From the Dugout
Dear Johnnie Baseball Family and Friends,
Hope everyone had a great 4th of July holiday! While summer on campus brings a different kind of energy—with music groups, youth camps, seminars, and more—we definitely miss having the baseball team around each day.
At the end of June, CSB/SJU hosted its annual Reunion Weekend for classes ending in 0's and 5's. It was great to see some Johnnie Baseball alums back on campus, reconnecting and sharing stories from their playing days.
Also, a quick note: if you received two blog emails for June, my apologies! There was a small glitch in the system and it should be resolved now.
More updates coming soon as we gear up for fall.
Go Johnnies!
Scott Lieser
Head Baseball Coach, Saint John's University
⚾ Around the Horn: Inside the Program
Here’s what’s happening lately in Johnnie Baseball:
You may have seen the news—Saint John’s has a new Interim Athletic Director, Dan O’Brien. There’s a lot of excitement around his hiring, and rightly so. Dan has already been extremely helpful to me personally, and I know he’ll be a great asset to SJU Athletics… even if he is a Tommie grad! All jokes aside, we’re thrilled to have him leading the department.
Move-in day is fast approaching! First-year students arrive on campus Thursday, August 21st. We’re looking forward to welcoming a new group of Johnnies into the fold.
It’s been a blast following along with our current players and alumni who are playing amateur baseball across the state. We’re lucky to have such a strong amateur baseball tradition in Minnesota—it gives so many Johnnies the opportunity to keep playing and competing all summer.
A special shoutout to a few guys making headlines this summer:
Reed Marquardt ’26 is suiting up in the Northwoods League with the Bismarck Larks.
Kody Dalen ’24 signed a professional contract with the Sioux Falls Canaries.
Just after our last blog went out, Will Fazio ’25 signed with the Fargo-Moorhead RedHawks. That brings us to two Johnnies currently playing pro baseball!
But baseball isn’t the only place where Johnnies are making moves—Tommy Auger, who played both football and baseball for SJU from 2015–2019, is a professional football player. He’s currently a tight end for the Osos de Monterrey in Mexico’s Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional.
It’s great that the J-Club is recognizing Jerry Haugen’s accomplishments as a Johnnie student-athlete and his nearly half-century as head baseball coach and football assistant. Jerry, alongside coach-athletic director Bob Alpers and eight other Johnnie standouts will be inducted into the SJU Hall of Honor at Homecoming on September 27th.
🎤 Senior Spotlight
*During the school year we will highlight a senior or two each month*
🧢 Where Are They Now?
Alumni Q&A
Interview with Aaron Pfaff ’15
What years did you play at St. John’s, and what position(s) did you play?
2012-2015 LF/CF
Aaron Pfaff ‘15
What’s your favorite memory from your time with the team? Any fun stories?
I have a lot of great memories from baseball and with the teams at SJU. Honestly too many to go into much detail, but here are some Cliff Notes of some that come to mind: Spring trips, SAAC formals, beating the Tommies to win MIAC Playoff Championships, clearing tons of snow off the new turf field to be able to play opening weekend of the MIAC schedule in 2013. There was also sitting on the bus to every away game with Brett Becker and watching episodes of Boy Meets World on DVD, spending hours after practices and games with Scott Bierscheid and Holly Remmenga in the trainer’s room, post-game meals to restaurants, playing at the Metrodome and CHS Field, and hundreds of meals at Sexton, the “Reef” and Gorecki with teammates.
What path did you take after graduation? Career(s)? Life after college?
After graduating from SJU I went to get my Doctorate of Chiropractic at Northwestern Health Sciences University in Bloomington and now work as an Associate Chiropractor in Savage, MN. I am married to my high school sweetheart and live in Shakopee, MN. We have three kids: Harper 5, Nora 3 and Owen 4 months (I finally got my boy! But I’ve got both girls hitting off a tee already!)
Are there any ways baseball still plays a role in your life today (coaching, rec leagues, kids playing, etc.)?
I have played amateur baseball (town ball) since graduating from SJU. I started playing in my hometown of New Ulm in high school and then after graduating from chiropractic school I played four seasons with Chanhassen and was fortunate to be a part of teams that won multiple state titles. Now I am playing with Burnsville with three other Johnnie alums and a couple of incoming freshmen.
What does being a Johnnie Baseball alum mean to you?
I am very honored to be a Johnnie baseball alum. We had some really good teams when I was there, including two trips to an NCAA regional. However, it means even more that SJU has continued their success since I have been there. It is awesome to be able to look at each team and to see that they continue to be near the top of the MIAC every year. Another thing that makes me proud to be Johnnie baseball alum is the quality of the character of people that they recruit. The upperclassmen were respectful and accepting when I arrived on campus. No matter your role on the team, they wanted to win and recognized that everyone played a part in that effort or had potential to make an impact, and you were treated as such. Along those lines, it led me to some lifelong friendships. Many teammates were at my wedding and continue to keep in touch almost 10 years later. SJU baseball was a special time in my life and one I won’t be soon forgetting.
📸 Johnnies in Action
Follow us on social media
Instagram - @sjubaseball
X (Twitter) - @SJU_Baseball
📬 Spread the Word
Feel free to forward this blog to anyone who might want to join the Johnnie Baseball family!
Coach's Final Word
There’s a lot of excitement surrounding Johnnie Baseball right now—and I hope that momentum continues to build as we head into the fall. From our players competing across the country this summer to the support we continue to receive from alumni and friends of the program, it’s a great time to be part of SJU Baseball.
As always, a quick recruiting note: if you know of any high school players who would make a great fit for Johnnie Baseball—young men who love the game, are strong students, and want to be part of something bigger than themselves—please don’t hesitate to reach out. We’d love to have a conversation.
Thanks for following along and supporting the program. Enjoy the rest of your summer—and Go Johnnies!