Upper Iowa Baseball news

Peacocks Add New Face to Coaching Staff

Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:44:26 PST

Upper Iowa Head Baseball Coach Mark Danker announced today that Timm Pint will join the Peacocks' coaching staff for 2008-09 year. Pint will join Kevin Post, now in his sixth year with UIU, as the two assistant coaches under Danker.

"We are excited to have Timm join the Peacock baseball team. He will take on the duties of hitting coach and will instruct our catchers. His experience in recruiting the upper Midwest will make us even stronger in our methods for scouting quality student-athletes."

Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Officially Expands to 14 Teams

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 09:45:06 PST

St. Paul, Minn. - Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Commissioner Butch Raymond has announced the results from the NSIC Board of Directors teleconference call dealing with expansion. The Board of Directors, consisting of the ten NSIC Presidents/Chancellors, voted to expand the NSIC to 14 teams with the addition of Augustana College (Sioux Falls, S.D.), the University of Minnesota Duluth (Duluth, Minn.), Minnesota State University Mankato (Mankato, Minn.) and Saint Cloud State University (Saint Cloud, Minn.). These four institutions, which were all voted on individually, will begin participating within the NSIC in the 2008-09 season.

Upper Iowa's Ryan Arp Picked by Dodgers in 2008 MLB Draft

Sun, 08 Jun 2008 22:07:07 PST

Ryan Arp (Cedar Rapids, Iowa), a senior, righthanded catcher, for the Peacocks has been selected in the 45th round (1356 overall) by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2008 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

After signing a contract with the Los Angeles, Arp expects to report to a Dodger rookie league team in either Utah or Florida. Arp told Peacock Head Coach Mark Danker that he was "excited for the opportunity to continue his playing career."

2008 Season Review and Team Awards

Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:27:03 PST

The Upper Iowa University baseball team finished the 2008 campaign with their heads held high after their season ended a bit sooner than they would have liked. The team entered the NSIC Baseball Tournament as the #2 seed after taking second in the standings with a 24-8 record. The #1 seed went to Wayne State, who only clinched it on the final day of the season with a 24-6 record in conference. The Peacocks lost their first game of the tournament, but bounced back with a win over Winona State, their fifth of the season. Unfortunately, Mother Nature had the final say and ended the season before UIU could make their run through the consolation bracket.

Fjelland Named to ABCA/Rawlings All-Central Region Second Team

Wed, 21 May 2008 16:18:05 PST

The All-Central Region Teams presented by the ABCA (American Baseball Coaches Association) and Rawlings have been released and one Peacock has earned a spot on the Second Team. Nick Fjelland (Alleman, Iowa) was named to the Second Team as an infielder after his stellar senior season.

Fjelland, the Peacocks' rock at third base, was named First Team All-NSIC. Fjelland hit .356 in 54 games played and started for Upper Iowa. He picked up 67 hits in his 188 at bats including a UIU-record 25 doubles and an NSIC-record 16 doubles. Fjelland had a slugging percentage of .553 and hit four homeruns while driving in 39 and scoring 53 runs.

Nineteen Peacocks Earn Northern Sun All-Academic Team Honors

Wed, 21 May 2008 12:20:55 PST

The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference has announced its All-Academic Teams for the 2007-08 spring athletic season and nineteen Peacock student-athletes earned recognition.

To be eligible for this honor, the student-athlete must be a member of the varsity traveling team and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 or better. The student-athlete must have also reached sophomore academic and athletic standing at the institution represented with one full year completed at their institution.

Upper Iowa Finishes Sixth in 2007-08 NSIC All-Sport Standings

Tue, 20 May 2008 11:58:13 PST

The Upper Iowa Athletics Department climbed three spots this year in the NSIC All-Sports Standings. The Peacocks ranked 6th this year, only five points away from 4th place U-Mary and four and a half points away from 5th place MSU Moorhead. Upper Iowa's success is due, in large part, to its three NSIC Championships in Wrestling, Women's Tennis, and Women's Golf. But 6th place could not have been attained without Baseball (2nd), Women's Soccer (3rd), and Men's Golf (3rd), who all had very successful seasons as well.

Two Peacocks Named to Daktronics All-Central Region Second Team

Thu, 15 May 2008 13:34:19 PST

The Daktronics All-Central Region Teams have been released and two Peacocks have earned the honor. Seth Fox, of Pottstown, Penn., and Lucas Wilsing, of Sheboygan, Wisc., were both named to the second team.

