Q&A with Coach Olean

Baseball is a sport often best defined by numbers. And when it comes to telling the tale of the 2013 MIAC season, the numbers don’t lie. The University of St. Thomas steamrolled its way through the weather-punctuated season, using a near-perfect 19-1 record to claim the conference title. Then, the Tommies continued their dominance in the conference postseason, outscoring Bethel and Concordia by a combined 21-5 en route to the MIAC Playoff title as well.

Digging deeper into the numbers, the Tommies led the MIAC with a remarkable team batting average of .348 in overall games. UST also ranked first in runs (302), hits (401), doubles (74), home runs (30), RBI (277), walks (150), stolen bases (65), on-base percentage (.432) and slugging percentage (.523). St. Thomas also ranked first in ERA (2.84), strikeouts (267) and fielding percentage (.976). In conference play, UST was somehow even better, hitting .368 as a team with a 1.94 ERA and a .983 fielding percentage.

To top it off, St. Thomas had the MIAC MVP in outfielder Tim Kuzniar, Dylan Thomas repeated as MIAC Pitcher-of-the-Year and Head Coach Chris Olean was voted the MIAC Coach-of-the-Year. In all, eight Tommies were selected to the All-Conference team, and UST also had three All-Defensive Team picks.

However, the numbers rarely tell the whole story, and they certainly didn’t with the 2013 Tommies. The fielding percentage, batting average and ERA don’t accurately describe how crisp UST was in the field, how staggering their talent and depth was on the mound, how explosive the offense could be. And the scary part is … almost all of the team is coming back.

The MIAC Media Blog wanted to look even closer at UST’s remarkable season on the diamond, so we’re proud to bring to you another installment of Championship Coach Q&A with the MIAC Coach-of-the-Year, Chris Olean.

MIAC Media Blog Championship Coach Q&A

Chris Olean, St. Thomas Baseball

MIAC: First of all, congratulations on your 2013 MIAC Championship. What made your team so successful this season?

Olean: We had a very balanced team, we played strong defense (second in the country in fielding percentage), had a deep and talented pitching staff and offensively we were very productive from top to bottom.  In addition, we had a great deal of experience on the team and the main core had very valuable experience in the Division III College World Series.

MIAC: Your team had a number of star players, including MIAC MVP Tim Kuzniar and Pitcher-of-the-Year Dylan Thomas. What made those two players so special this season and how did they contribute to your success?

Olean: Dylan is one of the best UST pitchers to ever wear a uniform.  He was dominant throughout the year and gave us very consistent outings on the mound.  In addition, I felt he was a much more complete pitcher this season as his walks decreased significantly and he was able to work deeper into games with a lower pitch count.

Tim is steady. Every time you look at a box score he seems to get at least two hits. He is very mentally strong and knows his game and his swing. This allows him to be a steady player for us and a guy we can count on in the clutch.

MIAC: Talk about some of the other players that helped your team have an outstanding season.

Olean: Really this year’s team was solid from top to bottom.  Between Ben Podobinski, Ryan Gerber and Kelvin Stroik, in addition to Tim Kuzniar, our outfield really was very solid both offensively and defensively.  We have guys who can beat you with power or speed and it just allows us to score runs in many different ways.  In the infield, we played great defense, up the middle Sam Miller and Jon Kinsel were as good as it gets. And on the corners we got great production from Tyler Peterson and Jack Hogan. The pitching staff as a whole was outstanding and as deep as we have ever been. We were able to run six different starters out there and not have too big a drop off; that was huge given the difficult and compacted schedule.

MIAC: Are there one or two special moments that stand out from your 2013 championship season?

Olean: Just like many of our players, I feel it really was a methodical type of year in that we played pretty steady from start to finish. The guys took the mindset that we would apply consistent pressure throughout ballgames and, with that, do our best to play outstanding defense and not give up and free bases. Just a steady year filled with a great group of guys all contributing.

MIAC: Obviously, this was an extremely challenging spring due to the horrible Minnesota weather in April and May. How was your team able to remain focused and persevere through all the weather issues?

