Sports
CLICK here for
KVSC Sports Stream
SPORTS HOMEPAGE
SubscribeHuskies Hoops Sweep Beavers, Marauders on the Road
12/10/2018 - 11:45 AM
Photo - SCSU Athletics
12/7 – St. Cloud State 76 – University of Mary 64
In their first road game in the NSIC of the season, the Huskies knew they needed positive results after struggles against Duluth and Mankato. The Huskies would get that result behind strong games from senior Gage Davis and Brindley Theisen in a 76-64 win over Mary.
The score stayed tight in the beginning portions of the game, going back and forth in the first half with consistent scoring from both teams. Mary eventually was able to get in front of the Huskies by 6 points behind good shooting from behind the 3-point line.
SCSU would find their first lead of the game at 28-26, hitting back to back three pointers to jump in front of the Marauders.
Mary would stick around, and tie the game back up at 38 late in the first half. The halftime score would remain knotted up at 41 for both teams.
The Huskies would open the second half on a 7-0 scoring run, but Mary responded instantly with a 10-0 run of their own to take a 50-48 lead.
St. Cloud State need their playmakers to come up big at this point in the game, and they did just that. Brindley Theisen and Gage Davis posted double-digit scoring in the second half, not before a big first half performance from Sean Smith all together saw the Huskies get the lead back at 69-61 with just over three minutes remaining in the game.
The Marauders would not have a scoring run in them late, as the Huskies would knock off Mary 76-64 in Bismark for their first NSIC win of the season.
Gage Davis once again was dominant for SCSU, leading the huskies with 25 points. Brindley Theisen tallied 18 points, while Sean Smith earned 17 points in the win over Mary. Davis had a double double for SCSU with 14 rebounds.
12/8 – St. Cloud State 76 – Minot State 69
SCSU collected their first weekend sweep of the young season, topped off by a 76-69 win over Minot State Saturday night in Minot.
After a slow start for the Huskies offense in the opening moments of the game, a string of baskets pushed SCSU out to a 19-11 lead in the first half.
Minot State was able to work the ball inside, getting easy buckets streaking to tie the game with SCSU at 23 in the first half. MSU would take a 31-29 lead in the half.
The game would stay tight into the second half with both teams trading scoring buckets attempting to break away. With just over 7 minutes to go, the Huskies found a brief four point lead that was instantly answered by quality offense produced from the Beavers.
St. Cloud State would pull away at the very end behind some big baskets from Diamond Onwuka and Gage Davis pulling away from the Beavers with a 76 – 69 final score as the buzzer sounded.
Gage Davis collected his fourth straight game with more than 21 points for the Huskies, while Diamond Onwuka and Brindley Theisen also were in double digits for the Huskies.
SCSU walks away from the weekend 7-2 overall on the young season, also improving to 2-1 in NSIC play. The Huskies are back in Halenbeck Hall this weekend, taking on SMSU and then Sioux Falls. You can catch all of this weekends action LIVE on the KVSC Sports Stream.
#1 Wisconsin Sweep Huskies in St. Cloud
12/10/2018 - 9:10 AM
Photo - SCSU Athletics
12/7 - #1 Wisconsin 8 – St. Cloud State 2
The St. Cloud State women’s hockey team could not recover from four first period goals scored by the #1 ranked Badgers Friday afternoon falling 8-2 to Wisconsin.
Three of the four first period goals for Wisconsin came late in the period, led by junior Presley Norby who had two goals of the four goals total in the period.
Goal scoring trends for UW would remain headed into the second, as Annie Pankowski scored her 12th goal of the season for the Badgers pushing the lead to 5-0. Just minutes later, SCSU’s Hallie Theodosopoulos would find the back of the net for her 9th goal of the season to cut the lead to 5-1.
Wisconsin’s Annie Pankowski would fire in her second goal of the second period to take away any momentum the Huskies collected from the Theodosopoulos goal.
A five goal lead into the third period for the Badgers would be extended, as Sophie Shirley found the back of the net to push the lead to 7-1. SCSU’s Laura Kluge would collect the puck after a mistake in the crease by UW’s Kristen Campbell to give the Huskies their second goal of the game.
The Badgers were not done scoring, as Alexis Mauerman would find the second power play goal of the game for the Badgers propelling them to a 8-2 victory at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center Friday afternoon.
Emma Polusny in goal for SCSU came up with 42 saves but suffered her 6th loss in goal on the season for SCSU.
12/8 - #1 Wisconsin 3 – St. Cloud State 1
St. Cloud State battled to the end in a strong performance against the #1 ranked Badgers but came up short falling 3-1 completing the weekend sweep for Wisconsin.
The visiting team appeared to be keeping the first period scoring trend from Friday’s win going in Saturday’s battle, with freshman Britta Curl finding the back of the net just 6 minutes into the game giving a quick 1-0 lead to Wisconsin.
Despite the early setback, St. Cloud State played a very strong defensive effort keeping the Badgers at bay. Janine Alder was solid in goal the entire game for SCSU, stopping 22 Wisconsin shots alone in the second period. This led to the Huskies finding their only goal of the game, as Janna Haeg tipped in a shot from the blue line to tie the game at 2 in the 2nd period on the power play.
Haeg’s goal gave the Huskies life and momentum headed into the third period but it was not enough to hold off the offensive powerhouse of the Badgers. Wisconsin defender Mekenzie Steffen found the game winning goal with just over 7 minutes remaining in the third period. Annie Pankowski would find an empty net goal late for the Badgers to seal the game for UW.
Janine Alder was outstanding in goal for the Huskies, finishing the game with 46 saves.
With the win, Wisconsin extends its current win streak to 10. SCSU falls in a losing slump of four straight after getting swept in WCHA play two weekends in a row.
The Huskies are back on the ice December 29th and 30th in a non-conference match up with Lindenwood at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.
Huskies Women's Hoops split weekend road trip, Dammann the hero vs Minot State
12/10/2018 - 9:00 AM
Photo - SCSU Athletics
12/7 – St. Cloud State 47 – University of Mary 59 – FINAL
The Huskies were looking to get a road trip off to a hot start against Mary Friday afternoon, but fell to the Mauraders 59 – 47.
SCSU opened up the contest with a 16-10 lead after the 1st quarter, but Mary would respond late in the game with a 25-11 scoring outburst in the 4th quarter leading them to a 59-47 win over the Huskies.
St. Cloud State lead for three quarters of the game Friday afternoon, but could not hold onto the lead into the fourth quarter for the loss.
Junior Madelin Dammann led the Huskies offensively with 13 points, along with good work on the glass with 5 rebounds as well. Mallie Doucette and Tori Wortz also tagged along eight points for the Huskies as well.
Despite leading most of the game, SCSU offensively struggled finishing the game shooting 28% from the field and just 26% from behind the arc. Mary dominated the boards, finishing the game out rebounding SCSU 46-24.
The loss drops the Huskies to open NSIC play with a record of 0-2.
12/8 – St. Cloud State 61 – Minot State 60 – FINAL
Junior Madelin Dammann hit the game winning shot leaving just 0.1 seconds on the clock for the Huskies, propelling them to a dramatic 61-60 win over the Beavers in Minot.
With the final seconds ticking off the clock in the fourth quarter and the Huskies trailing by two, it was Dammann that collected the offensive rebound and put the shot back up along the baseline to sink Minot State. Dammann led all Huskies in scoring for the second straight game, finishing with 16 points.
Sophomore forward Nikki Kilboten collected a career – high 12 points in the win over MSU as well as freshman Katrina Theis not far behind with 11 points of her own.
Minot State out scored SCSU in the second quarter 23 – 3 to take a lead into the halftime break, but SCSU would finish the game outscoring the Beavers in the final two quarters.
The Huskies are back in Halenbeck Hall this weekend, taking on SMSU and the Sioux Falls. You can catch all of this weekends action LIVE on the KVSC Sports Stream.
Men's Hockey Welcomes In Struggling Mavericks
12/05/2018 - 5:00 PM
Credit: SCSU Athletics
The Huskies (11-1-2) come into the weekend to face the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks (4-8-2) riding an eight game unbeaten streak but the feel from last weekend is more of a letdown than being excited from keeping that streak going.
The Huskies went to Oxford, Ohio and hit a RedHawks team in stride. The RedHawks were with St. Cloud in every step of the game. The games both officially ended in a tie but the two teams split extra NCHC points.
The Huskies picked up one on Friday in the Shootout and the RedHawks picked one up on Saturday when they scored in the 3-on-3 overtime.
