THE MONDAY HIVE: Dunnwald Wants To Add To Championship Feeling

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Cedric Dunnwald is back for his second full season with the Burlington Bees, but this summer he brought a championship feeling with him.

Dunnwald was part of the Mount Mercy team that won the program’s first Heart of America conference tournament championship and the first team to make it to the NAIA national tournament.

It’s a feeling that Dunnwald isn’t about to forget, and it’s one he wants to build on for next season.

“It’s a step I think a lot of people dream of, for sure,” Dunnwald said. “I don’t think I ever thought I would have a conference championship, holding a trophy in my hands. Winning the entire thing, dog-piling after winning the championship, tt’s something very few get to experience. And I think it’s awesome. You want to play more, you want that feeling again. That’s the determination, what you strive for. It was awesome, but I want to do that again. It’s such a good feeling.”

Dunnwald went just 3-of-14 this season for the Mustangs, but he has started the Prospect League season strong for the Bees, leading the team with a .333 batting average after the first week of the season.

It’s Dunnwald’s third season overall with the Bees — he played three games on a temporary deal at the end of the 2022 season — but it’s an opportunity he appreciates.

“My coach always said playing is how you get better,” said Dunnwald, a redshirt junior outfielder from Iowa City. “Whether you hit .500 or .100, seeing pitches is what you need. I think you can only get better. You see top arms from top schools, really good competition overall. Whether you’re playing or not, you get to witness 60 days of baseball. And I think it carries over to the fall. It slows the game down.

“Being able to play every day makes you enjoy it, makes you embrace it. Not a lot of people get to do that. So it definitely is a big plus.”

“That kid works harder than 95, 99 percent of the people I’ve been around,” said Bees manager Owen Oreskovich, who is also one of Dunnwald’s coaches at Mount Mercy. “He lives for the weight room, he lives for eating right, working hard.

“He’s an incredibly hard worker, and he wants to do good, just give his best at anything he does. I couldn’t be more excited to have him here. He only got a few at-bats this year, so I think it will be huge for him.”

Dunnwald hit .239 in 35 games with the Bees last season, but a full summer schedule helped him mature as a player.

“It’s just the summer-ball atmosphere that Coach O puts on,” Dunnwald said. “He lets the guys play. It’s a good atmosphere. When you’re playing 60 games, when you’re giving up your whole summer as a college athlete, you want to make sure it’s fun. We want to win, of course, but you also want to enjoy it. I think he does a really good job with that.”

“It brings a different sort of confidence to them when they get back in the fall,” Oreskovich said. “You can see it’s different than kids who didn’t play in the summer, or play in a league like this. It’s a tough league, and there’s good players all over. It’s good for him to bring that confidence up, and that brings the best out of everyone.”

Dunnwald also knows the relationships he has made are important.

“Our teammates can also be our coaches, so you can get different perspectives,” he said. “Different players from different schools, how they view things. It’s interesting to hear other viewpoints.

“Last two years, I’ve met so many guys that I stay in contact with almost every day. Which is awesome, because you can never have too many friends, too many connections around baseball. And that’s what makes it fun. Hearing their stories, their experiences, why they came here. It’s why we’re in the same spot.”

The confidence that Dunnwald has, though, increased with getting a chance to make a postseason run at Mount Mercy.

“It was amazing,” he said. “We wanted to focus on one thing at a time. It was first making the conference tournament, then winning it. We were able to do both. Our whole thing was, ‘Leave a legacy behind.’ So we wanted to keep pushing and accomplish one goal at a time. Once we made the national tournament, it really felt like we were leaving a legacy.

“We all had a blast. We were super thankful to be there, and I do think it meant a lot to our program. We never had a conference championship, we had never made it to a regional. We did a lot of things that had never been done there. It was really fun to be able to accomplish that. It’s awesome that I’m so young, that I have more years to play there. My plan is to keep that legacy going.”

Photo: Cedric Dunnwald is back for another full season with the Burlington Bees. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

BEES 11, PISTOL SHRIMP 9: Walk-Off Win Starts A New Week

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Joe Evans got the Burlington Bees to a spot where they could win the game.

