MORNINGSIDE COLLEGE GAM E DAY - M AY 1, 2021
MUSTANG BASEBALL Great Plains Athletic Conference crosstown foes face off as a crucial regular-season finale series begins on Mercy Field at Lewis and Clark Park. Morningside College, coached by Adam Boeve, has a record of 22-27 overall and 13-11 in the league, which has them in sixth place on the loop standings. Briar Cliff University, coached by Corby McGlauflin, is 31-15 overall and 14-10 in the conference, good for fourth place. Both programs can potentially climb into the top three with positive results this weekend, setting themselves up for success for the 2021 postseason tournament, which is May 6-8 at the GPAC’s top two seeds.
The Match-Up A smaller snapshot of the overall history between the Mustangs and Chargers tells plenty about how closely-knit the series is. Over the last eight contests, both teams have won four, part of an all-time 25-21 advantage for the Maroon. Defense and pitching have allowed Mside to find a slot among the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics’ top 25 statistics rankings. Junior infielder Carter Kratz is 11th in assists (108) along individual lines, while the team is 24th in total fielding opportunities (1,552) and 25th in putouts (1,086) and assists (392). The pitching staff’s 363 and a third innings of work is 24th-highest, while the duo of senior Camden Parks and junior Jordan Kyle stands 26th in saves with five apiece. Freshman outfielder Hunter Hope also has a spot in similar territory, with his 179 at-bats ranking 21st. Five extra-base hits, coupled with six Concordia University errors, started the final week of the regular season April 26. Kratz, freshman infielder Eddie Brancato and freshman pitcher Wade Canaday each laced doubles. Sophomore outfielder Michael Boomgarden produced a triple, and Hope blasted a home run to guide the Mustangs’ efforts in an 11-7 victory over the nation’s then-No. 22-ranked team at Plum Creek Park. The outing started towards a theme of the last
score potentially being the winner. CU held a 5-3 advantage after two frames, but the visitors bounced back with one in the third and a seven-run explosion between the fifth and sixth frames. Canaday and senior infielder Jordan Pierce registered a run-scoring double and sacrifice fly in the fifth, respectively, to give the Maroon the lead for good. A two-run two-bagger by Kratz in the sixth helped the visitors build a six-run cushion. Canaday was a battler on the mound, going six innings where he worked around three Bulldog home runs and a pair of walks. His efforts led to his fourth victory of the year. Boeve’s bunch narrowly missed a sweep of the conference leaders on their home diamond. An infield error and a wild pitch plated three tallies in the top of the fifth to give Mside a 4-2 edge. Concordia rallied, though, with a single run in the sixth and a walk-off two-run home run in the seventh for a 5-4 decision. Morningside winds up the regular season Sunday, May 2, traveling to BCU’s Bishop Mueller for a 1 p.m. doubleheader that continues the weekend set.
CHARGER CLIPS Briar Cliff has won four of its last six, including a crazy nonconference split with Peru State College on April 26. Eightyeight runs were scored between the two sides. Senior pitcher Jacob Wesselman is among the conference and nation’s best when limiting free passes. He’s only issued seven in 67 and a third innings of work, leading him to a sparkling 7-0 record that features 84 strikeouts, seven complete games, and two shutouts. The infield duo of freshman Jared Sitzmann and junior Jake Federico leads the Blue and Gold’s offense. Sitzmann is hitting .338 with 14 extra-base hits and 31 RBI added in. Federico sports a .329 mark with ten doubles, four home runs, and 31 RBI. Briar Cliff isn’t shy about going for extra bases at the dish, closing in on a combined 125 doubles, triples, and home runs.