May 8, 2008
St. Paul, MN – University of Mary outfielder and three-time Northern Sun Player of the Week honoree Mike Feldman was named to the 2008 All-NSIC first team and Marauders relief pitcher Blaze Culliton earned second team honors.
The first Marauders baseball player to earn All-NSIC first team recognition, Feldman primarily played right field for the Marauders. He was also a starting pitcher and caught several games. Culliton is the first U-Mary pitcher named to earn all-conference honors.
At the end of the regular season, Feldman led the Northern Sun in hits and total bases, was second in runs scored, third in doubles, fourth in hitting and stolen bases, and fifth in slugging percentage. Among NCAA Division II players, Feldman ranked 57th in slugging percentage, 75th in batting average and 93rd in home runs per game.
A senior from Bismarck, ND, Feldman led the Marauders offense with a .410 batting average, 16 doubles, three triples, 53 runs scored, a .723 slugging percentage, a .471 on base percentage and 13 steals in 14 attempts. He was second on the squad with 10 homes runs and 38 runs batted in while hitting third most of the season.
On the mound, the Bismarck, ND, native and St. Mary’s Central High School graduate paced the Marauders with four wins, 60.1 innings pitched, five complete games and 35 strikeouts. Among NSIC pitchers, Feldman was fifth in innings pitches (60.1) and tenth in earned run average (5.07).
Feldman concluded his four-year baseball career at or near the top of all major Marauders offensive categories. He is first in career hits (186) and doubles (41), tied for first in triples (10), is second in home runs (24), runs batted in (105) and runs scored, and fourth in career batting average (.349). On the single-season leader board, Feldman is tied for first in hits (68) and doubles (16), second in runs scored (53), tied for fourth in average (.410) and is fifth in home runs (10).
A junior from Great Falls, MT, Culliton led the Marauders with 15 appearances – all in relief - and tied Feldman for the team lead in wins with four while losing just one game. His 4.50 earned run average and .230 opponents batting average also topped the U-Mary pitching staff. In 40 innings pitched, Culliton allowed just 35 hits, striking out 25 and walking 15.
The University of Mary student body president, Culliton had one stretch where he was the winning pitcher four times in six appearances. Three of the wins came in a span of seven days. At one point, he threw 12.1 shutout innings over five appearances on his way to allowing one run in 20.2 innings.
The Marauders finished the 2008 season 17-31 overall and 14-16 in the NSIC.