Olean: Our guys were fantastic in this regard.  Despite several layoffs and a very difficult 18-day stretch in the middle of the season, I felt we stay focused and disciplined throughout. Despite being back indoors, our players took the mindset to improve everyday and maintain their focus. This was huge for us as we played extremely well after the break and finished off the MIAC season and MIAC tournament very strong.

MIAC: You lose a few key players but will bring back a lot of talent next year ... what's next for Tommie baseball?

 

Olean: Every year is different and we know that we have to earn it all over again. The MIAC is on the rise and I feel from top to bottom the conference is as good as it ever has been. With that, we have a very good core of players coming back many of whom have played the past three seasons. In addition, we have added high-end pitching and some more athleticism at a few key spots.  This will be a senior heavy team with very high expectations, but we know that like every year starting this fall we have to start over again and find our team identity and find the best guys to put on the field. I am excited at the team’s potential, but potential does not win ballgames. We are looking forward to working hard and the challenges that will come in 2014.

MIAC: Thanks to Coach Olean for giving us a better look at his 2013 team, and congrats again to him and the Tommies on an outstanding season. With the lull between sports seasons going strong right now, it’s easy to start looking ahead to next year and hoping for just as much outstanding, competitive action, as well as much better weather!

MIAC Summer Vacation

The MIAC Media Blog would like to know where the conference community is traveling this summer? Dan is in Chicago right now for meetings with other Midwest Division III commissioners, and we were both in Indianapolis earlier this month for meetings at the NCAA headquarters. I also spent six days in Texas – including a nice night at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington – and am headed out west to do some hiking in July. Sent me an email at mhiggins@miacathletics.com or better yet, send me a photo of you on vacation for a blog/social media feature later this summer. Bonus points if you’re wearing gear from the MIAC or one of our schools!

The future is coming…

You may have noticed in that previous paragraph my email address is now “@miacathletics.com” and no longer “@miac-online.org.” The MIAC’s new web site will be launching next week … there will be an updated design and several cool new features to hopefully make your online MIAC experience even better! Stay tuned for more details/sneak peeks in the coming days…

Q&A with Coach Valentini

One old sports cliché claims, "It's tough to win a championship ... but it's even tougher to repeat." Apparently they've never heard that one at Gustavus Adolphus College.

The Gustie men's tennis team claimed the MIAC regular-season championship this season and achieved a significant milestone in the process. It was the team's 25th championship in a row. Take a moment to process that. For a quarter century, the Gusties have hoisted the MIAC trophy at the end of every season, and have been the top seed in every MIAC Playoff tournament (under its current format).

That's remarkable, and certainly worthy of a closer look. The run of dominance largely came under the direction of legendary Gustavus Steve Wilkinson. During that run, Wilkinson coached a young man by the name of Tommy Valentini. With Wilkinson now retired, Valentini has take the reins from his former coach, but the championship streak is still intact.

The MIAC Media Blog is proud to resurrect the "Championship Coach Q&A" series, which goes in-depth with the title-winning coach for each sport following the season. With 25 straight titles to celebrate, and his contributions as both player and coach during the streak, Valentini was an easy choice to lead off the spring championship-winning coaches on the blog. Enjoy his insights about his team, the streak and the future of the storied Gusties' program.

MIAC Media Blog Championship Coach Q&A

Tommy Valentini, Gustavus Men's Tennis

Tommy Valentini

MIAC: First of all, congratulations on your 2013 MIAC Championship. What made your team so successful this season?

VALENTINI: We had a wonderful group of young men and excellent leadership from our upper classmen.  They really committed themselves to our values and to living them out on a daily basis. We had some guys really step up their games and make huge improvements. We were fortunate to be a deep team and we received important contributions from everyone on our roster.  

MIAC: Your team had a number of star players, including Amrik Donkena and Mya Smith-Dennis. What made those two players so special this season and how did they contribute to your success?

