Crvl hotstove2016 by HeraldJournalWeb

2016 ‘Hot Stove’ edition

Crow River Revie Review

February 2016

Covering the Crow River Valley Baseball League

Volume 16, Number 1

www.herald-journal.com/sports/baseball/crvl

Plato’s fantastic season

By Jarrod Peterson The Plato Bluejays enjoyed a tremendous season that was capped off by a Class C State Championship. The Bluejays finished with a record of 29-7, and had two five-game winning streaks and one six-game winning streak. They won 10 of their final 11 games, and only lost consecutive games one time. Their run-production throughout the season was unmatchable. The Bluejays scored 10 or more runs in 11 times, including 14 in the state title game against Green Isle. They aslo scored 10 or more runs in back-to-back games three times. On the mound, the Bluejays stifled opponents, holidng them to three or less runs in 22 games, including seven shutouts. Leading the explosive offense was Chris Odegaard, who had a batting average of .466, which was second-best in the league. Aside from his sky-high average, Odegaard also hit for power, as he blasted eight home runs, tying him with Green Isle’s Mac

Zachow for most in the Crow River League. Odegaard finished with 23 runs batted in, 28 runs scored, and eight doubles, as well. Odegaard wasn’t the only offensive threat the Bluejays had, as his brother, Matt, tore up the league, too. He batted a blistering .373 with three homers, 22 RBI, and a league-best 11 doubles. Tyler Lang boasted a .343 average, drove in 19 runs, scored 16 runs, and smacked seven doubles on the season. Other notable Bluejays are: Joe Nix (nine doubles), Nolan Lepel (.308 batting average and 14 RBI), and K Kyle Panning (16 runs scored, 13 RBI, and two homers). While the offense was tremendous, the pitching might have been even better. The Bluejays finished with a team ERA of 2.28 and 135 hits in 174 innings. Adam Prehn (6-4) and Tony Wischnack (5-0) combined to go 11-4 in 2015, while Prehn finished with a 2.26 ERA in 71.2 innings. While Prehn’s ERA was impressive, Wischnack’s was even more so, as he posted 2.04 ERA while pitching 39.2 innings.

Kley named MVP after pitching Plato to state championship

By Brad Salmen After a pitching performance unmatched in recent history, Winsted’s Tony Kley was named MVP of the Minnesota Class C State Amateur Baseball Tournament after leading the Plato Bluejays to the championship. Kley, who was drafted by Plato after the Winsted Wildcats were knocked out of the Region 7C tournament, was the winning

pitcher in four out of the Bluejays’ five victories, including three wins in the last three days of the tournament. Perhaps most incredibly, he pitched 14 innings on Monday, the final day of the tournament, to win the final two games for Plato. continued on page 2

Minutes from December CRVL meeting The meeting of the Crow River Valley League was called to order Dec. 14 at 7:05 p.m. by North President Dennis “Soup” Campbell. It was noted that all teams were present. The secretary’s report from the Oct. 26 meeting was discussed, and Denis Zabel (St. Bonifacius) moved to approve the minutes as written; Stephan Wiblemo (Glencoe) seconded, and motion carried.

State board report

Campbell and Jim Zellmann reviewed the Nov. 21 state board meeting. There was a lot of talk about “Class B” and “border line C” rosters. The state board will be keeping an eye on teams and their rosters going into the 2016 season, and make changes to classifications as deemed necessary. The “College Player Rule” will be modified to emphasize “College Player” will be required to play “Class B” if using the college address. A college student that is not affiliated with the baseball program at their given college will be allowed to use the college address to play with a “Class C” team within that radius. Another state board meeting took place Jan. 9. (Meeting notes not available at press time.)

