05/12/06

Rain washed away the final day of the 2006 UMAC baseball tournament — twice — giving St. Scholastica, the only undefeated team within the tournament, its tenth consecutive post-season conference crown.

The Saints beat Minnesota-Morris and Northland College in day one action on Thursday to earn a spot in the tournament championship game scheduled first for Friday afternoon, then moved to Saturday because of unplayable field conditions from steady rain that began on Thursday evening.

They were scheduled to play the team that battled their way out of the loser’s bracket, Northland or Bethany Lutheran College, but when that game was washed away Friday and today, the Saints were declared the tournament champions.

The No. 5 Saints (36-4) now await word on an expected NCAA Regional bid that should come late Sunday night or early Monday morning via phone call.

St. Scholastica dominated the post-season tournament awards list, headed by 2006 Tournament MVP Luke Olin (Sr., Duluth East).

Olin was 4-for-9 (.444) in the pair of Saints victories on Thursday, registering an extra-base hit (one double, three triples) all four times he reached base. His seven RBI led all batters at the tournament as did his 11 total bases. He scored five runs and stole two bases in two attempts.

With three triples, Olin also broke the NCAA Division-III single-season triples record set by Tom Mohl of Marietta (Ohio) College in 1982. Olin’s season total of 15 eclipsed Mohl’s mark of 13 and with Region games yet to play, he could extend his new NCAA record even further.

2006 UMAC All-Tournament Team — Mark Moriarty, Olin, Brandon Swartz, Chad Weiss, Kyle Wojtysiak (St. Scholastica); Jason Costello, Trevor Vaubel (Bethany Lutheran College) ; Chad Christianson (Minnesota-Morris) ; Myles Buuk, Joe Lopjersberger (Northland College) .