2007 Season Wrap-Up

The Northern State University baseball team finished its season on a two game winning streak as they recorded an overall record of 12-36 and a 6-20 mark in the NSIC. The team’s last four games of the season against the University of Mary were cancelled due to poor weather conditions.

Northern State’s season began on an annual spring trip to Joplin, Mo. where the team played ten games. They managed to get two wins, one against Missouri Southern 7-3 and the other against Morningside College by a score of 7-6. The win over Missouri Southern was a first-ever win for Northern State against this opponent.

Freshman Tyler Fries (Sauk Rapids, Minn.) pitched a great game as he went 7.0 innings, giving up six hits and two earned runs while striking out three batters. During the trip, Fries pitched a total of 9 1/3 innings and allowed only six hits and two earned runs as he struck out four batters. Offensively, the Wolves were led by Adam Kampsen (Paynesville, Minn.) as he went 14-for-37 (.378) on the trip. He scored seven runs, batted in six, and hit three doubles and a home run.

The Wolves played four more non-conference games before the NSIC season began. They took on Dakota Wesleyan and Ashford College twice each in Mitchell, S.D. The Wolves came home with a 2-2 record, defeating each school once. The highlight of the weekend came when Justin Downes (Atwater, Minn.) took the mound against Ashford University. Downes pitched a complete game, giving up eight hits and two earned runs while striking out nine batters in the 7-2 victory. With the victory, Downes got his second win on the season.

The Wolves went on to find wins hard to come by and a 15 game losing streak, including 12 against conference opponents, snuck up on them. Northern State would finally get some offense in a trip to Crookston, Minn. to take on the Golden Eagles. The Wolves won the first game 18-4 and a three game winning streak, their longest of the season, was started. The Wolves also picked up their first conference victories of the year with the wins against Minnesota, Crookston.
Adam Kampsen was named NSIC Player of the Week on April 16. Kampsen batted .571 (12-for-21) in six games. He batted in nine base runners and scored nine runs while hitting three home runs and two triples on the week.

The Wolves would finish out their season going 4-10, which included two more victories against Minnesota, Crookston and two against Presentation College. Northern’s improved batting power was the highlight of the final stretch for the Wolves. The team started hitting the ball much better and finished the season with five everyday players batting over .300. They were Adam Kampsen (.392), Aaron Kappes (.350), Matt Tales (.324), Mitch Locke (.303), and Justin Downes (.302).

Aaron Kappes (Leola) finished the season on a ten-game hitting streak. During that streak, Kappes had a .594 batting average, going 19-for-32 while scoring 14 runs, driving in six RBI, and hitting two doubles and two triples. Also hitting well in the last ten games of the season was Downes, who batted .344 (11-for-32), and Matt Tales (Toronto, Canada), who hit .444 (12-for-27) and batted in six.

Northern hit .280 on the season with 399 hits and 206 RBI. They marked a slugging percentage of .376 and edged out their opponents with a fielding mark of .944. The team was led by NSIC Preseason Player of the Year Adam Kampsen, a junior third baseman.

Kampsen batted .392 and led the squad in hits (65), RBI (31), runs scored (166), and steals (11-13). Kampsen notched five home runs on the year and also had 13 doubles. His batting percentage ranked eighth among all NSIC batters. Kampsen was named to the All-NSIC First Team.

Making the cut for the All-NSIC Second Team was senior pitcher and first baseman Justin Downes. Downes batted .302 on the year with 42 hits, including 15 that went for extra bases, and 30 RBI. He was the leading player from the mound in 2007, pitching 70.0                                                      innings in 12 appearances. Downes finished the season with a 5-6 record and pitched five complete games. He had an ERA of 6.43 and struck out a team high 43 batters.

Other Wolves standouts in 2007 include Kappes, who batted .350 with 35 hits and 13 RBI, and Matt Tales, who batted .324 with 36 hits and 16 RBI. Kappes was best on the team in advancing runners in 2007, having success in 31 of 55 opportunities. Payton McCleary (Calgary, Alberta) had great success in clutch situations, as he batted .727 (8-11) with runners on third and less than two outs. Brock Pashen (Morris, Minn.) was the second NSU pitcher to record more than one win on the season. He went 2-6 from the bump, pitching 43.0 innings and recording 31
strikeouts.

The Wolves lose just one senior, Justin Downes, so look for the team to be competitive next season with the young talent they have coming back.

2007 All-NSIC Honorees

All-NSIC First Team: #5 Adam Kampsen (Jr., 3B, Paynesville, Minn.): Voted NSIC Preseason Player of the Year, Kampsen had another outstanding year for the Northern State University Wolves baseball team. Kampsen led the team in batting with a .392 average (65-166), hitting five home runs, two triples, and 13 doubles on the season. He scored 30 runs and knocked in 31 RBI while compiling 97 total bases. Kampen had a slugging percentage of .584 and also stole 11-of-13 bases. He spent the majority of the season fielding third base, where he posted a .945 fielding percentage. He made 12 pitching appearances, totaling 11 strikeouts with a 5.76 ERA.

All-NSIC Second Team: #7 Justin Downes (Sr., DH, Atwater, Minn.): Downes was named to the NSIC Second Team for his performance as a designated hitter. Downes finished the season with a .302 batting average (42-139). He knocked in 30 RBI, scored 22 runs, and hit four home runs, one triple, and ten doubles. Downes had a two-homer game against Upper Iowa and hit a grand slam against Concordia-St. Paul. Downes also served at the ace of the Wolves’ pitching staff, throwing five complete games in 12 starts. Downes gained five of NSU’s wins on the season, finishing the year with a record of 5-6, an ERA of 6.43, and striking out 43 batters.

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