Umpires’ contract

Secretary Kuerschner spoke about the meeting that he attended with the NorthWest Umpires Nov. 21. Other leagues in attendance were the DRS and RVL, as well

as two Class A leagues. The topic that was discussed was the requirements of two-umpire games for the upcoming seasons. The fee for a two-man game will not go up in 2016, and will remain at $90 per umpire. In 2017, this will increase to $92 per umpire. The additional charge of $5 per umpire per playoff game will still be in effect. The single umpire fee will go to $110 in 2016, and $115 in 2017. In addition to this, the leagues present at the meeting and the NW Umpires Association agreed in principal to have one game in 2016 for each team be covered by a twoman umpire crew. (The team’s choice as to which game). Then, in 2017, have at least two games covered by a two-man umpire crew. This will give the teams an opportunity to plan for the increase in cost and choose betterattended and potentially competitive games to have the two umpires. It will also let the leagues see how well the NW Umpires can cover those games and provide a better quality of umpiring. Secretary Kuerschner also provided the group with a printout of the fees, along with what the costs for umpires was in 2015, and what it could be in 2016 and 2017, depending on the different options for re-alignment that will be discussed later in the meeting. Dustin Brockoff (Carver), moved to accontinued on page 2

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Kley MVP

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December minutes

continued from page 1 Kley opened the tournament by throwing eight shutout innings in a 3-0 win over Lamberton Saturday, Aug. 29. He gave up just four hits, walked one, and struck out 15. The hard-throwing righty followed it up by pitching Plato to a win in their second game of the tournament Saturday, Sept. 5, again throwing eight shutout innings in a 60 win over New London-Spicer. He gave up five hits, walked one, and struck out 10. Plato then defeated Cannon Falls in the quarterfinals, 8-5, on the morning of Sunday, Sept. 6. Three pitchers not named Kley combined for the victory. The Bluejays then faced Nisswa later that same day in the semifinals. Starting pitcher Adam Prehn gave up two runs through four innings, and Plato trailed 2-0 in the fourth, when the game was postponed until Monday due to rain. When the game picked up Monday morning, Kley was back on the mound, and in his usual form. He threw five scoreless innings, giving up just two hits while striking out four, allowing Plato to come back to win the game, 3-2. That win, Kley’s third of the tourney, set

the Bluejays up in the championship game Monday afternoon against Region 7C foe Green Isle, who had come back to defeat Howard Lake 13-7 in the semifinals. Plato’s Chris Odegaard started the final game on the hill, but was unable to get a single out, giving up two walks and a threerun homer in the first inning to put his team down 3-0. The Bluejays once again turned to Kley, and despite pitching five innings earlier in the day, and eight innings two days before, Kley once again delivered. He went a full nine innings in the championship game, giving up three runs (his only three of the tournament) on three hits and two walks, while striking out seven. By holding the Irish in check, he allowed Plato to come back to win the championship game 14-6. His statline for the tournament: 30 innings pitched, 14 hits, 3 runs, 5 walks and 36 strikeouts. He pitched 21 scoreless innings in his first three games, and finished with a 0.90 ERA (Earned Run Average). It was, without question, a performance for the ages.

Thank you

The Crow River Baseball League would like to thank Jason Kuerschner for his hard work and readiness. Throughout the season, he has been very prompt when sending out emails to keep everyone in the loop and that makes everyone’s job easier. The Crow River Baseball League would also like to thank Brad Johnson for contributing to this year’s edition with his article on ﬁeld maintenance.

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continued from page 1 cept the NW Umpires contract for 2016 and 2017 upon receiving it; Denis Zabel (St. Bonifacius) seconded, motion carried.

