http://www.tommiemedia.com/sports/pre-season-all-american-pitcher-talks-about-upcoming-season/

UST (4-1) never trailed and got 21 hits in the doubleheader including hits from 12 different players. LaCrosse (0-2) got a pair of solo homers on the night but couldn't convert several game-two chances.

Rahm's walk-off, bases-loaded single with one out in the last of the seventh inning broke a 2-2 tie and closed out the sweep.

Both starters pitched into the seventh inning -- lefthanders Bryce Gapinski for UST and Brandon Walczak for UWL. The Toms outhit the Eagles 10-9, and the Eagles left nine on base.

UST's Matt Olson was 3-for-3 with a sacrifice fly and Rahm was 2-for-4 with two RBI singles. Gapinksi allowed nine hits and four walks but fanned five in the complete-game win. Walczak worked 6 1-3 innings and allowed eight hits and one walk with two strikeouts.

LaCrosse scored single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to tie the game 2-2.

UST used three singles in the bottom of the seventh for the win. Drew Cremisino had a pinch-hit single and John Bauer reached on a fielder's choice. After an out, Steve Henes came on in relief. Olson singled to load the bases, and Rahm worked a 2-1 count and singled to center for the game winner.

The Eagles had the bases loaded with one out in the top of the third on a single and two walks, but a strikeout and line out to center stranded three.

UST scored two in the bottom of the third on a single by Bauer; a double to right by Matt McQuillan; a sacrifice fly by Olson; and Rahm's two-out single.

Brooks Braga hit a solo homer to left with one out in the top of the fifth to cut the lead to 2-1. UWL had a single and that runner reached third on a two-out error but Gapinski got an inning-ending strikeout.

UST had runners at second and third with one out in the fourth but a strikeout and pop out stranded two.

LaCrosse got a single, a sac bunt and an RBI double in the sixth by Mickey Boyle, who was tagged out at trying to get a triple.

In the opener, the Toms outhoit LaCrosse 11-3. Tommie starter Kris Edwards allowed three runs and three hits in five innings with two strikeouts and one walk. John Licht pitched two scoreless innings in relief.

UST opened the first inning with a single by Matt McQuillan and a single to deep short by Olson. After a line out and fly out, Roy Larson drove home two runs with a double to right center.

The Eagles score two runs in the bottom of the first inning on a walk by Braga, a fly out, an RBI double to center by Matt Trucke, and an RBI single by Jay Fanta.

UST scored one in the top of the third on Rahm's leadoff triple off the right-field baggy and Tom Wippler's RBI double. Olson made a diving catch in right center to end the third inning and help maintain a 4-2 lead.

UST opened the fourth inning with three hits to build the lead to 6-2. Brady Field doubled to left, Tim Kahle doubled to right, and McQuillan had a two-run single to center. McQuillan later scored on Wippler's two-out double to the fence in left for a 7-2 lead.

LAX freshman Brett Jacobson homered to the top of the baggy in right in the bottom of the fifth to make it 7-3.

UST scored three runs in the top of the sixth inning, keyed by Rahm's two-run single.

Starter Kris Edwards allowed three runs and three hits in five innings with two strikeouts and one walk. John Licht pitched two scoreless innings in relief.

The Tommies return to the Dome Saturday night for a 9:45 p.m. single game vs. No. 9-ranked Carthage.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/17/sports/baseball/17twins.html?pagewanted=1&sq=metrodome&st=cse&scp=1

The Tommies (2-1) lost a 5-4, 12-inning game last week to Division I Minnesota.

Wooster(6-1) lost 16-15 on Monday to No. 10-ranked Kean. The Scots are averaging 10 runs a game.

Another Ohio team, Heidlelberg, moved up to No. 3.

Two other Midwest Region teams are ranked -- UW-Stevens Point (0-0) is 15th and UW-Whitewater is 21st. St. Scholastica (6-2) and St. Olaf (4-2) barely missed the top 25.

UST plays three games this week in the Metrodome -- a twinbill on Thursday night against UW-LaCrosse and one nine-inning game Saturday night vs. No. 9-rated Carthage. 

Click here for d3baseball.com top 25 rankings:

http://www.d3baseball.com/top25/2010/week3

http://www.miac-online.org/custompages/baseball/baseball2010/ust.htm

Edwards, who has come back from a similar elbow injury as the Twins' all-star closer, was interviewed Tuesday on the UST campus.

Click here to watch the Fox 9 video report (Edwards starts at 1:15 into the near two-minute story):

http://www.myfoxtwincities.com/dpp/news/surgery-could-help-joe-nathan-march-9-2010

Edwards came out Wednesday night and pitched well in the Tommies' 5-4, 12-inning loss to the Division I Minnesota Gophers. In his first Tommie start, he allowed one earned run and five hits over 5 1-3 innings.

The Toms (2-1) had nine hits while U of M (4-7) collected 11 hits.

Pitchers combined to strike out 26 batters, including 10 by three UST pitchers.

