Article

Baseball Wins All Four in Weekend Sweep of UND
North Dakota proves no match for MSU as Mavericks sweep four-game series for the first time this season.

by Garret Felder
April 18, 2006

In baseball, statistics are king and records are judged by how long they stand.

In 1990, former Maverick closer Todd Revenig set the Minnesota State single-season saves record with 10 and the career mark with 12. Two years later, Revenig appeared in two Major League Baseball games with the Oakland Athletics.

Almost sixteen years passed for MSU baseball before redshirt sophomore Nick Fellman, who was originally recruited as a third baseman, came along and broke both records. Judging by how many games MSU has left on its schedule and how dominant the 6-3 righty has been, he may establish a record that stands another 16 years and beyond.

As Fellman collected his 11th and 12th saves of the season during the Mavericks' four-game sweep of North Dakota Friday and Saturday, fans can only wonder if MSU will be sending another record-setting pitcher to the pros sometime soon.

“A lot of our pitching staff has talked to major league teams this year, and our staff is always getting looked at a lot,” Fellman said. “We've always had a lot of scouts at our games. But my dream has always been to make the major leagues ever since I came to Mankato and started performing well. And getting the opportunity to close here has been great.”

After picking up the 13th save of his career Saturday, Fellman feels that the record also helps his chances of a professional scout taking a chance on him and offering a major league contract.

“It's nice having [assistant coach Matt] Magers, who was drafted in the 16th round by the Chicago Cubs. He knows a lot of scouts who respect his word. He'll tell them if we're good enough to play at the next level and they will come out and watch us,” Fellman said. “The record does stand out because more teams will look at that, but otherwise you are going to get looked at no matter what with a pitching coach and pitching staff like ours.”

MSU head coach Dean Bowyer said he hopes to use Fellman sparingly the rest of the season, despite Fellman's ability to close games and the fact that the Mavericks still have one-third of their schedule to play.

“We got to be careful not to use him too much because he's used quite a bit in the summer and we want him strong during the summer,” Bowyer said. “It would be nice if we could just use him one inning and maybe once each day if we have to.”

Beyond breaking the record, Bowyer also sees some similarities between Fellman and Revenig. “Revenig threw a little harder, but Fellman has a nasty slider and that is his out-pitch,” Bowyer said. “But both are competitive and Fellman is just a fierce competitor. There is no way he wants to lose and you just love to put a guy out there like that.”

Adding to Fellman's record-breaking weekend, the Mavericks swept UND in four games thanks to the offensive boost from junior Mark Dolenc and junior tri-captain Adam Sudbeck.

Dolenc has hit safely in 12-straight games, leads the team with 10 stolen bases, and has a .456 batting average this season. During the series with UND, Dolenc led the team to four wins, including a 12-5 win followed by a 5-4 win Saturday. The Eagan native posted six hits in 12 at-bats, four runs, five RBI, a home run and two doubles.

“Part of [the increased offense] is playing at home. I know a lot of the guys seem to hit better at home because we don't have to travel,” Dolenc said. “But for me, part of it is just playing in every game.”

Sudbeck has been on a tear this week with four home runs since Wednesday, including two during the second game of Friday's doubleheader. The Mavericks won Friday's first game 8-6 and the second 11-8, thanks to Sudbeck's help during the second game. Besides the two home runs, Sudbeck finished the weekend going 5-for-13 with five runs, seven RBI and a double.

The Mavericks hope to add to their six-game winning streak and their 25-9 record when they host Wayne State in a doubleheader starting at noon today at the MSU Baseball Complex.