DULUTH — From an 18-win season in 2024 to a 26-win campaign in 2025, the Minnesota Duluth baseball team is trending in the right direction and appears poised to take another step forward this spring.
The team returns seven of nine players from last year’s lineup, which collectively hit .307 for the season, ranking fourth in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.
The team’s continuity is among the its greatest strengths heading into the season, according to 27-year head coach Bob Rients.
“That’s probably the number one thing we’re most excited about is that the lineup we’ll put out there and the guys on the mound will have experience at the level that they need to be,” said Rients.
“And so less trial and error, I think, from a coaching standpoint at the beginning of the year.”
UMD’s player to watch, senior first baseman Troy Lynch, echoed his coach’s sentiments.
Minnesota Duluth baserunner Troy Lynch (29) safely slides into second base against Mary on Friday, May 3, 2024 at Wade Stadium in Duluth.
Clint Austin / Duluth Media Group
“You’ve got guys who know what it takes,” said Lynch. “You’ve got guys who are willing to put in the work, and as long as we have that, we’re going to keep doing what we’re doing.”
Lynch was instrumental in the Bulldogs’ success last season after hitting .378 with team highs in hits (65), RBIs (51), and total bases (106), while tying with Nathan Rosenberg for the most home runs with nine as a second-team All-NSIC selection.
In all, UMD returns four hitters with above .300 batting averages from its batting order a season ago, including NSIC freshman of the year Joey Flom (.373), making for a deep lineup from top to bottom.
“That is something we know for sure is an element that’s going to keep us in every game,” said Rients of their prowess at the plate.
Finding consistency on the mound will be among the biggest factors in the team’s success after a challenging season in 2025. UMD pitchers allowed a .331 batting average to opposing hitters, which ranked second to last in the conference, along with the fourth most earned runs (343).
Senior right-hander Henry Wilkinson returns as the most seasoned pitcher on the staff and was named UMD’s pitcher to watch this season after compiling a 5-2 record on the hill as a junior with a 4.14 earned run average.
Rients anticipates a stronger showing from the staff as a whole this season.
“We think that we’re even better than we were last year,” said Rients. “The young guys (that) got experience last year we think are a tick better, and so that should produce a little bit more results.”
Potentially bolstering the collective staff are the additions of seven new freshman pitchers, including Northwestern’s Austin Lahti, who went 6-3 on the hill for the Tigers last season with a 3.82 ERA and 46 strikeouts.
Northwestern’s Austin Lahti (5) throws a pitch in the fifth inning of the Tigers’ playoff win in Iron River on Wednesday afternoon, June 4, 2025.
Jed Carlson / Duluth Media Group
Rients intends to work them in gradually with numerous returners already on the staff.
“The beauty of having a lot of returning guys coming back is we don’t necessarily have to count on a decent amount of freshmen to earn a lot of innings,” said Rients. “But we do feel that there are some freshmen that are going to be really important to our success this spring.”
In addition to the freshman arms added into the mix, UMD added one transfer in senior catcher Logan Myers, who played his junior season at Missouri Western State.
The Andover native helps fill the void left by Rosenberg, who was an all-conference second-team selection last spring.
“We had a specific need at the catching position and we want to have an older guy that has kind of experienced success and some challenges along the way and that really fit with our team culture,” said Rients.
“Him being behind the plate is going to allow us to kind of shift some responsibilities in a couple of different areas of catchers that may have had some time last year,” added Rients. “And so I think that’s going to keep everyone just a little bit more healthy.”
Myers will likely get his first opportunity behind the plate on Friday, Feb. 20 when UMD takes on Augustana in their first of four meetings over a three-day stretch in Springfield, Missouri.