Merrick Mathews finished the victory.

Mathews’ two-out two-run home run in the 10th inning gave the Bees an 11-9 win over the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp in Sunday’s Prospect League game at Community Field.

The Bees (2-3) snapped a three-game losing streak, coming off a road trip in which they were outscored 19-4 in two losses to the O’Fallon Hoots. They took a wild ride in this one — they rallied from an early 5-1 deficit to take the lead, let that lead get away, tied the game in the eighth inning, squandered a bases-loaded opportunity in the ninth inning, then finally finished the win with three runs in the 10th.

“After that road trip, we needed that one pretty bad here,” Oreskovich said. “We got it done.”

The Bees trailed 9-8 in the 10th, but tied the game when Landon Akers’ ground out scored Scotty Savage, who opened the inning at second base under the league’s extra-inning rule.

Cooper Donlin followed with a double, and then advanced to third on a passed ball. But Illinois Valley reliever Anthony Solis (0-1) struck out Cedric Dunnwald for the second out.

Mathews, a junior infielder at Iowa this season, was 0-for-9 with the Bees, 0-for-3 on the day, when he came to the plate.

“I know no one is going to believe this, but I had a feeling he was going to come up with a big hit,” Oreskovich said. “It was just something I had in my head throughout the game. He was on some good pitches earlier in the game.”

Solis missed with a slider to Mathews to open the at-bat. Mathews then pounded a fastball over the left-field fence.

“I was watching the guys in front of me,” Mathews said. “I knew he wasn’t really hitting with his off-speed. He threw me a first-pitch slider that he missed, so I was pretty much dead-red heater after that. I got what I was looking for.”

Mathews was mobbed at home plate as he scored.

“It was pretty cool,” he said. “It was my first walk-off home run, so it was pretty cool.”

“That was huge for him,” Oreskovich said. “It was good to see him come up and get a big hit in a big spot.”

Evans (2-0) has become a reliable reliever for Oreskovich. The left-hander, who was a starter at Morton (Ill.) College this season, has thrown seven innings in two appearances, striking out six and allowing just one earned run.

Evans entered this game in the seventh after Illinois Valley scored three runs to take an 8-7 lead. He allowed just three hits in four innings, striking out three.

“Obviously, when you first get in there, the jitters are there a little bit,” Evans said. “Once I throw that first pitch and get it over with, it’s smooth sailing from there.

“Coming from a junior college, the competition isn’t as great over there. Coming here, going out and throwing strikes and getting ahead, it’s huge. It gave me confidence.”

“That kid is a competitor if I’ve ever seen one,” Oreskovich said. “Phenomenal competitor. He just goes out there and does his thing. That’s what we talked about earlier in the year — being who you are. And that’s who he is. That was huge. That was just as big as everything else.”

The Bees trailed 5-1 going into the bottom of the sixth inning, but scored six runs to take the lead. Ty Plummer, another player from Iowa, singled to drive in the go-ahead run.

It’s only the beginning of the second week of the season, but everyone understood the importance of the win.

“It was huge, for sure,” Evans said. “We had a few ballgames where our pitchers struggled a little bit. It was really huge for us to get in the win column.”

“Hopefully we can get some things rolling,” Mathews said. “Hopefully it kick-starts us into a new week, and we can get on a roll.”

Box score

Photo: Merrick Mathews watches his game-winning home run in the 10th inning. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

Bees’ Roster Starting To Fill As Season Approaches

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Six NCAA Division I players are among the 23 who have signed so far to play for the Burlington Bees in the Prospect League this season.

The list includes seven players from the state of Iowa, and three players — outfielder Cedric Dunnwald and pitchers Preston Kaufman and Zach Leuschen — who played with the Bees last season.

Prospect League teams can carry as many as 40 players on their roster for the 58-game season. The Bees open their season on May 28 at Clinton.

Owen Oreskovich is back for his third season as the Bees’ manager.

