The St. Thomas Tommies are scheduled to finish a six-game road stretch by facing Minnesota on Tuesday, April 28. The team aims to maintain momentum after securing their first series win of the season at Omaha.
This upcoming matchup is significant as it follows a dramatic weekend for the Tommies, who overcame an initial loss to Omaha by winning the next two games. In game two, freshman Owen Marsolek earned the win on the mound, while Joe Roder and Nolan Welke each contributed three runs batted in. Game three featured a major comeback, including a seven-run fifth inning and nine runs in the ninth, highlighted by Easton Fritcher’s three-run home run that helped secure an 18-12 victory.
Historically, St. Thomas holds a 3-15 record against Minnesota and has lost both previous meetings this season under run rule conditions. Minnesota enters this contest after sweeping Northwestern and currently holds a 26-17 overall record with an 8-13 conference mark. Senior catcher Weber Neels leads their offense with a .364 batting average and twelve home runs; their pitching staff has compiled a team earned run average of 4.25.
Recently, St. Thomas was involved in a marathon game against Northern Colorado that lasted twenty-one innings over two days before ending on a walk-off hit in the bottom of the twenty-first inning.
Individually, junior Owen Bond leads Summit League statistics with four triples and is second in batting average at .356; Tanner Recchio tops league rankings for stolen bases (30), runs scored (37), and walks (tied at 24 with Joe Roder). The roster features seventeen newcomers this year from several states including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska.
Head Coach Chris Olean enters his seventeenth season leading St. Thomas baseball in 2026 with an overall record of 414-256-1 since taking over before the 2010 season. Olean is recognized as a three-time NCAA Division III Region Coach of the Year and has guided teams to multiple MIAC championships as well as national runner-up finishes.
