2003 DSU Baseball NAIA Region III Championship Team
The 2003 Dakota State University Trojan baseball squad had one of the most historic seasons ever. The Trojans breezed through a tough NAIA Region III postseason tournament, completing the regional tournament with an undefeated 4-0 record..
Pat Dolan, who was in his second season as the Trojan baseball head coach in 2003, guided the Trojans to its best start since 1985. DSU opened their season with a 4-6 record in Florida. After falling to Nebraska Wesleyan in the first game of the four-game series, Dakota State reeled off a season-high eight straight victories.
After wrapping up a competitive non-conference slate at 13-9 record, Dakota State played a home-and-away DAC-10 conference schedule with Huron (S.D.), Jamestown (N.D.), Minot State (N.D.), Mayville State (N.D.), and Valley City State (N.D.), along with a doubleheader each at Dickinson State (N.D.) and Mary (N.D.). The Trojans finished its conference schedule with a 14-10 record.
Dakota State entered the DAC-10 postseason tournament (May 2-4) in Minot, N.D., as the No. 4 seed. The Trojans opened the double-elimination postseason play with a 5-1 victory over fifth-seeded Dickinson State, followed by a 5-3 victory over top-seeded and DAC-10 baseball regular-season title-winner Jamestown College in the second round.
DSU fell short to the host-team and No. 7 seed Minot State 9-8 in the battle of the two undefeated teams in the DAC-10 conference postseason tournament. The Trojans were eliminated from the conference tournament with a 3-0 setback to No. 6 seed Mayville State (N.D.) 3-0 in the loser’s out contest. The winner of that game would have a spot in the DAC-10 tournament’s championship game. The third-place finish was the highest finish by a Dakota State team in the DAC-10 tournament.
The Trojans were awarded the No. 4 seed for the NAIA Region III postseason tournament held in Dickinson, N.D., the weekend after the DAC-10 conference tournament (May 9-11). Dakota State began the regional tournament with an 11-6 victory over third-seeded Valley City State (N.D.), setting up a showdown with second-seeded Jamestown. The Trojans shut down the Jimmies by the score of 2-0 to advance in the winner’s bracket.
DSU faced Jamestown for the second straight time, where the Jimmies had to come from the loser’s bracket to set up a contest with the Trojans. Dakota State ended Jamestown’s season with an 8-7 victory, securing a spot in the NAIA Region III championship game versus No. 5 seed Dickinson State.
The red-hot Trojans finished the NAIA Region III tournament undefeated, holding off the host-team Blue Hawks 6-5 in the championship game. Dakota State secured a spot in the NAIA Super Regionals best-of-three series against perennial baseball powerhouse Bellevue (Neb.), vying for a spot to the NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho.
DSU lost the first game to Bellevue by the score of 6-1. The Bruins ended the Trojans’ historic postseason run in the second game of the best-of-three series by the score of 12-1. Dakota State finished their impressive 2003 season with an overall record of 33-23, a school record for wins in a single year.
The Trojans nearly shattered every individual and team record during the 2003 season. DSU finished the season with .308 team batting average, a .469 slugging percentage, a .406 on-base percentage, 95 stolen bases, and posted an earned run average (ERA) of 3.36 as a team. Dakota State smashed 53 home runs, drilled 87 doubles, recorded 488 hits, and drove in 307 runs.
Single-season individual school records from the 2003 Trojan baseball squad included: Travis Phelps – 56 games played; Josh Cuffe – 174 at-bats, 63 hits, and 48 runs scored; Ryan Holthaus - 104 total bases, 16 doubles, and 45 RBIs; Evan Hogan - 10 home runs; Brooks Marquardt - 25 stolen bases and Bryan Day - 2 shutouts and 10 pitching wins.
Holthaus, Day, Asa Patterson, and Hogan were selected to the DAC-10 Baseball All-Conference First Team for the Trojans. George Strable, Cuffe, and Aaron Vogt were chosen as All-Conference Second Team. Holthaus and Day were listed on the NAIA Baseball All-America Honorable Mention list.
