richard navratil - notes compressed

2015 Golden Eagle Baseball

Meet the team

# Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Year Bat Throw Hometown Previous school1 Cody Magsam 2B/SS 5’10” 150 Fr. R R Crookston, Minn. Fisher Public School2 Jesse Jennings OF 5’11” 165 Sr. R R Robbinsdale, Minn. Robbinsdale-Cooper H.S.3 Colt Trebesch P/IF 5’10” 165 Jr. R R Glencoe, Minn. Mesabi Range C.C.4 Jarad Nelson P 5’10” 180 Jr. R R Karlsatd, Minn. Northland C.T.C.5 Dalton Parks OF 5’9” 135 Jr. R R West Valley City, Utah Brown Mackie College (Kan.) 6 David Anaya 2B/SS 5’11” 170 So. R R Tucson, Ariz. Dakota Wesleyan University7 Zach Frazier C 6’3” 205 R-Fr. R R Grand Rapids, Minn. Grand Rapids H.S.8 Ryan Haggstrom 1B/P 6’5” 200 Jr. R R Apple Valley, Minn. Eastview H.S.9 Timothy Scott, Jr. OF 6’1” 185 Jr. R R Macon, Ga. Mesabi Range C.C.10 Alan Frank P 5’11” 175 Sr. L L St. Michael, Minn. St. Michael-Albertville H.S.11 Patrick Higgins OF 5’10” 170 So. R R Eagan, Minn. Eagan H.S.12 Richie Navratil P 6’3” 230 Sr. R R Blansko, Czech Republic University of Jamestown13 Cody Pamperin P 6’0” 210 So. R R Shakopee, Minn. Shakopee H.S.14 Trevor Buttermore P 6’2” 220 Jr. R R North St. Paul, Minn. North St. Paul H.S.15 Marcus Campbell P 6’2” 205 Jr. R R St. Croix Falls, Wis. St. Croix Falls H.S.16 Luke Thoma P 5’11” 200 Jr. R R Little Falls, Minn. Itasca C.C.17 Wyatt Huso P 6’2” 220 R-Fr. R R Eagan, Minn. Eagan H.S.18 Colton Haight C/OF 6’0” 205 Jr. R R Rogers, Minn. Buffalo H.S.19 Riley Thompson OF/P 6’0” 200 Fr. R R Owatonna, Minn. Owatonna H.S.20 MitchellBornhauser OF 5’11” 180 Fr. R R Northfield,Minn. NorthfieldH.S.21 Brandon Kresl 1B 6’1” 200 So. R R Crookston, Minnn. Crookston H.S.23 Patrick Amerson 2B/SS 5’9” 170 So. R R Eloy, Ariz. Dakota Wesleyan University24 Cayden Barta P 6’3” 175 So. R R Fargo, N.D. Fargo Davies H.S.25 Travis Magdzas OF/DH 5’8” 215 Sr. R R Duluth, Minn. Fond du Lac C.C.26 Thomas Kinsella IF 6’1” 180 Jr. R R North Branch, Minn. Anoka-Ramsey C.C.27 Ethan Mushitz 2B/SS 6’0” 175 Fr. L R East Grand Forks, Minn. East Grand Forks H.S.28 Matt Nelson UT 6’3” 215 Fr. R R Lakeville, Minn. Lakeville South H.S.29 Kenny Perez DH/IF 5’6” 245 Jr. R R Orlando, Fla. Riverland C.C.32 Nolan Wahlberg P 6’6” 230 Jr. R R Blaine, Minn. Century College

Prior to UMC, Head Coach Steve Gust led Dakota Wesleyan University to a 27-24 record in 2014. His most successful year (2009) yielded a trip to NAIANational Tournament. His six years at DWU produced three GPAC Gold Glove winners, GPAC Player of the Year, and two All-Americans. His philosophy ishighlighted to the right. A native of East Grand Forks, Minn. is returning to the area after six years in Mitchell, S.D. (DWU campus location). Since his arrival at UMC, Gust has already got new fences and windscreen put in, andplansonimprovingthequalityofthebaseballfield.

Assistant coach Michael Lukkason comes to help Gust coach the Golden Eagles in a rebuilding season. In 2013, Lukkason received NAIA Honorable Mention All-American honors as ashort-stop at DWU. The 2015season is his second coachingone. Most of his 2015 season has been spent coaching at third base.

P PrideHave pride in what you do, in what the program stands for. Pride andbuying in is something past programs have been painfully lacking.

D DesireTo coach Gust and his staff, it is simple:

Who wants it more?

H Hard workThe effort players put forward must be consistent to compete at the high level of Division II baseball.