Scheduling committee

Adam Dammann (Plato) led the group through the procedures that the scheduling committee recommended to follow, and the group proceeded to follow those directions. The South League broke out to discuss and finish their voting from the October meeting. By roll call vote, the South League chose scenario 2, which was opposite of the North. So, both leagues came back together to discuss further details. Doug Schuette (Brownton) brought up the topic of playoffs, and discussion on this topic commenced. Ultimately, the playoffs stayed off the voting table at this time. The two leagues then broke off to discuss the eight scenarios presented by the committee. Each league, upon conclusion of the discussion roll call, voted to see which scenarios would be in play. At which time, each league then ran a run-off roll call vote to come up with one scenario that they would bring back to the entire group. The North chose scenario 3: West Central North Brownton Norwood Winsted Glencoe Young America Watertown Plato Waconia New Germany Hamburg Cologne Mayer Green Isle Carver St. Bonifacius The South chose scenario 6: League A League B League C Plato Green Isle Waconia Winsted Hamburg Carver Brownton Young America Watertown Glencoe Cologne St. Bonifacius New Germany Norwood Mayer There was time allotted for discussion/review of the two options. When there was no further discussion, a roll call vote was taken to determine which scenario to use going forward: Scenario 3 Scenario 6 Mayer Glencoe New Germany Carver Brownton Cologne St. Bonifacius Green Isle Waconia Hamburg Watertown Plato Winsted Young America Norwood Scenario 3 won, 8-7. The existing North and South leagues again convened individually to vote on dissolving the existing leagues (North and South). The North voted 4-3 to dissolve, and the South voted 6-2 to dissolve. As a result of these votes, the Crow River Valley League now consists of three, five-team leagues as listed in scenario 3, above. Discussion ensued now regarding the playoff system. After much discussion, Brandon Stender (Young America) moved to seed all 15 teams following the regular season, the number-one seed would automatically move into the final-eight tournament. The remaining 14 teams will play a best-of-three series to determine the other seven teams to advance. Seed number-two will play number-15, number-3 will play number-14, and so on. Dustin Brockoff (Carver) seconded, a roll call vote was taken: Agree Disagree Brownton Glencoe Plato Waconia Hamburg Winsted Green Isle Watertown Norwood Mayer Young America St Boni Cologne Carver New Germany By a vote of 9-6, motion carried. The CRVS met Jan. 11 at Dubb’s in Glencoe. Meeting notes not available at press time. At the January meeting, the new presidents will be voted on and a new league-wide vice president will be voted on, as Tom Lemke is stepping down as he is now a state board representative. Secretary/Treasurer Kuerschner informed the group that he would remain in that capacity, if the league wished to have him continue. With no other business to discuss, Dustin Brockoff (Carver) moved to adjourn, Adam Dammann (Plato) seconded, motion carried. Meeting adjourned at 8:52 p.m.

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CRVL January meeting minutes The Crow River Valley League meeting was called to order at 7:05 p.m. Jan. 11 at Dubb’s in Glencoe, by acting president Dennis “Soup” Campbell. All teams were represented, and guests included Bill Norman from the Herald Journal, Jarrod Peterson also from the Herald Journal, and Gerald “Beans” Roepke, Region 7C Commissioner. Norman was granted the floor and discussed the Review Ads, as he disbursed the ads that each team had from last year. He informed the group that if there are any changes to ads this year, to have those changes to him prior to the end of March, so they can make the changes. He gave everyone his contact information cell phone number, (320) 405-9537 and email, mecca@tds.net. Norman also informed the group that they are planning on providing the poster schedules and pocket schedules again this year, but those won’t be done until April and he will distribute them through Secretary Kuerschner, as was done last year. Norman also spoke about the bar cards, and asked if a couple of teams could contact their local bars to confirm their involvement for this year. This needs to be done as soon as possible so that the cards can be printed and ready for distribution at the March meeting. This is assuming that the league wants to continue this fundraiser. Jarrod Peterson was then granted the floor, he introduced himself to the group as the new contact for stats and