VALENTINI: Amrik and Mya gave us a lot of talent and stability at the top of our lineup.  They allowed us to compete at the top of the lineup with every team we played.  They both played some No. 1 singles throughout the year, and I think what is truly special about them is that they are team-first guys.  When one of them played No. 2, he always offered huge support to the other who was at No. 1, and went out to do his best for our team at No. 2 - a position at which we enjoyed great success all year.

As a doubles team they gave us a shot every time out, and experienced matches where they we're absolutely electric.  They're three-time All-Americans, NCAA runners-up and quarterfinalists, and undefeated in the MIAC throughout their partnership - but what's most impressive is that they are excellent young men on and off the court, and they really led our team by example in terms of poise and belief. They formed a very special partnership from the time Mya arrived on campus, and we will cherish their run together.  

MIAC: Talk about some of the other players that helped your team have an outstanding season.

VALENTINI: As I noted above, we really had unbelievable contributions from our entire team. Grant Leisner moved into a starting role in singles and doubles this year. He and Tyler Johnson gave us a very strong team at No. 2 doubles. Joey MacGibbon and Bradley Entwistle were very solid for us at the bottom of the singles lineup and really provided the depth that allowed for a lot of our success.  

But really, it's the entire team. It's guys pulling for each other, pushing each other and always being there to support each other. Marcel Gyswyt is a classic example. He's one of our leaders who has played in many big matches for us in the past. This year he started a few less of the big ones than he had in previous years, but he worked extremely hard every day, stepped in and performed at an All-Conference level when called upon, and was right there to love and support his teammates at every turn. Perhaps more than guys who put us ahead on the scoreboard, it's this type of leadership and commitment to being a great teammate that allow a team to grow together and have the type of season that we can we look back on as having been outstanding.  

MIAC: Are there one or two special moments that stand out from your 2013 championship season?

VALENTINI: There really are so many. When you have a great group of guys, the stand-out moments often take place during the week at practice. I would say, though, that in addition to having some great road trips, our win against long-time rival UC-Santa Cruz at the National Indoor was very special. The same can be said for our NCAA tourney win against UW-Whitewater. These were very long matches with many swings in momentum. The poise, belief, and togetherness our guys showed throughout them really exemplified what this group was about.  

MIAC: This is the 25th-straight MIAC Regular Season Championship. You've been involved in titles now as both a student-athlete and as a coach. Talk about this quarter-century run of success, and how it feels to have been a conference champion at Gustavus as both a player and coach.

VALENTINI: It's an honor, and something that we do not take for granted. The MIAC continues to get stronger, and this run continues to mean a great deal to our present team and our entire GAC tennis family. The first person that comes to mind when I think about the stretch is Coach [Steve] Wilkinson.  What he built here is truly remarkable and we're all blessed to be a part of it. The second thing that comes to mind is the amount of contributions from so many guys that go in to making these titles possible. It's truly remarkable to think about how many players have contributed to this success over the past 25 years. It's extremely special to be a part of it.  

 

The 2013 Gustavus MIAC Championship Team

 

MIAC: You lose a few key players but will bring back a lot of talent next year ... what's next for Gustavus men's tennis?

VALENTINI: It's very early to speculate. We have a long way to go to figure out what next year's group will be. We've graduated two guys in Donkena and Johnson who were not only great leaders, but fixtures in our top lineup for four years. Replacing their talent is one challenge, but replacing the experience and leadership they bring is an even greater challenge.

We are fortunate to have a number of guys coming back who understand who we are and how we go about things.  We'll rely heavily on our senior class as well as contributions from some of our young guys.  It will be exciting to see who steps up and how.  I'm confident that we'll come together as a group as guys grow into new roles while continuing to focus on our team's values.  We're looking forward to very challenging and exciting 2013-14.  

MIAC: Thanks to Coach Valentini for taking the time to shine some additional light on his team's remarkable season, and how it fits into an amazing historical picture at Gustavus, and in the MIAC. Continue to follow the MIAC Media Blog throughout the summer as we catch up with the MIAC's spring championship coaches. This summer, the blog also plans a significant look back at the 2012-13 season, as well as a look ahead to 2013-14.

Hail to the Champions!

