YANKTON, S.D. – For the second straight season, the Dakota Wesleyan University baseball team came into the final Great Plains Athletic Conference doubleheader of the year needing to perform well to make the league's postseason tournament.
The Tigers held rival Mount Marty College off the board for all 16 innings to pick up the sweep, 3-0 in game one and 5-0 in the finale Monday in Yankton, S.D. The sweep pushes DWU to 25-25 overall and 9-11 in the GPAC. With Dordt College getting swept Monday, the Tigers locked up the final GPAC Postseason Tournament spot. DWU won the tournament last season to earn a berth in the NAIA Opening Round.
After a disappointing outing his last time on the mound Saturday, senior Dustin Steckler (Garretson, S.D.) rebounded with one of his best performances as a Tiger. Steckler went six innings, allowing no runs on five hits, while walking four and striking out three. Junior William Lutjen (Miller Place, N.Y.) picked up the save, his fourth of the season, in game one.
The Tigers broke the ice with an RBI single from redshirt junior Tyler Waddle (Huron, S.D.) in the sixth inning, while senior Austin Calhoon (Winner, S.D.) added an insurance run with an RBI single in the seventh.
Junior Patrick Whetham (Garretson, S.D.) continued his late-season breakout with a nine-inning gem in game two. Whetham tossed all nine innings for the shutout, allowing just two hits, while striking out five. He has allowed one run in his last 17 and a third innings of work and is 4-5 on the season.
After junior Lakin Neugebauer (Mitchell, S.D.) got DWU on the board with an RBI in the fifth, redshirt senior Nolan Luhmann (Jackson, Minn.) added two for the Tigers with a two-run single in the eighth. Junior Tramane Moore (Los Banos, Calif.) and senior Cole Wenande (Alexandria, S.D.) each picked up an RBI for insurance in the ninth.
The Tigers move on to the GPAC tournament as the No. 8 seed. DWU will take on No. 1 seed Midland University to open the tournament at 6 p.m. Thursday in Fremont, Neb.