Danker Named NSIC Coach of the Year

Mon, 12 May 2008 09:55:10 PST

Head Baseball Coach Mark Danker has been selected by his peers as the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Coach of the Year. The Peacocks finished the regular season in second place behind Wayne State. The Peacocks were tied in the win column, but had two more losses than the Wildcats.

Danker is in his 9th season as the Peacocks' Head Baseball Coach and his 18th season as part of the baseball program at Upper Iowa. The Marengo, Iowa native spent the first ten years at UIU as the assistant coach under Rick Heller, the current Head Baseball Coach for the University of Northern Iowa.

NSIC Baseball Tournament Postponed/Shortened Due to Rain on Saturday

Sun, 11 May 2008 13:48:58 PST

Wayne, Neb. - The NSIC Office announced that the 2008 NSIC Baseball Tournament will be postponed on Saturday due to rain and be shortened to a single elimination tournament, which matches Concordia-St. Paul vs. Wayne State (the two undefeated team in the tournament) in the championship game on Sunday at 1:00 p.m. The winner of tomorrow's championship game will earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Regional Tournament next week.

Upper Iowa and Bemidji State, which already have one loss, have been eliminated from the tournament.

NSIC Baseball Tournament Postponed Due to Rain

Sat, 10 May 2008 11:19:26 PST

Saturday's games at the 2008 Northern Sun Conference Baseball Tournament in Wayne have been postponed due to rain and will now be played on Sunday with the winner's bracket final at 10 a.m. featuring top-seed Wayne State vs. #2 seed Concordia-St. Paul. The 1 p.m. game is an elimination contest between Upper Iowa and Bemidji State with the 4 p.m. game matching the WSC/CSP loser vs. the UIU/BSU winner.

Peacocks Stave Off Elimination with Win Over Winona State

Fri, 09 May 2008 16:02:29 PST

The Upper Iowa baseball team continued their run in the Northern Sun Conference Tournament this morning against Winona State in Wayne, Nebraska. The Peacocks entered the tourney as the #2 seed, but were upset by Bemidji State in the first game of the NSIC Tournament by a 5-2 count. Upper Iowa trailed 3-1 heading to the third inning, but put three runs on the board in the top of the third. The Peacocks did not trail the rest of the game, but were tied with the Warriors on two occasions. UIU took the lead for the final time in the top of the ninth when they scored three runs to break a 6-6 tie and win the first elimination game 9-6.

Four Peacocks Named to NSIC All-Conference Teams

Fri, 09 May 2008 14:35:46 PST

The Northern Sun Conference has named their Baseball All-Conference Teams and four Peacocks have earned the honor. Nick Fjelland, of Alleman, Iowa, was the lone Peacocks from the second place team to be named to the NSIC All-Conference First Team. Kreston Albright, of Snohomish, Wash., Brian Solemsaas, of Bismarck, N.D., and Lucas Wilsing, of Sheboygan, Wisc., were all named to the NSIC All-Conference Second Team.

Peacocks Ranked Sixth in Latest NCAA Central Region

Fri, 09 May 2008 09:51:42 PST

INDIANAPOLIS, IND.: The Upper Iowa University baseball team has held on their #6 ranking in the most recent NCAA Division II Central Regional rankings released yesterday by the NCAA National Committee. The rankings are based on region records through games as of Sunday, May 4.

The Peacocks were 29-24 overall and had locked up second place with a 24-8 record in the Northern Sun at the time of the regional committee's call. Upper Iowa entered the NCAA Regional Rankings for the first time this season last week. Before yesterday's loss to Bemidji in the NSIC Tournament, Upper Iowa had won 13 of their last 15 games. The Peacocks were ranked sixth in the region once last year late in the season.

Beavers Defeat Peacocks in First Round of NSIC Tourney

Thu, 08 May 2008 15:59:22 PST

The Upper Iowa baseball team opened up play in the Northern Sun Conference Tournament this morning against Bemidji State in Wayne, Nebraska. The Peacocks entered the tourney as the #2 seed, while the Beavers came in with the #5 seed. UIU, who owned a 3-1 record versus BSU this year, jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first, but Bemidji State didn't let the Peacock lead last. The Beavers upset the Peacocks in the first game of the NSIC Tournament by a 5-2 count.