Previewing this week

The Southwest Minnesota State University baseball team opens its 54th season of play this Saturday with the first of 10 games at the Tucson Invitational in Tucson, Ariz.

SMSU will open the week taking on Morningside (Iowa) on Saturday at 8:30 p.m. before playing two games on Sunday, facing Adams State (Colo.) at 10 a.m. and Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) at 1:30 p.m.

SMSU will face DWU again on Monday at 3 p.m. before battling Bemidji State on Tuesday in a non-conference game at 5:30 p.m. Following a day off, SMSU will play Malone (Ohio) on Thursday, March 9, and then have two games on Friday, March 10 versus Concordia-St. Paul at 10 a.m. and Walsh (Ohio) at 1:30 p.m. SMSU and Malone will play once again on Saturday, March 11 at 10 a.m. before closing the trip on Monday, March 13 versus Dickinson State (N.D.) at 11 a.m.

SMSU had a doubleheader scheduled for March 1 at Briar Cliff in Sioux City, Iowa, that was canceled due to poor weather and field conditions.

Blanchard’s Last Dance

Paul Blanchard, the all-time leader in victories at SMSU, is in his 27th and final season as head coach and has an overall record of 564-556-2, including 324-322 in conference play.

On Feb. 19, Blanchard announced he will retire from coaching following the conclusion of the 2023 season.

During his tenure, Blanchard has led the program to one NCAA Tournament appearance, one NSIC championship, three NSIC Tournament championships, 15 appearances in the NSIC Tournament and four 30-win seasons.

Named the fifth coach in SMSU history on July 14, 1996, Blanchard has coached two NSIC Players of the Year, one NSIC Pitcher of the Year, 21 all-region honorees, two Academic All-Americans, one NCAA All-American and two Major League Baseball draft picks.

2023 SMSU preview

SMSU returns 25 letter winners, including its top five hitters and nearly the entire pitching staff from last season’s squad that finished 17-26 overall, 10-21 NSIC.

SMSU closed the 2022 season as one of the hottest teams in the league, ending the season winning nine of its last 12 games, which included winning two weekend series and sweeping two mid-week doubleheaders.

SMSU junior outfielder Isaac Nett and sophomore left-handed pitcher Ryan Chmielewski were named ‘Players to Watch’ in the conference this season.

Nett started 40 games last season and batted a team-high .380 with six home runs, seven doubles, a triple and tied for the team lead with 29 RBIs. Nett, who had more had more walks and hit-by-pitches (19) than strikeouts (14), racked up a team-high eight multi-RBI games, tied for the team lead with 15 multi-hit games. He also led the team in both slugging percentage (.570) and on-base percentage (.451).

Nett was an All-NSIC first-team and ABCA All-Region second-team honoree.

Chmielewski made a team-high 11 starts and finished with a 4-5 record and a 6.42 ERA in a team-high 61 2/3 innings during his rookie season in 2022. He ranked third on the team with 42 strikeouts and finished with two complete games and one shutout.

Several players join Nett as key returners in 2023, including junior first baseman Jaxon Haase, who batted .356 and tied for the team lead in both RBIs (29) and doubles (8). Junior shortstop Chase McDaniel, a 2022 NSIC All-Defensive team honoree, started 39 games last season and committed seven errors while registering 86 assists and 63 putouts for a .955 fielding percentage. McDaniel batted .338, tied for the team lead with eight doubles, while adding a triple, 24 RBIs and eight stolen bases.

Senior second baseman Keenan Wenzel returns after making 35 starts in 2022 and batting .324 with seven doubles, two triples, two home runs and 16 RBIs. Junior third baseman Max Kalenberg led the team with 18 walks, while hitting .281 with six doubles, two home runs and 22 RBIs. Senior outfielder Robbie Smith is back this spring after batting .270 with seven doubles, a team-high four triples and a team-leading 13 stolen bases.

Sophomore outfielder/pitcher Owen Latendresse belted five home runs and four doubles, while batting .259 last season. Sophomores Caleb Gardow and Nick Brown both saw a majority of the time at catcher in 2022 and combined for six doubles, two home runs and 18 RBIs.

Numerous key returners join Chmielewski on a veteran pitching staff in 2023, including junior left-hander Kobe Lovell, who appeared in a team-high 13 games and struck out 21 batters in 26 innings with a 4.50 ERA. Junior righty Craig Lasley finished with a 3.78 ERA in 16 2/3 innings earning one victory and one save while striking out 11.

Junior right-hander Ansen Dulas made nine appearances with eight starts and compiled a 6.28 ERA in 43 innings, while leading the team with 57 strikeouts. Another junior righty, Kolby Kiser, made 12 appearances with 10 starts and finished with a 6.95 ERA in 45 1/3 innings with 49 strikeouts. Latendresse pitched in five games with three starts and struck out 17 batters in 17 2/3 innings and had a 2-2 record.

Other pitchers returning include juniors Hayden Molva and Brady Brosz along with sophomores Theo Giedd, Jerod Cyrus and Cameron Jensen, who all appeared in five or more games last season and combined to make nine starts.

Picked 14th in

preseason

Southwest Minnesota State University was picked to finish 14th in the NSIC Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

Game coverage

Live stats for all games will be available at SMSUmustangs.com.