Reusse: At MSU Mankato, winning is rampant. So how’d a 49-win team land in the losers’ bracket? Baseball.

MANKATO – The Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks have an athletic program to be envied, with success in the transition to Division I hockey, and with regional power and national contention in numerous Division II programs.

One season ago, the Mavericks were the D-II champions in both men’s and women’s basketball. Best game I witnessed all season was the men’s 43-42 win on its home court over Northwest Missouri to win the Central Region and reach the Elite Eight.

Ben McCollum, the defense-first coach from Northwest Missouri, moved to Drake for last season, and he’s now the new coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes.

And coach Emilee Thiesse’s incredible, triple-teaming, pressing defense was a sight to behold on the way to the women’s national title.

Football, track and field … name most anything, MSU Mankato is a threat, if not a dominator.

One sport that always has been thus here in Mankato has been baseball.

Dean Bowyer came to Mankato State as the coach in 1977, which was the last year they were the Indians. He coached here for 32 years, took his team to 21 NCAA tournaments and three World Series.

Bowyer retired as the head coach in 2008 and was replaced by Matt Magers, who had been the pitching coach for eight years. The Mavericks made four World Series in the previous decade and are 15-for-16 in reaching the NCAA tournament with Magers.

The Mavericks were 49-6 and the No. 2 seed in the Central Region entering play Thursday at ISG Field. That’s the splendid, artificial turf ballyard that is home to the Mankato Moondogs, a premier location in the collegiate Northwoods League.

Pittsburg (Kan.) State and Henderson (Ark.) State started this four-team bracket in the afternoon. The wind was blowing out to left and Pittsburg launched four home runs in an 18-9 romp. Clouds then rolled in, the temperature dropped and it appeared to be less of a launching pad by the 6 p.m. start for MSU and Arkansas-Monticello.

Louis Magers, a junior and the coach’s son, has made numerous ballparks look small this season. He went into Thursday with a Mavericks season record of 24 home runs. Asked if this was the result of a full commitment to a power swing, Magers said:

“Not really. You get a little older, a little stronger and more confident as a hitter. It’s not because of a mindset to hit home runs. … If you’re going to get better as a hitter, you need to play. I had 60 games in the summer in the Northwoods League. Those reps are invaluable."

Magers also figures to start a game as a pitcher this weekend, although the Mavericks led with their ace — lefty Nathan Culley, 12-0 in 12 starts — on Thursday. Culley pitched here for three seasons, missed a year for Tommy John surgery and took that perfect record in the NCAAs.

“I haven’t been perfect, but having an offense like we do, you can get away with a few things,” Culley said. “A couple of outings, I gave up five runs and still got a win.”

Culley said his college options came down to MSU and Augustana in Sioux Falls.

“Two strong programs, but when I got here, it was a no-brainer,” Culley said. “The campus, the city, the history of a program. And when it comes to history … we have Tink Larson as an assistant.

“Tink played baseball here 60 years ago. He’s here with us every day. He’s living history.”

Magers and the Mavericks coaches were able to punch up the 2025 roster through a handful of transfers, including Ike Mezzenga and Brady Jurgella from the Gophers.

“I thought I was done playing after last spring with the Gophers,” Mezzenga said. “I came to the U from junior college. The Mankato coaches called a couple of weeks after the Gophers season ended and said, ‘If you were in junior college during COVID, you can get another year — not in D-I but in D-II. Come on down.’

“Hey, a chance to keep playing … why not? It’s been a fun season."

Mezzenga entered the NCAAs batting .371 with 18 doubles, 18 home runs and 76 RBI, which sounds like fun.

Although it will be difficult work to keep the good times rolling for the Mavericks this weekend.

Rather than win No. 50, the Mavericks were derailed by Arkansas-Monticello 5-3 and fell into the losers’ bracket. They now have to go 4-0 over two days to reach a super regional.

Connor Irvine, a stocky righthander with a 7-5 record and a 4.28 ERA, shut down an MSU attack over seven innings that had averaged 10.2 runs.

Hey, it’s baseball. The Twins have won 11 in a row. Nothing should surprise us.