The Coaching Staff The philosophy

Notes designed by Richie Navratil (with assistance from Sports Information Director Shawn Smith)

DALTON PARKS CF JUNIOR WEST VALLEY CITY, UTAH5.197 AVG. 173 AT BATS 34 HITS 35 RUNS 16 RBI’S 38 WALKS .353 OBP

Parks transferred to UMC from Brown Mackie College in Kansas. Even though his batting average was .003 below the Mendoza Line, the #5 saw most of his at-bats very deep into the count, forcing the starter to bring out his off-speeds earlier than planned. Seeing the starter’s best stuff made it easier for the Golden Eagle bats to adjust. His ability to see pitches well made him the NSIC leader in walks.

Twenty-some miles away from home, Mushitz quickly became a powerful hitter in the line-up, swinging the third-best bat on the team. As the only left-handed batter in the starting nine, Ethan was a threat both with his swing, and with his ability to lay down the perfect base-hit bunt. As an upcoming shortstop, Mushitz will be one of the building blocks of the future UMC teams.

27 ETHAN MUSHITZ SS FRESHMAN EAST GRAND FORKS, MINN.

.314 AVG. 156 AT BATS 49 HITS 32 RUNS 20 RBI’S 24 WALKS .418 OBP

RYAN HAGGSTROM 1B JUNIOR APPLE VALLEY, MINN.8.346 AVG. 188 AT BATS 65 HITS 38 RUNS 33 RBI’S 10 WALKS .390 OBP

Juniorandathird-yearUMCproductHaggstrombecameadefensivewallatfirstbase,well deserving the Gold Glove award in the NSIC. “Haggy” was one of twoplayers in the Golden Eagle line-up that started every single game of the season(Perez is the other one), and produced hits in 41 out of the 50 games he played. He will be a true leader in his senior (2016) season, and an exciting player to watch.




KENNY PEREZ 3B JUNIOR ORLANDO, FLA.

COLTON HAIGHt DH JUNIOR ROGERS, MINN.

THOMAS KINSELLa 2B JUNIOR NORTH BRANCH, MINN.

29

18

26

One of the two newest additions to the baseball family coming from Riverland C.C. (in January 2015) travelled from DH to 3B after Haight sustained his knee injury. Perez was the team’s SLG %, RBI, HR, 2B, and TB leader. Just .005 shy of the team’s best AVG produced by Haggstrom, they will both for certain be nightmares for opposing pitchers in the 2016 season.

One of the most charismatic leaders in the University of Minnesota Crookstonbaseball uniform, Haight continued to be one of the hardest-working players on the team, providing leadership and support behind the dish. Assuming Colt can stay healthy, the 6’, 205 lbs catcher/designated hitter will be at the helm of 2016 UMC baseball success.

Joining the ranks at the same time as Perez, Kinsella started all but one game in 2015. Anoka-Ramsey C.C. product began his season in NSIC at third base, but the end of theseasonsawKinsellaatsecond.Hewasoneofthefivestarterstohitoverthe.300mark, providing power in the middle of the line-up.

2 JESSE JENNINGS RF SENIOR ROBBINSDALE, MINN.


7

11

ZACH FRAZIER C RS FRESHMAN APPLE VALLEY, MINN.

PATRICK HIGGINS LF SOPHOMORE EAGAN, MINN.



ThesoleseniorinthestartingninecametoUMCasaninfielder,butsawmostoftheplayingtimeinthecenterfield,andespeciallyrightfieldinhislastseason.Jenningswasthe only senior on the team to have been with UMC all four of his years. Jesse has shown major improvements at the plate compared to his junior year, thanks to the dedication and tutoring by the hitting coach Lukkason.

Due to NCAA eligibility, Frazier was unable to compete with the Golden Eagles in his freshman year, forcing him to redshirt. Starting off as a back-up catcher for Haight, Zach quickly found his way into the line-up after Haight’s knee problems, and brought a great strength to the table for the defensive side of UMC baseball – ability to manage the running game effectively (fourth best in CS in the NSIC).

Rounding up the line-up card in most games was a sophomore Higgins. Coming off of agreatseasonasafreshman,Patrickwasareliableoutfielder,andjustlikeMushitz,hewas a drag-bunt threat as much as you could expect from the ninth spot in the order. ThespeedytrioofoutfieldersshowedoffagoodrangetohelpoutGoldenEagledefense.

#32 #16 #4

Nolan Wahlberg Luke Thoma Jarad Nelson 6 - 4 W - L 13 - 10 APP - GS 77.2 IP 4.52 ERA 2.09 K/BB 1 SV

0 - 6 W - L 13 - 7 APP - GS 49.2 IP 8.70 ERA 2.25 K/BB 1 SV

4 - 3 W - L 14 - 11 APP - GS 69.2 IP 5.68 ERA 2.63 K/BB

#12 #14

Richie Navratil Trevor Buttermore 0 - 4 W - L 11 - 8 APP - GS 36.0 IP 8.75 ERA 3.00 K/BB 1 SV

0 - 9 W - L 12 - 9 APP - GS 41.2 IP 9.94 ERA 1 K/BB

Blaine, Minn. The strong junior class continues into the

pitching rotation, with Wahlberg coming on top as the most successful pitcher for the Golden Eagles in terms of wins and ERA. Wahlberg’s number of IP sets the school

and NSIC records.