such with the Herald Journal. He provided his email address for the group, jpeterson@heraldjournal.com. Next on the agenda was Bob Krie from HP Insurance; however, he was unable to attend the meeting, but provided information to Secretary Kuerschner for the upcoming season. The insurance provider is Nationwide Insurance, and the premium is based off of the number of players in the league. Secretary Kuerschner informed the group that he used the playoff rosters submitted June 30, 2015 as the number he provided to Krie for 2016. Krie is estimating that the premium will be around the $420 to $425 range per team. The premium was $415 last season. Jim Zellmann (Norwood) moved to accept the insurance and pay $425 per team. Brandon Stender (Young America) seconded, motion carried. The next item on the agenda was Jeremy Stender and KGLB radio. Stender was not able to attend, but he did inform Secretary Kuerschner that he plans to broadcast 12 to 16 regular season games in 2016, as well as the Region 7C ﬁnal eight doubleelimination tournament. This is very similar to what he has been doing the past few years. As Chris Dammann was in attendance, he conﬁrmed that KGLB is planning on doing a Hot Stove show during the Glencoe Expo in February. The meeting moved on to the secretary’s report. Stephan Wiblemo (Glencoe) moved

to accept the December meeting minutes as emailed, Adam Dammann (Plato) seconded, there was no discussion, motion carried. The treasurer’s report was then given. Treasurer Kuerschner handed out a fivepage report for the group to review. Kuerschner talked through all the income and expenses that the league incurred during the 2015 year. The league started 2015 with a balance of $2,071.49, and after all transactions, the current balance going into 2016 is $2,089.39. This is an increase of $17.90. He also provided a projected budget for 2016 with all the expected income and expenses for 2016; this budget is showing a deficit of $849. Craig Pexa (Cologne) moved to accept the treasurer’s report as given. Dennis Zabel (St. Bonifacius) seconded, motion carried. Tom Lemke and Joe Kreger reported on the state board meeting that was Jan. 9. They informed the group that the state website was updated over the weekend with more features and an updated layout. They also said that beginning with the April meeting, the state tourney hosts will have different specific committee chairs reporting each month, along with the overall tourney chairs. Examples given were the ticketing chairperson would report one month, and then the concessions chairperson the following month, and so on. The hope is that both the hosts and board will be better pre-

pared for the tourney.

Old business

Officer elections – both the North and Central leagues informed the group that they had already confirmed their presidents following the last meeting: North President – Dennis “Soup” Campbell (Winsted); Central President – Jim Zellmann (Norwood). The West had not confirmed its president as of yet. The whole group broke for a short recess, to allow the West League to discuss its presidency. Following this discussion, the meeting was reconvened. West President – Dave Sell (Glencoe). The vice president position was then discussed by all 15 teams. There was one nomination provided by Adam Dammann (Plato), Dave Tuttle. Tuttle was not in attendance; however, there was a short bio provided and emailed to the league the prior week. There was some discussion about other individuals, but no other nominations were made. Stephan Wiblemo (Glencoe) moved to table the vice president election to the next meeting; Adam Dammann (Plato) seconded, motion carried. The bar cards topic was brought up, to discuss if the league wants to continue with that fundraiser. continued on page 8

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Class C State champions: Plato Bluejays The Bluejays ďŹ nal roster (in no order): Mitchell Pinske, Jacob Bratsch, Joshua VonBerge, Jake VonBerge, Tony Wischnack, Spencer Lepel, Cody Hallahan, Tanner Grack, Nolan Lepel, Tyler Lang, Tyler Chap, Brian Graupmann, Ben Slater, Mitchell Boeshe, Adam Prehn, Chris Odegaard, Tony Beringer, Zack Stockman, Joe Nix, Adam Dammann, Tom Lemke, Matt Odegaard, Kyle Panning, Tony Kley, and Dylan McCormick.

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Green Isle Irish From left, front row: Mac Zachow, Jeremy Ische, Brian Scherschligt, Zach Herd, Tom Juberian, Mike Dent, Austin Brockhoﬀ, and Mike Dhaene. Back row: Lucas Herd, Ryan Evanson, Keller Knoll, Pat Gullickson, Alex Twenge, Ben Alexander, Axel Twenge, Connor Herd, Bjorn Hansen and co-manager Brian Hartmann. SUBMITTED PHOTO

