BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – After April weather forced a slew of postponements throughout the first two weeks of the month, MIAC baseball teams are back on track heading into the sixth round of conference play on Wednesday. Bethel leads the conference standings with a 9-1 record at the midway point of the season, with Saint Mary's at 6-2 and Macalester at 7-3.
The top four teams in the standings at the end of the conference schedule will head to CHS Field in St. Paul on May 7-9 for the 2026 MIAC Baseball Playoffs.
NPI OUTLOOK
Bethel is ranked No. 38 in the latest NCAA Power Index (NPI), released on April 12. The NPI is used to select the 23 at-large bids to the NCAA Division III Tournament after the 41 automatic qualifiers have been determined in May.
NATIONAL NOTABLES
Macalester senior RHP Ben King (Chicago, Ill. / Whitney M. Young Magnet) and St. Scholastica senior DH Damian Tamayo Vera (Miami, Fla. / Felix Varela) were named to D3baseball.com's Team of the Week for their play from April 6-12, 2026. The MIAC has had three players recognized with the national honor this season; Hamline sophomore RHP Teagan Yotter (Bloomington, Minn. / Jefferson) was selected on 2/19.
Bethel junior SS Seth Nelson (Mahtomedi, Minn. / Mahtomedi) is averaging 0.42 home runs per game this season (10 home runs in 24 games), tied for the sixth-highest average in NCAA Division III.
Concordia sophomore SS Luke Knudsen (Spicer, Minn. / New London-Spicer) ranks fourth in NCAA Division III this season with an average of 1.27 walks per game (28 walks in 22 games).
Hamline junior RHP Hans Christian V (Ham Lake, Minn. / Blaine) pitched 10.1 innings against Saint John's on 4/12, which represents the most innings of work in a single game by any pitcher at any level of NCAA Baseball this season.
Macalester senior RHP Jamie Loizeaux (Albany, Calif. / Albany) has made 17 pitching appearances this season, tied for the ninth-most in NCAA Division III.
Saint John's first-year RHP Max Edwards (Rockford, Minn. / Rockford) has the fifth-lowest earned run average in NCAA Division III this season at 1.06. Edwards ranks fourth in D-III for hits allowed per nine innings, with an average of 4.50. His WHIP of 0.79 also ranks fourth in the country.
Saint Mary's junior RHP Kasey Carlson (Rochester, Minn. / Mayo) is tied for eighth in NCAA Division III with a WHIP of 0.85 this season.
St. Olaf senior OF Henry Black (Missoula, Mont. / Hellgate) is averaging 0.65 doubles per game this season (13 doubles in 20 games), good for the second-highest average in NCAA Division III.
St. Scholastica senior DH Damian Tamayo Vera (Miami, Fla. / Felix Varela) has a slugging percentage of 0.879 this season, good for the sixth-best in NCAA Division III. Tamayo Vera is one of 21 D-III players to have hit at least three home runs in a single game this season; Tamayo Vera accomplished the feat against St. Olaf on 4/12.
AROUND THE MIAC
Augsburg senior 2B Drew Jenkins (Farmington, Minn. / Randolph) was 2-for-2 with an RBI-single in the Auggies' 3-1 home win over Hamline on 4/9. Jenkins has reached base safely in all 14 games this season.
Bethel junior SS Seth Nelson (Mahtomedi, Minn. / Mahtomedi) went yard in three of his four hits in games against Bethany Lutheran (3/30) and Augsburg (4/1). Nelson drove home a collective eight runs with a three-run shot against Bethany Lutheran, along with a grand slam and solo homer against Augsburg.
Carleton senior 2B Nathan Barnhart (Gig Harbor, Wash.) has reached first base safely in each of his last 12 games. Barnhart was given a free pass in all five of his at-bats – with six walks and a hit-by-pitch – in the first game of the Knights' doubleheader split with St. Scholastica on 4/8 before going 2-for-3 with two more walks and a pair of runs scored in game two. He went on to hit three singles in four plate appearances against St. Olaf on 4/9.
Concordia sophomore RHP Brayden Wolfgram (Thompson, N.D.) tossed his first collegiate complete game and led the Cobbers to a 4-1 win in the opening game of a doubleheader at Gustavus on 3/30. Wolfgram did not give up an earned run or a walk and allowed six hits in the conference opener. He struck out two and allowed just two runners to get past first base.
Gustavus sophomore LHP Connor Esposito (Mound, Minn. / Mound Westonka) closed out both games of a doubleheader with St. Olaf on 3/31, earning a save and a win in the process. Esposito came on in extra-inning relief in game one and needed just six pitches to retire the side and earn a Gustavus victory. In a 5-4 game-two win, Esposito returned to the mound for three innings of work and conceded only one hit to pick up the save and series sweep.
Hamline first-year catcher Owen Hodson (St. Paul, Minn. / Highland Park) hit a walk-off single to give the Pipers a 3-2 win in the opening game of a doubleheader sweep against Concordia on 4/13. Hodson went 4-for-8 with a double and two runs scored in the series.
Macalester senior RHP Ben King (Chicago, Ill. / Whitney M. Young Magnet) tossed a one-hit shutout to lead the Scots to a 3-0 victory at Gustavus on 4/7. King had a perfect game through five innings and a no-hitter through six innings. King fanned nine Gustie batters and walked one, facing 23 batters in a seven-inning shutout. The win broke the Scots' 10-game losing streak against Gustavus and helped the Scots sweep the Gusties for the first time since 2018.