The Mavericks come into the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center on a less than stellar campaign so far. They have key sweep against Arizona State and key wins against Western Michigan and Miami (OH).
The Mavericks are led by senior forward Mason Morelli, freshman Taylor Ward and senior Steven Spinner. On the offensive end the Mavericks rank near the bottom on the conference. Morelli and Ward won NCHC Player of the Month and NCHC Rookie of the Month, respectively, for November.
Morelli has 9 goals and 9 assists on the season and Ward has 5 goals and 8 assists this season. Spinner was an offensive force before he came to Omaha but in his four years he has left you wanting more and this season is the same with only 4 points in 13 games.
Nebraska-Omaha has a veteran backstop in senior Evan Weninger. Weninger is having his worst season of his college career statistically. He comes in sporting a 4.05 GAA and a .885 save percentage.
He has seen the Huskies a ton of his four years and the Mavericks have to hope that helps him or the Huskies firepower will make this a long weekend.
Hometown connection is senior defenseman Jimmy Schuldt’s younger brother, John, who will suit up for the Mavericks and freshman Travis Kothenbeutel who returns home, as he is a Sauk Rapids native.
Freshman Sam Hentges returned to the lineup last weekend at Miami (OH) after missing two games to a lower body injury. He was a top line winger before the injury but the strong play of sophomore Easton Brodzinski in his place has push Hentges to the fourth line.
This will be a story line to watch with the break coming up but the path back up for Hentges is blocked right now. I expect Coach Larson to keep him down the lineup and wait for a possible slump out of one of his wingers. If that happens, Hentges will be waiting to jump in that spot.
The Huskies got the wakeup call they needed last weekend in Oxford and that should make them focus on this series. The Huskies are a better team all around then the Mavericks and there is no way to beat around that bush.
They should come out and kill every facet of the games. This series should be a good opportunity for the Huskies to flow into the holiday break on a 10 game unbeaten streak and I expect them to do so.
NOTES:
-Ryan Poehling was named to the preliminary roster for the USA World Junior Team this week.
-Tyler Anderson is no longer wearing a cast on his hand but we probably won't see him in suit up until the exhibition game on Dec. 27.
Men' Hockey Extends Unbeaten Streak To 8 After Two Ties In Oxford
12/03/2018 - 3:20 PM
Credit: SCSU Athletics
The men’s hockey team flew out to Oxford, Ohio to take on the Miami RedHawks in NCHC regular season play.
The RedHawks proved up to the test as they pulled the Huskies into overtime during both games. These were the third and fourth times that these teams tied in a row. The first two were in the NCHC playoffs last March.
Friday’s game was tied 4-4 at the end of regulation. They two teams made it through a whole 4-on-4 overtime and a 3-on-3 overtime still scoreless. NCHC rules dictate that the game will go to a shootout that is sudden death in this occurrence.
The RedHawks opened with Casey Gilling who was stone walled by senior Jeff Smith. The Huskies turned to their skilled sophomore Blake Lizotte who was able to end the shootout right there and give the Huskies the extra point.
Saturday’s game followed a similar path to the end but with less on the offensive end for both teams.
The two teams went into the third tied 1-1. The Huskies sophomore Easton Brodzinski broke that tie from a scrum just outside of the crease opened up just enough for his shot to slide through.
The RedHawks answered the Huskies goal with one their own by Scott Corbett. The puck hit the far post and dropped right behind sophomore David Hrenak. Hrenak tried to jump on it but Corbett was crashing the net hard and poked it in to tie it 2-2.
Another tie after regulation and the 4-on-4 overtime period led to the end of a long couple of games in the 3-on-3 overtime period. The game ended when Alec Mahalak broke past the Huskies defense on a 2-on-1 where he hit Josh Melnick on the back door for the redirection into the net and an extra NCHC point.
The Huskies drop to 11-1-2 and the RedHawks improved to 9-6-3 on the season. The Huskies still hold the top spot in the NCHC but they are now the #2 team in the country. Massachusetts over took them for the top spot earning 26 first place votes to St. Clouds 22.
Men's Hockey Looks To Secure Fourth Straight Sweep
11/26/2018 - 4:50 PM
The Huskies are full of turkey and stuffing from their weekend off and still own the #1 ranking in the country. The RedHawks from Miami (OH) will be hosting the Huskies this weekend Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 in Oxford.
The RedHawks had a tough go last time on the ice as they tied a game and dropped the other to New Hampshire. The first winless weekend for Miami lowered them outside of the top 20. New Hampshire is in the bottom half of the teams in the country to pile on.
The RedHawks are led by seasoned goaltender junior Ryan Larkin. Larkin sports a 1.76 GAA and a .939 save percentage, this ranks fifth in the country. He already has 3 shutouts this season. Larkin can and has won games for this team.
The Huskies need to be aware of this and lock it down on their end of the ice when Miami has chances because one fluke goal could let Miami steal a game here.
The best skater for the RedHawks is senior defenseman Grant Hutton. He has 4 goals and 6 assists on the year and is all of 6’3. He was very impressive in the 1st round series against the Huskies last season and he should be a highly touted free agent after this season.
Freshman Derek Daschke is another threat from the backend. He has 3 goals and 9 assists. He has not played with Hutton recently. The RedHawks have the backend talent to bother the Huskies.
On the forward side, the RedHawks are looking toward Gordie Green and Josh Melnick to carry the load. They each have 6 goals and it mostly drops off from there in the scoring department. The Huskies are deeper and more skilled here than Miami and it is going to be a struggle for this team to stay with the Huskies for 3 periods.
After sitting out the last series freshman Sam Hentges should be ready to go for this one. This move will most likely drop sophomore Easton Brodzinski back down to the forth line.
The Huskies should roll four lines and out work the RedHawks in this one. The defense should hold a focus on the Huskies skaters. If the Huskies shut down Hutton and Daschke they should be able to glide through this one.
The key to victory for Miami is Larkin. If Larkin is on his head all game and plays like the brick wall he can be, the Huskies could be looking at loss number two.
I project a fourth straight sweep for St. Cloud but it might be low scoring for the early stages of both games. The Huskies are second in the nation in goals per games with 4.25 and that should be on full display this weekend.
Huskies Fall in Pair of Games vs. #2 Gophers
11/19/2018 - 12:00 PM
Photo - SCSU Athletics
The #2 ranked Minnesota Gophers Women’s Hockey team completed a weekend sweep over SCSU with wins on Saturday and Sunday afternoon in the home and home series between WCHA rivals.
SATUDAY NOV. 17 – SCUS 3 - #2 UM 4 (OT)
Minnesota’s Kelly Pannek overtime goal gave the Gophers a 4-3 win over the St. Cloud State Huskies Saturday afternoon at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center.
Pannek would kick off the scoring in the game for the Gophers with a unassisted goal two and a half minutes into the first period. The scoring would go silent until just after halfway through the second period, seeing the Huskies defense and sophomore Emma Polusny in goal shut down the Gophers attack.
SCSU would find the next goal of the game, as Brooke Kudirka found the back of the net for her first goal of the season. Kudirka’s goal tied the game up at 1 until the Huskies struck early in the third period.
Freshman standout Jenniina Nylund would spark the Huskies in the early stages of the third period, scoring just a minute and forty eight seconds into the period. Nylund’s goal was set up by a Taylor Wemple assist, and the Huskies found themselves with a 2-1 lead in the 3rd period over the #2 ranked Gophers.
Minnesota’s offensive power would come into full force after SCSU took the lead early in the 3rd period. Abigail Boreen would tie the game at the 11:08 mark of the 3rd period following a assist from Emily Brown. Then Sarah Potomak would strike just three minutes later to give the Gophers a come from behind 3-2 lead in the final minutes of the 3rd period.
St. Cloud State would not back down. The Huskies Hannah Portrykus scored her 7th goal of the season coming through in the clutch with a goal finished off from passes from Nylund and Abby Thiessen to tie the game at 3 sending the game into overtime against the Gophers.
The momentum seemed to come to an instant stop for the Huskies in the overtime period.
The Gophers Taylor Heise scored fired her fourth goal of the season past SCSU netminder Emma Polusny to win the game for Minnesota just two minutes and fifty-seven seconds into overtime.
SUNDAY NOV. 18 - #2 UM 7 – SCSU 2
St. Cloud State looked to bounce back Sunday afternoon in Ridder Arena, after Saturday’s heartbreaking loss to the Gophers in overtime. Minnesota would show other plans, showcasing their offensive power in a 7-2 dominant win over SCSU capping the weekend and season sweep over SCSU.