A look at the Bees’ roster, including current statistics:

CATCHERS

Michael Carrano (Parkland College) — Batting .300 with three home runs and 16 RBIs.

Jacob Schindler (McHenry County College) — No stats this season.

INFIELDERS

Skyler Agnew (Hawaii Pacific) — Hitting .298 with two home runs and 26 RBIs.

Landon Akers (Bellarmine) — No stats this season.

Carson Bittner (Phoenix College) — Hitting .317 with 10 RBIs.

Jackson Lindquist (Rock Valley College) — Hitting .416 with six home runs and 45 RBIs.

Merrick Mathews (Iowa) — Hitting .333 in seven games, with one home run and six RBIs.

Ty Plummer (Iowa) — No stats this season.

Kinnick Pusteoska (Tennessee Tech) — No stats this season.

Jackson Rooker (Tennessee Tech) — No stats this season.

Ryan Skwarek (McHenry County College) — Hitting .410 with one home run and 29 RBIs. Also has pitched five innings with 10 strikeouts.

OUTFIELDERS

Luke Bragga (Tennessee Tech) — No stats this season.

Cooper Donlin (Hawaii Pacific) — Hitting .313 in 24 games.

Cedric Dunnwald (Mount Mercy) — Hitting .214 in 21 games. Hit .239 for the Bees last season.

Jackson Reid (Chandler Gilbert CC) — Hitting .179 in 12 games.

Scotty Savage (Milwaukee Area Tech) — Hitting .339 with six home runs and 35 RBIs.

PITCHERS

Shea Blanchard (Hawaii Pacific) — 3-0 with a 6.44 ERA in nine appearances with five starts. Has 17 strikeouts in 29 ⅓ innings.

Nathan Chapman (McHenry County College) — 0-1 with one save. Three strikeouts in 3 ⅓ innings

Noah Harbin (Maryville University) — 1-2 with a 4.19 ERA. Has 25 strikeouts in 19 ⅓ innings.

Preston Kaufman (Marian University) — 1-1 with a 4.35 ERA in two appearances this season. Had a 6.63 ERA in 14 appearances with the Bees last season.

Zach Leuschen (Southeastern CC) — 1-0 with a 4.73 ERA in 11 appearances this season. 1-0 with a 7.40 ERA with the Bees last season.

Michael Schaul (Mount Mercy) — No stats this season.

Jackson Wohlers (Rock Valley College) — 2-3 with four saves. Has 27 strikeouts in 18 ⅔ innings.

Photo: Pitcher Preston Kaufman is one of three former Burlington Bees returning to the team for this season. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

Wulf Commits To Hawkeyes

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Caleb Wulf built on a big season with Southeastern Community College’s baseball team with a strong summer with the Burlington Bees.

Now the infielder has committed to one of the top NCAA Division I programs.

Wulf announced on social media on Saturday that he had committed to Iowa beginning in the 2024-25 season.

Wulf hit .367 with an .800 OPS for the Bees last summer and was named to the Western Conference all-star team. That followed his freshman season at SCC, when he hit .384 with a .964 OPS.

Wulf is the second Bee to commit to Iowa, joining infielder Kooper Schulte.

PROSPECT LEAGUE TEAM CHANGES: The Prospect League added two teams last week — the Dubois County Bombers of Huntingburg, Ind., and the Full Count Rhythm of Hendersonville, Tenn.

Both of those teams played in the Ohio Valley League. Dubois County will replace the West Virginia Miners, who did not play last season in the Prospect League, while the Rhythm will replace the Quincy Gems.

“The Prospect League is thrilled to add two organizations the caliber of Dubois County and Full Count to its membership,” said Prospect League commissioner David Brauer in a statement. “Both have demonstrated success both on and off the field and are poised to be thriving members of the Prospect League. There is no doubt that adding these teams will further enhance this league’s reputation.”

Dubois County played in the Prospect League from 2005-12. The Bombers were members of the Ohio Valley League from 2013-2023 and were the 2021 OVL champions, and play at historic League Stadium in Huntingburg. Originally built in 1894, the stadium was featured in the movies “A League of Their Own” and “Soul of the Game.”