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January minutes continued from page 3 Doug Schuette (Brownton) moved to keep the bar cards as is for the 2016 season. Steve Mielke (New Germany) seconded, motion carried. NW Umpires contract – Secretary Kuerschner clarified a portion of the contract that changed from what he reported at the December meeting. No further discussion. The topic of the Region Tournament for 2016 was brought up, as per the December meeting, we must consider all playoff games as Region 7C Tournament Play. As such, the revenue and expenses need to be accounted for in some manner so everyone knows what is needed to be accomplished. Gerry “Beans” Roepke added to this conversation as he is the commissioner of Region 7C. After discussion, Brandon Stender (Young America) moved that during the first round of Region 7C, the teams playing the individual series will share all revenue/expenses, Adam Dammann (Plato) seconded, motion carried. It was further discussed that as these are Region 7C games, the region board will need to be in attendance for these games. Currently, there will be six board members, and there should be at least two members at each game. There could be as many as four games on one night in four different locations. There will most likely need to be additional people appointed to the board for this first round of games to cover in case of protests or other issues. This will be addressed at a later date.

New business

Secretary Kuerschner brought up the following ads that had been paid in the past: Hot Stove ad – Herald Journal State handbook ad – League & Regions Regular season KGLB ad Regular season Herald Journal Playoff ads – Herald Journal & KGLB Stephan Wiblemo (Glencoe), moved to pay these ads as they are presented to the league, Dennis Zabel (St. Bonifacius) seconded, motion carried. Team dues/insurance/review ads were further discussed, as insurance was approved that each team pays $425 earlier

in the meeting. Review ads will also cost $365 per team, and team dues were not changed from $100. The group was informed that at the March meeting, each team will need to bring a check payable to Crow River Valley League for $890. Treasurer Kuerschner will then pay the insurance and Herald Journal for their portions of the money collected. Region hosts St. Bonifacius and secondary site Watertown (Lighted Field) were afforded the opportunity to speak about anything at their parks. At this time, St. Bonifacius didn’t have anything to report. Jared Duske (Watertown) informed the group that the dugouts have been repaired since the wind storm they experienced last summer that took off the roofs. Next item was the discussion of baseballs to use for the 2016 season. Doug Schuette (Brownton) informed the group that the prices from Nicklasson’s in New Ulm would be as such for this season – Rawlings $54.50/dozen, Diamond D1-Pro low seam $60/dozen. Joe Kreger (Green Isle) moved to approve both the Rawlings and Diamond Low Seam baseballs for regular season league play, Ben Smothers (Waconia) seconded, there was some discussion, motion carried. Doug Schuette instructed the group to provide him their team’s orders ASAP, and he will get them ordered from Nicklasson’s for delivery at the March meeting. The constitution and by-laws now need to be updated, approved, and submitted to the state board by the end of April. Brandon Stender (Young America) moved to have the league ofﬁcers update the constitution and by-laws prior to the March meeting, Joe Berrios (Mayer) seconded, motion carried. The next league meeting will take place Monday, March 14 at Dubb’s in Glencoe at 7 p.m. With no other business to discuss, Brandon Stender (Young America) moved to adjourn, Adam Dammann (Plato) seconded, motion carried. The meeting was adjourned at 8:10 p.m.

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Irish have great season, but no luck in championship game By Jarrod Peterson The Green Isle Irish had quite the 2015 campaign. In the regular season, the Irish finished with a record of 18-3 and at the top of the Crow River League South Division. Once the regular season wrapped up, Green Isle headed to the Class C state tournament, where it experienced a lot of success, despite losing in the championship game to the Plato Bluejays. In the first round, the Irish breezed past Wanamingo 4-0, then defeated Faribault in the second round, 6-2. From there, wins over Pelican Rapids, Hampton, and Howard Lake set up the championship bout against Plato. The Bluejays got their bats going and the Irish were unable to keep up, losing 14-6. On the mound, the Irish was one of the best pitching teams in the Crow River League. They finished with a team earned run average of 1.98, second only behind Waconia for the league best. They compiled 162 strikeouts to just 42 walks, and