The game lasted 3:43, not counting a 17-minute delay in the 11th inning. The Metrodome lights dimmed in the 11th inning with one on base and none out, and it caused a delay in the action until the lights come back to full power.

Matt McQuillan's two-out, two-strike RBI single to center in the top of the ninth inning put UST ahead 4-3.

The Gophers got a two-out, bases-loaded infield hit in the last of the ninth to tie the game and stay alive. A slow-hit ball was hit to shortstop Roy Larson, who turned to get a force out at second. The U of M runner had the play beat so Larson threw to first base, where Nick O'Saea was called safe on a bang-bang play to deny UST the win.

Reliever Brandon Stone got a strikeout to send the game to the 10th inning.

Stone came on to start the inning. He allowed a single and walk and was called for a balk to put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position with none out. Stone got two strikeouts then walked Michael Kvasnicka on a  3-2 pitch to load the bases. O'Shea was credited with an infield hit on the next play.

Stone struck out three in the bottom of the ninth, two in the 10th. He took the loss despite 3 2-3 innings of strong relief.

UST got a leadoff double in the 10th from Drew Cremisino. Pinch runner Justin Novak was bunted to third, but a strikeout and flyout ended the threat.

In the 11th, Roy Larson hit a blast caught at the wall in right field.

McQuillan went 3-for-6 and Taylor Rahm had two RBI singles for UST, in the first and sixth innings. John Means drove in the go-ahead run in the top of the sixth with a hard liner that was ruled an error on the Gopher shortstop.

UST starter Kris Edwards allowed three runs (one earned) and six hits for the Toms and had four strikeouts over 5 1-3 innings.

John Licht pitched 2 2-3 shutout innings. He stranded runners at third in both the sixth and seventh innings.

McQuillan hit a ground-rule double to left field to open the game. After Matt Olson walked and a strikeout, Tom Wippler hit a deep fly caught in right center, allowing McQuillan to take third. Rahm followed with an RBI single up the box for a 1-0 lead.

Minnesota scored two unearned runs in the third inning with the help of two errors and two singles.

The game lasted 3:43, not counting a 17-minute delay in the 11th inning. The Metrodome lights dimmed in the 11th inning with one on base and none out, and it caused a delay in the action until the lights come back to full power.

UST plays UW-LaCrosse March 18 in a Dome doubleheader.

Click here for box score:

http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=38639&SPID=3298&DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=204906010

Click here for Minnesota Daily game story:

http://www.mndaily.com/2010/03/10/light-delay-extras-can%E2%80%99t-stop-minnesota-comeback

Click here to view more Greg Smith action photos

Matt McQuillan (#8) led off the game with a double. (Greg Smith photo)

Tayler Rahm (#13) had RBI hits in the first and sixth innings. (Greg Smith photo)

Kris Edwards (#29) (Greg Smith photo)

John Bauer (#6) (Greg Smith photo)

Roy Larson (#23) (Greg Smith photo)

Minnesota broke a six-game losing streak with Sunday's win over Northwestern.

St. Thomas and Wooster remained 1-2 in this week's Division III national poll by d3baseball.com. Both teams are 2-0 on the young season. The Tommies have been ranked for 11 consecutive polls dating back to March 2009.

Two other Midwest Region teams are ranked -- UW-Stevens Point (0-0) is 11th and St. Scholastica (2-2) is 25th. UW-Whitewater and St. Olaf (3-1) barely missed the top 25.

The Tommies opened their season Sunday night oin the Metrodome with two hard-fought wins over St. Scholastica by 6-5 and 3-1 margins.

Click here to read a short preview on Gophersports.com:

http://www.gophersports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=8400&ATCLID=204904975

Check here on Wednesday evening for score updates.

The Tommies rallied from game-one deficits of 3-0 and 5-4 and pulled out a 6-5 victory. In game two, St. Thomas rode Matt Schuld's complete-game pitching performance in a 3-1 victory.

The wins helped make Chris Olean's debut as St. Thomas head coach a success. Four UST pitchers combined for 14 strikeouts and just two walks on the night.

Senior Tom Wippler drove in four runs in game one with a bases-loeaded double in the fifth inning and a game tying double in the seventh inning. Junior Taylor Rahm drove in the winning run in each game.

Bryce Gapinski started for the Toms and had a no-hitter through 3 1-3 innings. But the Saints scored three runs in the fourth inning.

Wippler's bases-loaded double with two outs in the top of the fifth inning capped a four-run rally. But the Saints answered in the bottom of the fifth with a single, a ground-rule double, sacrifice fly and a wild pitch to regain the lead at 5-4.

UST was down to its last three outs but Matt Olson hustled out a bloop infield hit, Roy Larson singled and Wippler tied the game 5-5 on a liner into the gap in center field. Rahm followed with an RBI single that proved to be the winning margin.

Kris Edwards got the win as he pitched two scoreless innings and retired six of the seven batters he faced. Brandon Stone got the save as he hit one batter but retired the other three to end the game.

Olson had thre hits to lead an 11-hit attack. Matt McQuillan made two excellent catches in center field. The Toms stranded three runners on third base in the opener.

