Busy Saturday at UST: track, baseball, softball at home

May 3, 2002
The St. Thomas campus will be hopping with varsity sports action Saturday.

The Tommie baseball and softball teams conclude their home seasons with 1 p.m. doubleheaders on campus. Then, the men's track and field team hosts the four-team Meet of Saints at O'Shaughnessy Stadium. All events free free and open to the public.

--In softball, Coach John Tschida's team will try to make MIAC history. The Toms, ranked ninth nationally, have won 20 in a row to climb to 33-5 overall and 20-0 in the conference. They play dangerous St. Benedict (24-8, 15-5) in two seven-inning games on the south campus field at Grand and Cretin Avenues. If the Tommies win both games, they'll become just the second MIAC softball team (and third MIAC team in any sport) to finish 22-0 in the conference. They also would become the first MIAC team in any sport to win the race by a six-game margin on the runner-up team. UST also puts a 34-game MIAC home field win streak on the line. The Toms have already secured their sixth consecutive NCAA playoff berth, and will learn their regional assignment late Sunday. It's the final home games for two seniors -- 3B Heather Martin and 1B Becky Hilgert.

--In baseball, the Toms, ranked fifth nationally, have won four in a row and nine of their last 11 to move to 25-8 overall and 14-4 in the conference. they clinched a berth in the four-team MIAC playoffs, set for May 10-12 in Northfield. They host Concordia-Moorhead (18-12, 10-6) in two seven-inning games. It's the final home games for four seniors -- pitchers Bryan Edstron and Brian Whinnery, catcher Kyle Olson and OF Kelly Ryan.

-- In track and field, the Toms host St. John's, St. Olaf and St. Mary's in the Meet of the Saints, which has a 4:30 p.m. start.

see Meet of Saints heat sheets, schedule and eventually results here