Members of the 2003 DSU Trojan baseball teams include: Dean Cavall, Dustin Colbert, Emilio Concepcion, Gregg Crabb, Josh Cuffe, Jeremy Daul, Bryan Day, Josh Gode, Matt Harding, Evan Hogan, Ryan Holthaus, Shawn Imlay, Sean Jares, Kelly Krzmarzick, Brooks Marquardt, Craig Meyer, Stewart Morris, William Murphy, Asa Patterson, Travis Phelps, John Sanford, Cliff Schantz, Jim Schlangen, Dustin Schulzetenberg, Matt Schuster, George Strable, Adam Trollman, Adam Vaux, Curt Vlaminck, Aaron Vogt, and Chad Vosejpka.
The 2003 squad was under the direction of head coach Pat Dolan. His assistant coaches were Ken Prorok (associate coach), Ryan Jerle (pitching coach), Tyler Quenzer (hitting coach), and Joshua Vacek (strength and conditioning coach).
| 2003 Dakota State University Trojan Baseball Schedule |
| Date |
Opponent |
Result/Score |
Location |
| March 2 |
vs. Point Park (Pa.) |
L, 3-4 |
Ft. Myers, Fla. |
| March 2 |
vs. Concordia (Mich.) |
W, 4-3 |
Ft. Myers, Fla. |
| March 3 |
vs. Point Park (Pa.) |
L, 3-4 |
Ft. Myers, Fla. |
| March 3 |
vs. Olivet Nazarene (Ill.) |
L, 2-5 |
Ft. Myers, Fla. |
| March 5 |
vs. Mansfield (Pa.) |
L, 1-2 |
Ft. Myers, Fla. |
| March 5 |
vs. WPI (Mass.) |
W, 13-3 |
Ft. Myers, Fla. |
| March 7 |
vs. Malone (Ohio) |
L, 3-11 |
Ft. Myers, Fla. |
| March 7 |
vs. Univ. of Missouri-St. Louis |
L, 2-3 |
Ft. Myers, Fla. |
| March 8 |
vs. Concordia (Mich.) |
W, 7-6; W, 14-4 |
Ft. Myers, Fla. |
| March 14 |
@ Nebraska Wesleyan |
L, 1-2; W, 4-0 |
Lincoln, Neb. |
| March 15 |
@ Nebraska Wesleyan |
W, 9-4; W, 5-3 |
Lincoln, Neb. |
| March 16 |
@ Doane (Neb.) |
W, 15-7; W, 5-2 |
Crete, Neb. |
| March 22 |
MINNESOTA-MORRIS |
W, 21-3; W, 6-4 |
Madison, S.D. |
| March 23 |
MINNESOTA-MORRIS |
W, 17-2 |
Madison, S.D. |
| March 23 |
CONCORDIA (NEB.) |
L, 2-6 |
Madison, S.D. |
| March 24 |
MARTIN LUTHER (MINN.) |
L, 4-7; W, 8-5 |
Madison, S.D. |
| March 26 |
HURON (S.D.)* |
W, 9-0; W, 15-12 |
Madison, S.D. |
| March 30 |
JAMESTOWN (N.D.)* |
L, 2-10; L, 7-9 |
Madison, S.D. |
| March 31 |
MINOT STATE (N.D.)* |
W, 12-2; W, 6-1 |
Madison, S.D. |
| April 9 |
@ Mayville State (N.D.)* |
L, 3-10; L, 2-3 |
Mayville, N.D. |
| April 12 |
@ Valley City State (N.D.)* |
L, 1-3; W, 4-1 |
Valley CIty, N.D. |
| April 13 |
@ Huron (S.D.)* |
W, 12-4; W, 5-4 |
Huron, S.D. |
| April 15 |
MAYVILLE STATE (N.D.)* |
W, 20-10; L, 3-16 |
Madison, S.D. |
| April 18 |
@ Jamestown (N.D.)* |
W, 8-3; L, 10-11 |
Jamestown, N.D. |
| April 19 |
@ Minot State (N.D.)* |
W, 9-2; W, 8-4 |
Minot, N.D. |
| April 23 |
VALLEY CITY STATE (N.D.)* |
L, 6-18; L, 0-2 |
Madison, S.D. |
| April 26 |
@ Dickinson State (N.D.)* |
W, 4-3; W, 11-3 |
Dickinson, N.D. |
| April 27 |
@ Mary (N.D.)* |
L, 4-5; W, 4-1 |
Bismarck, N.D. |
| May 2-4 |
DAC-10 Tournament (No. 4 seed) |
|
vs. (5 seed) Dickinson State (N.D.) |
