SCSU Baseball Manager Reflects on All Conference Honors, Previews NSIC Tournament

Originally published 5:17 p.m. on May 7th, 2024

Updated at 10:20 a.m. on May 8th, 2024

(KNSI) – The St. Cloud State Baseball Team manager says the two players named to the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference First Team earned their honors.

Skipper Pat Dolan talked with KNSI about starting pitcher Luke Tupy. “All nine of his starts are just golden! He had an unbelievable year and was first-team all-conference…he deserved it.”

Tupy was a Third-Team All-American as a freshman but battled back from arm issues to have a 7-2 record his senior year. He currently has 82 strikeouts in 63.1 innings pitched.

The other Husky named to the NSIC First Team was third baseman Cal James, a graduate transfer. He is no stranger to the accolade, even though this is his first with SCSU. James mashed .366 and led the team in slugging percentage. He piled up 49 RBI, second most on the team and delivered 13 home runs.

The squad is looking to repeat as conference tournament champions. They start on Wednesday against Wayne State College. The Wildcats’ Corbin Kirk shut out the Huskies when the teams met in the regular season. Dolan says Wednesday’s showdown is a different animal, as it will be slated for a full nine innings.

“From strategy and managerial part to bullpen, playing for a run earlier, a nine-inning game — You know, a seven-inning game, you get down two or three runs and it’s the fifth inning, it’s different. He’s got to beat us in nine innings, not seven innings.”

A standard weekend series in baseball involves a double-header on the first day, followed by a lone game to wrap things up on the second. The first game of the doubleheader, when most teams are using their ace, is only seven innings.

SCSU has one of the most potent lineups in the country, hitting nearly .320 as a team. It is dominated by left-handed sluggers, though. A good southpaw is typically stingy against lefty bats.

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