The DII Report: NSIC baseball fall report
Minnesota State and Augustana (SD) looked strong in 2021. We can expect the same in 2022. Here's an early look at what to expect.
Welcome back to The DII Report newsletter. Each week, we will delve into the world of NCAA Division II sports, focusing on the teams and student-athletes to watch. Be sure to check out the DII Nation Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Anchor and YouTube for more insight on the world of DII sports.
THE DII REPORT
Let’s continue our look at fall baseball this week with the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The NSIC is one of the stronger conferences in DII, especially over the past decade. Augustana (SD) is two seasons removed from a national championship and Minnesota State and Winona State both represented the conference in the championship game over the past decade.
Today, let’s turn our attention to the Greater Minnesota area with our next look around DII baseball.
Previous fall reports: SAC | PSAC | RMAC | PBC | SSC | LSC
DII baseball fall report: The NSIC
Minnesota State finished atop the conference last season, securing its sixth NSIC title in a thrilling series over Augustana (SD). You can expect both to be in NCAA tournament contention and challenge for a weekly spot in the national rankings all season long. There were also a few pleasant surprises like UMary. The Marauders had 14 wins the previous two seasons combined entering 2021 and reeled off a 21-20 record for a sixth-place finish in a stacked conference.
As always, I spoke to coaches and SIDs for some insight from this past fall. Here’s what they said.
Minnesota State
Head coach: Matt Magers | 2021 record: 39-10
Hitter to watch: Ross Indlecoffer, 1B – Indlecoffer has a physical build, is a hard line-drive contact hitter with the ability to get on base in several different ways. He figures to hit in the middle of our lineup.
Pitcher to watch: Nick Altermatt, RHP – Altermatt is an athletic, two-way player who was named 2019 NSIC freshman of the year… at shortstop. But he is a strike-throwing machine and posted a remarkable 0.88 WHIP in 2021. The righty has a true three-pitch mix and is not afraid to throw any pitch anywhere in the count. His fastball will sit 92-93 mph with varying run and cut, the curveball is firm with tight rotation and his changeup might be his best pitch, thrown at fastball arm speed with late fade. Put him high on your pitchers to watch list.
Newcomer to watch: Ryan Wickman, OF – Wickman is a transfer from Iowa Central CC. He was one of nine NJCAA Division II players named an ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove winner. He also has baseball bloodlines, being the son of former Major League Baseball relief pitcher, Bob Wickman.
What Coach Magers said: Despite only having six seniors, we have an experienced team that has competed and played at a high level. Four out of our five starting pitchers from last year return, and we’ll look to them to provide quality innings.
Augustana (SD)
Head coach: Tim Huber | 2021 record: 36-13
Hitter to watch: Carter Howell, OF – His 2021 stats speak for themselves and has generated early interest from pro scouts. Howell can hit for power and average and is the fastest player that Augustana has ever had in the program. He is a great defensive outfielder as well and will man center field in the spring.
Pitcher to watch: Ryan Jares, RHP – Jares put up impressive stats in his first year with Augustana in 2021. He throws a lot of strikes and can throw all his pitches in the zone. He doesn't blow hitters away with his fastball but has a plus-change up to go along with two effective breaking balls. A four-pitch mix is always dangerous in a conference of deep lineups.
Newcomers to watch: Luke Ballweg, 1B and Kai Taylor, RHP. Ballweg – a transfer from the CC circuit – is a big, left-handed hitter who has potential to be a middle-of-the-lineup guy. Taylor – a redshirt-freshman – has the velocity and stuff that make him a weekend rotation option.
What Coach Huber said: We have a deep, talented and experienced offensive lineup. We should be a solid defensive team. With our pitching, there are a few questions to be answered but the talent is there. If we see our guys pitch to their ability it could be another good year for our program.
St. Cloud State
Head coach: Pat Dolan | 2021 record: 22-14
Hitter to watch: John Nett, OF – Nett is an extremely advanced hitter who led the conference in on-base percentage by nearly 40 points in the regular season. He has exceptional bat control. His approach is refined and he can work counts like few can to get his pitch. Defensively, he plays a stellar center with plus speed and makes all the routine plays. His arm is very solid and the jumps he gets on fly balls separates him from other center fielders.