W, 5-1 |
Minot, N.D. |
|
vs. (1 seed) Jamestown (N.D.) |
W, 5-3 |
Minot, N.D. |
|
@ (7 seed) Minot State (N.D.) |
L, 10-11 |
Minot, N.D. |
|
vs. (6 seed) Mayville State (N.D.) |
L, 0-3 |
Minot, N.D. |
| May 9-11 |
NAIA Region III Tournament (No. 4 seed) |
|
vs. (3 seed) Valley City State (N.D.) |
W, 11-6 |
Dickinson, N.D. |
|
vs. (2 seed) Jamestown (N.D.) |
W, 2-0 |
Dickinson, N.D. |
|
vs. (2 seed) Jamestown (N.D.) |
W, 8-7 |
Dickinson, N.D. |
|
@ (5 seed) Dickinson State (N.D.) |
W, 6-5 |
Dickinson, N.D. |
| May 16-18 |
NAIA Super Regionals (Best-of-3 series) |
|
@ Bellevue (Neb.) |
L, 1-6 |
Omaha, Neb. |
|
@ Bellevue (Neb.) |
L, 1-12 |
Omaha, Neb. |
| *Denotes DAC-10 Conference game |
Jason Ciz - Baseball
Jason Ciz was one of the top pitchers for the Dakota State University Trojan baseball powerhouse in the mid- to late-2000’s. He was the first DSU athlete to be named Dakota Athletic All-Conference for four consecutive years (two times as First Team in 2005 and 2008; two times as Second Team in 2006 and 2007).
Ciz came to Dakota State in 2004-05 season, igniting the Trojans to their second NAIA Region III Tournament Championships in three years. He finished that season with an impressive 10-2 record with an earned run average (ERA) of 2.03, tossing 82 2/3 innings in 14 games played (12 game started).
He defeated perennial baseball powerhouse Jamestown (N.D.) in the NAIA Region III Tournament as a freshman by pitching a 7-hit, 3-run complete game. During the game, he struck out five batters while issuing only one walk.
He was named to the NAIA Baseball All-America Honorable Mention team in 2005. That season, he tied the school single season record of 10 victories with Bryan Day (2003).
Ciz added seven pitching wins with an ERA of 3.66 in 2006. That season, the Trojans went 34-16 overall and finished runner-up in the Dakota Athletic Conference’s post-season tournament, played at Flynn Field. He worked a total of 64 innings that season.
He followed that year with back-to-back 4-2 pitching records in 2007 and 2008 for Dakota State. He recorded an ERA of 2.98 (51 1/3 innings) in 2007 and 3.81 (59 innings) in 2008. He was a key asset to the 2007 DSU Trojan baseball team that established a school record of 39 victories. That Trojan squad started the season with a 22-game winning streak and achieved the highest NAIA ranking in school history at No. 7.
Ciz surpassed the DSU all-time victories record after defeating Dickinson State (N.D.) in the second game of the DAC’s tripleheader on April 7, 2008. The previous record holder was Matt Schuster with 22 wins from 2002-05. The Trojans finished with a 24-17 overall record in 2008 and runner-up honors in both DAC regular-season and postseason tournament. The head coach that season was Dean Berry.
