Johnnies' Haws retires after 37 years

St. John's men's soccer coach Pat Haws announced his retirement Thursday, effective June 30.

Haws has been employed by the Johnnies athletic department for 37 years.

Haws, who graduated from St. John's in 1972, was hired by the school in 1973 to start its swimming and diving program. He coached that sport for 25 years until 1998. He started coaching soccer in 1978. He also has coached golf and tennis at the school.

The winningest coach in Minnesota college men's soccer history, Haws has coached the Johnnies to a 341-140-50 (.689) overall record and seven regular-season MIAC titles and one MIAC playoff championship.

U prepares for Big Ten The Gophers baseball team will open its Big Ten schedule at Purdue on Friday.

The Gophers, the Big Ten runner-up last season, are 9-16 going into the three-game series. Purdue, which finished sixth in the Big Ten last season, is 12-10.

The Gophers are scheduled to start junior Seth Rosin on Friday, freshman T.J. Oakes on Saturday and junior Phil Isaksson on Sunday.

Saints sign two pitchers The St. Paul Saints signed two pitchers, adding St. Paul native Zach Peterson, who played three seasons in the Kansas City Royals organization, and Jacob Schmidt, formerly of Concordia (St. Paul).

Peterson, 25, split time last season between Class A Burlington and Class A Wilmington last season, going 3-2 in Burlington with a 3.63 ERA and 2-0 in Wilmington with a 2.15 ERA.

Schmidt, 23, of Oakdale was the 2009 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference pitcher of the year, going 7-2 with school strikeout records of 16 in a game, 103 in the season and 273 in his career.

Etc. • The Vikings' preseason opener at St. Louis will be played at 7 p.m. on Aug. 14. The exhibition schedule was announced Wednesday but the date and time was not set until Thursday.