Pitcher to watch: Trevor Koenig, LHP – Koenig took another huge step forward last season and really solidified the weekend rotation as a reliable No. 2. He commands three pitches very well, generating weak contact and inducing plenty of uncomfortable swings with his angle and life generated by his stuff. He’s an unbelievable competitor, giving just the right amount of intensity and composure in big spots. He’s filled a lot of different roles over his career, and his coaches are excited to see what he’ll provide this season.
Newcomer to Watch: Ryan Duffy, LHP – The transfer from Minnesota has been the Gophers’ top left-handed reliever since his true freshman year, and his electric stuff will be a fantastic addition. He’s coming off an All-Star summer in the Northwoods League where he allowed just ONE earned run in 27-plus innings. His stuff is “wicked” (you have to love this description from the coaches), and he generates more movement than just about anyone St. Cloud State has had in a while.
What Coach Dolan said: I’m really starting to like the makeup of our team. It’s definitely the most team speed and the most pitching depth that we’ve had in several years. We probably don’t have the power of past years, but we do have more depth with a great group of seniors.
Minot State
Head coach: Scott Eul | 2021 record: 24-17
Hitter to watch: Declan Buckle, SS – Buckle has been a really good player when healthy. He plays a high-level shortstop with legit bat speed and a refined approach at the plate. He uses gap-to-gap power with occasional home-run pop. He has pro-level talent if can stay healthy and consistent.
Pitcher to watch: Jordan Chappell, LHP – An All-Region arm last year out of the pen, Chappell knows how to strike a guy out when needed. He’s moving from the bullpen to the rotation in 2022. Chappell has the potential to throw a slider as good as you will find from a left-hander. The changeup is a very usable third pitch and still developing. He has a chance to be a true top-end arm.
Newcomer to watch: Ricky Apodaca, LHP/OF – Apodaca will be a rotation arm and get plenty of at-bats.
What Coach Eul said: We had a really nice fall and winter season. We have an experienced team this year with guys who came back for a reason. We are excited about this year’s team.
UMary
Head coach: Tanner Spencer | 2021 record: 21-20
Hitter to watch: Calvin James, 3B – James is the returning NSIC freshman of the year. He’s a dynamic left-handed hitter with an advanced hit tool and very little swing and miss – he can do damage in a lot of ways.
Pitcher to watch: Austin Wagner, LHP – Wagner is the returning No. 1 in the weekend rotation. He put up good numbers in slightly limited innings. Wagner is a low-90s lefty who can throw his three pitches at any time and is highly competitive with the presence that you want in a No. 1. He has shown success at multiple levels of college baseball.
Newcomer to watch: Joseph Sinclair, LHP – A low-90s lefty with exciting stuff. He will flash a firmer slider as good as any at this level. If he’s consistently in the zone it will be special.
What Coach Spencer said: We graduated very little of a team that took some major steps forward. We have a group that understands and upholds our standards on a daily basis. We feel like we have the talent and depth to win at a high level. If we are in the zone consistently, we have some big arms that should be fun to follow. Offensively and defensively, we got a lot more dynamic and feel like we can beat teams in a variety of ways. Very excited about our 2022 group.
Winona State
Head coach: Kyle Poock | 2021 record: 22-20
Hitter to watch: Derek Baumgartner, C/OF – Baumgartner is coming off an NSIC All-Conference season in 2021. He is a very respected team leader because of his dedication to baseball, the weight room and academics. We expect him to lead our pitching staff from behind the plate this spring while hitting in the middle of the lineup.
Pitcher to watch: Nick Herold, RHP – Herold is coming off an All-Star season in the Northwoods and is a guy that always wants the ball. He came into Winona State as a mid-80s guy who wasn’t in great shape and now consistently sits 90-91 mph and has command over various pitches all while being one of the most dedicated to his craft.
Newcomer to watch: Jess Ondell, IF – He redshirted in 2021, but has been ready to play since he stepped on campus. He is a relentless worker in the cage and the weight room.
What Associate Head Coach Patrick Reilly said: We have a nice combination of upperclassman hitters and pitchers who will lead us this upcoming spring. They have been great leaders this fall and have shown our 13 new players the ropes of college baseball. We hope to compete throughout the year and be playing our best baseball at the end of the season.
Northern State
Head coach: Dean Berry | 2021 record: 15-22
Hitter to watch: Spencer Sarringar, C – Sarringar will be a middle-of-the-order guy with a patient approach. He does a great job using all fields, working counts and having productive at-bats.
Pitcher to watch: Seth Brewer. RHP – Brewer is a returning All-NSIC performer. He’s a bulldog, and always works deep into games with the ability to throw three pitches for strikes and compete very well in the zone.
