Baseball | 3/10/2026 2:05:00 PM
CROOKSTON, Minn. - The University of Minnesota Crookston baseball team is set to take on Wayne State College Friday, March 13 at 2 p.m., and Saturday, March 14 at 12 and 2 p.m. The games have been relocated to the Pete Chapman Baseball Complex in Wayne, Neb. The game was relocated due to temperatures and inclement weather in the Red River Valley, and were moved up a day due to forecasted inclement weather in Nebraska Sunday.
Minnesota Crookston vs. Wayne State
Friday, March 13 - 2 p.m.
Saturday, March 14 - 12 and 2 p.m.
Live Stats - WSU(6)~1 6 WSC 8 Final
Live Video - nsicnetwork.com/wscwildcats/
The Golden Eagles exit non-conference play with an 11-7 (4-2 NSIC) mark. Minnesota Crookston is currently tied for fourth in the standings with Minot State, after winning series over Concordia University-St. Paul and Southwest Minnesota State University. Wayne State comes into the weekend with a 10-9 (2-4 NSIC) record. The Wildcats are currently tied for ninth in the standings. Wayne State lost their NSIC series to St. Cloud State, and Minnesota Duluth. They are coming off a 3-1 mark in non-conference tilts in Cary, N.C. Minnesota Crookston went 3-1 against the Wildcats in Pueblo, Colo., last season. They are 4-4 in their last eight games with Wayne State, and lead the series 15-10 since Steve Gust began coaching the Golden Eagles in 2015. The Golden Eagles and Wildcats are playing in Wayne, Neb., for the first time since April 3, 2016. They have only played one game in either Wayne or Crookston since 2016, and that was in Crookston in 2022. Since 2016 they have played conference series in Pueblo, Colo., Fort Scott, Kan., Elkhorn, Neb., and Omaha, Neb.
Minnesota Crookston Projected Starters
R-So. C 23 Jackson Fliflet, Wahpeton, N.D., .404, 22 R, 4 2B, 7 HR, 21 RBI
R-So. 1B 24 Cole Hebl, Hillsboro, N.D., .348, 14 R, 2 2B, 3 HR, 20 RBI
Fr. 2B 2 Thomas Schumacher, Thompson, N.D., .294, 8 R, 3 RBI
Jr. 3B 17 Aaron Wensloff, Roseau, Minn., .194, 18 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 1 HR, 10 RBI, 8 SB
Jr. SS/2B 1 Caden Kappes, Wahpeton, N.D., .326, 10 R, 4 2B, 1 3B, 9 RBI
Or So. SS 5 Kyler Miller, Grand Rapids, Minn., .278, 16 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 6 RBI
R-Sr. LF 6 Americo Sculati, Golden Valley, Minn., .301, 16 R, 3 2B, 7 HR, 21 RBI
Jr. CF 4 Tori Uhlich, Wahpeton, N.D., .324, 19 R, 7 2B, 12 RBI, 13 SB
R-Sr. RF 21 Connor Bushbaum, Saginaw, Minn., .340, 16 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 11 RBI, 10 SB
Fr. DH/RF 29 Elias Leach, Plymouth, Minn., .377, 20 R, 4 2B, 3 HR, 18 RBI
Or Jr. DH 20 Nate Heymann, Waimea, Hawai'i, .273, 5 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI
Top Pitchers
Sr. LHP 8 Kyle Odenbach, Thompson, N.D., 1-0 6.30 ERA, 20 IP, 12 K, 10 BB
Sr. RHP 3 Isaac Wensloff, Roseau, Minn., 2-1 6.63 ERA, 19 IP, 22 K, 6 BB