The 2012-13 season started with an NCAA Division III champion, as the University of St. Thomas captured the MIAC's first-ever volleyball national championship. So it's only fitting that last week, the MIAC ended its season with another national title, as Hamline star thrower Becky Culp claimed the Division III crown in the javelin.

D-III discus champ Becky Culp.
(Photo courtesy of Hamline Sports Info)

Culp's title culminated an amazing career, and a record-setting senior year. She also added a top-five finish in the shot put at the 2013 NCAA Division III Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships, which were held just outside MIAC country, at UW-La Crosse. The Piper star set MIAC meet records - both indoor and outdoor - in the shot put during a season full of individual accolades and All-Conference and All-American honors.

Though her title isn't the league's first-ever in her sport as it was for the Tommie volleyball team, it's still deserving of plenty of recognition and the two combine as a perfect way to bookend a tremendous 2012-13 season in the MIAC. The two will likely be included this summer as the MIAC Media Blog takes a look back at the Top 10 moments of 2012-13. If you have a suggestion for the top 10, feel free to send me an email.

In addition to the one team and one individual national champions, the year also included countless conference records - including Alex Kolquist of Gustavus shattering  the men's golf championship scoring record - and some unforgettable games and moments. The final weekend of the MIAC men's hockey season determined the champion and all five seeds. Both soccer title games went deep into a shootout after 110 minutes couldn't decide a winner. And the spring was condensed to what felt like a few weeks by Mother Nature, though the league persevered and still delivered a season that won't be forgotten for years to come.

We'll have more time to reflect on 2012-13 over the coming months, so for now we'll just say congratulations to Becky one more time. The MIAC's most recent Profile of Excellence subject has represented her school and her conference in tremendous fashion, and we're happy she could close her career atop the podium.

Quick Hits

-Culp wasn't the only senior star to shine at the NCAA OT&F meet. St. Thomas' Taylor Berg finished second in both the 1,500- and 5,000-meter runs to close about the best year a distance runner can have in the MIAC. She won the cross country title, Outstanding Track Athlete honors both for indoor and outdoor, and ended with two more All-American honors. Congrats on a great career with a riveting final chapter, Taylor!

-A St. Thomas men's athlete also closed a great career as Eyo Ekpo had a pair of top-seven national finishes in the jumping events at nationals. Ekpo was named MIAC Outstanding Field Athlete five times, including all four indoor honors during his career.

-The season also hit its end for the MIAC in the meeting rooms with the annual spring meeting of the MIAC Presidents' Council Wednesday on the Concordia-St. Paul campus. The MIAC Presidents are the very top of the governance pyramid, and now all legislation to impact future bylaws are set in stone after being discussed and voted on all the way up the ladder. Stay tuned to the MIAC web site this summer, as we'll be issuing a series of press releases to promote some of the bigger changes - there are some exciting new twists coming your way in 2013-14! 

-Up next for the MIAC? Executive Director Dan McKane and myself are headed to NCAA headquarters in Indianapolis on Monday for four fun-filled days. Monday and Tuesday will be spent with the Division III Commissioners' Association (of which McKane is currently the vice chair) and I'll be presenting on a pair of topics including the MIAC Media venture, which includes the blog you're reading right now. Then NCAA Regional Rules will take place Wednesday, followed by a seminar thanks to NADIIIA Thursday, which is the National Association of Division III Athletic Administrators. It should be a great week with plenty of learning, and we're excited to see our colleagues and continue learning new things to improve going forward. I joined Host Mike Gallagher on today's MIAC Weekly podcast to talk further about our upcoming trip to the city Peyton Manning used to call home.

-If you have any blog ideas or questions for me about anything under the MIAC sun, don't hesitate to send me an email! We'd love to get more fan interaction on all our MIAC Media platforms, so let us know what you think, what you'd like to read/hear about or any ideas.

Thanks for reading, and hope your summer is getting off to a great start!

By the Numbers

One positive result from the awful "Spring" weather we had in Minnesota, was the expanded MIAC Baseball and Softball Playoffs. Instead of the typical eight teams, this year a total of 18 teams were able to enjoy a postseason experience in one-year-only experiments to try and end a challenging season on a high note.