The Gophers came out on fire in the first period, posting four goals to open the game in the first period. Sophmore Grace Zumwinkle would find the first and final goal of the first period for the Gophers, while Nicole Schammel and Catie Skaja tallied on goals as well.
The Huskies did find a late spark, as a goal from Suvi Ollikainen cut the Gophers lead to 4-1 headed into the first intermission.
The momentum would not stop there for St. Cloud State, as Brooke Kudirka would tip in a goal early in the 2nd period to spark life for the Huskies at that point only trail by 2 goals.
Yet, the confident point in the game would quickly come to a close for the Huskies as the Gophers would respond with a late power play goal in the second period, as well as two third period goals to bury the Huskies and complete the weekend sweep with a 7-2 win over St. Cloud State.
The Huskies will face Bemidji State on Tuesday, November 20th facing the Beavers in the Women’s Hockey Hall of Fame Classic Game in Brainerd, MN.
SCSU Mens Hoops Come Up Short Against MSU
11/19/2018 - 9:00 AM
Photo - SCSU Athletics
The St. Cloud State Men’s Basketball team fell Saturday afternoon to NSIC rival Minnesota State Mankato.
The first half was dominated by the Huskies, jumping out to a 36-30 lead at the halftime break. That came from some consistent shooting from the Huskies, leading the Mavericks in both three-point shooting percentage and from the field. Senior Gage Davis and Senior Sean Smith dominated the half, as Davis posted a strong 18 points while Smith dominated the glass for the Huskies with five blocks.
In the second half, SCSU dominated the opening stages jumping out to a 10-2 run to open the run, extending their lead to 46-32. Yet, that lead would slip away from SCSU as Mankato would come roaring, cutting the SCSU lead to 55-50 later in the second half.
It was fair from over at that point. The Huskies would not initially let the game slip away from them as Smith hit a pair of jumpers to push it back to a 7-point lead, before the Mavericks scored three straight baskets to knot the score up at 60.
MSU-Mankato would earn their first lead of the half when the score turned 69-67 with just 1:26 left in the 2nd half. Brindley Theisen would find a big basket to tie the game at 69. Both teams missed chances in the final seconds of regulation, pushing the marquee matchup into overtime.
Mankato came in clutch in overtime, scoring nine straight points to take a 78-69 lead. The Huskies would not recover from the deficit, failing on late free throws and a 3-point attempt that would end the game in favor of MSU – Mankato. The final score read Mavericks 80, St. Cloud State 77.
The loss for SCSU ends the three-game winning streak the Huskies were on to open the season. St. Cloud State won both straight matchups with the Mavericks during the 2017-18 season, as the loss Saturday afternoon for SCSU ends that streak vs. Mankato as well.
Gage Davis walked away from the game with a massive scoring line, finishing the game with a season high 28 points while pacing the Huskies on the glass with 13 rebounds for already his third double double in the young season. Brindley Theisen featured a very strong shooting effort, going 7-15 from the floor as well as Jace Kitchen scoring all 11 of his points in the second half for SCSU.
St. Cloud State will spend their Thanksgiving weekend on the west coast with a pair of matchups in the Sea Lion Thanksgiving Classic in San Diego, CA.
All-American Aces
11/14/2018 - 7:45 PM
Miks and Giese each make their return to the weekend rotation in 2019
As St. Cloud State baseball prepared for their 2017 season, two lefthanders were projected to lead the starting rotation.
Two-time All-American and reigning NSIC Pitcher of the Year Sheldon Miks was to be counted on as the staff ace in his junior campaign, and redshirt sophomore Cal Giese looked to build upon a stellar first season in which he earned the win in the Huskies’ 2016 NSIC Tournament Championship game.
The expectations for the duo to anchor the rotation were dashed just five games into the season, as Miks was pulled from his second start of the year after feeling a pop in his elbow. He wouldn’t throw another pitch in 2017 and underwent Tommy John Surgery in June. Giese took the reigns as the Huskies ace, earning First Team All-NSIC honors and being named Second Team All-Central Region by ABCA/Rawlings.
Entering 2018, most pundits were aware that Miks would likely miss most of, if not all the season. However, hopes were high for Giese, as the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) named him a Preseason All-American.
Giese didn’t throw a single pitch for the Huskies, as he had been dealing with an elbow issue dating back to his lone 2017 Northwoods League start. He underwent surgery on his elbow in April, effectively ending his season. Miks did make his return to the mound after being cleared for short relief work in late April, but in all it had been a lost season from the two.
In 2019 SCSU will finally find their weekend rotation anchored by the two redshirt senior All-Americans, a dream that began all the way back in 2014.
Miks and Giese had just wrapped their senior seasons of high school baseball. Miks was a Mr. Minnesota Baseball finalist in his final campaign at Shakopee High School while also earning his second All-State and third All-Section and All-Minneota Conference accolades. Giese had finished a stellar career at Stevens Point Area Senior High (SPASH), picking up All-State and All-Region honors and being named the #22 prospect in the state of Wisconsin by highly-regarded Prep Baseball Report. Each player had an interesting story as they made their commitments to St. Cloud State.
Giese remembered throwing to an old ally in his bullpen for the Huskies’ coaching staff.
“I think it was junior year. Dolan came and watched a few high school games, and then I think he watched one of my legion games in the summer. He asked me to come visit, I came and visited St. Cloud in the summer with a few other people…We threw a bullpen in front of him, we actually threw to Michael Jurgella at the time when he was here, which was kinda cool because he went to my high school.”
Giese received an offer to become another SPASH product to play for the Huskies on that same visit, and later accepted.
Miks’ story was a little interesting.
“I actually was coming back from my cabin and got a voicemail from a number I didn’t know. I tried to play the voicemail, it was Dolan, and my phone died so I didn’t actually get to hear the rest of it. I ended up getting a new phone and got another call, and I came on a visit.”
Like Giese, Miks received an offer on his visit and later accepted.
As Opening Day 2015 loomed, it didn’t appear like Giese and Miks would be together for five seasons.
Giese was an accounting major, wasn’t bringing in any college credits, and planned on being on campus for five years. Combining his academic plans with the veteran Huskies staff, he redshirted in 2015.
Miks was expected to play a role on the Huskies staff as a true freshman, and made a statement attesting to those projections in his collegiate debut.
The 6’4 lefthander fired 7.0 innings in his first start on March 1st, 2015 at Harding University, allowing just 2 unearned runs on 4 hits and a walk while striking out 4. Eight days later at the Tucson Invitational, he delivered his first career complete game against Arizona Christian, allowing an earned run on 8 hits with 4 punchouts. Miks quickly ascended to the top of the Huskies’ rotation, joining Reese Gregory, Garrett Harrison, Ryan Diers, and Logan Spitzak as one of the most formidable rotations in the Nation.
Miks produced one of the greatest seasons in St. Cloud State history, going 10-2 with a 1.15 ERA, a 2.45 FIP, and a 0.837 WHIP across 86.0 innings. He appeared in 16 games with 12 starts, twirling 7 complete games and 4 shutouts. He struck out 59 and walked just 11, holding opponents to a mind-blowing slash line of .196/.225/.244 for a .469 OPS against. His strikeout rate stood at 18.1%, with a miniscule walk rate of 3.4%. The lefty earned a laundry list of accolades, being named a Daktronics DII All-American, NCBWA All-Central Region, NSIC Freshman of the Year, First Team All-NSIC, and was selected to the NSIC All-Tournament Team.
Sheldon credited both his tremendous lineup and his All-American senior catcher, Michael Jurgella, for his success.
Regarding Jurgella, Miks praised the backstop’s IQ for the game.
“He was always two steps ahead of everything. He always knew what was going to happen, as far as pitch-calling, and we were always on the same page. He put down a number, I nodded my head, and that was pretty much how it went. I already had the grip in my hand, and he made it so simple. I didn’t have to think, and I could just go throw.”
His first career postseason start still stands as one of his best collegiate outings, as he struck out 9 Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs in a complete game two-hit shutout to send the Huskies to Championship Sunday of the 2015 NSIC Tournament.
He faltered in the NCAA Central Region Tournament, taking his first two losses of his career. Both came at the hands of Henderson State University, the first coming in the Tournament opener. Miks allowed 9 runs, just 2 earned, over 7.1 innings. He surrendered 9 hits and walked one while striking out 5. A three-run 5th inning home run by Claude Johnson after a two-out error by Kyle Lieser put the Reddies in front, then an error in the eighth turned into four more unearned runs.
