Season outlook story -- click here

General Information
School Name: Augsburg College
Location: 2211 Riverside Ave., Minneapolis, Minn.
Founded: 1869
Enrollment: 2,964 (undergrad, weekend, graduate)
Nickname: Auggies
School Colors: Maroon and Gray (Pantone 209 maroon, Pantone 424 gray)
Field: Parade Stadium (grass), Midway Stadium (grass)
Capacity: 1,000 (Parade), 6,329 (Midway)
Affiliation: NCAA Division III
Conference: Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
President: Dr. William V. Frame
Athletic Director: Paul Grauer (men), Marilyn Florian (women)
Athletic Phone: 612-330-1249
Athletic Fax: 612-330-1372

History
First year of baseball: 1924
All-time playoff record: 1-4 (NCAA)
Years in post-season play: 2 (NCAA)
Last postseason appearance: 1987
All-time record (varsity): N/A

Coaching Staff
Head Coach: Mark Strandemo (7th season)
Alma Mater/Year: Augsburg 1977
Record at school (yrs): 79-167 (6 seasons)
Career record: same
Head Coach's office phone: 612-330-1395
Coach's e-mail: none
Best time/day to reach coach: Early Afternoons

Assistant Coaches (Name/Alma Mater/Year):
Darrell Wiese (Augsburg '59, 7th season)
Chuck Fountaine (St. Olaf '97, 4th season)
Shane Gunderson (Augsburg '02, 1st season)
Volunteer Assistant Coaches (Name/Alma Mater/Year):
Gene Heglund (St. Olaf '57, 4th season)
Adam Dittrich (Augsburg '01, 1st season)

Sports Information
Sports Information Dir.: Don Stoner
SID office phone: 612-330-1677
Home phone: 651-697-1393
SID Fax: 612-330-1780
E-Mail: stoner@augsburg.edu
Athletic Website: http://www.augsburg.edu/athletics/

2001 Game-By-Game Results
(* denotes MIAC games, $ denotes games at HHH Metrodome; # denotes games at Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic, Fort Myers, Fla.; Home games in bold)
Feb. 28, vs. Dubuque (Iowa) $, L 4-3 (8), W 5-4
March 3, vs. Minnesota-Duluth $, W 3-2, W 5-3
March 5, vs. St. Scholastica (Minn.) $, W 2-1, W 2-0
March 8, vs. Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) $, W 7-4, L 6-5
March 9, vs. Wartburg (Iowa) $, L 2-0, L 9-7
March 18, vs. Massachusetts-Boston #, W 14-10, W 16-8
March 20, vs. Franklin Pierce (N.H.) #, L 3-0
March 20, vs. Mid-America Nazarene (Kan.) #, W 6-4
March 21, vs. Coe (Iowa) #, L 5-4, W 15-11
March 22, vs. Messiah (Pa.) #, W 9-0, L 17-7
March 23, vs. Calvin (Mich.) #, L 4-1, W 12-0
April 7, at Wis.-Stevens Point, W 8-7 (8), W 11-10
April 10, at St. Mary's *, L 7-0, L 7-3
April 14, at St. John's *, L 7-5, W 5-4
April 18, vs. Concordia-Moorhead * (at St. Cloud), L 6-3 (8), L 14-2
April 21, at St. Thomas *, L 11-3, L 2-1
April 25, vs. Gustavus Adolphus *, W 4-1, L 10-3
April 26, vs. St. Olaf *, L 9-4, L 14-4
April 28, at Hamline *, W 13-1, L 5-3
May 2, at Carleton *, L 13-5, W 7-0
May 5, vs. Bethel *, W 5-4 (8), L 8-2
May 7, vs. Macalester *, L 10-9 (9), W 5-4