Little Falls, Minn. Itasca Community College produced a

pitcher that came one out shy of 50 IP, plus had nearly half of his appearances out of the

bullpen, making him one of the most versatile arms UMC had in the season. Yet another junior amongst the pitchers and the entire team, who will be looked to in the 2016 to

provide quality innings as well as leadership.

Karlstad, Minn. Nelson, a player familiar with the area, was able to find a way to be the most-utilized starting pitcher in the UMC rotation, with 14 appearances and 11

starts. His good 2015 season makes him the second-winningest pitcher in the UMC

history.

Blansko, Czech Republic “That Foreign Kid” returned to Maroon and Gold after having graduated in 2014, but also still sitting on one more year of eligibility. Navratil decided to come back and end his college career on a better note with improved team results. Even though he was unable to match his last year’s numbers, he

certainly was one of the leaders on the mound (and in the dugout), putting his team in a position to win.

North St. Paul, Minn. Third year in an UMC uniform did not end as well as Trevor would have personally hoped, however, he has

a positive outlook into his senior year. Buttermore will be one of the true leaders in one

of the biggest senior classes UMC has ever had (assuming everyone returns, it would be 12). That can be contributed to four players who have been with UMC since their day 1 on campus and eight

transfers.

#13 #10 #24

Cody Pamperin Alan Frank 0 - 5 W - L 16 - 4 APP - GS 34.1 IP 8.91 ERA 1.30 K/BB 1 SV


SHAKOPEE, Minn.In his sophomore year, Cody was looked to the most in terms of putting out the fire

from the bullpen when the starters ran out of juice, with 19 appearances on the mound.

One thing Pamperin will concentrate on is consistency in his reliefs, but overall he provided the best ERA of all relievers and

returners to the program.

St. MICHAEL, Minn.After taking a leave of absence for three years,

Frank joined the team for his last year. As a sole southpaw on the roster, he came three appearances behind the most utilized man

Pamperin, but also having four starts for the Golden Eagles.

FARGO, N.D.Barta’s slower start on the year put a

damper on otherwise great numbers in the relief. He allowed runners to cross

home only in his first outing of the year, and in his last. The other six appearances, Cayden provided much needed outs on

the hill for his teammates.

#3#17 #15

Colt TrebeschWyatt Huso 1 - 1 W - L 7 - 1 APP - GS 9.2 IP 13.03 ERA 2.33 K/BB


GLENCOE, Minn.Another junior, a side-armer and third

baseman had a decent hitting year, however, is hoping to see some more playing time in the upcoming season for the Golden Eagles. Trebesch comes to University of Minnesota

Crookston with a fellow teammate Tim Scott, both from Mesabi Range C.C.

EAGAN, Minn.Tommy John surgery recovery forced Wyatt

to use his medical redshirt, unable to play when he joined the baseball team last year.

His first (competing) season in intercollegiate athletics was a decent one, coming in for

13 relief appearances, posting second-best reliever ERA.

ST. CROIX FALLS, Wis.“Soup” transformed from a starting

right-fielder and an occasional reliever last year to a pitcher-only player.

Campbell saw significantly less playing time than in his sophomore year. Marcus

pitched 12 innings in 15 appearances.

Cayden Barta

Marcus Campbell



#19 Riley Thompson ThefreshmanRileyThompsonhasseenasignificantplayingtimeasanon-starter,playingthesecondgamesofdoubleheadersinsteadofJennings.#6 David Anaya TransferringfromDakotaWesleyan,Anayaisanagilemiddle-infielder,whocan(togetherwithMushitz)lookforwardtomentoringbyapossible upper-classmen shortstop. #23 Patrick Amerson Although not your typical third baseman by body type, Amerson makes up for that with his quickness and wanting the ball every time.#10 Timothy Scott, Jr. Junioroutfielderhasnotseenanymajordefensivetime,however,havepinchranforPerezinkeysituations.#28 Matt Nelson Matt is waiting for his big game, but so far has been irreplaceable as a bullpen catcher, devoting his time to help UMC pitchers succeed on the bump.#20 Mitchell Bornhauser Hard-workingfresmanhasshownmajorimprovementssincehisfirstsemester,thekeyforhimwillbenottogiveupandkeepworkinghard.#21 Brandon Kresl Local (Crookston, Minn.) product has not seen as many opportunities as he has in his freshman year and will hope for more as a junior in 2016.