The #1 ranked Huskies fought their way back into the Central Region Championship game against Henderson State. SCSU knocked Reddies swingman Luke Tebbetts out of the game in the third, leading 7-2. Henderson brought the game even at 7 in the eighth after receiving a dominant 6.0 inning effort from fireman reliever Jordan Taylor. With the season on the line, St. Cloud State first turned to 13-0 NSIC Pitcher of the Year Reese Gregory for an inning plus, then brought Miks out of the pen for the bottom of the 10th. Miks promptly surrendered a double to A.J. Kruzel, then a walk-off single by Hayden Lessenberry after a sacrifice bunt ended the Huskies season.
After the heart-wrenching end to the St. Cloud State season, Miks joined the St. Cloud Rox of the Northwoods League. Facing elite college baseball talent every outing, his legend grew even more with a dominant summer performance.
Miks posted a 5-1 record across 13 appearances, starting 8 games and posting a 2.74 ERA and a 2.84 FIP across 49.1 innings for the Rox. He struck out 49, walked 14, recorded a 1.196 WHIP, and held opponents to an ugly .590 OPS.
The experience helped him greatly.
“It was eye-opener, more than anything. It’s just such a grind, to go out to the baseball field every single day and try and compete against top-tier talent. That was the biggest thing for me, was I needed to focus every single day, and then have my best stuff every single day, otherwise it was going to be a struggle. You can’t get away with making a few bad pitches in an at-bat with some of those hitters, otherwise they’re going to punish you.”
He also made a significant connection with his future pitching coach, then-University of North Dakota weekend starter Brett DeGagne.
“He came a little later in the season, probably three weeks in, and we were at Waterloo. He showed up, and everybody was kind of wondering who the new guy was. So I got to talking with him, we hit it off, and from there on out we pretty much worked out and played catch every day for the rest of the summer. That was one guy who really had a big impact on developing a mental side of the game for me.”
Following his summer in the Woods’, all eyes were on St. Cloud State entering the 2016 season.
The sophomore Miks would serve as the staff “Ace A” to senior Reese Gregory’s “Ace B”, and the Huskies boasted a senior-laden lineup featuring Gregory, Lieser, Brandon Arnold, Karl Sorenson, Zach Hoffmann, and Zak Hoffman. With Spitzak moving into Gregory’s closing role and Harrison graduated, the Huskies had a few questions needing to be answered in their rotation.
Cal Giese made his collegiate debut on the big stage at Minute Maid Park in Houston, Texas, striking out 5 and allowing 2 earned runs over 2.0 relief frames against St. Mary’s University. He won his first career start at the Tucson Invitational against Briar Cliff, working 5.0 innings and allowing 3 runs on 9 hits and 3 walks, punching out 7. He primarily spent his redshirt freshman season as a starter for SCSU, making two more relief outings along the way.
Giese chartered a 7-2 record over his 10 appearances and 7 starts, throwing 44.2 innings to the tune of a 4.03 ERA. His FIP stood at stellar 2.83, just behind Gregory as second-best on the staff among starters. He struck out 61 and walked 14, producing strong rates of 28.4% and 6.5% respectively. The strikeout rate tied him with Bolder for the highest among Huskies with at least 3 appearances.
Much like his counterpart Miks, Giese’s first collegiate postseason start was a memorable one.
The lefthander received the win in the Huskies’ 2016 NSIC Tournament Championship-clinching 6-4 victory over Concordia-St. Paul, dealing 5.0 innings of 5-hit ball and allowing 2 earned while striking out 5.
Giese played with his hometown Wisconsin Rapids Rafters of the Northwoods League following the 2016 season, going 3-3 with a 3.79 FIP over 12 appearances and 7 starts.
Miks’ 2016 wasn’t too shabby either.
He made his season debut on February 7th with a complete-game victory over the University of Central Missouri at Minute Maid Park, allowing one run across 9.0 innings on 3 hits and 2 walks while striking out a career-high 12, earning NSIC Pitcher of the Week for his efforts. Better feel for his cutter allowed his strikeout numbers to jump in his sophomore campaign.
The Huskies’ ace posted another dominant season, going 8-3 with a 1.96 ERA and a 2.96 FIP across 87.1 innings, making 16 appearances and 11 starts. He struck out 79 and walked just 8, finishing with a 1.122 WHIP, a .667 opponent OPS, a 21.8% K rate and an eye-popping 2.2% walk rate. Miks was named an NCBWA Honorable Mention All-American, NCBWA Central Region Pitcher of the Year, NSIC Pitcher of the Year, Consensus NCBWA First Team All-Region, a Tomko Award Top 10 Finalist, a member of the NSIC All-Tournament Team, and First Team All-NSIC.
For the second straight season, Miks sent SCSU to Championship Sunday of the NSIC Tournament, setting the stage for Giese in the clincher. Sheldon fired 7.0 scoreless frames of 6-hit ball against Concordia-St. Paul, striking out 9.
In the 2016 NCAA Central Region Tournament, the Huskies lost 1-0 in the opening game, a memorable 11 inning thriller to Minnesota State-Mankato.
Miks was handed the ball with the season on the line the next morning against Missouri Western State but was pulled about 50 pitches in after the Huskies took a 6-1 lead after two. SCSU’s next elimination game came versus Emporia State the next day. Up a run in the top of the sixth, the Huskies turned to Miks out of the bullpen. Just a day after throwing around 50 pitches, he fired 125 pitches across 7.0 innings of 3-run ball, taking the season-ending loss in extras.
Despite coming up short once again in the NCAA Regional Tournament and graduating nearly their entire lineup, St. Cloud State still had plenty of areas to be excited about entering 2017.
Chief among them was Sheldon Miks’ hyped-up junior season.
Miks received his first career Opening Day start at U.S. Bank Stadium against Gus Varland and the Concordia-St. Paul Golden Bears, tossing 4.0 innings of 3-run ball on 7 hits and 4 strikeouts. A mistake changeup to CSP’s Zach Elder turned into a game-deciding 2-run shot to dead center, giving Miks his first loss of the year.
On March 6th, the Huskies took on Southwest Minnesota State at the Tucson Invitational. The Huskies led 3-0 going into the bottom of the third. Then came a moment that would dramatically change the course of St. Cloud State’s season.
It’s best to let Sheldon Miks tell this part of the story.
“I threw a curveball to Metzger. And I threw it about 40 feet. 40, 50 feet. I felt a pop in my elbow. So I’m kind of sitting there on the mound a little bit, and I catch the ball back from Metzger. I kind of walk around the mound, take a second…I get back on the mound, and Metzger noticed something, so from then on he called just fastballs. Eight pitches later I get out of the inning, Metzger comes up to me, and he goes ‘What happened?’ I said, ‘Well, I felt a pop in my elbow and it hurts to throw.’ I sat down on the bench, DeGagne comes up to me and kind of asked the same question, and I said, ‘I’m done. It hurts to even throw a fastball.’”
David Kroger and Zach Siggelkow finished off the Huskies’ win, but the team’s concern was on Miks’ left elbow. The ace was shut down and underwent an MRI. He received the diagnosis during the Huskies’ NSIC Regular Season opener on the road at the University of Sioux Falls.
He had torn his left Ulnar Collateral Ligament.
Tommy John Surgery.
“I had the MRI a few weeks later after we got back from Arizona, we were on a road trip at Augie. I was shagging foul balls, and our trainer came up to me and said we need to talk. I kind of knew what it was about. And she goes, ‘Well, it’s torn.’ I said, ‘Okay, well, so what’s the next step?’ There was a lot of things going through my mind at that time, and it was…it was pretty tough, mentally, to know that I was done for the rest of the year and probably the following year…it was a lot of emotion going through my head at that one instance. I still remember that to this day. I just kind of sat out there in the outfield. I was actually behind the fence, shagging home run balls, because Augustana’s fence is short. I just kind of sat there, and just kind of thought for the thirty minutes that we took BP.” Miks remembered.
Suddenly, the Huskies no longer had their ace. They needed someone to step up and fill the massive void left in their weekend rotation.
And boy, did Cal Giese step up in his redshirt sophomore season.
The southpaw went 9-2 with a 1.86 ERA and a 2.01 FIP across 13 starts and 72.2 innings, striking out 19 and holding opponents to a .238/.293/.275 slash line for a .568 opponent OPS. Giese struck out hitters at a 26.2% clip while issuing walks at just a 6.3% rate. He was named NCBWA Honorable Mention All-Central Region, ABCA/Rawlings Second Team All-Central Region, and First Team All-NSIC.
