North St. Paul, Minn.	North St. Paul H.S.
15	Marcus Campbell	RHP	6-2	200	Sr.	R	R	St. Croix Falls, Wis.	University of Wisconsin-River Falls
16	Luke Thoma	RHP	5-11	215	Sr.	R	R	Little Falls, Minn.	Itasca C.C.
17	Wyatt Huso	RHP	6-2	235	R-So.	R	R	Eagan, Minn.	Eagan H.S.
18	Colton Haight	C/OF	6-0	205	Sr.	R	R	Rogers, Minn.	Buffalo H.S.
19	Riley Thompson	OF	6-1	210	So.	R	R	Owatonna, Minn.	Owatonna H.S.
20	Mitchell Bornhauser	OF	5-11	190	So.	R	R	Northfield, Minn.	Northfield H.S.
21	Zach Seipel	RHP	6-3	200	Fr.	R	R	Eagan, Minn.	Eagan H.S.
23	Jeremy Spinner	2B	5-8	140	So.	R	R	Phoenix, Ariz.	Dakota College at Bottineau (N.D.)
24	Cayden Barta	RHP	6-4	185	Jr.	R	R	Fargo, N.D.	Fargo Davies H.S.
25	Aaron Hollcraft	LHP	5-11	195	Fr.	L	L	Crookston, Minn.	Crookston H.S.
26	David Olson	C	6-0	200	Jr.	R	R	Stillwater, Minn.	Vermillion C.C.
27	Ethan Mushitz	IF	6-0	175	So.	L	R	East Grand Forks, Minn.	East Grand Forks H.S.
29	Kenny Perez	DH/1B	5-6	250	Sr.	R	R	Orlando, Fla.	Riverland C.C. (Minn.)
30	Nate Albrecht	LHP	6-1	250	Fr.	L	L	Wahpeton, N.D.	Wahpeton H.S.
31	Zac Carrillo	RHP	6-1	185	Jr.	R	R	Stockton, Calif.	City College of San Francisco
32	Nolan Wahlberg	RHP	6-6	250	Sr.	R	R	Blaine, Minn.	Century College
33	Reed Hjelle	1B/OF	6-2	215	Fr.	R	R	East Grand Forks, Minn.	East Grand Forks H.S.
34	Cody Pamperin	RHP	6-0	210	Jr.	R	R	Shakopee, Minn.	Shakopee H.S.
36	Matthew Dallas	RHP	6-0	190	Jr.	R	R	Boise, Idaho	Blue Mountain College (Ore.)