ST. PETER, Minn. – The Gustavus baseball team is set for its season finale Saturday at home against St. Thomas. The Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader begins at 1 p.m. at the Gustie Baseball Field. The Gusties enter the matchup 20-16 overall and 8-10 in the MIAC, while the Tommies are 23-12 overall and 15-3 in the league. The doubleheader is designated as Senior Day as 11 Gustie seniors will be honored. The Hill Crew will also host Faculty Appreciation Day. The Hill Crew’s focus is to collect school supply donations for the volleyball team’s trip to Nicaragua this summer. Fans who make a donation will be entered into a drawing for a prize.
Live coverage of the doubleheader begins at approximately 12:45 p.m. and AM 860 KNUJ will be on the call for both games.
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Senior Day: As is tradition as Gustavus, the final home game of the regular season is designated as Senior Day and a special tribute is made to the individuals who have dedicated themselves to Gustavus baseball the past four years. This year, the Athletics Department, Head Coach Brad Baker, parents, and fans salute the 11 student-athletes who have represented the baseball program with pride and class throughout their collegiate careers. Student-athletes honored today for their years of commitment include Jacob Braun (Wayzata, Minn.), Danny Carlson (Plymouth, Minn.), Sam Carlson (St. James, Minn.), Josh Chatfield (Apple Valley, Minn.), John DeMarais (Winona, Minn.), Lukas Hanson (Minneapolis, Minn.), Connor Kern (Hutchinson, Minn.), Kyle Pinke (St. James, Minn.), Logan Thomas (Lake City, Minn.) Isaiah Welckle (Minneapolis, Minn.), and Brendan Zangs (St. Paul, Minn.).
Most appearances: Junior pitcher Casey Lewandoski (Fairbanks, Alaska) made his 17th appearance of the season Wednesday, coming in relief and earning the win against Augsburg. Lewandoski’s 17th appearance surpassed Anders Schmidt’s (2003-06) program record 16 appearances in a season, set in 2004. During the 2004 season, Schmidt posted a 4-2 record and 2.76 ERA in 29 and a third innings. This season, Lewandoski is 4-1 with a 3.48 ERA after 31 innings.
Last season: The Gustavus baseball team put together its most impressive MIAC sweep in years on May 7, 2016 against the University of St. Thomas. The Gusties used two last-inning comebacks to claim wins of 6-5 and 5-4, sweeping the No. 15 nationally ranked Tommies for the first time since 2001. The victories also ended a seven-game losing streak against St. Thomas dating back to 2012. Trailing 5-4 in the top of the seventh of game one, the Gusties rallied for two runs and held on for the win. Cody Christensen singled to right field and later scored on a sacrifice fly by Danny Carlson. Sam Warner then singled in Isaiah Welckle who reached on a bunt single. As was the case in game one, the Gusties used a two-run final inning to secure the victory in game two. Trailing 4-3 in the top of the ninth, Brock Peterson and Joe Melles walked (Kimlinger pinch ran for Melles) and were driven home on a double to right field off the bat of Neil Engler, which proved to be the game winning hit.