One of his many stellar starts was a duel with undefeated 2017 NCBWA Division II Pitcher of the Year Jacob Blank and the Augustana Vikings in game two of the 2017 NSIC Tournament. Giese struck out 8 over 6.0 innings, allowing 2 earned runs on 6 hits and 2 walks as both he and Blank took no-decisions in the eventual Huskies victory.
Giese then carved up Missouri Western State in the Huskies’ first NCAA Central Region Tournament game, firing 6.0 shutout innings of 4-hit baseball, walking none and striking out 7 Griffons as he won his ninth game of the year.
Following SCSU’s Regional exit, Giese rejoined the Rafters in the Northwoods League. After his first start, Giese felt something was amiss.
“I had some elbow pain in my first Northwoods start that summer, I think it was June 2nd or June 3rd. I threw 5.0 innings, still threw fine, but I said, ‘Hey, I’m going to get this checked out,’ and I stopped playing baseball for the rest of the summer. I had a couple MRI’s, nothing UCL damage, nothing wrong with it. I went to Dr. Buss in Minneapolis, and he said, ‘Your ulnar nerve is flipping over your bone in your elbow.’”
Giese underwent Ulnar Nerve Transposition Surgery on April 3rd.
The NCBWA wasn’t aware of Giese’s injury, naming him a Preseason All-American.
St. Cloud State battled through their 2018 season without their two All-American rotation anchors. Despite a pitching staff held together with pins and needles and just 10 healthy position players, the Huskies made yet another NCAA Central Region Tournament appearance, largely due to the emergence of new staff ace and then-junior righthander Dominic Austing.
Just before the 2018 NSIC Tournament, Sheldon Miks was cleared for short relief. The Huskies fell behind 7-3 at Bemidji State on April 28th.
326 days removed from Tommy John Surgery, the two-time All-American trotted out of the bullpen for his first appearance since the fateful start against SMSU.
He’ll never forget that moment.
“Warming up in the bullpen, I remember, we got down kind of early into that game, so I kind of knew I was coming in. Warming up, I felt pretty good, or good enough to where I was confident, and felt that my arm wasn’t going to implode on me. I remember running out to the mound, our parents had a little bleacher right by our dugout, and they gave me a pretty good applause. That was probably one of the coolest things that I’ve had happen to me in my career. Jogging out to the mound, hearing all those parents cheering for me…that was…something that I will remember for a long time.” said Miks.
Miks struck out the first batter he faced, swinging. Then, a flyout. He capped off the 1-2-3 inning by striking out Bemidji State great Scott Litchy on three pitches.
Huskies closer Nathan Strobel had gone down with an injury earlier in the season, so Miks was inserted as the new SCSU stopper out of the pen’. He picked up a save in the Huskies’ NCAA Central Region Tournament win over Central Oklahoma, allowing a single before striking out the last batter of the game.
The lefthander threw 3.0 innings in his 3 appearances of 2018, allowing just 1 hit and striking out 5.
Both Miks and Giese have been cleared to return to their roles as starters in their redshirt senior seasons. Miks will be almost two years removed from Tommy John, while Giese’s surgery is relatively low-impact on post-operation production.
With the NSIC’s move to three-game weekend series' in 2019, the Huskies are in position to boast arguably the best weekend rotation in the Nation. Dominic Austing will likely be named a Preseason All-American, giving SCSU three All-Americans on their weekend staff. Combining 2018 Division II NJCAA All-American Blake Flint, debatably the NSIC’s best swingman in Kyle Boser; Strobel, Matt Butler, Zach Walz, Zach Iten, Shannon Ahern, Aaron Hammann, DJ Wyman, Matt Osterberg, and Trevor Koenig, the Huskies have the deepest staff they’ve had in years.
After years of heartbreaking Regional exits, Miks and Giese think the missing piece has been found.
“I think this is the deepest staff of the teams I’ve been on, and I think having a strong bullpen and having options as starters. Yeah it’s great to have three or four locked-in starters, but having options of guys that can throw fifth, sixth, seventh games if needed, having that option and also knowing that games can be shut down with great guys out of the bullpen is one of the most important keys to making deep runs in the playoffs.” said Giese.
Miks concurred, “Yeah, this is hands-down the deepest staff I’ve ever been a part of. Even my freshman year, when we went 55-4 or whatever it was, we only had Gregory, Harrison, Spitzak, Diers, if you want to include me. I mean, that’s five guys…we have top to bottom, its 18 guys that can go out there and put up 3.0-4.0 scoreless innings on any given day.”
It’s not exactly the dream the St. Cloud State fans had five years ago, but the stars certainly seem to be aligning in 2019 as the program hunts for its first College World Series appearance.
SCSU Football Drops Heartbreaker to MSUM
11/13/2018 - 12:00 PM
Credit: SCSU Athletics
The St. Cloud State Football Season came to a heartbreaking end, falling in the final game of the season 13-10 to Minnesota State Moorhead.
Going into the game, both teams knew a postseason berth the Mineral Water Bowl December 1st was on the line. After a tightly contested battle Saturday, it resulted in the Dragons punching their ticket to a bowl game to finish the season.
The game started slow for both teams, with only a 27 yard Adam Stage field goal being the lone scoring of the first half. On a cold day in Moorhead, both defenses dominated all sides of the field while the offense struggled to find their stride in the game. The Huskies missed a pair of chances in the first half as the Dragons fumbled twice in the first half.
With a 3-0 and a lot on the line in the game, St. Cloud State knew headed into the 3rd quarter they needed a spark on the road against the Dragons. On the first drive of the 2nd half, junior Dwayne Lawhorn led his offense on a 10 play 75-yard drive to push the Huskies lead to 10-0. It was the game’s first touchdown and the Huskies could not have asked for a better start to the second half.
But the Dragons would respond. Immediately on the next drive, the Dragons offense dominated the Huskies defense on their first drive of the third quarter. An 11 play 65-yard touchdown drive sparked the Dragons into a game that felt it had been jolted with new life after only a 3 point first half.
While it felt things were about to swing for both offenses, the Huskies went cold. Three consecutive drives the Minnesota State Moorhead defense stood up the Huskies looking to build a lead.
As the Huskies struggled, the Dragons came up with two field goals. The second field goal for Minnesota State Moorhead came with just 0:59 left in the 4th quarter, putting the game and season all on the Huskies offense.
Starting on their own 27, the Huskies were able to get it to the Moorhead 34-yard line with just seven seconds left. On the leg of kicker Adam Stage trying to tie the game, a 51-yard field goal sailed wide left as the heartbroken Huskies saw their season end.
Despit a game of frustration and missed chances, the Huskies had their best season under current head coach Scott Underwood since a 12-win season in 2013.
SCSU Men's Basketball 2018-19 Preview
11/13/2018 - 12:00 PM
Credit: SCSU Athletics
All eyes will be on the St. Cloud State Men’s Basketball team opening their 2018-19 season, as the preseason recognition. Before this season begins, the NSIC announced the Huskies as #1 in the NSIC North Preseason Coach’s Poll.
Last season, the Huskies had one of the most historic seasons in school history. Overall, the Huskies finished with a record of 24-9 and an impressive 17-5 NSIC record falling just behind Northern State in the NSIC North Division. It was the best record for the Huskies program since the 2009-10 season.
Matt Reimer enters his fifth year as head coach for the Huskies, leading SCSU to a NCAA Central Regional Tournament last year marking the strongest season in his coaching tenure leading St. Cloud State.
The Huskies senior forward Gage Davis for the second straight year was named NSIC North Pre-Season Player of the Year. Last season, Davis averaged 19.2 points and 7.8 rebounds for the Huskies. He earned First Team All-NSIC the last three seasons, as well as a 2018 Division 2 Bulletin Honorable Mention All-American Team award.
Key returners will be pivotal for the Huskies outside of the outstanding talent of Gage Davis. Senior guard Adam Heede-Anderson will lead the ball on offense after starting 31 of 33 games last year. Talented, big framed Sean Smith caused havoc around the glass last season for SCSU as Smith last season broke the single season record for blocks with 88 and lead the Huskies with 263 rebounds all last season. Other players such senior Brindley Theisen, senior Jace Kitchen, and junior Trevon Marshall will play crucial roles for the Huskies all looking to meet the preseason expectation as favorites in the NSIC North.
St. Cloud State opens the 2018-19 season travelling to Mankato for the MIAA/NSIC Challenge facing Lindenwood University and Missouri Southern State University in a pair of non-conference games to open the season. After a meeting with division three foe Crown College (UMAC), a possible early game of the season candidate will be under the spotlight as the Huskies host Minnesota-State Mankato at Halenbeck Hall on November 16th.