In game two, Schuld posted his 20th career victory as he struck out 10, walked just one and scattered five hits. He allowed a solo homer to Scott Greening in the fifth inning and worked out of a two-out jam in the sixth.

In game two, Rahm's first-inning triple made it 2-0 and Wippler's sacrifice fly gave UST a 3-0 lead.

Olson and Rahm finised with four hits each and senior second baseman John Bauer had three hits on the night.

The Tommies return to the Metrodome Wednesday for a nine-inning game against the Minnesota Gophers. Game time is 6:30 p.m.

Click here to access Game 1 box:

http://www.csssaints.com/custompages/baseball/Stats/2010/m07stss1.htm

Click here to access Game 2 box:

http://www.csssaints.com/custompages/baseball/Stats/2010/m07stss2.htm

Olean, a long-time assistant with the Tommies, took over for 15-year head coach Dennis Denning, who retired from the university on Feb. 1. A two-time National Coach of the Year, Denning compiled a 522-157 record at St. Thomas. His Tommie teams qualified for the NCAA playoffs 14 of his 15 seasons, with four top-two national finishes.

A former St. Thomas All-American pitcher, Olean has been Tommie pitching coach the last nine seasons. He contributed to NCAA championship seasons in 2001 and 2009 and UST’s current string of seven consecutive conference titles.

Olean has borrowed a page from his mentor as he prepares for his 2010 debut. He's more focused on the process and day-to-day improvement than in setting or meeting lofty team goals.

"I just want the guys to play to their ability and play like they're capable of," Olean said. "I know they're ready to go and are ready to get the games started. They realize they're wearing a big target."

The Tommies return 19 of their top 25 varsity players from an NCAA champion squad. They were ranked first nationally in the Division III preseason poll after posting a 41-13 mark last season.

St. Thomas starts its season Sunday March 7 with a 6:30 p.m. doubleheader against St. Scholastica in the Metrodome. (St. Thomas will have a live audio webcast and St. Scholastica plans a live videocast).

They also have nine-inning March Metrodome games against the Minnesota Gophers (March 10) and last year’s third-place NCAA finisher Carthage (March 20).

The Toms have nine games on spring break in Winter Haven, Fla., March 26-April 1, and start MIAC play April 3 at home against 2009 playoff qualifier Carleton. If history is in indicator, their May 8 road doubleheader on the last day of the regular season at St. Olaf could determine the MIAC champion.

Good depth

Top returners include:

--Senior pitcher Matt Schuld (12-1, 3.70 ERA in 2009, 19 career wins) earned All-America and Academic All-America honors last season.

--Senior OF Matt Olson (23 runs, 14 RBI, 29 hits in 20 May games) was named the Most Outstanding Player at the College World Series.

--Junior OF Matt McQuillan (.377 BA, 66 hits, 45 runs, 16 SBs, one error) is a defensive and base-stealing threat.

--Senior SS Roy Larson (.357 BA, 95 total bases, 45 RBI, 66 hits, 40 runs, 17 walks) was among the team’s most improved players.

--Senior 1B Tom Wippler (51 hits, 32 RBI, 13 doubles) is one of the nation's best defensive players with just five errors in 1,094 chances.

--Senior Brandon Stone (3-2, 2.39 ERA) won the NCAA championship game with seven innings of two-hit, shutout relief and had the save against the Minnesota Gophers.

--Sophomores Bryce Gapinski (7-2, 3.34 ERA) and John Licht (6-2, 3.36 ERA, two NCAA playoff complete-game wins) were two of the nation's best freshmen pitchers.

--Junior catcher Brady Field (.359 BA, 17 RBI, 28 hits) will be an important piece on defense.

--Junior OF-DH Taylor Rahm (65 hits, .346 BA in 66 career games) has some pop in his bat.

Potent pitching

UST recorded a 2.12 ERA in 12 NCAA playoff games to help it post a 6-0 record in elimination games at regionals and nationals.

Under Olean, St. Thomas pitchers have led the conference in ERA in eight of the last nine seasons, and the Toms have won either the regular-season or playoff championship each year.

St. Thomas has led the nation in fielding percentage in each of the last two seasons.

Varsity newcomers in 2010 include Tommie hockey standout Andrew Kappers, who played on a state championship team five years ago at Lakeville South; and freshmen RHPs Mark Dominik of Hill-Murray and Nick Gervais of Totino-Grace.

UST graduated seniors Dan Leslie, Louie Salmen, Erik Olson, Brian Schmitz and Brady Gibbs. Catcher Ben Wartman, an Academic All-American and football All-American, has decided not to play this season.

UST's former winter practice site, Coughlan Fieldhouse, was razed last summer to make way for the new Anderson Athletics and Recreation Building, which opens next August. Thus St. Thomas' first seven weeks of practice are being held at Concordia University's air structure at Sea Foam Stadium.

Click here to view 2010 schedule:

http://www.tommiesports.com/bsbl/schedule/

Click here to view 2009 statistics:

http://www.tommiesports.com/bsbl/stats/teamcume.htm