Stade

NEW ULM — For the fourth time this season, New Ulm’s Ethan Stade has been named the Midwest Athletic Conference (MAC) Pitcher of the Week.

That comes on the heels of Stade’s 15-strikeout performance against Western Michigan in his 7 2/3 innings of work.

Stade had been previously named MAC Pitcher of the Week on March 9 and April 20 on top of being named the MAC Scholar Athlete of the Week for April 9.

Stade’s 15-strikeout performance marks the second time that the left-hander has registered the most strikeouts in a game in 25 years, having fanned 14 batters against UMass.

Stade has now struck out six batters or more in eight straight games and in nine of his last 10 games.

This season, Stade, a redshirt senior, has 96 strikeouts, which leads the MAC and is third in Bowling Green baseball history.

His 14.5 strikeouts per nine innings ranks him sixth in the nation. For his play, Stade was named as an MAC First Team All-Conference player this year.

“As this season has gone on, I have made my biggest improvement mentally,” he said Monday afternoon. “Going into the last couple of week and trying to make a push for the playoffs, I knew that I had to give it everything I had. That helped me really excel in the last couple of weeks.”

Despite Stade’s efforts, the Falcons did not qualify for postseason play.

“It sucks not making the playoffs,” Stade said. “But it is what it is. We gave it everything we had. We were in a position to make the playoffs and that was a positive for us.”

Stade said that he is happy with his performance in DI baseball after transferring from Minnesota State University.

“I am more than happy with everything that happened here,” he said.

Now Stade looks to his future that he hopes includes baseball.

“I am going to stay in Bowling Green and train for a little bit because the Detroit Tigers reached out to me and invited me to one of their tryouts in June,” he said. “And I just had a meeting with my head coach [Kyle Hallock] and he said going to a draft league would be good for me so that all teams can look at me.

So I do not know if I will come back and play for the New Ulm Brewers or not — we will have to see where this goes.”

Stade said that right now he is taking a week or two off of baseball.

“I want to let my body rest and heal and then I will slowly ramp myself back up, play catch every other day, and start lifting heavy again so hopefully when my tryout comes I will be in good shape to perform for the Tigers,” he said. “Then wait for the baseball draft [July 11-12] and keep my mind and body right.”

Stade said that signing with the Tigers or being drafted in July would be unbelievable.

“It would be a dream come true for me,” he said. “I have been thinking of this since I was a kid to have this opportunity in front of me — it is hard to put into words.

“I want to keep playing baseball because mentally and physically I’m not done with baseball — I want to keep playing somewhere. But if it does not happen, I will apply to a graduate school. But I still have more baseball to play.”