The Rhythm, founded by Full Count Ministries in 2020, was a member of the Ohio Valley League for each of its three seasons, winning the league title in 2022 and 2023.

Photo: Bees second baseman Caleb Wulf throws to first in a game last season. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

Schulte Commits To Iowa

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Kooper Schulte, who played for the Burlington Bees this summer, announced on social media Sunday that he was committing to play baseball at Iowa.

Schulte, a New London, Iowa native, will join the Hawkeyes for the 2024-25 academic year. He will be a sophomore this season at Central Arizona College.

Schulte, an infielder, hit .242 in 33 games at Central Arizona last season. But he hit .373 with a .962 OPS this summer with the Bees in the Prospect League.

Schulte played in 19 games, with eight doubles and 10 runs batted in. But his season ended on June 29 when he broke his hand after being hit by a pitch in the first inning of a 6-4 win over the Springfield Lucky Horseshoes.

Photo: Bees shortstop Kooper Schulte throws to first base during a game this season. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

LUMBERKINGS 12, BEES 7: Another Comeback (Almost)

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Those who have stayed for the final three games of the season almost pulled off another big comeback for the Burlington Bees.

Thursday’s 12-7 loss to the Clinton LumberKings in a Prospect League game at Community Field came with a lineup for the Bees that had some new names, and some old names in different positions.

And down 10-1 going into the bottom of the seventh, the Bees rallied to have the potential go-ahead run at the plate in the eighth inning.

That, Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said, says something about the character of the remaining roster.

“I’m just proud of these guys for sticking it out,” Oreskovich said. “That’s a big thing to me. I think it shows maturity and the willingness just to stick with something you committed to, I can’t ask too much more from these guys right now — they’re going out there, they’re still competing, they’re fulfilling what they committed to and I’m very appreciative.”

The final couple of weeks of the summer college season usually leads to roster upheaval, as players leave for their next destination or get some time off before going back to school. Oreskovich was down to nine position players, but will get some reinforcements for the final two games on Friday and Saturday with the return of outfielder Lincoln Riley and first baseman Keanu Spenser.

“We’re set pitching-wise, which is usually the biggest problem at this point in the season,” Oreskovich said. “We’ll have some guys back and that will get us through Saturday.”

The Bees (23-32 overall, 13-15 second half), who were officially eliminated from playoff contention on Tuesday, lost their fifth consecutive game, but nearly pulled off a comeback reminiscent of last Friday’s 10-9 win over Alton, when they rallied from an 8-0 deficit to win in extra innings.

They got two runs in the seventh inning in this game, leaving the bases loaded with two outs, then got four runs in the eighth inning on just one hit, taking advantage of five walks and a hit-by-pitch.

Ian Wolski, who has been the Bees’ catcher all season but was working at first base in this game, batted with the bases loaded. He hit a deep fly ball to left field off Clinton reliever Evan Chung, but the ball was caught on the edge of the warning track by Patrick McGinn, and the inning was over.

“I knew he didn’t get enough of it,” Oreskovich said. “I had a pretty good angle.”

That was it for the Bees, who gave up two runs in the top of the ninth and then went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning to end it.

Sebastian Parchomenko (1-1) was the winning pitcher in relief. Bees starter Adrian Nery (1-4) took the loss.

Coy Sarsfield reached base four times and had two hits for the Bees. Caleb Wulf had two hits and drove in a run, as did Connor Laeng.

The Bees play host to Clinton on Friday, then close the season with a Saturday home game against Quincy.

“I’m telling the guys, just enjoy these games,” Oreskovich said. “I’d still like to win, obviously. I’m just trying to have these guys enjoy these last few games with their buddies, the friends they made this summer.”

Photo: Burlington’s Coy Sarsfield steals third base in the sixth inning of Thursday’s game. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

THE MONDAY HIVE: Consistency In Bees’ Lineup Helps Sarsfield

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Coy Sarsfield arrived a little late — there was this little matter of playing in the NCAA baseball tournament — but he’s found a daily home in the Burlington Bees’ lineup.

