Bio
The Explorers did not have to look too far when the club signed true rookie Cade Marquardt on May 1st. The Minnesota native completed his college career just up the hill overlooking Sioux City at Briar Cliff University. The 2026 graduate of Briar Cliff will make is professional debut in 2026 with the Explorers. Marquardt hits the Lewis and Clark field after being named the Briar Cliff male athlete of the year for 2026.
In his final season at Briar Cliff, Marquardt played in 48 games for the Chargers, hitting .452 while belting 10 home runs with 55 team-leading RBI on the season. He finished with a slash line of .452/.518/.750. Behind the plate Marquardt threw out 16 runners in 31 stolen base attempts (52%) during the regular season. He tied for the team lead in extra base hits with 27, adding 14 doubles and three triples to hit 10 long balls. Marquardt led the team in total bases on the year with 126, and his 76 hits were 20 more than the next closest teammate. Marquardt was named Hilton Garden Inn Sioux City Riverfront Briar Cliff Athlete of the Week on March 23 after going 12-for-17 with four doubles, a triple and two homers with eight RBI during a four-game span. The Great Plains Athletic Conference also took notice and named him the player of the week during the same week.
In 2025 Marquardt played in and started all 52 games, hitting five home runs and knocking in 42 runs. He slashed a line of .353/.401/.516 and finished second on the team in RBI and hits with 67. Marquardt was also third on the Chargers roster in average. He threw out 31 out of 38 would-be base stealers for an impressive 82% rate.
Marquardt arrived in Sioux City after two seasons at Itasca Community College in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. In his first season at Briar Cliff, he played in 46 games, hitting three home runs with 25 RBI. Marquardt slashed a line of .295/.386/.416 while throwing out 11 out of 39 baserunners.
In 2022 Marquardt hit a slash line of .449/.525/.603 with three home runs and a team-leading 38 RBI at Itasca Community College. He also finished with 61 hits to lead the team and scored 33 runs to finish second on the roster. Marquardt showed he could get on base with 20 walks, good for second on the team, helping him finish third on the team in on-base percentage.
Marquardt began his college career hitting a line of .437/.520/.627 in 40 games in 2021 at Itasca CC. He hit three home runs while driving in 31 runs to tie two other teammates for the team lead. His 18 extra-base hits, including 15 team-leading doubles, were also tops on the team in 2021. Marquardt hails from Litchfield, Minnesota and graduated from Litchfield High School.