Ciz extended his all-time pitching victories to 25 by the end of the 2008 season. That career record still stands today in the DSU baseball record book. He finished his impressive career with a 25-8 record in 257 innings and an ERA of 3.22. Jason is also listed in the DSU record book for most career appearance with 54, most complete games (17), and started in 40 games as a pitcher. He also tied the single-season school record for most shutouts with two in 2006.
Ciz was listed on the DSU President’s Honor Roll in 2006, 2007, and 2008. He was a member of the National Honor Society in 2007-08, as well as Who’s Who Among College Students award.
Upon graduating with an exercise science major at Dakota State in 2008, Ciz moved to Douglas, Wyo., where he worked as a physical therapy aide. In 2010, he moved to Thermopolis, Wyo., and worked as a teller and loan administrator in a local bank for one year before becoming a chemical salesman in the oilfield.
Jason married his wife Nichole in 2012 and they have three children (Macie – 6 years old; Easton – 4 years old and Emma – 1 year old). The Ciz family lives in the small, rural community of Thermopolis.
Aside from spending time with his family, Ciz enjoys golfing, playing in recreation league sports (volleyball, basketball, and softball), and hunting. He served as golf board president, and most recently joined the Thermopolis baseball board.
Bryan Day - Baseball
Bryan Day was a dominant starting pitcher on the 2003 Dakota State University baseball squad that captured DSU’s first-ever NAIA Region III Championship and a berth in the NAIA Super Regionals. He also helped the Trojans set a school record for the most team victories with 33 wins in 2003.
Day, native of Wheatland, Wyo., transferred to Dakota State from National American University in Rapid City, S.D. for the 2002-03 season.
He finished the 2003 season with an impressive 10-2 record from the pitching mound, setting the single-season school record for most victories by a pitcher. He posted an astounding earned run average of 2.08, helping the DSU pitching staff finish the season with an ERA of 3.36.
Day appeared in 14 games (started 12 games) and pitched 74 innings for the Trojans in 2003. He struck out 45 batters and walked only 23. He recorded seven complete games. Day allowed 73 hits and 30 runs (8 unearned). He tallied 26 assists and two put-outs with a defensive fielding percentage of 1.000.
As a result, Day was voted to the DAC-10 Baseball All-Conference First Team and was listed on the NAIA Baseball All-America Honorable Mention team.
Day established a single-season school record with two shutouts. One of his shutouts was in the NAIA Regional Tournament winner’s bracket versus Jamestown (N.D.) in Dickinson, N.D. He fired a three-hit shutout, striking out four and walking five. All three hits he allowed were singles.
Day’s first shutout victory was at Nebraska Wesleyan in Lincoln, Neb., earlier in the season. He hurled a five-hitter and fanned five NWU batters. Day and reliever Craig Meyer combined to spread out six hits and collected a 9-0 shutout against Huron (S.D.) in the DAC-10 conference regular-season opener at Flynn Field.
“His big wins against Jamestown in the conference and regional tournaments solidified him as one of the top pitchers in the conference and region,” stated head coach Pat Dolan of the 2003 Trojan baseball squad. “He’s a committed baseball player and a hard worker.”
Dakota State finished its record-breaking 2003 season with an overall mark of 33-23.
Day was also a member of the 2004 Trojan baseball team that finished 27-22, including an appearance in the DAC-10 Tournament’s championship game. He received DSU’s Most Outstanding Male Athlete of the Year award in 2004.
Bryan currently lives in Missoula, Mont. with his wife Nicole and their two sons – Brooks (13 years old) and Blake (9 years old). Bryan works for the railroad and spends most of the time following their kids around with all their activities. He enjoys hunting, fishing, camping, watching, and coaching his sons’ sports in his spare time.
Ryan Holthaus - Baseball
Ryan Holthaus was one of the key pieces to the Dakota State offensive attack that fueled Dakota State to its first NAIA Baseball Region III Championship in school history, as well as a school record 33 victories during the 2003 record setting season.
He came to Dakota State in 2002-03 after graduating from Ridgewater Community College in Willmar, Minn. with an associate degree in criminal justice.
