Coupeville Sports

   Former Cascade Conference MVP turned college hurler Ben Etzell. (Photo property of Saint John’s University baseball)

Big Ben came up big time in the spotlight.

Coupeville High School grad Ben Etzell got the start and the win Saturday as the Saint John’s University baseball squad crushed Saint Mary’s 11-4 to win its second consecutive Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament title.

The Johnnies, now 28-12 on the season, advance to the NCAA D-III tourney May 18-21.

It’s the fifth time in school history they’ve punched their ticket to the big dance.

Etzell, a sophomore, got the ball and went 5.1 innings Saturday, striking out three and scattering nine hits.

With a little help from freshman reliever Jake Dickmeyer, who closed out the game for his first college save, Etzell improved to 3-1.

He’s struck out 36 batters over 41.2 innings of work this season, after going 1-0 with two saves as a freshman.

The Johnnies gave their hurler a lot of support Saturday, rapping out 13 hits and taking advantage of five Saint Mary’s errors.

Last year Saint John’s had to come back through the losers bracket to win the MIAC tourney, while this year they took the easier route, sweeping all three games they played.