The tilt with Mankato is the first NSIC opponent the Huskies will see this season. After a Thanksgiving tournament trip to California, NSIC opens for the Huskies hosting UMD on December 1st.
All home Huskies Basketball games can be heard LIVE on the KVSC Sports Stream. Visit kvsc.org/sports and follow KVSC Sports on Twitter @KVSCSports to follow Huskies Basketball all season long.
The Next Great St. Cloud State Catcher
11/05/2018 - 10:45 AM
Toran Shahidi
In head coach Pat Dolan’s tenure at St. Cloud State University, elite catchers setting up shop in the Huskies’ lineup has been the norm.
Shoulders, Elbows, Mavericks and Larks: The NSIC’s Unheralded Elite Reliever
10/15/2018 - 10:00 AM
Matt Butler delivers a pitch in the 2018 NSIC Tournament
It hasn’t been an easy path to success for St. Cloud State’s Matt Butler.
In the summer of 2017, the idea of success was practically unimaginable.
Butler had just completed his redshirt sophomore season, one that saw him make just three appearances out of a loaded Huskies bullpen. After debuting with a scoreless outing in the Tucson Invitational against #7 Azusa Pacific, allowing one hit and a walk while retiring one, Butler gave up one run on 2 hits and a walk against Oklahoma Panhandle State. Fourteen days later, he had the worst outing of his career at Wayne State College. Five runs, all earned, on 3 hits and 2 walks. Butler retired just one man before being pulled. He didn’t make another appearance for the rest of the spring.
Now, the 2017 St. Cloud State bullpen certainly wasn’t an easy one for a sophomore to find a role in. Not since 2011 had Head Coach Pat Dolan wielded such a deep stable of arms. Much like that year’s foursome of closer Ryne Schwenke and setup men Austen Bosch, Chris Kubitz, and David Koenig; 2017’s pen’ boasted the dominance of Miles Nablo’s 2.37 ERA and 7 saves, Kevin Bolder’s 3.38 ERA, David Kroger’s 4.42 FIP, and Kyle Boser’s 3.57 ERA and .516 OPS against. Mixing in plenty of relief outings for Aaron Hammann, Shannon Ahern, and Zach Siggelkow, innings were very difficult to come by for a righthander that had struggled with injuries and consistency.
When Matt Butler committed to SCSU during his senior year of high school in Naperville, Illinois, he was certainly anything but “unheralded.” An All-Conference outfielder and pitcher, Butler threw for a 9-2 record with a 1.75 ERA and 90 strikeouts in 80.0 innings during his national summer schedule with the Naperville Renegades. Then, in his high school playoffs during his senior year, disaster struck. Although he isn’t exactly certain when the injury occurred, Butler remembers throwing a warmup pitch halfway up the backstop during one of his postseason outings. He went in to get his arm checked out over the summer, and was diagnosed with a SLAP tear of the labrum in his right (throwing) shoulder.
A SLAP tear, or a Superior Labrum Anterior to Posterior, is a front-to-back tear of the upper labrum.
Labrum injuries are known as one of the most career-threatening injuries for Major League pitchers. Imagine a just-graduated high school senior receiving the diagnosis. Jay Jaffe of Baseball Prospectus did an in-depth study of labrum injuries to professional pitchers in 2012 and discovered some jarring realities. Of the 67 pitchers he identified, 20 didn’t return to the Major Leagues, and 58% pitched in 50.0 or fewer innings following the surgery.
Butler underwent surgery seven days before stepping on campus.
“It was very disappointing. I wasn’t…in a very good place mentally. I was very upset because of how everything happened, but it worked out for the best.” said Butler.
So, instead of coming on campus as a true freshman, ready to get to work in fall ball with one of the top teams in the country, Butler came to St. Cloud in a sling. He ended up being far from the only redshirt in that 2015 class. Mat Meyer, Mitch Mallek, Judd Davis, Ryan Wesley, Cal Giese, Boser, and Sigglekow joined Butler as redshirts, although none joining him as a med-red. Sheldon Miks and Bolder were the only members of the class to play as true freshmen. Butler became extremely close with his teammates, finding positivity throughout his rehab in his bond with them.
He finally was cleared to throw off a mound near the end of the 2015 season, firing a few bullpens before heading back to Naperville after the Huskies’ loss in the NCAA Regional Tournament. Butler’s brother is a catcher, which provided an easy opportunity for him to continue throwing throughout the summer.
Healthy and hungry for an opportunity to show what he could do, Butler entered fall ball in 2015-16 as a redshirt-freshman just off a labrum injury. Although he felt he threw well that fall, he struggled to find innings on a staff that included two All-Americans in Reese Gregory and Miks, along with a deep bullpen anchored by Logan Spitzak, Nablo, and Kroger. Butler made just five appearances in his 2016 season, striking out 4 and walking 1 over 4.1 frames.
Despite an unsightly 8.31 ERA, his stellar 2.64 FIP, 1.15 WHIP, .235 opponent batting average and .594 opponent OPS gave the first hints of Butler’s potential.
Butler began his summer of 2016 with the Joliet Admirals, a summer collegiate baseball club. Two years after his shoulder failed him, this time his elbow began to bark. Lingering soreness kept him from consistency and effectiveness, as he walked 17.6% of the batters he faced in 4 appearances and a start with Joliet, posting a 6.75 ERA. He made the decision to shut himself down in hopes that the elbow would heal and to prepare for his redshirt-sophomore season.
Butler wasn’t quite 100% healthy for the start of fall ball in 2016-17, his elbow still nagging with pain. He entered the 2017 season without a defined role, and after posting a 32.40 ERA in his three outings, the elbow wasn’t the only thing bothering him as he returned to Naperville after the Huskies’ exit in the Regional.
In the summer of 2017, Matt Butler weighed a major life decision: did he want to continue playing college baseball?
“I was sitting at home, I didn’t know if I was going to come back. I was going to come back for school, but I didn’t know if I was going to play baseball. I was still pretty upset from that season…I would say I was pretty close (to retiring), I had talked to my parents about it and they were supportive about it…I was pretty close to it, but I just couldn’t pull the trigger. I didn’t want to give up on it. Everything I’ve said before about how close my class is, I wanted to finish it out with them.”
Butler returned to campus in the fall of 2017. Finally, everything seemed to come together for the redshirt-junior. One afternoon at practice that fall, then-SCSU Pitching Coach Brett DeGagne had a man-to-man conversation with his righthander. The message was simple: If you want it, go get it. Butler found himself with a revitalized focus on baseball. A full three years removed from his labrum surgery, and his elbow as quiet as could be, Butler raised eyebrows in the fall. His velocity was up. DeGagne moved Butler across the rubber, and worked on repeating his delivery in hopes of unlocking the talent hidden in his pitcher’s right arm.
Finally, in his fourth year on campus, Butler had a role in the St. Cloud State bullpen. He made his debut with a scoreless frame on Opening Day at Missouri Western State, working around a pair of walks. Then, on March 2nd in the Tucson Invitational, he had an outing that could have derailed him in the past.
3.0 innings, 8 hits, 6 runs, 5 earned, one walk, and just 2 strikeouts against Ottawa University.
However, despite the ugly numbers, there were immensely promising signs for Butler.
Facing a team in its first season as a program, scouting reports were scarce. Ottawa’s lineup was tooled to utilize their speed to beat out infield hits and force errors, and the Huskies infield defense was far from mid-season form. Butler worked at a mind-blowing 85.7% ground ball rate and a 64.3% soft contact rate in the outing, surrendering a miniscule 7.1% hard hit rate. Bleeders, rollers, and would-be outs did Butler in, not hard hit balls and nonexistent command.
DeGagne’s confidence didn’t waver in his righthander, but high-leverage outings were still out of reach for the middle reliever. He threw three consecutive scoreless outings to open NSIC play, punching out 2 and allowing just one hit over 2.0 frames. A low-leverage outing in an 8 run game at Minnesota-Crookston capped off that stretch.
Then, on a cold night in Bemidji, Butler got his chance to enter the ring with the Mavericks.