Getting to play in the Prospect League every day, the outfielder from Iowa said, is important after battling back from a broken leg that cost him most of his senior season in high school and his first season with the Hawkeyes.

“It’s been almost two years of not playing consistently,” Sarsfield said. “Now, playing consistently, I think it’s going to be huge for me, just getting back into everything. The biggest thing is pitching, getting live at-bats. I feel like being here, just for five games, I feel like I’m seeing the ball better, getting better swings.”

Sarsfield is hitting .292 after seven games with the Bees. He had a five-game hitting streak snapped with an 0-for-3 game in Saturday’s loss to the O’Fallon Hoots.

Sarsfield has found a home in the Bees’ outfield, playing mostly in right field. He showed his defensive abilities in last Thursday’s 9-8 win over Illinois Valley, when he made a sliding catch on a sinking line drive from Pistol Shrimp catcher Nick Chavez. Sarsfield threw to first and appeared to get Logan Delgado coming back to the base — Delgado was originally called out, but the call was overruled after base umpire Dan Carriker consulted with plate umpire Jacob Fisher.

“Damn near a double play,” marveled Bees manager Owen Oreskovich. “He made a hell of a catch out there, and came up throwing.

“He’s quick, he’s got some juice, he knows the game, and he can roam around the outfield. So it’s huge for us to have a kid like that.”

**Burlington Bees outfielder Coy Sarsfield comes up throwing after making a diving catch in Thursday’s game against Illinois Valley. (John Lovretta/bees-blog.com)**

What’s huge for Sarsfield is just getting to play consistently. He broke his leg seven games into his senior season in 2021 at Linn-Mar High School in Marion, Iowa and had to have surgery. A second surgery in November of that year led to Sarsfield sitting out his freshman year with the Hawkeyes.

“He’s seeing at-bats on consecutive days, and I think that’s going to benefit that kid a lot,” Oreskovich said. “He loves the game.”

Sarsfield played in just 17 games for Iowa this season, hitting .176, but he was involved with one of the biggest moments for the Hawkeyes in their 6-5 win over North Carolina in an elimination game on June 4 in the NCAA’s Terre Haute Regional.

Sarsfield, pinch-running for Blake Guerin in the 13th inning, scored the go-ahead run, coming around from first base on Michael Seegers’ triple.

“In my head, I know there’s two outs and as soon as there’s contact, I’m going,” Sarsfield said. “Michael Seegers gets a hold of one, I saw it was touched pretty well. I didn’t know where it was going. I just put my head down, got around second, saw (Iowa coach Rick) Heller waving his arms, and I made it home. I was thinking, ‘I’m going to score and we’re going to win this game.’”

The Hawkeyes, though, lost to Indiana State in the next game to end the season.

“It was unreal,” Sarsfield said. “Just the atmosphere, the energy. Playing for something really big, and everything that comes with that, is pretty cool. Obviously, it didn’t end the way we wanted it to turn out. Kind of heartbreaking. But it gives everyone a vision for what we want to do in the future.”

Sarsfield has been envisioning his future since arriving at Iowa. But getting a chance to observe has been helpful, he said.

“A year in college, just watching, it’s crazy how much you can see, and how much you can learn when you get in a game situation,” Sarsfield said. “You don’t realize until you watch people do things how much you need to prepare to be ready. In high school, you know you have to work hard. Then, you get to Iowa, and you see you really need to work harder to get on the field.”

Sarsfield joined the Bees on June 10, and made his first start the following day at Clinton.

“Obviously there’s some nerves going into a new situation,” he said. “But once I got into the clubhouse, everyone was welcoming. It’s baseball, everyone understands at this age what’s going on and has a good understanding of everything.”

Oreskovich has used Sarsfield in the middle of the Bees’ lineup. He went 2-for-5 in Thursday’s win, including a two-run double in Burlington’s five-run fourth inning.