R-Sr. RHP 16 Isaac Roers, Stacy, Minn., 0-0 9.53 ERA, 17 IP, 22 K, 6 BB
Jr. LHP 37 Nate Benning, Browerville, Minn., 1-0 7.63 ERA, 15.1 IP, 14 K, 8 BB
Fr. LHP 32 Ashton Detloff, Perham, Minn., 3-0 1.38 ERA, 13.0 IP, 12 K, 7 BB
Jr. RHP 20 Nate Heymann, Waimea, Hawai'i, 2-1 2.79 ERA, 9.2 IP, 8 K, 2 BB
R-Fr. RHP 38 Braden Nelson, Minot, N.D., 1-0 1.42 ERA, 6.1 IP, 6 K, 1 BB
So. RHP 12 Kaylor Chamberlain, Mankato, Minn., 0-0 3.38 ERA, 5.1 IP, 1 SV, 4 K, 2 BB
Sr. LHP 39 Joey Connelly, Eden Prairie, Minn., 0-1 5.40 ERA, 5.0 IP, 3 SV, 4 K, 4 BB
Minnesota Crookston enters the week on a three-game winning streak after big wins in Florida. The Golden Eagles went 5-2 during their Florida excursion. They entered the same week last year with a 6-8 mark. Minnesota Crookston is third in the league in batting average at .315, with 172 runs scored, 31 doubles, two triples, 25 home runs, and 138 RBI. The Golden Eagles are tied for the league-lead with Bemidji State for stolen bases with 52. They also lead the league with 100 walks, and are second in home runs. Jackson Fliflet (R-So., C, Wahpeton, N.D.) has burst on to the scene hitting .404 with 22 runs scored, four doubles, seven home runs, and 21 RBI. He is tied with Americo Sculati (R-Sr., OF, Golden Valley, Minn.) for the league-lead in home runs. Sculati is batting .301, with 16 runs scored, three doubles, seven home runs, and 21 RBI. Elias Leach (Fr., OF/LHP, Plymouth, Minn.) has made an instant impact as a freshman, swinging .377 with 20 runs scored, four doubles, three home runs, and 18 RBI. Caden Kappes (Jr., 2B/SS, Wahpeton, N.D.) is hitting .326 with 10 runs scored, four doubles, and nine RBI. Tori Uhlich (Jr., OF, Wahpeton, N.D.) comes in with a team-high 13 stolen bases, while Connor Bushbaum (R-Sr., OF, Saginaw, Minn.) has 10 swipes.
Minnesota Crookston's pitching staff has a 6.80 ERA with 127 strikeouts, and 84 walks. Kyle Odenbach (Sr., LHP, Thompson, N.D.) is 1-0 with a 6.30 ERA in 20 innings, with 12 strikeouts and 10 walks. Isaac Wensloff (Sr., RHP, Roseau, Minn.) is 2-1 with a 6.63 ERA in 19 innings, with 22 strikeouts and six walks. Nate Benning (Jr., LHP, Browerville, Minn.) is 1-0 with a 7.63 ERA in 15.1 innings, with 14 strikeouts and eight walks. Ashton Detloff (Fr., LHP, Perham, Minn.) has been reliable as a rookie, with a 3-0 mark and a 1.38 ERA in 13 innings, with 12 strikeouts and seven walks. Nate Heymann (Jr., OF/RHP, Waimea, Hawai'i) is 2-1 with a 2.79 ERA in 9.2 innings, with eight strikeouts and four walks. Braden Nelson (R-Fr., RHP, Minot, N.D.) is coming off an outstanding week out of the bullpen going 1-0 with a 1.42 ERA in 6.1 innings with six strikeouts and one walk. Joey Connelly (Sr., LHP, Eden Prairie, Minn.) is 0-1 with a 5.40 ERA in five innings with four strikeouts and four walks.
