CROOKSTON, Minn. – The University of Minnesota Crookston baseball program commences the 2023 season with a two-game series at Hawai'i Pacific University Saturday, February 11 and Sunday, February 12. Both games will commence at 6 p.m. C.T. Central O'ahu Regional Park in Waipahu, Hawai'i.

The Golden Eagles are coming off an 18-27 (10-16 NSIC) mark. Minnesota Crookston is looking to return to the NSIC Tournament after missing it in 2022. The Golden Eagles have made four appearances since 2016. The 2021 squad was a game shy of the NSIC Championship game. This year's tournament will take place in Bismarck and Mandan, N.D. The Golden Eagles enter their ninth season under Head Coach Steve Gust, who has won 167 games at UMN Crookston.

Around the Horn
Catchers – Matt Nunn (Sr., C, Edina, Minn.) leads the way for the catchers coming into the 2023 season. Nunn was injured in 2022, but played mostly as a designated hitter. Nunn hit .267 in 2022, with 33 starts. He scored 13 runs, with seven doubles, and 18 RBIs. Minnesota Crookston will also look to Danny Wensloff (Jr., C/OF, Roseau, Minn.) and Chris Bollefer (Jr., C, Centennial, Colo.). Wensloff is coming from Itasca C.C., while Bollefer joins the squad from the College of San Mateo.

First Base – Teddy Giefer (Jr., 1B, Courtland, Minn.) and Jake Hjelle (R-Jr., OF/1B, East Grand Forks, Minn.) are the top returners at first base. Giefer hit .219 in 2022, with nine runs scored, three doubles, one home run, and 11 RBIs. Hjelle hit .314 as a sophomore, with 38 runs scored, nine doubles, one triple, a team-high 13 home runs, and 38 RBIs. The Golden Eagles also look for Josh Dykhoff (Fr., RHP/1B, Wadena, Minn.) to see some time as a freshman.

Second Base – Minnesota Crookston looks for three players to possibly see most of the time at second base this season. Paxton Nelson (Sr., IF, Spicer, Minn.) mostly played in the outfield last season. He started eight games, hitting .120 with nine runs scored. Kobe Senn (R-Fr., IF, Fargo, N.D.) and Sawyer Satrom (R-Fr., IF, Portland, N.D.) are both exciting young players for the Golden Eagles. Both redshirted last season.

Third Base – Mike Hallquist (Jr., 3B, Fargo, N.D.) looks to be an immediate contributor after transferring from Bismarck State College. He hit .462 last season for the Mystics, with 15 home runs, and 64 RBIs. Camdin Miller (Jr., 3B/C, Williston, N.D.) also looks to be a factor after appearing in five games in 2022.

Short Stop – Mitch Goodwin (Jr., SS, Prior Lake, Minn.) returns at short stop after starting all 45 games as a sophomore. Goodwin hit .196, with 25 runs scored, a team-high 12 doubles, two home runs, and 17 RBIs. Satrom will also look to be a possibility at short stop this season.

Outfield – The Golden Eagles have a lot of experience and options in the outfield in 2023. Leading the way are returners Hjelle and Ben Goelz (Jr., OF, Maple Lake, Minn.). Goelz hit a team-high .318 in 2022. He scored 14 runs, with six doubles, one triple, and 20 RBIs. Caden Headlee (Jr., OF, Fargo, N.D.) looks to make a major impact after transferring from Bismarck State College. Headlee was injured last season, but in 2021 he hit .446, with 33 runs scored, 13 doubles, one triple, two home runs, and 42 RBIs.

Minnesota Crookston also returns Zeke Hass (Sr., OF, Eaton, Colo.) and Conner Fonger (R-Jr., OF, Superior, Wis.). Hass started 28 games in 2022 and hit .223 with 13 runs scored, 10 doubles, and 17 RBIs. Fonger appeared in 15 games and scored two runs. The Golden Eagles have several other players who could factor into the outfield equation this season. Christian Norby (Jr., OF, Ashby, Minn.) hit .280 as a sophomore, with 21 runs scored, two home runs, and 25 RBIs. Wensloff could also factor in the outfield, as could Angelo Pacyga (R-Fr., OF, Sunfish Lake, Minn.) and Connor Bushbaum (R-Fr., OF, Saginaw, Minn.).