2002 Schedule
(* denotes MIAC games, $ denotes games at HHH Metrodome; # denotes games at Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic, Fort Myers, Fla.; Home games in bold (either Parade Stadium, Minneapolis or Midway Stadium, St. Paul); all games are 7-inning doubleheaders unless otherwise noted)
Thu., Feb. 28, vs. Univ. of Dubuque (Iowa) $, 11 a.m.
Tue., March 5, vs. Concordia College-St. Paul (Minn.) $, 9:30 p.m.
Thu., March 7, vs. Upper Iowa Univ. $, 10 p.m.
Tue., March 19, vs. Wartburg College (Iowa) $, 11:30 a.m.
Thu., March 21, vs. Mayville State Univ. (N.D.) $, 9 a.m.
Sat., March 23, vs. Mt. Vernon Nazarene College (Ohio) #, 7 p.m. (1 game)
Sun., March 24, vs. Oberlin College (Ohio) #, 10 a.m. (1 game)
Mon., March 25, vs. Clarke College (Iowa) #, 10 a.m. (1 game)
Tue., March 26, vs. Colby College (Maine) #, 2 p.m. (1 game)
Wed., March 27, vs. Univ. of Wisconsin-Platteville #, 6 p.m. (1 game)
Thu., March 28, vs. Otterbein College (Ohio) #, 10 a.m. (1 game)
Fri., March 29, vs. Fontbonne College (Mo.) #, 10 a.m. (1 game)
Sat., March 30, vs. Edgewood College (Wis.) #, 10 na.m. (1 game)
Wed., April 3, at Carleton College *, 2:30 p.m.
Sat., April 6, vs. University of St. Thomas * (Midway Stadium), 1 p.m.
Tue., April 9, vs. Macalester College * (Parade Stadium), 2:30 p.m.
Sat., April 13, at Bethel College *, 1 p.m.
Sat., April 20, at St. John's University *, 1 p.m.
Sun., April 21, vs. Concordia College-Moorhead * (Parade Stadium), 1 p.m.
Tue., April 25, at Hamline University *, 2:30 p.m.
Sat., April 27, vs. St. Olaf College (Midway Stadium), 1 p.m.
Wed., May 1, at St. Mary's University *, 2:30 p.m.
Sat., May 4, vs. Gustavus Adolphus College * (Midway Stadium), 1 p.m.
Thu., May 9, at Northwestern College-Roseville, 3 p.m.
Fri.-Sat., May 10-11, at MIAC Baseball Tournament (top 4 teams), Dundas, Minn./Northfield, Minn.
Thu.-Sun., May 16-19, at NCAA Division III Central Regional, site and time TBA
Fri.-Tue., May 24-28, at NCAA Division III World Series, Fox Cities Stadium, Grand Chute, Wis. (Wisconsin-Oshkosh host)

Player & Team Information
Overall record last year: 20-22
Conference record/finish: 6-14/8th of 11
Letterwinners returning/lost: 15/10
Starters returning/lost: 6/3
Roster By Year: 6 seniors, 5 juniors, 8 sophomores, 13 freshmen. TOTAL: 32.

Returning Key Players:
Ryan Krautkremer (Sr., Waseca, Minn.), P/OF/IF, transferred to Augsburg from Minnesota State-Mankato last season, .283 average, 18 extra-base hits (9 2B, 5 HR), .559 slugging percentage, 35 RBI in 2001; 5.74 ERA, 2-6 record in 8 pitching appearances.
Pat Marsh (Sr., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS), SS, .331 batting average, 22 RBI, .437 slugging percentage in 2001.
Dave Sherry (Sr., Hastings, Minn.), OF/1B, .281 batting average, 34 RBI, 5 HR, .484 slugging percentage in 2001.
Frank Huebner (Sr., Northfield, Minn.), 3B, .256 batting average, 6 RBI, .306 on-base percentage in 2001.
Nick Rathmann (Jr., Waseca, Minn.), P/1B/OF, 5.43 ERA, 4-4 record, 10 pitching appearances, 37 Ks in 2001.
Joe Pontrelli (So., Eagan, Minn.), P, 5.06 ERA, 1-2 record, 7 pitching appearances, 22 Ks in 2001.
Adam Jensen (So., New Brighton, Minn./Irondale HS), P, 2.25 ERA, 1-1 record, 4 pitching appearances in 2001.

Key Newcomers:
John Kozitza (So., North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West HS), IF/P.
Ryan Koelsch (Fr., St. Louis Park, Minn.), C.
Noah Shadis (Fr., Grantsburg, Wis.), 3B/P.
Jeremy Nelson (Fr., Maplewood, Minn./Roseville HS), P.
John Peterson (So., Cumberland, Wis.), 2B.

Key Losses:
Rich Storholm, OF, 2X All-MIAC, .387 BA, 31 RBI, .672 slugging percentage in 2001, 25 extra-base hits (6 HR); career totals .380 BA, 81 RBI, .626 slugging percenage and 55 extra-base hits (10 HR).
Mike Schwalen, IF, 4-year starter, .336 BA, 28 RBI, 14 SB in 2001; career totals .349 BA, 100 runs, 78 RBI, 47 SB.
Adam Dittrich, OF, 2-year starter, .299 BA, 21 RBI, .423 slugging percentage, .988 fielding percentage in 2001.
Nic Shelby, P, 10 pitching appearances, 6-4 record, 5.74 ERA, 32 K, 21 BB in 2001.

Season Outlook and Notes:
MINNEAPOLIS (2/25/02) -- Last year, the Augsburg College baseball team took a major step forward.

This year, the Auggies are primed for another big step.

After finishing last season with 20 wins for the first time since 1992 (23 wins), the Auggies are shooting for two goals -- 30 victories and significant improvement in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

Despite a 14-win improvement over the 2000 season, going 20-22 overall, the Auggies finished just 6-14 in MIAC play, in a conference where the third-place team (St. Thomas) went on to win the NCAA Division III national title. Steady improvement in MIAC play is crucial to the Auggies' goal of a top-four league finish and conference playoff berth. Plus, winning 30 games may be the magic number to get teams into the NCAA Division III national tournament.

While the Auggies lost three key starters to graduation, the lineup is still deep and talented for head coach Mark Strandemo, entering his seventh season on the Auggie bench.

"This is as probably as good a balance and mix as we've ever had here," Strandemo said. "We'd like to see the first winning season in a long while here, and I think we have a realistic potential for 30 wins."