In short, the experiment was a success, and the increased number of teams starts a MIAC Media Blog look at some of the most impressive numbers from a couple of crazy weekends on the diamonds of North Mankato and Minnetonka.

MIAC Playoffs - By the Numbers

18 - The total number of MIAC softball and baseball teams to participate in the 2013 Playoffs. All 12 softball teams were involved, and six baseball teams made the field as well.

23 - The number of games played in the two tournaments. Amazingly, Gustavus (with some help from Hamline and Carleton) provided live stats for all 18 softball games, with live video for the final six. All five baseball games had live video courtesy of the MIAC and Webcast America (with MIAC Media's Mike Gallagher as part of the broadcast team) and live stats as well courtesy of host school Hamline.

2 - Two team champions resulted from a combined six days and 23 games. Both the St. Thomas baseball and softball teams supplemented their regular-season championships with postseason titles.

6 - The total number of walk-off wins in the MIAC postseason. The Augsburg baseball team walked off Saint Mary's in the 11th inning of a quarterfinal game, only be walked off on a bottom-of-the-ninth home run by Concordia's Devin Johnson a day later as the Cobbers reached their first title game. The softball playoffs had four games end with a winning run crossing the plate - two via home runs. St. Catherine capped a 13-12 slugfest with Macalester on an Alyssa McKee walk-off double. St. Olaf and Bethel both advanced to the double-elimination portion of the tournament with walk-off wins in their final game of pool play. The Oles got a bases-loaded, walk-off sacrifice fly to beat Hamline in a thriller. Meanwhile, Bethel emerged from pool play on a game-winning, two-out, three-run home run by Megan Matson. St. Thomas advanced to the title game thanks to a walk-off home run Saturday by Emily Gregory in the bottom of the eighth inning.

0 - Postseason wins in the history of the Bethel baseball program before the Royals scored a historic 4-2 victory over Saint John's in the quarterfinals of the baseball playoffs.

3 - Home runs in two games by Carleton softball star Jenny Ramey. Her offensive output nearly led the Knights to the four-team, double-elimination tournament. The No. 9 seeded Knights beat No. 4 Saint Mary's, 11-2, then suffered a heart-breaking 7-6 loss to Gustavus to end their remarkable postseason appearance.

7 - Consecutive strikeouts by St. Thomas starting pitcher Colin Wendinger in the MIAC Baseball Playoff championship game. In fact, Wendinger's run only ended because he was removed as the Tommies approached the title game by committee. The UST sophomore struck out eight batters in four brilliant no-hit innings, allowing just a pair of first-inning walks. Wendinger's breaking ball was tremendous, often fooling the aggressive Cobber lineup. Another fun number regarding the UST starter - he's only lost once since his sophomore year of high school.

262 - Total pitches thrown - combined - by Bethel starter Matt Rowley and Saint John's starter Connor Cline in a MIAC Baseball Playoff quarterfinal. Both went the distance, with Rowley (129 pitches) narrowly outdueling Cline (133 pitches) in a marvelous duel.

.667 - Jenna Hoffman's batting average, which was just one of her remarkable numbers in the tournament. The Tommie shortstop had four home runs, three doubles, eight runs scored and seven RBI in five MIAC Playoff games to earn All-Tournament and MVP honors.

15 - Comeback wins for the Augsburg baseball team this season, with No. 15 coming in their 5-4, 11-inning win over Saint Mary's in the MIAC Baseball Playoff quarterfinals. The Auggies were down 4-0, which meant the victory was also their fifth comeback win from a deficit of three runs or more. In that comeback win, there were also an astounding eight batters hit by pitch - five by Saint Mary's pitchers and three by Augsburg

0 - Games that went the regulation 7 innings during Saturday of the MIAC Softball Playoffs. One of the games went to extra innings and was decided in the eighth, while the other three had the eight-run mercy rule invoked in the sixth inning.