Wayne State Projected Starters
Fr. C 16 Easton Leahy, Omaha, Neb., .364, 1 R, 1 2B, 1 HR, 4 RBI
Or Sr. C 28 Casey Prychak, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, .311, 8 R, 2 2B, 1 3B, 2 HR, 8 RBI
Jr. 1B/DH 11 Gabe Monosmith, Ankeny, Iowa, .319, 10 R, 5 2B, 3 HR, 15 RBI
Or R-So. 1B 12 Brooks Kneifl, Wayne, Neb., .097, 2 R, 3 RBI
Fr. 2B 37 Tony Coniglio, Omaha, Neb., .333, 1 R
Or Sr. 2B 33 Paul Schuyler, Bellevue, Neb., .299, 11 R, 2 3B, 1 3B, 9 RBI
Sr. 3B 10 Braden Cannon, Omaha, Neb., .271, 9 R, 4 2B, 1 HR, 14 RBI
Sr. SS 20 Nate Cunningham, Elkhorn, Neb., .351, 19 R, 4 2B, 3 3B, 3 HR, 13 RBI
Jr. LF/DH 22 Max Heard, Omaha, Neb., .338, 15 R, 2 2B, 1 HR, 13 RBI
Or R-Jr. LF 14 Noah Strizek, Lincoln, Neb., .176, 4 R, 1 2B, 1 RBI
Sr. CF 8 Easton Mains, Omaha, Neb., .160, 8 R, 1 2B, 1 3B, 3 RBI
Or Jr. CF 7 Brayden Chaney, Gretna, Neb., .232, 15 R, 1 2B, 2 3B, 1 HR, 7 RBI
R-Sr. RF 5 Cam Madsen, Papillion, Neb., .277, 11 R, 1 2B, 6 RBI
Jr. DH 17 Korey Cozad, Omaha, Neb., .167, 1 R, 3 RBI
Top Pitchers
Fr. RHP 13 Tyler Albert, Omaha, Neb., 3-1 5.88 ERA, 26.0 IP, 27 K, 6 BB
Jr. RHP 34 Matthias Trondson, Toronto, Ontario, 0-1 3.18 ERA, 17.0 IP, 11 K, 8 BB
Gr. RHP 25 Kadyn Van Hill, Omaha, Neb., 1-0 2.57 ERA, 14.0 IP, 11 K, 1 BB
Jr. LHP 15 Braden Sweet, Omaha, Neb., 1-1 7.24 ERA, 13.2 IP, 9 K, 9 BB
So. RHP 24 Carson Obrecht, Omaha, Neb., 0-3 9.24 ERA, 12.2 IP, 11 K, 10 BB
R-So. LHP 12 Brooks Kneifl, Wayne, Neb., 0-0 1.54 ERA, 11.2 IP, 15 K, 3 BB
Jr. LHP 6 Conlin Grady, Omaha, Neb., 3-0 6.55 ERA, 11.0 IP, 7 K, 7 BB
Fr. RHP 36 Drew Lieser, St. Cloud, Minn., 0-1 6.75 ERA, 10.2 IP, 7 K, 2 BB
Jr. LHP 9 Adam Eggert, Plattsmouth, Neb., 0-0 9.00 ERA, 9.0 IP, 6 K, 6 BB
Wayne State is hitting .273 with 120 runs scored, 26 doubles, eight triples, 12 home runs, and 99 RBI. The Wildcats are led by Nate Cunningham, who comes in swinging .351 with 19 runs scored, four doubles, three triples, three home runs, and 13 RBI. Max Heard is hitting .338 with 15 runs scored, two doubles, one home run, and 13 RBI. Gabe Monosmith comes in swinging .319 with 10 runs scored, five doubles, three home runs, and 15 RBI. Casey Prychak is batting .311, with eight runs scored, two home runs, and eight RBI. Paul Schuyler is hitting .299 with 11 runs scored, three doubles, one triple, and nine RBI.
On the bump, the Wildcats have a 6.11 ERA in 154.2 innings, with 124 strikeouts and 67 walks. Freshman righty Tyler Albert is 3-1 with a 5.88 ERA in 26 innings, with 27 strikeouts and six walks. Matthias Trondson is 0-1 with a 3.18 ERA in 17 innings with 11 strikeouts and eight walks. Kadyn Van Hill is 1-0 with a 2.57 ERA in 14 innings with 11 strikeouts and one walk. In the bullpen, Braden Cannon has four saves with a 1.35 ERA in 6.2 innings.