Holthaus played 52 of 56 games behind the plate for the Trojans during the 2003 season. Holthaus established single-season school records of 104 total bases, 16 doubles, and 45 runs drove in. He finished the year with an astounding .353 batting average after going 59-of-167 at the plate. He blasted nine home runs and registered a slugging percentage of .623.
Defensively, he collected 262 put-outs with 36 assists and committed only five defensive errors for an impressive fielding percentage of .983. Amazingly, only 25 base runners attempted to steal, and he picked off 13 runners.
Holthaus was a team leader for DSU baseball team. His talent, work ethic, and confidence produced his NAIA All-America Honorable Mention selection in 2003. He was also named the DAC-10 Baseball All-Conference First Team as catcher, assisting the Trojans to a third-place finish in the conference postseason tournament. DSU finished that season with an overall record of 33-23.
Holthaus was voted to the DAC-10 Baseball All-Conference First Team as catcher for the second straight season in 2004, where the Trojans finished 27-22 through a tough and challenging schedule. Dakota State finished as a runner-up in the DAC-10 Baseball postseason tournament.
He batted .317 for the season and led the team with eight home runs in 2004. He collected 38 RBIs, hit 10 doubles, a triple, and recorded a slugging percentage of .540.
He smashed 17 home runs during his career at DSU, breaking the school record. He also added a school record of 84 career RBIs.
After graduating in 2004 with a degree in business administration management at DSU, Holthaus moved back to his hometown in Waite Park with the intent of completing his post board exams to be a police officer in Minnesota. He was recruited to be a salesman for Bernatello’s Pizza where he worked for two-and-half years.
Holthaus then spent the next nine-and-half years with the G & K Services, holding several positions including a key management roll prior to leaving the organization. Since 2015, he has been working as a business banker at Sentry Bank and currently serves as the Vice President of commercial lending.
Ryan is married to Amanda and together they have two kids – Brayden (10 years old) and Brynlee (4 years old). They currently live in Cold Spring, Minn.
Terry McGowan - Baseball
Terry McGowan was one of the consistent hitters for the Dakota State University Trojan baseball team, sparking their second trip to the NAIA Super Regionals in 2005. He played first base for the Trojans.
McGowan came to Dakota State in 2004-05. He was one of the top two hitters on the 2005 team with a batting average of .350, propelling the Trojans to their second NAIA Region III Championship title in three years. He was an integral member of the DSU baseball team that was ranked in the NAIA’s Top 25 national poll during the season and finished second in the Dakota Athletic Conference-10 (DAC-10) with a 16-8 record.
McGowan’s best memory of the 2005 season was defeating the host-team and rival Jamestown (N.D.) on their home field during NAIA Region III tournament. Dakota State finished with an overall record of 34-16 after falling to Briar Cliff (Iowa) in the NAIA Super Regionals. The 34 wins was a new school record for the Trojans.
He was named to the DAC-10 Baseball All-Conference First Team, as well as NAIA All-Region 3 honor squad. McGowan was also listed on the NAIA Baseball All-America Honorable Mention team.
McGowan finished with another impressive offensive showing in 2006, sparking the Trojans to one of the best starts in school history. The team began the year with a 24-4 overall record.
He batted .302 on the season by going 48-of-159 at the plate. He tallied 30 runs batted in (RBIs). He hit nine doubles, a triple and a home run. He led the team with 28 walks and recorded an on-base percentage of .409. He swiped nine bases.
Defensively, McGowan posted a fielding percentage of .990 in 2006. He led the team with 405 chances with 383 put-outs. He also had 18 assists and was part of 34 double plays.
The 2006 squad finished with an identical record from 2005 (34-16 overall record), despite missing a trip to the NAIA Region III Tournament. The Trojans hosted the 2006 DAC Tournament at Flynn Field, falling to Mayville State (N.D.) in the opening round. DSU survived three consecutive loser’s out games over top-seeded Dickinson State (N.D.), Valley City State (N.D.) and Jamestown to advance to the championship game.
Dakota State fell short in the DAC Championship game to Dickinson State by one run. McGowan was selected to the DAC Baseball All-Conference Second Team.
