The University of Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagle Baseball team had their best season in program history in 2023 with a 38-20 record while going 26-10 in the Northern Sun Conference. UMC has been picked to finish fourth place this year in the NSIC preseason coaches poll, and Jake Hjelle (Sr. East Grand Forks) has been tabbed as the preseason player of the year. UMC Head Coach Steve Gust became the first Golden Eagle Coach to win 200 games in Crookston.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Hjelle earns the preseason honor after being named the NSIC Player of the Year in 2023, joining his brother Reed Hjelle as Golden Eagles to receive the distinguished accolade. Hjelle was also the D2CCA and NCBWA Region Player of the Year, and the NCBWA National Player of the Year. Josh Dykhoff (So., P/1B, Wadena) returns after earning NSIC Freshman of the Year and NCBWA All-Region honors in his first season with the Golden Eagles. Brody Sorenson (Sr., Grand Forks, N.D.) returns after being named to the All-NSIC Second Team in 2023 as a reliever. Jake Osowski (Sr., RHP, East Grand Forks) is the Pitcher to Watch for the Golden Eagles after going unheralded for Minnesota Crookston after posting a 16-2 mark and a 3.46 ERA in the last three seasons. Osowski has 158 career strikeouts to just 48 walks.
GOLDEN EAGLES RETURNING SEVEN OFFENSIVE STARTERS
The Golden Eagles return seven starters at the plate from the 2023 squad, including Hjelle and Dykhoff. In addition, Caden Headlee (Jr., OF, Fargo, N.D.) returns after hitting .348 last season, with 37 runs scored and 38 RBIs. Ben Goelz (Sr., OF, Maple Lake, Minn.) returns after batting .303 last season, while Sawyer Satrom (Soph., IF, Portland, N.D.) hit .301 as a redshirt freshman. Danny Wensloff (Sr., OF, Roseau, Minn.) and Mitch Goodwin (Sr., SS, Prior Lake, Minn.) also return from last season’s starting line-up. Kobe Senn (So., IF, Fargo, N.D.) and Teddy Giefer (Sr., 1B, Courtland, Minn.) were also key contributors for the Golden Eagles last season.
“Jake (Hjelle) is a great athlete and a five-tool player,” Gust stated. “He can run, throw, and hit for average and power. He put together an awesome season a year ago, but the key to his continued success is to find ways to get better this season. He has been a hardworking, dedicated, and loyal player to our program. I believe he will continue to help elevate our program this spring.”
RETURNING PITCHERS
On the mound, Osowski, Dykhoff, and Sorenson pace Minnesota Crookston. The Golden Eagles have several pitchers who saw action last season and will look to have increased roles in 2024. Osowski is the leading returnee with 73 innings pitched last season. Sorenson paced Minnesota Crookston with 19 appearances, mostly out of the bullpen. He did make two starts. Josh Dykhoff started seven games as a freshman for the Golden Eagles.
“Jake (Osowski) has been somewhat of an underrated player in his career,” Gust said. “His win/loss percentage over the past three seasons has been stellar. He isn’t overpowering on the mound, but he finds ways to get outs and win us ball games. What makes him so good is his ability to command the baseball and the way he competes at such a high level.”
The Golden Eagles finished third in the conference standings last season and made it to the NSIC Tournament, where they lost in the consolation semifinals to Augustana University. The Vikings were picked to finish first in the NSIC, with Minnesota State University slotted behind them. Caleb Saari of Augustana was named the NSIC Preseason Pitcher of the Year.
Minnesota Crookston opens the season on February 9 on the road at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs.