One Link Missing

Non-starters

Oneofthefourseniors,Traviswasdealtatoughhand,bothfigurativelyandliterally.During his practice swings in the beginning of February, he felt a sudden discomfort in his left wrist. A trip to the doctors and couple of X-rays and MRIs later, it was discovered he

had a fractured a bone in his wrist. He could either get it removed then and risk notmaking a full recovery by the start of the season, or wait and hope for the best.

He decided to wait, but was unable to play. His one sole appearance was pinch running at home during a senior day. A big loss for UMC in terms of hitting, although Magdzas showed his competitive and supportive spirit, coming to every practice and game with

zero to no chance to play and doing everything for his teammates to succeed. Travis Magdzas

2016 On Back-order With the 2015 season in the books now, the UMC baseball program loses four seniors, of whom all played a major role somewhere along the road. Whether that was at the plate, in the on the mound, in the dugout, in the classroom, at home or on the road, these guys did all they could to lead their team to success.And they certainly have - the 2015 team met most of their major goals, and saw some school records broken.Number one goal that was set and met was number of overall wins, previously standing at 10 (from the 2012 season), overshadowed by this year’s 14 wins. A 14-36 record might not seem so impressive, but compared to previous 1-42 (2013) and 1-49 (2014), it certainly makes some noise.With the overall wins record broken, the conference wins record took care of itself. The long-standing seven wins in a conference were taken by this team’s eight wins in the NSIC.

Nearly half of the remaining roster (that is not counting new signees and possible transfers at the semester break) will become seniors in the new 2016 season, assuring that the team is not lacking leadership nor exceptional players by any means. You can look forward to a stacked roster coming off of the most successful year in UMC baseball history. Should the returners remain in their starting positions, expect out of the starting nine to be seniors. Catcher, base, second base, third base, and center are all seniors in the upcoming season, leaving only four spots in the line-up up for grabs. The battle for the starting spot should assure that the best players are competing on the diamond. Don’t forget about the starting rotation and the bullpen right behind them. Out of the starters you saw this year, only one (Richie Navratil) have graduated, leaving four this year’s starters to step up to their senior years, as well as two relievers entering their last year.

Although there is no simple advice to be given, and no summary, there are, however, a few phases of the game Golden Eagles certainly need an improvement in. Overall, the bats have been staying fairly hot most of the year, therefore a lot of focus will be put on the defensive side of baseball. Whether that is pitchers (getting ahead of hitters for starters, and coming in and shutting the doors for relievers), as well as all of that will be tested in the years to come in the tough Norther Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

Maintaining defensive power in the OF The will return senior Parks and junior Higgins, who will help upcoming Thompson. He has played a big role in over half of the games. The needs to stay sharp, quick, and not be afraid to make the big play with a diving catch.

Mushitz is a promising player, however, he was thrown into the water expected to learn how to swim. He could from an upper-classman SS to help him lead the way to an unbeatable MI.

Staying healthy Especially catcher Haight, who took a lot of beating in all three of his years so far, in addition to pitchers’ arms. Knockin’ them in With runner on third and less than two outs, UMC has hit .490, which by itself is not a low number, but to be put in perspective – their opponents hit staggering .592.

Southpaws The Golden Eagles struggled to a way to defeat left-handed pitchers on the bump, and with only one lefty in the line-up as of now, they will need to add more and concentrate on hitting lefties in the off-season during their scrimmages and BPs. The team AVG vs. lefties is mere .253, while the opponents raked up .365.

Staying hungry Most team goals have been met by this squad, but it does not stop here. A good groundwork for a turnaround has been laid, and now it needs to be built upon. As coach Gust mentions, this team needs to be the hardest-working team in the country to succeed in one of the best DII conferences in the U.S.

Look Into the Future

Future Keys to Success

What About the Fans?

The home turf of the Golden Eagle baseball had a few innovations and additions this year, and besides two newsetsofjerseysandhatsforafresh,unifiedlook,theadministration, athletics department and coaching staff contracted a new fencing to completely enclose the field,togetherwithanewMaroon/Goldwindscreentogivethestadiumamore“closed”feel.AnAmericanflagnowalsofliesrightabovethehometeamdugout.

UMC BASEBALL appearance IMPROVEMENTS

A plan for new press box connected to a clubhouse right next to the third-base (home team) dugout should provide additional comfort for both the game-day staff, as well as the players themselves. Should we remain hopeful,wemightseeasimplifiedgrandstandandabat-ters eye coming up in a few years as well.

Coach Gust and Coach Lukkason instituted a new look for the UMC baseball team for the 2015 season with brand new Rawlings white and gold combinations featuring white and gold hats with the M Crookston logo.

Out With the OLD...

In With the NEW...

A New Look for UMC Baseball

richard navratil - notes compressed

Documents