Newcomer to watch: Mike Chevalier, RHP, Redshirt-freshman.
What Coach Berry said: We have the ability to do some really good things this season. We return a lot of innings on the mound and most of our key contributors offensively from a season ago. The key to our success will be consistency in all facets of the game.
Sioux Falls
Head coach: Grant Hieb | 2021 record: 21-21
Hitter to watch: Grant Lung, SS – Lung can hit to all fields and has shown gap-to-gap power. He does a good job of using the middle of the field and flashed some pull-side pop at times.
Pitcher to watch: Matt Graham, RHP – Graham is a control-first pitcher that works well off his mid-80s fastball which he can move both directions with his two-seam and cutter. He also features an above-average curveball, slider and changeup.
Newcomer to watch: Hunter Scruggs, 1B – Scruggs is a redshirt-freshman who had knee surgery last spring and missed the entire season. He possesses plus pop from the right side of the plate and is a threat to hit double-digit homers.
What Coach Hieb said: I’m looking forward to this upcoming season as we return seven of our starting nine players from last year’s team and all but one starting pitcher. I’m hoping to build on last year’s success where we reached the NSIC tournament for the first time in my five years as the head coach. We should be a scrappy team that will put pressure on defenses and will rely on pitching and defense to win ball games.
Concordia-St. Paul
Head coach: Neil Lerner | 2021 record: 15-23
Hitter to watch: Nick Thimsen, OF – Thimsen led the team in most offensive categories including batting average, runs scored, home runs and slugging percentage in 2021. He is able to hit for both power and average and will look to build off his redshirt-freshman year where he earned Second-Team All-NSIC.
Pitcher to watch: Luke DeGrammont, LHP – DeGrammont led the team in starts, strikeouts and innings pitched in 2021. He is a strike thrower that possesses three quality pitches. He should give the Golden Bears a chance to win every time he is on the mound.
Newcomer to watch: Mason Nadonley, IF – Nadonley transferred in from the NIACC. He should help solidify the middle of the order after leading NIACC in runs scored, home runs, RBI and extra-base hits in 2021.
What Coach Lerner said: With a full fall season and offseason development program under our belt, we are excited about the 2022 season. Led by All-NSIC Second-Team performers Jarod Wandersee and Nick Thimsen, we believe our offense will be more explosive in 2022. We return three starting pitchers on the mound from our 2021 team (seniors Luke DeGrammont, Joey Atkinson and Michael Voss), and several key relievers to go along with eight new pitchers that could each see significant innings on the mound. The combination of experienced guys, key transfers and a talented freshman class should allow us to be very competitive in the talented NSIC conference and help us work toward our goal of returning to the NSIC conference tournament.
Upper Iowa
Head coach: Jeremey Ische | 2021 record: 13-26
Hitter to watch: Jake Hilmer, UT – Hilmer led UIU in hits, runs, games played, OPS, slugging percentage and total bases while finishing second on the team in on-base percentage and doubles while swiping eight bases. He can beat you several ways offensively and has a very high IQ along with great bat-to-ball skills. Expect him to hit towards the top of the order and be a mainstay in the OF and/or 2B defensively.
Pitcher to watch: Jarrett Ramer, RHP – Ramer has a competitiveness to him that is unmatched, and he throws a ton of strikes. He’s spent much of the fall and offseason working on landing secondary pitches in the strike zone and he has made great progress.
Newcomer to watch: Kai Torres, C/OF – An Ellsworth CC transfer who had a very impactful fall at UIU. He can play corner outfield and catch at a high level. He’s a rock behind the plate and has advanced catch-and-throw skills along with being a high-level receiver.
What Coach Ische said: We’ve got some older guys who have decided to stay and use their extra year of eligibility and have really provided some great senior leadership thus far. We played in 15 one-run ball games a year ago out of 39 total, so being very sound on the mound and defensively while producing offensively when the game is in the balance will be critical.
Ryan Hawkins returns to his DII roots on the DII Nation Podcast
Be sure to keep up with the DII Nation Podcast and subscribe and follow wherever your preferred listening pleasure is. This week, former Northwest Missouri State forward Ryan Hawkins joined us. Hawkins, who is now leading Division I Creighton in scoring and rebounding after upsetting two top-25 teams in a 10-day span, discusses his time as a DII student-athlete and how it prepared him for his DI success.