“I hit him in the ‘5’ hole because I know he’s someone who’s going to put the bat on the ball,” Oreskovich said. “And he actually came up with some giant hits.”

“I would say it’s very important,” Sarsfield said of getting to consistently be in the lineup. “This year at Iowa, I didn’t get to play a bunch. Now that I’m back in the swing of things, it’s allowing me to play much better and getting me back in a rhythm.”

Top photo: Burlington Bees outfielder Coy Sarsfield bats in Thursday’s game against Illinois Valley. (John Lovretta/bees-blog.com)

Oreskovich Had More Time To Build Bees’ Roster

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Owen Oreskovich got earlier work in on constructing the 2023 Burlington Bees’ roster.

Oreskovich, in his second year of managing the Prospect League team, started working in late September to put together his 30-player team.

And by the end, he even got to be more selective on filling the final few spots.

Now, Oreskovich wants to see what his team can do, beginning with Wednesday’s season opener against the Quincy Gems at Community Field.

Oreskovich had a late start putting together the 2022 team — he wasn’t named manager until the fall of 2021 — but knowing he was coming back for a second season, he had a little more time to prepare.

“I would never say it’s easy,” Oreskovich said Tuesday. “You know, it was a little different this year. I got a little bit more of a head start. And, I was a little bit more picky with it.”

Putting together a roster is all about competition and contacts. There are 17 Prospect League teams, and countless more around the nation in other leagues, so finding college players willing to spend some time in the summer in a wood-bat league isn’t the easiest.

Oreskovich said players who were coming back from last season, like infielder Jaden Hackbarth and outfielder/pitcher Nick Tampa, helped recruit players. He also talked to coaches he met at the American Baseball Coaches Association convention in January.

Oreskovich knew what he was looking for when offering players.

“I was trying to get guys that, when I would talk to them, that it seemed like they really love baseball, want to play baseball,” Oreskovich said. “Play the game, enjoy the summer and a great atmosphere with some great fans. When talking to the guys that understood that, it made it easy for me to say yes to them.

“Everybody that I’ve met so far with this team, everybody that I’ve talked to, they seem like genuine human beings and I’m excited for them, because I think they’re good baseball players.”

Oreskovich doesn’t have his full roster yet. Outfielders Will Mulflur and Coy Sarsfield will be with Iowa in the NCAA tournament this weekend in Terre Haute, Indiana — Mulflur already was planning to not be with the team until early July as he recovers from a lower back injury earlier this season. Others are playing in different postseason tournaments.

Oreskovich expects to have at least 23 players in uniform for Wednesday’s game.

“It’s definitely workable,” Oreskovich said. “It should be for this first week, we’ll have at least 23 players, maybe 24. Sometimes it’s what you’ve got to do in the summer. We should be able to work through it just fine, and it’s going to give guys a lot of experience early on.”

Putting together a roster also means planning ahead. Most players don’t play a full season in the Prospect League, so there’s also the Plan B of what to do to fill spots later in the season.

“There are some who pitch the first half of the summer and shut down in the second half, or the other way around,” Oreskovich said. “Every-day guys might sit out the first half and want to play in the second half. So, when talking to guys, there were some who said they’re interested in the second half and so we’ll look to them when we have to fill some spots.”

The main selling point, Oreskovich said, is he wants the players to enjoy their time while getting to play.

“That’s the big thing,” he said. “I’m not an uptight guy, by any means. I told them if there’s something they want to talk about, my door is always open. I’m all about them having fun, because it’s supposed to be fun.

“Now, if I need to get on them, I’ll get on them. But I’m not here to make anyone’s summer hell. I want to win, but I want them to enjoy it, too.”

PITCHERS (14)

Ryan Donley (LHP, Oakland University) — Hasn’t pitched this season

Jeremy Fox (RHP, Morton College) — 6-5, 3.04 ERA in 14 appearances. 78 strikeouts in 63 innings.

Luke Fredrick (LHP, Clarke University) — 0-0, 3.00 ERA in 3 appearances

Chase Golden (RHP, Western Illinois) — 0-1, 12.54 ERA in 23 appearances, 13 strikeouts in 18 2/3 innings.