Saint John's first-year RHP Max Edwards (Rockford, Minn. / Rockford) moved his season record to 4-0 in SJU's 17-1 game-one win over St. Scholastica on 4/9. Edwards allowed one run on four hits with eight strikeouts in six innings. Edwards now touts a 1.06 ERA, .147 opponent batting average, and 38 strikeouts in 34 innings pitched this spring.
Saint Mary's sophomore OF Drew Rothenbauer (Windom, Minn. / Windom) provided late-game heroics in Cardinal wins against UW-Eau Claire (3/31) and Hamline (4/8). After belting a two-run home run in the series opener with the Blugolds, Rothenbauer hit a three-run shot in the bottom of the eighth inning to boost SMU to a 7-6 win. Rothenbauer played hero again against the Pipers, connecting for a double in the bottom of the tenth inning of a scoreless contest and crossing home plate on a fielding error for a walk-off conference win.
St. Olaf junior 3B Cole Pleimann (Milford, Conn. / Jonathan Law) hit .500 (10-for-20) with a .524 on-base percentage and 1.000 slugging percentage for St. Olaf in a 4-1 week in conference play. Pleimann recorded one double, three home runs, one walk, seven runs scored, and 11 RBI over the five games, while tallying four multi-hit games. Pleimann was a combined 5-for-8 with a double, two home runs, three runs scored, and seven RBI in a sweep of Concordia on 4/8 before racking up five more hits, three runs scored, and four RBI on 4/12 against St. Scholastica.
St. Scholastica senior DH Damian Tamayo Vera (Miami, Fla. / Felix Varela) hit .400 (8-for-20) with five home runs, ten RBI, and nine runs scored in six conference games for the Saints last week. All five of Tamayo Vera's home runs came on 4/12, as he hit a two-run shot in the first game of a doubleheader against St. Olaf before belting three home runs in game two and adding his fifth of the afternoon in the ninth inning of a previously halted game against Carleton. Tamayo Vera also walked five times across the six games.
UP NEXT
Wednesday, April 15
2:30 PM | Saint Mary's at Macalester (St. Paul, MN // Nicholson Field)*
2:30 PM | Carleton at Bethel (Arden Hills, MN // Hargis Park)*
2:30 PM | Augsburg at St. Scholastica (Duluth, MN // Wade Stadium)*
2:30 PM | Saint John's at Gustavus (St. Peter, MN // Gustie Baseball Field)*
2:30 PM | UW-La Crosse at St. Olaf (Northfield, MN // Mark Almli Field)
5:00 PM | Saint Mary's at Macalester (St. Paul, MN // Nicholson Field)*
5:00 PM | Carleton at Bethel (Arden Hills, MN // Hargis Park)*
5:00 PM | Augsburg at St. Scholastica (Duluth, MN // Wade Stadium)*
5:00 PM | Saint John's at Gustavus (St. Peter, MN // Gustie Baseball Field)*
5:00 PM | UW-La Crosse at St. Olaf (Northfield, MN // Mark Almli Field)
5:00 PM | Hamline at Northwestern-St. Paul (Roseville, MN // Reynolds Field)
Thursday, April 16
3:30 PM | St. Olaf at Carleton (Northfield, MN // Mel Taube Field)*#
6:00 PM | Northwestern-St. Paul at Augsburg (Minneapolis, MN // Parade Stadium)
Friday, April 17
1:00 PM | Northwestern-St. Paul at Bethel (Arden Hills, MN // Hargis Park)
3:30 PM | Northwestern-St. Paul at Bethel (Arden Hills, MN // Hargis Park)
Saturday, April 18
1:00 PM | Macalester at Carleton (Northfield, MN // Mel Taube Field)*
1:00 PM | St. Scholastica at Saint Mary's (Winona, MN // Max Molock Field)*
1:00 PM | Concordia at Augsburg (Minneapolis, MN // Parade Stadium)*
1:00 PM | St. Olaf at Saint John's (Collegeville, MN // Becker Park)*
3:30 PM | Macalester at Carleton (Northfield, MN // Mel Taube Field)*
3:30 PM | St. Scholastica at Saint Mary's (Winona, MN // Max Molock Field)*
3:30 PM | Concordia at Augsburg (Minneapolis, MN // Parade Stadium)*
3:30 PM | St. Olaf at Saint John's (Collegeville, MN // Becker Park)*
Monday, April 20
2:30 PM | Gustavus at Hamline (St. Paul, MN // CHS Field)*
3:00 PM | Augsburg at Bethany Lutheran (Mankato, MN // ISG Field)
5:00 PM | Gustavus at Hamline (St. Paul, MN // CHS Field)*
5:30 PM | Augsburg at Bethany Lutheran (Mankato, MN // ISG Field)
Tuesday, April 21
1:00 PM | Saint Mary's at Concordia (Moorhead, MN // Bucky Burgau Field)*
2:30 PM | Hamline at St. Olaf (Northfield, MN // Mark Almli Field)*
2:30 PM | St. Scholastica at Bethel (Arden Hills, MN // Hargis Park)*
2:30 PM | Carleton at Gustavus (St. Peter, MN // Gustie Baseball Field)*
2:30 PM | Saint John's at Macalester (St. Paul, MN // Nicholson Field)*
3:30 PM | Saint Mary's at Concordia (Moorhead, MN // Bucky Burgau Field)*
5:00 PM | Hamline at St. Olaf (Northfield, MN // Mark Almli Field)*
5:00 PM | St. Scholastica at Bethel (Arden Hills, MN // Hargis Park)*
5:00 PM | Carleton at Gustavus (St. Peter, MN // Gustie Baseball Field)*
5:00 PM | Saint John's at Macalester (St. Paul, MN // Nicholson Field)*
*MIAC game
#Resuming halted game