After the Huskies’ starter exited early and their first relief option struggled to record the third out in the fourth inning, St. Cloud State trailed archrival Minnesota State-Mankato 6-2. The Huskies were nearly out of relievers in the finale of the four-game series. They needed someone to step up and save the pen, and after a walk loaded the bases, Pat Dolan handed the ball to Butler. After walking Kato shortstop Luke Waldek on a 3-2 count, Butler bore down and struck out All-NSIC senior Dylan Dresel to leave the bases loaded. He went on to have the best outing of his career, going the final 5.1 innings and allowing one unearned run on 5 hits and a walk while striking out a career-high 6 Mavericks. Butler worked at a 53.3% ground ball rate, a 40% soft contact rate, and a 13.6% swinging strike rate. His sinker sawed off batters, and his curveball was sharper than ever.
St. Cloud State went on to lose the game, still earning a crucial series split with Mankato.
In Pat Dolan’s postgame message to the team on the bus ride to St. Cloud, he spoke about opportunities and making the most of them, then praised Butler’s patience in awaiting his, then running with it. Butler quickly ascended the bullpen, joining Zach Iten and the soon-to-be returning Miks as SCSU’s top high-leverage firemen.
Butler’s 2018 showed the promise of an elite reliever in the Northern Sun. Many casual baseball fans will see his 5.17 ERA and allow that to write the story of his season, but a deeper look into his numbers give Huskies fans a whirlwind of excitement for his senior season. An elite 3.04 FIP, a 25.7% strikeout rate, a 53.2% groundball rate, a 10.6% pop-up rate, and a team-leading 51.1% soft contact rate scream late-inning leverage man. He was a bit plagued by walks, with a 10.8% walk rate, but relievers are allowed to have higher base on ball totals, as long as they produce punchouts and ground balls. Butler also posted the second-lowest hard-hit rate on the staff at 19.1%, just behind closer Nathan Strobel.
So, what attributed to the high ERA? If all the above performance-indicating numbers were so elite, why the 5.17 ERA? It’s actually very easy to find the answer: BABiP, or Batting Average on Balls in Play. In the NSIC, which is statistically a very offensive-friendly environment, league average BABiP is roughly in the .330 range, or approximately 20 points higher than the MLB average. What does that tell us? Take a player’s BABiP, then look at their spray rates. Butler excels at using his plus sinker-curve combination at generating a great deal of weak ground balls and pop ups, which are far and away the most reliable out in baseball, and he avoids hard hit line drives and fly balls, which statistically go for the most hits. However, with a look at Butler’s stats, you can very quickly see that he was debatably the unluckiest pitcher in the NSIC a season ago, as his BABiP stood at a whopping .488, attributing to his .355 batting average against. As the “luck pendulum” swings back his way in 2019 (just as it did in Bismarck, which we’ll get to shortly), Butler’s BAA and ERA should both easily fall into much more dominant numbers.
After his 2018 Huskies season, Butler spent a short while back in Naperville with his family, then came back to St. Cloud to play amateur ball with Sauk Rapids. During the Huskies season, Brett DeGagne had been hired as the Pitching Coach for the Northwoods League’s Bismarck Larks, beginning in the 2018 summer season. DeGagne had discussed the possibility of bringing Butler with him to the Larks, and that came to fruition just a few weeks into June. The Larks needed a long reliever, and were headed through St. Cloud on their way to Rochester. Butler signed his contract and met the team at a gas station.
The Northwoods League is a 72-game summer collegiate league, widely recognized among baseball circles as best in the Midwest and second only to the Cape Cod League in terms of talent. With its excellent simulation of a Minor League season, the Northwoods is often a hitters’ haven. Right on que, Butler made his Northwoods debut in one of the friendlier hitting environments in the league, Copeland Park in La Crosse. Brought on in relief against a fearsome Loggers lineup that featured two 40-RBI men in San Diego’s Shane McGuire and Butler University’s Harrison Freed, Butler managed to go 3.0 innings while allowing just one earned on 5 hits, 2 walks and 3 strikeouts. Butler quickly ascended yet another pitching staff, ending his Northwoods season with a sparkling 2.63 ERA in 12 appearances and 5 starts. He was named Northwoods League Pitcher of the Night after throwing a “no-hitter” on July 29th against Eau Claire, firing 6.0 official innings of no-hit ball while striking out 7 and walking 4 in a 0-0 tie. Butler did allow a hit in the seventh, but the game was called due to rain at the seventh inning stretch, giving him the official no-hitter. Butler’s finest start came against the Mankato MoonDogs on August 4th, receiving a no-decision despite throwing 6.0 innings of 1-run ball on 3 hits and 3 walks while recording 8 punchouts versus one of the league’s most powerful lineups.
Across 37.2 innings with the Larks, Butler posted a 21.5% strikeout rate, a 12.7% walk rate, a 3.31 FIP, a 1.35 WHIP, and an elite .226/.329/.299 opponent slash line for a .628 opponent OPS. Finally, Butler’s luck factors went in his favor, as his BABiP cratered to a .294 mark.
Injuries and past struggles behind him, Matt Butler is prepared to enter the 2019 season as one of the NSIC’s most unheralded elite relievers. He’ll be one of the anchors for a bullpen that has the potential to be the best in Pat Dolan’s time at SCSU, and for Butler, only one thing is on his mind in terms of goals he hopes to accomplish.
“Most importantly, I want this team to go to the World Series. We’ve been close, made a regional every year I was here, we got a huge senior class, lots of senior leadership, I want to make that step and make it to the World Series this year…I’m ready to do whatever they ask of me, whether it’s a spot start, close, long relief, whatever they need, I’m ready to go, I just want to help this team win. And we’re going to win. So, I just want to contribute to it.”
Matt Butler’s path to success hasn’t been an easy one.
Some just might say it’s been the best one.
SCSU Volleyball Upsets #10 SMSU in Four
10/06/2018 - 7:45 PM
Rachel terminated a career-high 21 kills in the upset
The St. Cloud State Volleyball program hadn't defeated a ranked program on the road in nearly 20 years.
That streak came to an end on Saturday afternoon, as the Huskies (11-6, 7-4) took down #10 Southwest Minnesota State (13-6, 8-3) in four sets, 25-19, 25-20, 19-25, and 25-22.
The Huskies started off strong in the first set, holding the potent SMSU offense to hit a meager .184 on a 12-5-38 line. SCSU opened and closed the set on 4-0 runs, and never trailed by more than 2 points as they took the set 25-19. In the second set, the Mustangs found their offensive rhythm after moving to a 6-2, hitting .317, but St. Cloud State's passers continued their excellent play in keeping the Huskies in system throughout the set. Scoring runs again defined SCSU's dominance, as they picked up two 4-0 runs and one 3-0 stretch to give them a 25-20 victory. Southwest's defense tightened up and the Huskies struggled to get into system in the third set, as SMSU earned their only set win, 25-19.
The fourth set couldn't have opened any worse for SCSU, as they watched the Mustangs jump out to a 5-0 lead. The Huskies clawed back, again relying on their outstanding serve receive to side out on all but two SMSU serves after the 5-0 start. Micah Nier helped drive the Huskies' match-closing 4-1 run, racking up three consecutive kills before a ball handling error gave SCSU the 25-22 victory.
St. Cloud State's offense fired on all cylinders against an elite SMSU defense, beginning with Linsey Rachel's career-high 21 kills on .327 hitting to go with 11 digs. Sophomore setter Maddy Torve recorded a career-high 55 assists, 9 digs, an ace and a block. She did a tremendous job of involving multiple attackers and avoiding double blocks, and it really shined with the Huskies' middle hitter success. Nier terminated a season-high 11 kills on .435 hitting to go with 5 digs, 3 blocks, and an ace; while Marshall native Marah Mulso hit .368 with 8 kills, 3 digs, and 2 blocks. The two posted a combined attacking line of 19-2-42. Abby Templin added 9 kills and 4 blocks, serving as one of the key players on the Huskies' defense.
Junior libero Clara Krenz became third all-time in career digs at St. Cloud State while racking up 24 digs, 5 assists, 2 aces and a kill. Taylor Olstad added 14 digs, and Rachel Houle picked up a career-high 11 digs.
On the SMSU side, reigning National Player of the Year Taylor Reiss went 20-3-53 for a .321 hitting percentage along with 17 digs and 2 blocks. Meg Schmidt added 16 kills on .303 hitting, and Angela Young had 10 kills while hitting .345. Libero Kaylee Burmeister led the Mustangs defense with 22 digs.
St. Cloud State returns to action on Tuesday to wrap up their three match road swing at the University of Minnesota-Duluth at 6:00 p.m. As always, the match can be heard on the KVSC Sports Stream with Thomas Breach on the call, with Husky Den Pregame kicking off at 5:45 p.m.