Power hitting potential
While three of the top four hitters from last season were lost to graduation, Augsburg still has significant depth back in the batting order. Strandemo noted that a team goal would be to show dramatic improvement in the team's batting average -- .291 last season. He said that a .350 team average wouldn't be out of the question.

"I think we're going to hit the ball a lot better than we have in the past few years," Strandemo said. "I think we can push a .350 average as a team."

Shortstop Pat Marsh (Sr., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS) returns as a career .339 hitter in his two previous Auggie seasons. He hit .331 last year, the top batting average among Auggie returners, with 22 runs batted in and a .437 slugging percentage.

Ryan Krautkremer (Sr., Waseca, Minn.) became Augsburg's most versatile player last season, his first Auggie campaign after transferring from Minnesota State-Mankato. He hit .283 with team highs of eight home runs, 35 RBI and a .559 slugging percentage. In addition to playing first base, he also served as Augsburg's designated hitter in in eight games and had eight pitching appearances, with a 2-6 record and a 5.74 earned-run average. This season, Strandemo has penciled Krautkremer in as the team's starting left-fielder, though he added that the senior will see time at first base and pitcher again.

Dave Sherry (Sr., Hastings, Minn.) was the team's primary DH last season, hitting .281 with 34 RBI and five homers. This season, Sherry will likely spend most of his playing time in right field and at first base, Strandemo noted.

M.J. Iverson (Sr., New Germany, Minn./N-YA Central HS) and Joe Holman (Jr., Springfield, Minn.), who split time in center field last season, will do the same this year. Holman hit .283 in 19 games, while Iverson hit .186 in 26 games. Newcomers Taylor Pagel (Fr., Cannon Falls, Minn.) and Krut Dybdahl (Fr., Minneapolis, Minn./Edison HS) will also compete for outfield spots.

In addition to Marsh, Nick Rathmann (Jr., Waseca, Minn.) will split time with Krautkremer and Sherry at first base. Rathmann, also a pitcher for the Auggies, saw time in the field in seven Auggie games last year, but he is the likely candidate for regular time at first, Strandemo said.

Frank Huebner (Sr., Northfield, Minn.) returns to the third base position. He hit .256 last year. Huebner will see a challenge for the position from Adam Larson (So., Shoreview, Minn./Mounds View HS) and newcomer Jon Kozitza (So., North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West HS).

Second base will be a wide-open battle between newcomers John Peterson (So., Cumberland, Wis.) and Tony Marsh (Fr., Crystal, Minn./Robbinsdale Armstrong HS).

Pitching depth returns
Augsburg has some depth at the pitching spot, with seven pitchers who saw playing time last year returning this season.

Rathmann and Krautkremer will pitch, in addition to their position roles. Rathmann had a 5.43 ERA in 10 game appearances (4-4 record), leading the Auggies in innings pitched (54.2). He led the Auggies in strikeouts last year and allowed a .293 opponent's batting average.

Adam Jensen (So., New Brighton, Minn./Irondale HS) had a 2.25 ERA in four pitcheing appearances, collecting a 1-1 record last year. Joe Pontrelli (So., Eagan, Minn.) had a 1-2 record in seven game appearances (26.2 innings, 5.06 ERA), and Matt Topp (Sr., South St. Paul, Minn.) had a 4.63 ERA in eight game appearances (3-3 record, 35.0 innings, 20 strikeouts).

Strandemo said that he is trying to pencil in either Jared Lynch (Sr., Jordan, Minn.) or Russ Bauer (Jr., Faribault, Minn.) as the team's closer. Bauer made eight relief appearances last year, while Lynch appeared in four games.

A large group of young pitchers will also try to break into the Auggie lineup, including junior Pete Samargia (Jr., Gilbert, Minn./Eveleth-Gilbert HS), sophomores Collin Nash (So., Rochester, Minn./Mayo HS) and Jon Kozitza (So., North Mankato, Minn./Mankato West HS), and freshmen Isaac Schmidt (Fr., Luverne, Minn.), Jeremy Nelson (Fr., Maplewood, Minn./Roseville HS), John Golnitz (Fr., Green Bay, Wis./Preble HS) and Noah Shadis (Fr., Grantsburg, Wis.)

Coaching, home field changes
One of the biggest additions to the Auggie lineup is on the bench. Shane Gunderson, the Big Ten baseball Player of the Year and Division I All-American in 1995 while at the University of Minnesota, will be an assistant coach on Strandemo's staff, joining former Auggie Adam Dittrich as newcomers to the Auggie coaching staff. Gunderson transferred to Augsburg in 2000 after five years away from college athletics. He was drafted and played five years of minor league baseball in the Minnesota Twins organization. Darrell Wiese, Chuck Fountaine and Gene Heglund all return to Strandemo's Auggie coaching staff.

Because of a bleacher-replacement project at Augsburg's normal home field, Parade Stadium in Minneapolis, three of Augsburg's five home MIAC doubleheaders will be played at Midway Stadium in St. Paul. Midway, home of the minor-league St. Paul Saints, is also the home field for fellow MIAC team Hamline.