surrendered just 38 earned runs all season. Lucas Herd and Mac Zachow were a two-headed monster on the mound. Herd finished with a record of 3-1 and a 1.59 ERA in 34 innings. He also struck out 28 batters. Zachow was just as good, if not, better than Herd. He finished with 1.60 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 45 innings. Pat Gullickson led the Irish with a record of 6-2 and had an ERA of 2.73. Connor Herd finished with a record of 3-0. At the plate, the Irish held a team batting average of .293, good for third in the league. Zachow had the league’s seventh-best average (.406) and was the league-leader in both home runs (eight) and runs batted in (29). He also scored 18 runs. Zach Herd batted .372 with six doubles, and led the league with 29 runs scored. L. Herd finished with a .328 batting average and 18 runs scored. Ryan Evanson batted .318, and Bjom Hansen hit .304. Hansen and Axel Twenge each hit two home runs, and Brian Scherschligt drove in 17 runs.

Lakers enjoy strong ‘15 campaign behind pitching and bats

By Jarrod Peterson The Waconia Lakers enjoyed an extremely successfull 2015 campaign, one that saw them finish with 15 victories and tied for first in the North Division of the Crow River League with the Winsted Wildcats. The record of 15-5 saw the Lakers claim the No. 7 seed in the Class C State baseball tournament. Once in, the Lakers defeated St. Peter, Sartell, and Kimball before losing to Howard Lake in the state quarterfinals, 2-1. The Lakers boasted the best team batting average in the Crow River. They batted .323 as a team and tied with a league-high 18 home runs. Cody Strang led the Lakers’ offensive attack with a .450 average and three home runs. Chris Bullis was the other Laker to bat at least .400 during the season, as he finished right at that mark. He crushed

four homers, six doubles, drove in 16 runs, and scored 14 runs. Ronnie Olson led the Lakers with 17 runs scored, and he hit two homers with a .356 average. Kodey Simon batted .358, Kevin Bullis held a .283 average, and Robbie Smothers finished with a .280 average for the Lakers. While the Lakers were extremely impressive at the dish, they might have been even better on the mound. They finished with a team earned run average of 1.69, the best in the Crow River League. As a staff, the Lakers had a 3.39 strikeout-to-walk ratio, and allowed just 44 runs (32 earned) all season. Simon finished with a record of 4-3 and 54 strikeouts. He compiled an ERA of 1.64 in 44 innings of work. Dylan Linder went 3-0 for the Lakers, and finished with 42 strikeouts. Josh Lenz went 3-1 with 26 strikeouts.

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Giving back with field maintenance By Brad Johnson With many baseball fields around the league, there simply isn’t a large budget for field maintenance. The league relies on municipalities, coaches, players, and volunteers to take on the roles of maintaining the ball field during the season. Town baseball fields are being used at a high rate and although it’s great never seeing them sit empty, the proper maintenance must be obtained to create a playing surface that is safe and sustainable. As teams come together prior to the season to talk rosters and schedules, it’s also a great time to talk field maintenance. Within this article we will look at baseball infields and the few key factors that can keep your field looking great. Scheduling is one of the most important items in maintenance, but at the same time, it’s one of the most overlooked. Creating a schedule for your field can help with consistency and allow you to plan and budget. A simple schedule should include mowing dates, irrigating times, fertilizer/ pesticide applications, special tournaments, and maintenance projects. Now that a schedule is developed,

let’s look at each factor a little more closely: Mowing — Infield turf, if possible, should be mowed with a push mower at a height length between 1 and 2.5 inches. The grass should never be allowed to grow so long that more than 1/3 of the leaf tissue would need to be cut to get it back to the recommended length. Letting the grass grow too long before cutting it can cause damage to the turf. This may require multiple mowings per week. Bagging is always a great option to give a nice clean cut; however, if clippings are removed, some more fertilizing may be required. Irrigation — Proper watering is crucial to maintain a healthy infield. Watering cycles should be set to water deeply and infrequently. This means that instead of running irrigation almost every night for short periods of time (10 minutes a station), the cycles should be set up for fewer days and longer watering times (30 minutes a station). This will allow the water to percolate deeper into the soil profile and allow for deeper and healthier roots. Cycles should be set to run in the early morning hours. It’s ideal that

