coaches/staff - University of North Dakota Athletics

24
2008 SEASON IN REVIEW
With the move to Division I baseball
on the horizon, the Fighting Sioux
wrapped up their 50th and final season
in the North Central Conference in
2008.
Fittingly, the Sioux won its final regular
season conference tilt in dramatic
fashion against St. Cloud State at Kraft
Field on May 3. UND took a 7-4 decision
from the Huskies, rallying for four
runs in the bottom of the sixth to preserve
the seven-inning win.
In all, the Sioux won 311 games during
their NCC run, which included two
championships and two NCAA
Tournament appearances.
During the final season as a Division
II squad, interim head coach Timm
Pint guided UND to a 14-23 record and
a 5-15 mark in NCC play.
The Sioux posted a 1-2 record in
their last NCC postseason tournament.
UND dropped its first game to St.
Cloud State 8-4, then defeated
Augustana 4-3 to stave off elimination.
SCSU then put an end to the 2008
campaign, dropping the Sioux, 12-4, in
the semifinals.
During the regular season, UND
saved most of its offensive heroics for
Senior Scott Schmidt led the Sioux regulars with
a .369 batting average in 2008. He was a perfect
5-for-5 in stolen bases and added 11 RBI.
the Minnesota Duluth series, when the
team split four games with the
Bulldogs and scored 42 runs. Catcher
Ryne Jungling registered seven RBIs in
a 14-9 Sioux win in game two—his
total was just one shy of UND’s singlegame
record. The Sioux then scored
11 runs in a game-three setback
before exloding for 15 runs in game
four.
During that fourth game, UND
jumped out to a 13-0 lead in the opening
frame. Sophomore Andrew
Gudmunson drove in five of those runs
in the first with a two-run double and
three-run homer. The Sioux would end
up needing every one of those runs as
the held off a furious rally by the
Bulldogs to escape with a 15-13 win.
Both veteran and young players contributed
throughout the season for
UND as four regulars ended up hitting
.300 or better. Seniors Scott Schmidt
and Chris Gulsvig provided strong play
throughout the campaign.
Schmidt wound up with a team-best
.369 average in 26 starts, splitting
time between right field (15 starts)
and catcher (11 starts). Gulsvig, who
started 35 games at first base, hit .345
and was second on the team with 12
doubles.
Sophomore Jabby Bakhit and newcomer
Andrew Marek rounded out the
Sioux quartet of .300 hitters. Bakhit
started 34 games at second base and
hit .340 after seeing limited action as
a freshman in 2007. Marek transferred
in from Iowa Central Community
College and provided an instant
impact for the Sioux. The junior started
all 37 games in left field and was a
fixture in the three-hole throughout
the season. He finished with a .304
average and was second on the team
in home runs (three) and RBIs (26).
Marek trailed only Gudmunson in
those two power categories as the
Nebraska transfer led the squad with
five homers and 33 RBIs. It was
Gudmunson’s second full season to
start at third for the Sioux.
On the mound, junior Mike Lueck led
the Sioux with a 4-4 record and 4.24
Senior Sean Cooley tossed a one-hit shutout (seven
innings) against Augustana on April 28. Cooley finished
his senior season with three wins.
ERA. The right-hander tallied the final
win for the Sioux as a Division II
squad, leading UND to a 4-3 victory
over Augustana in the NCC
Tournament. For Lueck, it was his
team-leading sixth complete game of
the season as he allowed only one
earned run on five hits and struck out
seven Vikings.
Senior Sean Cooley picked up three
wins in his final season with the Sioux.
He posted the lone shutout of the season
for the staff when he blanked the
Vikings on April 28. Cooley allowed
just one hit in seven innings of work
that day. Sophomore Jameson Benson
led UND with three saves in 11.2
innings of work.