SATURDAY, MARCH 14 | 1 & 4 p.m.
(DH) Wartburg vs St. Olaf
Harms Stadium at Hertel Field | Waverly, Iowa
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SUNDAY, MARCH 15 | Noon
Wartburg vs St. Olaf
Harms Stadium at Hertel Field | Waverly, Iowa
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MONDAY, MARCH 16 | 6 p.m.
Wartburg vs UW-Platteville
Harms Stadium at Hertel Field | Waverly, Iowa
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The Wartburg College baseball team (7-3 overall) returns to Hertel Field to open its home schedule with a three-game series against St. Olaf College. The teams will begin with a doubleheader Saturday at 1 p.m., followed by a single game Sunday at noon. Wartburg will close the homestand Monday evening with a 6 p.m. contest against UW-Platteville.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES
St. Olaf College

All-time series: Wartburg leads 16-15 (W1) – Saturday's contest marks the 32nd meeting between the programs.
Last matchup: The Knights and Oles last met on March 16 of last season, when Wartburg secured a 4-3 victory in the series finale. The series opener was canceled due to weather, and the teams split the remaining two games.

UW-Platteville
All-time series: Wartburg leads 2-1 (W1) – Monday's contest will mark just the fourth all-time meeting.
Last matchup: Wartburg recorded a 6-3 win over the Pioneers on April 29 last season in Platteville, Wisconsin.

ABOUT THE OLES
St. Olaf enters the weekend with a 4-4 overall record after opening its season with a four-game series against American Rivers Conference opponent Luther College. The Oles picked up one win in the series, a 15-2 victory in West Liberty, Iowa.
Last season, St. Olaf finished 23-16 overall with a 13-7 mark in the MIAC. The Oles advanced to the MIAC postseason as the No. 4 seed before their season ended in an elimination game.

ABOUT THE PIONEERS
UW-Platteville brings a 5-1 record into Monday's matchup and rides a four-game winning streak. The Pioneers have recently posted consecutive double-digit wins over Beloit College, Wisconsin Lutheran College, and Maranatha Baptist (DH).
Platteville was also one of three Division III programs to play the University of Iowa in an exhibition game earlier this season. The Pioneers finished the 2025 campaign with a 20-21 overall record and a 13-15 mark in the WIAC.

KNIGHTS IN HOME OPENERS
Wartburg has compiled a 20-11 record in home-opening series since 2013. The Knights have faced St. Olaf in their home-opening series in each of the past two seasons, with the teams splitting both matchups after one game was postponed each year.

TAKE NOTE
Wartburg enters the weekend on a four-game winning streak after closing the RussMatt Invitational with victories over Concordia Moorhead (3-1), St. Scholastica (9-4), and a doubleheader sweep of Calvin.

Senior outfielder Keegan Schmitt leads the Knights offensively with a .400 batting average, along with a team-high 14 hits and eight RBI. Senior infielder Garrett Kadolph and junior first baseman Andrew Gallegos have accounted for Wartburg's two home runs this season, one each.

As a team, the Knights have recorded 20 extra-base hits through 10 games, including 13 doubles, five triples, and two home runs. Six players have started all 10 games for Wartburg: Liam Bender, Andrew Robinson, Jayden Scott, Griffin Troha, Gallegos, and Schmitt.
On the mound, sophomore Emerson Alberhasky (1-0) leads the pitching staff with 14.1 innings across three appearances. Alberhasky has struck out 22 batters and holds a 3.77 ERA. In his most recent outing, he tossed 7.0 innings while allowing five hits and three runs (two earned) with one walk and a season-high 10 strikeouts in a 4-3 win over Calvin.

Junior right-hander Cael Funk (2-1) and sophomore Kam Volz (2-0) have each recorded two wins to lead the team. Senior reliever Conner Funk has made four appearances out of the bullpen and owns three of Wartburg's four saves this season, which leads the American Rivers Conference and ranks seventh nationally.

Wartburg ranks third in the conference with 78 hits, trailing Luther's league-leading total of 101. The Knights lead the A-R-C in sacrifice flies (4) and triples (5). Robinson also ranks third in Division III after being hit by a pitch 10 times this season.

Through 10 games, Wartburg has outscored opponents 11-7 in the second inning and has not allowed a run in the seventh inning.
 
2026 SEASON OUTLOOK
The Wartburg College baseball team has been selected to finish third in the 2026 American Rivers Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, the league announced today.

The Knights earned 41 points, marking their highest preseason ranking since tying for third prior to the 2021 season. Wartburg finished fourth in last year's conference tournament.

Head coach Casey Klunder, entering his third season at the helm, has compiled a 51-43 overall record and has taken the Knights to the conference tournament in each of his two seasons. During the 2025 season, Klunder guided the team to four All-Conference honorees and saw four players recognized as College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District. Over his three seasons, Klunder has coached eight All-Conference players, two All-Region selections, and one All-American.

The Knights return a blend of experience with 15 freshmen, 18 sophomores, 10 juniors, eight seniors, and one fifth-year player. Wartburg ranked among the program's best in several statistical categories last season, including second in hit-by-pitches (62), fifth in home runs (38), seventh in strikeouts (304), and tied for eighth in runners picked off (6).
 
Wartburg leads the American Rivers Conference with 23 league championships, with its most recent title coming in 2017.
 
2026 A-R-C BASEBALL PRESEASON COACHES' POLL
1. Coe - 64 (8)
2. Buena Vista - 57 (1)
3. Wartburg - 41
4. Luther - 38
5. Nebraska Wesleyan - 33
6. Loras - 30
7. Central - 23
8. Univ. of Dubuque - 20
9. Simpson - 18