'Stangs Stay Hot

ST. JOSEPH, Mo., June 15, 2025 — The St. Joseph Mustangs have begun the 2025 season on a mission. They’ve started in fiery fashion at 6-1 and 3-0 in MINK League play heading into

the third week of games.

Playing their first road game of the season against the Sedalia Bombers on Tuesday, June 10, St. Joseph looked to prove they can compete on the road. Jaren Guck got the start for

the Mustangs and dominated in a 6-0 victory. Guck pitched six scoreless innings, allowed four hits and struck out five on the night. That effort earned him player of the game in his second

start of the season.

An all-around team effort at the plate proved to be enough offensively against Sedalia. Jack Mosh scored a run and mashed a double while Justin George stroked a two-run single in the top of the eighth inning that added two insurance runs for St. Joseph.

At home for the first time this week, St. Joseph faced the Chillicothe Mudcats Wednesday after the Mustangs dominated the first contest between the clubs, 11-4. St. Joseph was once again too much for Chillicothe to handle. A decisive 8-3 victory for the Mustangs propelled them to an impressive five wins and no losses against MINK League opponents.

Landon Reith started the game pitching for St. Joseph, giving him his third appearance and second start of the season. Reith allowed just one run in his five frames of work, resulting in

a noteworthy outing from the redshirt sophomore at Pitt State University. The bullpen took over from the sixth inning on. Cade Perkins allowed one run in the sixth while Ashton Nance made

his first appearance of the year in the seventh and Chris Coy came on and did his job in the eighth, shutting down the Mudcats.

St. Joseph handled business with the bats in their hands as well. Beginning the game in a 1-0 hole, the Mustangs battled back as they have seemed to do all year long with a four-run

third inning. Darius Freeman initiated the rally with a shot down the first base line that scored two, which was quickly followed by a Jack Mosh double that brought home Freeman. St. Joseph

managed to score three in the seventh, helping complete another win over Chillicothe.

Thursday featured the Kansas City Monarchs at Phil Welch Stadium for the third week in a row. St. Joseph took the win in the first matchup, 6-5, on May 30 but the Monarchs evened the

season series at one game apiece with a 2-1 win over the Mustangs on June 4. St. Joseph had the composure to win the tiebreaker in convincing fashion, 10-1, Thursday, redeeming the only blemish on their record.

Dylan Graebener began the match pitching for St. Joseph, allowing just one run through three innings of work. A close play at the plate gifted Kansas City their only run of the evening in the third inning after catcher Easton Phillippe made a leaping tag attempt deemed late by the umpires. Recent Northwest Missouri State commit Gage Busby had his first action on the

mound as a Mustang in 2025. Busby threw scoreless sixth and seventh innings after Michael Infranca made his Mustangs debut in the fourth and fifth, also holding Kansas City in check.

Everyone did their part at the plate Thursday for the Mustangs. Easton Phillippe acquired his first two hits and runs batted in of the season, netting him player of the game in only his second game played this year. Chris Coy, Tyler Gundelfinger and Jack Mosh all slapped in runs, completing an adequate offensive performance.

A matchup new to this season took place Friday evening when the Carroll Merchants walked into Phil Welch Stadium to test their luck against the Mustangs. St. Joseph proved they don’t need any luck in a shutout 10-0 Mustang win, run-ruling the Merchants in eight innings.

The Mustangs held hot bats from the first inning on. It’s difficult to claim a player had a perfect game, although Tyler Gundelfinger came close at the plate Friday. The sophomore at

Highland Community College went 3-for-3. He recorded a walk, a stolen base and one of his hits was a dinger in the second inning, just the second home run of the year hit by the Mustangs.

“I was just trying to find a pitch to hit, got a slider and didn’t miss it,” said Gundelfinger. Another start, another performance for the books by the uncommitted lefty Aron Harrington. Harrington went five strong innings for the second outing in a row and has yet to allow a run through his first three starts of 2025. He chalked up six strikeouts and another win. He’s now up to three on the season. Harrington has secured the win in every game he’s started so far in 2025.

Saturday concluded the third calendar week of games for the Mustangs when the Sedalia Bombers took the field trying to avoid two losses in the same week to St. Joseph. The Mustangs had other plans. Once again scoring double-digit runs, St. Joseph handled the game 12-5, supplying nine combined in the second and third innings, juiced by a base-clearing triple from Jayden Little.

That win solidified an undefeated week for the Mustangs, winning five games, four of which were against MINK League opponents. An admirable 11-1 and 7-0 in league play is what

they’ve built up to at this point in the season. St. Joseph has also managed an eight-game win streak that they have an opportunity to extend on the road against Clarinda Sunday, June 15. Sunday begins a four-game road trip for St. Joseph. The Mustangs return to Phil Welch Stadium Thursday, June 19 when they host NEMO Craze for the second time in 2025.

- Keaton Smith

(Photo By: Thomas Raymond)