2 - The number of games that separated second and ninth place in the MIAC standings. Two teams tied at 11-9, five tied at .500 (either 10-10 or 9-9) and another was 9-11. Parity? I think so.

2013 - The year that saw below-freezing temperatures in April and snow in May to radically alter the baseball and softball landscape, but also the year that saw the most MIAC softball and baseball teams engage in wildly entertaining postseason tournaments in history.

By the numbers, we're all hoping for higher temperatures in 2014 and a return to normalcy for MIAC baseball and softball. However, the teams, coaches and student-athletes showed incredible resiliency and fortitude this season, and the expanded Playoffs were an excellent celebration and reminder of the true spirit of MIAC athletics.

Come together

We've done a lot of complaining in the MIAC about the bad hand that Mother Nature has dealt us this spring. In fact, it's May 1 and I saw legitimate snowflakes falling outside the windows of the MIAC office this afternoon. May. Snow. Come on.

But the complaining stops here. Instead, I'm going to focus on a serious positive that has resulted from the winter ... and second winter ... and third winter ... of 2013. That positive is the revamped 2013 MIAC Softball Playoffs. What is usually a four-team, double-elimination tournament has now been super-sized into an all-comers celebration of softball in the league, and frankly, I think it's awesome.

On one of our many softball conference calls to deal with Snowmageddon 2013, Concordia Head Coach Mike Reese put it best when this 12-team idea was first floated out there. He said - and I'm paraphrasing - that after such a tough season where collectively all our teams faced the same challenges and issues, it would be really cool for everyone to come together at one site and for all the student-athletes to get that unique postseason experience. Now that we've pulled it off and everything is set for this weekend at Caswell Park in North Mankato, Mike's absolutely right ... it's really cool.

Some could call this 12-team tournament and its all-inclusive nature a consolation prize for our coaches and student-athletes who have had their typical season absolutely obliterated by blizzards and ridiculously low temperatures. But I wouldn't say there's anything "consolation" about the new tournament format for 2013. This provides a tremendous postseason experience for ALL of the MIAC's softball student-athletes, and it's extremely cool that it will all happen in one site with 12 games all going on at once tomorrow evening at Caswell. North Mankato will truly become the epicenter of MIAC softball, and everyone will be on-hand to witness and participate.

On top of that, most people (at least in my circle) will tell you their favorite annual sporting event is the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball tournament, and their reasons mirror a lot of the reasons why this weekend's MIAC Softball Playoffs will also be an incredible event. First of all, you have a ton of teams and a ton of games crammed into a very short window. In an era of short attention spans and multi-tasking as a necessity, it's a perfect format. Friday in Caswell, we'll cram 12 games, with each of the 12 teams playing twice, into roughly a six-hour window with games starting on four different fields at 3 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. I'm excited to just go stand in the middle of the complex and take it all in, as action is happening simultaneously all around.

The other aspect people love about the NCAA tourney and "March Madness" is the Cinderella aspect. This year, Florida Gulf Coast played the role to perfection, alley-ooping its way into the Sweet 16 as a No. 15 seed. Everyone remembers the George Mason and VCU teams that stunned the nation by reaching the Final Four in the past decade. Now, the MIAC Softball Playoffs truly will incorporate the possibility for a Cinderella story to emerge.

What is typically an exclusive showdown for the conference's top four teams will - for this season - include everyone and give each team a fair shot at claiming the MIAC's postseason title. Will all four top seeds hold serve and advance to their "rightful" place in the four-team double-elimination bracket? Will a lower seed emerge with a tremendous postseason performance and spice up the story line on Saturday and Sunday? Will there be any dramatic walk-off finishes or no-hit bids to add to the excitement of an already-exciting tournament?

 

With 12 teams, 12 games Friday and up to seven more Saturday and Sunday, it's safe to say there will be more than enough highlights to fill a "One Shining Moment" montage. However, we won't really know the answers until the first pitch is concurrently thrown on all four Caswell fields and the action gets under way in roughly 27 hours.

 

Frankly, I can't wait. Let's do something we haven't been able to do nearly often enough this spring ... play ball.