Dylan Haslett (RHP, Oakland University) — 0-0, 13.03 ERA. Opponents hit .212.

Jake Jakubowski (RHP, Heartland Community College) — 1-0, 4.57 ERA in 17 appearances. 24 strikeouts in 21 ⅔ innings.

Preston Kaufman (RHP, Benedictine University) — Hasn’t pitched this season.

Drew Martin (RHP, Heartland Community College) — 0-0, 5.23 ERA in 11 appearances, with 16 strikeouts in 10 ⅓ innings.

Cauy Massner (RHP, Iowa Wesleyan) — 0-4, 9.07 ERA with Bees last season.

Rem Maxwell (RHP, Georgia Southern) — Hasn’t pitched this season.

Aiden McGee (RHP, Minnesota State-Mankato) — 2-0, 5.33 ERA, 31 strikeouts in 25 1/3 innings

Adrian Nery (RHP, Union College) — 1-3, 8.76 ERA with Bees last season.

Jaden Siemer (RHP, Hanover College) — 0-4, 11.81 ERA, 23 strikeouts in 21 ⅓ innings.

Nick Tampa (LHP, Morton College) — 9.28 ERA in 4 appearances. Also plays the outfield, and is hitting .284 with 6 HRs. Hit .205 with the Bees last season, and pitched in 14 games.

Jacob Zahner (RHP, Southeastern Community College) — Hasn’t pitched this season.

CATCHERS (3)

Jackson Fisher (Illinois-Chicago) — .083 in 14 games

Mason Schwalbach (McHenry County College) — .412, 22 HRs, 88 RBIs

Ian Wolski (Hawaii Pacific) — .357, 1 HR, 16 RBIs

INFIELDERS (7)

Brandon Bickford (Mount Mercy) — .250 with 2 HRs. Hit .250 with the Bees last season.

Drew Gaskins (Oakland University) — Incoming freshman

Jaden Hackbarth (McHenry County College) — .370, 4 HRs, 48 RBIs. Hit .247 with the Bees last season.

Connor Laeng (Concordia-Irvine) — .600 in 6 games.

Kooper Schulte (Central Arizona College) — .242 in 33 games.

Keanu Spencer (Scottsdale Community College) — .301 with 3 home runs and 25 RBIs.

Caleb Wulf (Southeastern Community College) — .386, 52 RBIs in 61 games.

OUTFIELDERS (5)

Cedric Dunnwald (Mount Mercy) — Hit .200 in three games with the Bees last season.

Tanner Holland (Central Arizona College) — Redshirted this season.

Will Mulflur (Iowa) — .167 in 11 games. Battled lower back injury early in the season. Will join the team for the second half of the season.

Trenton Rice (Oakland University) — Incoming freshman.

Coy Sarsfield (Iowa) — .176 in 16 games

Photo: Burlington Bees manager Owen Oreskovich (right) congratulates Spencer Nivens after a home run last season. (Steve Cirinna/Burlington Bees)

THE MONDAY HIVE: Bees’ Roster Complete As Season Approaches

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

The Burlington Bees’ roster is complete as the Prospect League season begins next week.

The roster includes three players with local connections — pitcher Jacob Zahner of Burlington (Southeastern Community College), pitcher Cauy Massner of Mediapolis (Iowa Wesleyan) and infielder Kooper Schulte of New London (Central Arizona College).

Zahner and infielder Caleb Wulf are the two SCC players on the team.

Nine NCAA Division I players are on the roster, including Iowa outfielders Will Mulflur and Coy Sarsfield.

Massner is one of six Bees back from last season, joining infielder Brandon Bickford, outfielder Cedric Dunnwald, infielder Jayden Hackbarth, pitcher Adrian Nery, and pitcher/outfielder Nick Tampa.

Owen Oreskovich returns for his second season as the Bees’ manager. Jack Gray and Nathan Robertson are coaches.

The Bees open the season May 31 at home against the Quincy Gems.

A look at the roster: