Program Outlook

St. Thomas has always been competitive in baseball, but the 1994 hiring of head coach Dennis Denning energized the program.

Denning, the 2001 Division III National Coach of the Year, coached his 1,000th game in his 30-year prep and college coaching career at St. Thomas in 2007. His 31-year career includes 17 years at St. Paul’s Cretin-Derham Hall (379-76 W-L record) and 14 with the Tommies, with 860 wins at both stops. He was inducted into the Minnesota State High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 2005.

Denning’s 481-144 overall record ranks him first in NCAA Division III among active coaches with a .768 winning percentage. Denning’s teams have won seven of the nine conference postseason tournaments ever held and have advanced to the NCAA playoffs in 13 of his 14 seasons. Only one of the other 360 Division III programs has more NCAA playoff berths since 1994.

In 140 regular-season conference doubleheaders under Denning, St. Thomas has swept 98 twinbills, split 38, and has been swept itself just four times.

The Tommies won the 2001 NCAA championship after they placed second nationally in 1999 and 2000. They became the first MIAC baseball team to reach the College World Series and first to receive the No. 1 ranking in Division III. They've had 11 All-Americans in the last 13 years, including four players selected in the MLB amateur draft.

The 1995 Tommies took second in the MIAC and advanced to the NCAA playoffs for the first time since 1986. The 1996, 1997 and 1998 Tommies did even better as they compiled the best three baseball seasons in school history. The 38-5 finish in 1996 included a 19-1 conference record and the MIAC championship. Both of these win totals established MIAC records. They had a school-record 14-game win streak and moved as high as No. 4 in the national poll. Third-team All-American Tony Fisher was drafted in the sixth round of the major-league draft and played in the Texas Rangers organization.

The Tommies came back to finish 35-9 in 1997, and won another MIAC championship with an 18-2 record. Their three-year conference win streak peaked at 23 games. They ranked as high as No. 5 in national polls and broke the school record with 18 consecutive wins.

St. Thomas shared the conference title in 1998 and finished 37-11, gaining the No. 12 ranking in the final Division III national poll. The Tommies won four games in the NCAA regional tournament and came within one victory of a trip to the Division III College World Series. They became the first MIAC team to win a game against Wisconsin-Oshkosh, which won the region championship for the 16th time in 19 seasons. The Tommies, who had two All-Americans for the first time in school history, won 23 of 24 games early in the season and had their MIAC road-winning streak end at 28. First-team All-American Buzz Hannahan was drafted in the 31st round of the major-league draft and eventually reached Class AAA in seven seasons with the Philadelphia Phillies’ organization. Hannahan rejoined the program in 2007 as an assistant coach.

The 1999 Tommies made history with a second-place national finish and a school-record 42-7 final record. UST became the first MIAC institution to qualify for the NCAA Division III College World Series in the 24-year history of the event. The Tommies won their final 15 conference games to tie their own record for victories with a 19-1 MIAC championship finish. Chris Olean was named first-team All- American and was drafted in the 17th round of the major-league draft by the Milwaukee Brewers. Matt Faulken repeated as a third-team All American.

The 2000 Tommies got hot at the right time. After taking second in the MIAC, they won the inaugural conference postseason tournament and made their sixth consecutive NCAA playoff appearance. They went 11-3 in the post-season and were national runners-up again at 36-14. They also took an historic trip to Havana, Cuba in January for an exhibition game and hosted a return trip by the University of Havana in May. Jake Mauer was named All-American.

The 2001 Toms were ranked No. 1 in the nation and came into May with a 27-4 record. A 2-4 finish to the conference season dropped St. Thomas to third in the final MIAC standings. But St. Thomas caught fire and won the MIAC postseason tournament again, then went 7-2 in the NCAA playoffs. Their 8-4 victory over Marietta (Ohio) on May 29 captured the school's first NCAA baseball title. Mauer repeated as All-American and was drafted in the 23rd round by the Minnesota Twins. Mauer retired in 2006 due to injuries after five pro seasons where he reached Class AA. He's now an assistant coach in the Twins' organization.

The 2002 Tommies won the MIAC postseason tournament for the third year in a row after tying for second in the conference regular-season race. They finished 31-12 and extended two long streaks – eight consecutive NCAA playoff berths and six 30-win seasons in a row. They were ranked as high as second nationally and finished ranked No. 20.

St. Thomas won the 2003 conference championship but failed to advance to nationals for the first time since 1994. Senior Tom Carroll was voted CoSIDA Academic All-American.

UST swept the conference regular-season and postseason championships in 2004 and 2005 with two more 30-plus win seasons. Brett Olson became the fourth Tommie to reach 200 career hits and earned All-America honors in 2004. Brian Krause finished fourth in Division III history in career appearances.

The 2005-06 Toms became the first team in 83 years of MIAC baseball to claim four consecutive MIAC titles. They were ranked as high as 10th nationally and finished 31-12. The 2006-07 Tommies shared the MIAC title and won the conference postseason title to earn a return trip to the NCAA regional. In the 34-12 finish, junior Matt Pexa received third-team All-America honors, and senior Riley Bosch made CoSIDA Academic All-America. The 2007-08 Toms made it six consecutive conference titles and also swept the MIAC playoff championship en route to a 34-9 finish.

The team takes an annual trip to Florida during spring break where it faces some of the best teams in the nation and scrimmages with the Minnesota Twins rookie team. Approximately 25 players are kept on the varsity roster, with another 15-20 on the junior-varsity team.

The Tommies practice and play on campus on a renovated field adjacent to the athletic building and residence halls. A new FieldTurf infield and new bleachers was added in fall 2005. They also play several early-season games at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome in Minneapolis, and play an annual game against the Minnesota Gophers.