DWU seniors Caleb Meyers, Dexter Payne power Tiger baseball as two-way standouts

Apr. 14—MITCHELL — In college baseball, two-way players that pitch, field and hit are rare.

However, for Dakota Wesleyan University, seniors Dexter Payne and Caleb Meyers are not just exceptions to that trend, they are the driving force behind the Tigers' season.

Balancing as both pitchers and everyday position position players, Payne and Meyers have embraced a demanding routine that requires discipline, adaptability and focus. For DWU, that balance has translated into production across the board, from the mound to the batter's box to the field.

"To me, it's kind of just been the process since I was a freshman, and just treating every day not necessarily knowing what you're going to do," Payne said. "I was a relief pitcher early on in my career, and I learned how to just always be ready, show up every day, and give it my 100%."

That mindset has defined Payne's career with the Tigers. A Sioux Falls Roosevelt High School graduate, Payne arrived at DWU as a pitcher before gradually growing into a two-way contributor. Now a senior captain, Payne anchors the Tigers both on the mound, at first base on defense and a top spot in the batting order.

This season, Payne has started five of his six appearances on the mound, compiling a 2-1 record with a 3.19 earned-run average across 31 innings pitched, striking out 31 batters while maintaining a 1.06 WHIP (walks plus hits per inning pitched). He earned Great Plains Athletic Conference pitcher of the week on March 3.

At the plate, Payne leads the team with 24 RBIs and ranks second in batting average (.295) and doubles (10). Payne also sits third in hits (33) and home runs (2). Defensively, he's been just as steady, recording a team-high 167 putouts at first base with a .948 fielding percentage.

Meyers, a native of Farmington, Minnesota, has walked a similar path, but with even more experience juggling roles. A two-way player since stepping on DWU's campus as a freshman, Meyers is now in his fourth year balancing pitching duties with everyday play in the field, and this season he has played the bulk of his defense in right field.

"During the winter, we do outfield practices and pitcher practices which helped me balance that time early on in my career," Meyers said. "But once it gets into the spring, it's kind of an altogether practice. So, it gets kind of hard to balance that time but a lot of my time goes into hitting and the outfield. And I kind of just have to lock it in when I am pitching."

Meyers leads the Tigers offensively with a .308 batting average, a .386 on-base percentage and a .547 slugging percentage. His 36 hits, 12 doubles and 18 extra-base hits all lead the team, while his 23 RBIs rank second just behind Payne. He is second on the team in triples (2) and home runs (4). And on the mound, Meyers has struck out 41 batters in 35.2 innings pitched across eight starts.

But those numbers only tell part of the story. The real challenge lies in how both players structure their days and how they constantly shift between their respective roles. According to Payne and Meyers, a typical practice can vary. On non-pitching days, they follow a more traditional routine, which includes stretching, playing catch, defensive work, and hitting, followed by recovery. But on pitching days, the focus shifts.

Bullpen sessions during practice demand more mental focus, which includes working through their different pitches, refining breaking balls and hitting spots consistently. Hitting still factors in, but defensive reps in the field are often limited to preserve their arms.

"During bullpens, I really have to figure out what is going to work when I end up throwing in the game versus what's not going to work in that bullpen because I don't get much other time to do it," Meyers said. "All the other pitchers, that's their only job. With me, I really have to focus on what I am going to be throwing in games during that single bullpen at practice."

For DWU head coach Charlie Dubanoski, having two-way players of Payne and Meyers' caliber not only boosts the team's production but also provides roster flexibility.

"Having them, honestly, allows more guys to travel on our team," Dubanoski said. "So now you have extra pitchers, and you have starting guys that play every day for you that also hit. So, it allows another pitcher or another position player to tag along, and I think it is pretty special to be able to pitch and hit at the college level."

Still, the physical demands are only half the equation. Mentally, the ability to transition between roles, sometimes within the same game, is what separates successful two-way players from the rest.

"When you get up there on the mound in a game, it's attack, attack, attack," Payne said. "And I really just love always staying focused between the two or three different things I do. Pitching and fielding kind of helps me stay focused, but when I am about to come up to hit it helps clear my mind a little bit. But I know that both sides are super important, so whatever I can contribute for the day, that's my goal."

That team-first mentality has defined both seniors during their final season. As members of Dubanoski's first true recruiting class in 2022 after taking over the program ahead of the 2021 spring season coming from the University of Sioux Falls, Payne and Meyers have grown alongside the program, and now, they're helping lead it.

"You have a couple leaders that have been in this program for four years, and guys that we knew were special," Dubanoski said. "They were really our first recruiting class, and to now see them be seniors and turn into the players that we knew they were capable of being is really cool to see. And it feels like we got a good thing rolling here, and those two guys are a huge reason. They will certainly be missed, and I wish I could have them for four more years."

For Payne and Meyers, the reality of the final stretch has added another layer of motivation.

"I think just showing up every day knowing that this is my final year, you know, I only have a month left with only three or four more starts on the mound and however many at-bats left is crazy," Payne said. "Just showing up with a positive energy was my goal, and being a team guy no matter what results happen on the field is what I want to be remembered by the most."

"The last four years of baseball I have played have gone by really fast, and it's something you can't take for granted," Meyers added. "I think the one thing I want to leave with this team is just leave everything out on the field."

As of April 14, DWU (16-21 overall, 7-13 in GPAC play) has 10 regular-season games remaining. The Tigers will return home for a crucial six-game homestand, beginning with a doubleheader against Concordia (Neb.) at 11 a.m. on Thursday, April 16 at Drake Field.