Starting Pitchers – Minnesota Crookston's starting pitching is what anchors them heading into the 2023 season. The top five starters heading into 2023 read much the same as they did in 2021 when the Golden Eagles finished one game shy of the NSIC Championship. Jake Dykhoff (R-Sr., RHP, Wadena, Minn.) returns after going 6-6 with a 2.84 ERA in 73 innings pitched. Dykhoff struck out 85, and walked just 16. Jake Osowski (R-Jr., RHP, East Grand Forks, Minn.) was mister reliable last season. He was 5-0 with a 1.94 ERA in 55.2 innings pitched. Alex Koep (Jr., LHP, Parkers Prairie, Minn.) returns after going 3-5, with a 3.90 ERA in 62.1 innings pitched. Koep struck out 83 and walked just 19. Conner Richardson (R-Sr., RHP, Grand Forks, N.D.) has been a staple for five seasons. Richardson went 1-6 with a 4.74 ERA in 2022. Matt Nelson (R-Sr., RHP, Afton, Minn.) has also been a staple in the line-up. He was 1-1 with an 8.46 ERA in 2022. Josh Dykhoff is another player who could factor into the rotation in some way in 2023.

Bullpen – The Golden Eagles are anchored by Brody Sorenson (Jr., RHP, Grand Forks, N.D.), who had 15 appearances in 2022. He had a great impact in 2021, when he posted six saves and a 3.58 ERA in 27.2 innings pitched. Jakob Wiirre (Sr., RHP, Mims, Fla.) looks to have a prominent role at the back-end of the bullpen. Wiirre had a 5.27 ERA in 12 appearances in 2022. Jackson Schneider (R-Sr., RHP, Forest Lake, Minn.) also looks to have a prominent role. Schneider made 13 appearances out of the bullpen in 2022.

Minnesota Crookston will look to several players who either played less prominent roles in 2022, or who are new to the squad. Nate Grafsgaard (Jr., RHP, Devils Lake, N.D.) joins the team from Lake Region State College. Max Weber (So., RHP, St. Paul, Minn.) made one scoreless appearance in 2022. Isaac Wensloff (Fr., RHP, Roseau, Minn.) and Joey Connelly (Fr., LHP, Eden Prairie, Minn.) are both freshmen for the Golden Eagles. Derin Gaudette (So., RHP, New York Mills, Minn.) joined the team at semester. He had a 1.86 ERA with 58 strikeouts as a freshman at Central Lakes College.

Hawai'I Pacific
Top Returners at the Plate
Sr. OF 3 D.J. Stephens, Nanakuli, Hawai'i
Sr. IF 2 Nicholas Jio, San Diego, Calif.
So. IF 7 Tejean Smith, Sacramento, Calif.
Sr. OF 1 Cole Kashimoto, Kaneohe, Hawai'i
Jr. OF 5 Haydon Huff, Riverside, Calif.
Gr. IF 29 Richard Higa, Honolulu, Hawai'i
Jr. IF 13 Jonathan Lucio, Los Angeles, Calif.

Top Returners on the Mound
Jr. RHP 44 Jack O'Brien, San Diego, Calif.
Jr. RHP 50 Makana Quia, Waipahu, Hawai'i
Jr. RHP 12 Mac Leisher, Honolulu, Hawai'i
Sr. RHP 20 Edward Lee, Honolu, Hawai'i

The Sharks also open their 2023 season this weekend against the Golden Eagles. They went 17-27 during the 2022 campaign. Hawai'i Pacific is led by second-year skipper Dane Fujinaka.
Hawai'i Pacific hit .287 as a team. The Sharks scored 253 runs, with 66 doubles, 16 triples, 14 home runs, and 209 RBIs. The Sharks return seven starters at the plate for the 2023 season. D.J. Stephens is the top returner for Hawai'i Pacific. He hit .359 last season, with 33 runs scored, one home run, and 17 RBIs. Nicholas Jio is also back, after batting .346 with 33 runs scored, two home runs, and 25 RBIs. Also back for the Sharks is Tejean Smith, who batted .319, with 27 runs scored, 10 doubles, four home runs, and 31 RBIs. Cole Kashimoto returns after hitting .307, with 24 runs scored, two home runs, and 16 RBIs.

On the mound, Hawai'i Pacific had a 5.60 ERA as a staff last season, with 303 strikeouts, and 156 walks. Jack O'Brien anchors the Sharks. He started 10 games and went 3-3 with a 3.95 ERA in 54.2 innings pitched. O'Brien struck out 51 and walked 17. Makana Quia returns after posting a 1-2 mark and a 4.94 ERA in 23.2 innings pitched. Mac Leisher is also back, after going 0-2 with a 5.24 ERA in 22.1 innings pitched. Also returning is Edward Lee, who was 3-1 with a 5.32 ERA in 23.2 innings on the bump.