The Dakota State University Athletics Department selected McGowan as the 2006 Dusty Andersen award recipient.
After graduating from Dakota State in 2008, McGowan started working in the defense/aerospace field while obtaining his masters’ degree. He then worked for different defense companies over the years, ultimately landing in Tucson, Ariz., where he currently resides with his family and kids.
Terry and his wife Megan have three kids – Kael (13 years old), Baya (10 years old), and Ryne (7 years old). He coaches his oldest son’s flag football team and still plays baseball in a wood bat league on Sundays in his spare time. Terry enjoys cooking and cheering on his daughter and youngest son when they are playing softball/football.
Pat Dolan - Coaching
Former Dakota State head coach Pat Dolan built the Trojan baseball program into one of the perennial powerhouses in the Dakota Athletic Conference and NAIA Region III. He guided his squads to four NAIA Region III tournament appearances in a span of five years. He also helped the Trojans qualify for a pair of NAIA Super Regionals in 2003 and 2005.
Dolan was raised in Cold Spring, Minn. where he was a three-sport athlete at Cold Spring-Rocori High School. He was an All-American at Iowa Western Community College and transferred to Florida Atlantic University to play for Kevin Cooney.
He began his coaching career at his alma mater in Cold Spring as head coach of the American Legion Post 428 and assistant coach with Cold Spring-Rocori. He posted a 204-81 overall record and guided his squads to seven league championships.
Dolan started his college coaching career at Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids, Minn., kicking off with an amazing 21 straight victories.
After spending two seasons as the associate head baseball coach at St. Andrew’s College, he took the head coaching job at Belmont Abbey College in Belmont, N.C. He began his first year with Belmont Abbey with an 8-31 overall record and improved to 39-18 in 2001. Dolan became the head baseball coach at Dakota State in 2002.
Dolan turned the Trojan baseball team into a championship program that was ranked nationally in the NAIA polls.
His first year at DSU was the most successful season since 1985 when the Trojans won their last conference championship (in the former South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference). The 2002 squad tripled the number of wins (15) of the previous three years combined.
Dolan’s 2003 squad shattered nearly every individual and team record, including a historic postseason run by winning the first-ever NAIA Regional Tournament and qualifying for their first-ever NAIA Super Regional. They set a school record with 33 wins and was ranked nationally for the first time in school history.
The Trojans faced a difficult schedule in 2004, where they finished with an overall record of 27-22. The squad finished as runner-up in the Dakota Athletic Conference postseason tournament.
Dolan helped Dakota State capture the NAIA Regional championship for the second time in three years and set the school record with a mark of 34-16 in 2015. DSU finished the 2006 season with an identical record, finishing second in the DAC baseball postseason tournament.
In 2007, Dolan’s last season at DSU before heading to NCAA Division II St. Cloud State (Minn.), the Trojans finished with an astounding 39-12 overall record. The Trojans set the school record for most overall wins for the third straight season.
Dolan guided the Trojans to 22 straight victories to start the 2007 season, fueling the highest NAIA ranking in school history at No. 7.
Dolan finished with an overall record of 181-111 (.621 winning percentage) in his coaching era at Dakota State, the most victories by any DSU coach in baseball history. Under Dolan’s supervision, 30 athletes were named DAC All-Conference and eight were cited as NAIA All-America Honorable Mention.
Dolan completed his 14th season at St. Cloud State recently, holding an impressive 509-189-1 record. He has led the Huskies to nine NCAA tournament bids during the 2010 decade. His teams finished runner-up at the NCAA Division II Central tournament four times (2010, 2012, 2013, and 2015). His squads also have been ranked consistently among the nation’s top 25 Division II teams, including a No. 1 national ranking during the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
He helped the Huskies set a program record 54 victories in their epic 2015 season (54-5 overall record), including the Northern Sun Intercollegiate regular-season and tournament titles. For those accomplishments, he was selected the NSIC Baseball Coach-of-the-Year and was named the NCBWA DII National Coach-of-the-Year.