KVSC Sports Talks with Morgan Emmans, Bradi Yost, and Kate Kopeck
10/05/2018 - 11:30 AM
Softball names seniors as captains
It was announced two weeks ago that Morgan Emmans, Bradi Yost, and Kate Kopeck would be the captaincy trio for SCSU Softball during the 2018-19 season. KVSC Sports had the pleasure of sitting down with all three to discuss about being named the captains, the team, as well as preview the season ahead.
St. Cloud State Women's Hockey Season Preview
09/27/2018 - 6:00 PM
The Women’s hockey team comes into the 2018-2019 season after finishing 8-20-5 overall with a 6-14-4 conference record last season. Eric Rud’s Club graduated four players last season, Forward Alyssa Erickson, Defensemen Brittney Anderson and Emma Turbyville and Goaltender Taylor Crosby.
The three senior skaters were the three captains for the Huskies last season and were all in the top 8 in scoring. Last season’s team broke a 37 game losing streak against the Minnesota Golden Gopher at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center, took the number one team in the country to the wire and played in Hockey Day Minnesota. All of this occurred with the Huskies being .500 after Christmas break, which leads to positive traction coming into this season.
The Women’s team is bringing back a load of talent, from their tantalizing tandem in net to their trio of top scorers from last year. These ladies are looking for only their second winning season in program history, the only other time it has happened was in ’07-08 where they went 18-15-5. This won’t come easy as four teams in the Western Collegiate Hockey Conference are ranked in the USCHO Division 1 Top 10.
The talent that is still in St. Cloud is up and down the lineup. Tops on the team in goals, assist and points are all still in town. Senior Julia Tylke led the team in goals the past two seasons and was second her freshman year. Tylke has been featured on Sportscenter Top 10 for her scoring prowess and it should be on full display in her last season. Sophomore Laura Kluge led the team in assists (17) and points (24) last year. Kluge’s play will go a long way for this team as she is a focal point for the offense both with the man advantage and at equal strength.
These two should pace the Huskies this season, who need to score more than they did last season’s 52 goals. My breakout forward candidate for this season is sophomore Megan Roe who should see time on the third line this season. Roe only saw the ice in 10 games last year and was unable to put up any points but in high school she scored at just under a point-per-game pace her final two years.
The back end is where the Huskies were hurt the most by graduation where they lost their top two defensemen. This season they will be led by junior assistant captain Abby Thiessen. Thiessen transferred from the University Of North Dakota after their women’s hockey team was cut. She had 10 points from the back end last season playing on the top defensive pairing with Britany Anderson.
My breakout defenseman candidate for this season is sophomore Taylor Wemple. Wemple is a force at 6’0 ft. tall and right handed from the point but she was undisciplined last season earning a penalty about every three games, which was the worst percentage on the team. She should lock down a solid role on the second and third pairings as long as she cleans up the penalties.
The Huskies are stacked in net with two clear starting college goalies. Junior Janine Alder and Sophomore Emma Polusny were unbelievable last year, leading to a handful of Huskies team records going down in flames. They claimed the number one save percentage for a season in team history at .929; while the second was all the way back at .919. Alder was at 9.35 and number one in team history with 33 GA and 473 saves. She also set the team record for saves in a game stone walling 59 shots against Wisconsin. Polusny was right behind at number two in save percentage with .934, 43 GA and 605 Saves.
The tandem is also number one in team history for goals against average in a season at .2.27; while the second is at 2.55. This time Polusny is number one on the record board at 2.20 GAA, second is at 2.32 GAA and Alder was right there with a 2.42 GAA. Polusny got significant run in the second half of last season but I expect them to split time in net for most of the season if they are both still playing at such a high level like last season.
The fresh talent on the team should find the ice from day one, especially on the back end. Freshman Olivia Hanson is expected be the left handed shot that fills Anderson’s old spot on the top pairing. Hanson is from Minot, North Dakota but she played in Canada for the Notre Dame Hounds the past four years. Hanson had four goals and 18 assists for 22 points in 25 games last season. She added three assists to that total during eight playoff games. Hanson did have 30 penalty minutes last season, which could work against her this year. Hanson will wear the 44 jersey this season.
Freshman Taytum Geier is the second defenseman brought in this year. She is from Verona, Wisconsin. She played for the Madison Capitals the past three years. She is more of a defensive defenseman who isn’t afraid to throw her body around to block shots. Geier shouldn’t wear down this year as she is used to a brutal schedule that includes 67 games a year on average. Geier will wear the 16 jersey this year.
In net, freshman Karlie Ries comes in from New Ulm High School. She brings in the pedigree being the daughter of former Husky Bill Ries, who played and coached here in the 1980’s. Ries probably won’t see the ice this season barring injury but the future in net looks bright. Ries will wear the 30 jersey this year.
On the offensive side the Huskies brought in freshman Jenniina Nylund, Allie Cornelius and Sophomore McKenna Wesloh, who will redshirt this season as a transfer from Ohio State. Nylund appears to be the one who will have the biggest impact on the Huskies this season having found a possible spot in the top 6. Nylund can flat out put the puck in the back of the net. Last season for Team Kuortane she scored 23 goals in 30 games, adding in 16 assists in there. In international competition playing for the Finland U18 team the year before she scored eight goals in 16 games. Nylund will wear the 81 jersey this year.
Cornelius is the home town girl having played high school hockey for the St. Cloud Icebreakers. She had an amazing four years with the Icebreakers amassing a program record for points (162) and goals (102) while being a mere second in assists (60). She will most likely not see much ice time this season with her skill set leaning toward offense the top 6 being pretty crowded but look for her to use that elite offensive skill in the near future for Rud’s squad. Cornelius will wear the 6 jersey this year.
The top games you won’t want to miss at the Herb Brooks National Hockey Center are as follows:
Oct. 12 vs. Minnesota Gophers
Oct 26 and 27th vs. UMD Bulldogs
Nov. 17 vs. Minnesota Gophers
Dec. 7 and 8 vs. Wisconsin Badgers
Feb. 1 and 2 vs Ohio State Buckeyes
The Huskies begin regular season play this weekend Sept. 28 and 29 when they fly out to Storrs, Connecticut to take on the University of Connecticut. The games will be at 6 p.m. on Friday and at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Neither of the games will be broadcast.
NOTES:
• This will be a good gage on where the Huskies are at with Connecticut earning two votes for the USCHO rankings.
• These teams tied 0-0 with Connecticut wining in OT on Friday and St. Cloud won 3-2 in comeback fashion on Saturday to start last season.
• Local connection: Connecticut has one Minnesota native on their team in sophomore Natalie Snodgrass, who is from Eagan.
• Connecticut lost their exhibition game 4-2, while SCSU won theirs 9-0.
Softball Fall Preview with Paula U'Ren
09/20/2018 - 1:20 AM
Softball Head Coach Paula U'Ren
The SCSU Softball team announced today their captains for the upcoming 2018-2019 season. Seniors Kate Kopeck, Bradi Yost, and Morgan Emmans were informed by Head Coach Paula U’Ren on Wednesday of the voting results and will be the trio of captains that will lead the Huskies into their promising season ahead.
The captaincies were voted upon by the team and coaching staff and it seemed that after counting the votes that everyone agreed that the veteran experience on the team translated over to the be the best options for team leadership.
“It was great to see that the team had the same idea that our seniors are the leaders on our team…they take a lot of ownership in the program and they know how to play the Husky softball way” U’Ren told KVSC.
SCSU has already gotten their exhibition season in the fall under way and will continue to do so with a game against the University of Minnesota later this month on Sep. 28th, followed up with their Alumni game on Sep. 29th and then concluded by a game facing the Minnesota Moose on Sep. 30th.
KVSC Sports Director AJ Fredrickson had a chance to sit down with Head Coach Paula U’Ren to discuss her thoughts on what she’s seen so far and to preview the rest of the fall for the Huskies.
Latest News
News
-
UPDATE: Missing Your Mules? Belgrade Farmer Can Help You Out
-
St. Cloud Man Arrested As Suspect For String of Convenience Store Robberies
Sports
Sports Schedule
-
Women's Basketball vs
Southwest Minnesota State University (Sports Stream)
Dec 14, 2018 - 5:30 -
Men's Basketball vs
Southwest Minnesota State University (Sports Stream)
Dec 14, 2018 - 7:30 -
Women's Basketball vs
Sioux Falls (Sports Stream)
Dec 15, 2018 - 3:30
Audio Feeds
Subscribe to what interests you. More information about podcasts and software.
KVSC Public Inspection File