Cardinals win playoff title, earn NCAA bid (5/26/2021) It wasn’t supposed to end this way. The Saint Mary’s University (SMU) baseball team had its sights set on its first-ever Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) Playoff title — and the Cardinals’ first NCAA Division III National Tournament appearance since 1993. If you asked coach Nick Winecke what his favorite number was, he might have answered number one — the number he wore during his playing days at Saint Mary’s University. Following Saturday’s Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Playoff winner-take-all game against the University of St. Thomas (UST), however, Winecke would probably have a different favorite number — 29.