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Etzell earnin’ that spotlight!!

Posted in Baseball, Wolves in college, tagged baseball, Ben Etzell, CHS Wolves, D-3, playoffs, Saint John's University on May 20, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Ben Etzell is congratulated by coach Willie Smith and catcher Jake Tumblin during his CHS days. (Shelli Trumbull photo)

Etzell delivers the high, hard cheese. (Libby Auger photo)

Icing the arm after his first complete game win. (Photo courtesy Ben Etzell)

Wisconsin may be on Central time, but Friday morning they called it Etzell time.

Powered by a complete game from starting pitcher Ben Etzell, the Saint John’s University baseball squad drilled North Central College 8-2 to set a school single-season record for wins and stay alive in the NCAA D-III playoffs.

With their second win in three NCAA tourney games, the Johnnies improved to 30-13 and advance to play again Friday night.

Saint John’s, which is playing in the La Crosse regional, beat St. Scholastica 7-2 Wednesday, then fell 10-0 to Wisconsin-La Crosse, the defending D-III runner-ups, Thursday.

Friday morning, playing in an elimination game, the Johnnies put Etzell, a Coupeville High School grad, on the hill, and he responded with the first complete game of his collegiate career.

Scattering nine hits, he whiffed five and was rarely in danger as he improved to 4-1 on the season.

The 30th win broke a tie with the 1994 and 2012 squads, which had each won 29 games.

Etzell is a sophomore at the Minnesota-based college, and is following in the footsteps of dad Mike, who is an alumnus.

During his time at CHS, the young gun was the Cascade Conference MVP as a senior.

He was the only Wolf to win that honor in any sport during Coupeville’s decade-plus run in the private school-dominated 1A/2A league.

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Big-time win for Wolf grad!!

Posted in Baseball, Wolves in college, tagged baseball, Ben Etzell, MIAC, NCAA-DIII, Saint John's University on May 14, 2016| Leave a Comment »

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.

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The kid can’t lose!!

Posted in Baseball, Wolves in college, tagged baseball, Ben Etzell, CHS Wolves, college ball, Saint John's University on April 23, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Ben Etzell meets with up with some of his relatives while playing college ball. (Photo courtesy Kristi Etzell)

A loss? What’s that?

Coupeville High School grad Ben Etzell won for the third time as a college baseball pitcher Saturday, and has yet to taste the sting of defeat.

The former Cascade Conference MVP started and tossed five innings in Minneapolis as his Saint John’s University squad rolled Augsburg College 8-4 in the first game of a doubleheader.

Toss in a 9-8 win in the second game, and the Johnnies sit at 22-9 overall, 10-4 in league play.

Etzell improved to 2-0 on the mound as a sophomore, following strongly on the heels of a freshman season in which he went 1-0 with two saves.

Saturday, he scattered four hits, plunked a batter (just to keep them guessing) and struck out three.

That gives Etzell 31 K’s in 31.2 innings of work this season.

While he didn’t hit against Augsburg, Etzell has piled up some stats at the plate, as well, with six hits, seven runs, four RBI and a pair of doubles.

Saint John’s has three more doubleheaders scheduled this season, then opens the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference post-season tourney May 12.

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Ben there, won that!!

Posted in Baseball, Wolves in college, tagged Arizona, baseball, Ben Etzell, first win, Saint John's University, Spring Break on March 16, 2016| Leave a Comment »

Former Wolf ace turned college hurler Ben Etzell. (Photo courtesy Kristi Etzell)

Ben Etzell’s back at it again, with the wins.

The Coupeville High School grad, now a sophomore pitcher at Saint John’s University in Minnesota, earned his first victory of the season Saturday.

Making the start for the Johnnies against Concordia-Wisconsin in Tucson, Arizona, Etzell went four innings, giving up six runs on eight hits and two strikeouts in a 10-7 win.

It was his second appearance on the mound for Saint John’s (3-3) this season, following a relief appearance against the University of Jamestown.

With the victory against Concordia, Etzell is 2-0 with two saves lifetime in college ball. He notched a 2.71 ERA as a freshman.

The former Cascade Conference MVP is swinging an active bat, as well, this season.

Etzell is 4-11 (.364) at the plate, with three runs, three RBI, a double and two walks.

In the field, he has an .875 fielding percentage, with three assists.

Saint John’s returns to action with a road trip to Ft. Myers, Florida over Spring Break (Mar. 20-25), where the Johnnies will play 10 games.

When he’s not playing baseball, Etzell is pursuing a degree in Elementary Education at the school that dad Mike, a CHS baseball coach, graduated from in 1988.

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Benny and the champs!!

Posted in Baseball, tagged baseball, Ben Etzell, Johnnies, Mariano Rivera, MIAC, NCAA-DIII, Saint John's University on May 10, 2015| Leave a Comment »

Ben Etzell, during his days as the Wolf ace. (John Fisken photo)

The Johnnies rush Etzell (4) after the last out. (Ryan Coleman photo)

Ben Etzell slammed the door.

A day after his former Coupeville High School baseball teammates had their season end, the one-time Cascade Conference MVP earned the save Sunday as Saint John’s University won the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletics Conference tournament title.

Storming back through the loser’s bracket, the Johnnies became only the second team in 16 years to lose their tourney opener and come back for the title.

To do it, and earn an automatic invitation to the NCAA D-III playoffs, Saint John’s (26-14) had to win twice Sunday at Veterans Field in Minnetonka.

They did just that, toppling Saint Thomas 9-6 in the morning and 5-1 in the afternoon.

With the Johnnies clinging to a 3-1 lead with one out in the eighth inning in the nightcap, Etzell pulled off his best Mariano Rivera.

He induced an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play to get out of the inning, then set the Toms down in order in the ninth, with one of the outs coming his favorite way, via the punch-out.

During his freshman year, he has pitched in seven games, including the last three days.

Over 10 innings, Etzell has struck out seven while walking three and is 1-0 with two saves and an ERA of 2.70.

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