Beaver Fever Friday – Sam Kalberer – @BSUBeaversBase

Bemidji State opens 2022 season Feb. 19-20 at Rockhurst

Bemidji State University baseball will make its 2022 season debut Feb. 19-20 with a four-game series against Rockhurst University in Kansas City, Mo. The Beavers and Hawks open the weekend Saturday with a doubleheader at 12 p.m. and close Sunday with its final two games starting at 12 p.m.

Who: Bemidji State (0-0, 0-0 NSIC) vs. Rockhurst (0-3, 0-0 GLVC)
When: Saturday, Feb. 19 (12 & 2 p.m.)/Sunday, Feb. 20 (12 & 2 p.m.)
Where: Kansas City, Mo. (Loyola Park Baseball Field)

Series History

Overall Record: RU leads, 9-4
Record in Kansas City: RU leads, 3-1

Bemidji State Overview

Bemidji State enters the season after being selected to finish 14th overall in the 2022 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Preseason Baseball Coaches’ Poll.

BSU received 26 points in the preseason coaches’ poll to finish ahead of 15th-ranked Southwest Minnesota State University.

Interim Head Coach Matt Ellinghuysen takes control of the program for the 2022 season after spending eight seasons in the dugout as an assistant coach, six with BSU, and four years as a starter with Beaver Baseball from 2010-13.

Joining Ellinghuysen in the Beaver dugout is assistant coach Derek Dahlke in his first season and volunteer assistant coaches Dan Bennett and Doug Jones.

The Beavers finished the 2021 season 8-32 overall and 7-28 in the NSIC, beginning and ending the season with victories.

Senior first baseman Sam Kalberer was named the BSU Player to Watch after ending last season tied for 15th in the conference with 21 walks, 23rd with a .430 on-base percentage, tied for 26th with 42 hits and 28th hitting .331 from the plate. He finished last season on a 30-game on-base streak, the longest streak for the program since at least 2007.

Sophomore right-handed pitcher Will Lavin was selected as the BSU Pitcher to Watch after making eight starts and 10 total appearances on the mound in 2021. He recorded one complete game and totaled a team-high 35 strikeouts in 35.1 innings.

During the 2021 season, Bemidji State ranked tied for sixth in the NSIC with 16 sacrifice flies, 11th with 134 walks, 12th with 192 runs, 297 hits, 22 home runs and 172 RBI, 13th with a .255 batting average, 82 extra-base hits and a .345 on-base percentage, and 14th with a .367 slugging percentage and 29 stolen bases.

On the mound, BSU totaled a 10.23 ERA in 298.1 innings with 228 strikeouts and 176 walks allowed. The Beavers’ opposing batters recorded a .364 batting average.

About Rockhurst

The Hawks are led by 29th-year head coach Gary Burns who is 779-644 with the program. He was led RU to 16 post-season appearances, including berths in the NCAA Division II Regional Tournament.

Rockhurst was voted to finish sixth in the Great Lakes Valley Conference – Green Division Preseason Coaches’ Poll.

Key returners at the plate for RU include outfield Tommy Kraus and designated hitter Connor Ellefson who are both career .300 hitters who have combined for nine home runs and 114 RBI.

The top returner on the mound is junior Clayton Medlin, who held opponents to a .238 batting average in 31.2 innings last season.

Rockhurst began its season Feb. 11-12 in Nashville, Tenn., against Belmont Abbey College and Trevecca Nazarene University. RU fell in the season opener, 23-2, to BAC before taking losses of 22-2 and 13-3 to TNU.

The Beavers and Hawks last met Feb. 21-22, 2020 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn. BSU opened the three-game series with wins of 4-3 and 8-0 before a 9-8 loss in the series finale.