SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Yellowjacket baseball team was predicted to finish second in the 2025 Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) baseball preseason poll, the league announced Thursday.
 
In the poll of UMAC coaches, Bethany Lutheran came in first place with 49 points and seven-of-eight first place votes. UW-Superior garnered 42 points in second place and picked up the final first-place nod, while Crown (third) and Northwestern (fourth) followed with 36 and 32 points, respectively.
 
The Yellowjackets welcome eight new faces to the program in 2025, while returning a trio of All-UMAC honorees from last season in juniors Aiden Pfeifer (Eden Prairie, Minn./Eden Prairie) and Tanner Voight (Stillwater, Minn./Stillwater), alongside senior Payton Steiner (Baraboo, Wis./Baraboo).
 
Pfeifer received a spot on the 2024 All-UMAC First Team, along with a pair of awards from D3Baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). After transitioning from the bullpen to the starting rotation, he logged a 7-2 record to pick up his first postseason award from the conference. His earned run average of 2.25, alongside his opposing batting average (.209) and earned runs allowed (15) lead the Yellowjacket pitching staff.
 
Voight returns to Superior's lineup after starting 34-of-37 games played last year, seeing time at either first base or designated hitter. His .347 batting average and eight home runs led the 'Jackets, while consistently placing in offensive categories throughout the UMAC. Voight boasted a .615 average during a three-game series with Minnesota Morris, as he went on to score five runs, drive in five, and launch two round trippers.
 
Steiner started 36-of-37 games last season on his way to his second-straight All-UMAC First Team citation. He logged a team-second batting average of .343 (.001 away from tying Voight) while logging the most hits for UW-Superior. Steiner logged six triples on the campaign, which not only leads the Yellowjackets, but sat atop the league. Defensively, he finished the year with a .977 fielding percentage roaming right field.
 
Minnesota Morris took fifth place with 26 points, followed by Northland with 16. Rounding out the league was Martin Luther (12) and North Central (11).
 
The Yellowjackets begin the 2025 campaign traveling to Mustang Way Park in Independence, Iowa for a four-game series against Carleton. Day one's doubleheader is set for Saturday, Mar. 1 at 1 p.m.