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the watering wraps up around 6 a.m. This helps prevent turf diseases, as the leaf blades will dry out quicker in the morning sun instead of staying damp throughout the entire night. Fertilizer/Pesticide — A field should see at least four fertilizer applications per year (2lbs. N/1000sq ft). Fertilizer can be applied in liquid or granular form. The first application should include a pre-emergent crabgrass preventer, applied when soil temperatures have reached 60°F (May). Two more applications should take place during June through August. The final application is prior to the turf going dormant (first week in November). This will be stored by the plant, and used next year coming out of winter. Herbicide applications, if possible, should wait until the fall. This will yield better results, as weeds are storing nutrients for the winter months and the herbicide can work its way into the root system, killing the weed 100 percent.

Maintenance Extras — These include spring dethatching and fall aerification. Both serve different purposes, but are key to helping to allow air to the turf and soil profile. Spring dethatching breaks up the mat that has been created by the winter’s snow pack. Getting this mat and dead material lifted will allow for quicker greenup. Aerification usually is performed after Labor Day. It’s a great time to relieve compaction that occurred from activities throughout the season. Be sure not to give up on the field once the season has ended. This is a great time to re-sod, straighten edges and work on larger projects. Baseball field maintenance is a season-long effort. With a minimal budget and some hard work you will surely see positive results and continue to put smiles on kids’ faces every time they step on a beautiful field. Brad Johnson can be reached at bajohns08@gmail.com.

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Improvements Continue To St. Boni Saints Home Field as the Host of 2016 Regional Playoffs

New fencing at St. Boni Saints’ park and the right ﬁeld short porch.

PHOTO BY BRUCE JOHNSON

A diﬀerent angle shows one of the largest centerﬁelds in the CRVL.

PHOTO BY BRUCE JOHNSON

The Legend of St. Boni baseball By Jarrod Peterson and St. Bonifacius Centennial and Historical Society Baseball was part of the history of St. Bonifcacius for a long, long time. It’s likely that local Civil War veterans brought the game to town when they returned home in the mid1860s. Newspaper articles record baseball games played between local neighboring towns as far back as 1877. Newspapers from around 1900 indicated that formal meetings were called in St. Boni to organize teams, but there appears to have been no formal league. It seems that most of the games were unscheduled pick up games with sizeable side wagers. With so much at stake, it’s not surprising that many games did not end amicably, but instead with a chal-

lenge for a rematch, this time with impartial umpires. It’s unclear when the first leagues were formed, but St. Boni’s participation was, at best, irregular. With no city park, there were years when no team could be fielded. A century ago, the St. Boni Red Sox played at Kraemer Park, northeast of the Baptist Cementery. In 1931, the team moved to a field on Park Ave., across the highway from today’s park. Land for the current city park was bought from the church, and a field laid out in 1937. Home plate was in the northeast corner until 1939, when the WPA reconfigured the field, and built a limestone grandstand into the hill in the southwest corner of the park. All this time, baseball was America’s pastime and

passion; it was the dream of every St. Boni boy to play town ball, maybe even big league ball. For these youthful dreamers, the summer of 1959 — it doesn’t get any better than this! The Saints entered the state tournament with a 14game winning streak, but came up short, losing in the semiﬁnals to Shakopee. But it did get better. In the next ﬁve years, the Saints would win three Minnesota State Amateur Baseball championships. In 1961, they defeated Perham 3-0 in the title game; in 1964 they topped Caledonia 1-0 in the title game; and in 1965, the Saints culminated an undefeated season with a 2-1 win over Rogers.

The Watertown Red Devils rebuilt the roof of their dugout after the July tornado. They will be the co-host for the regions night games.

PHOTO BY BRUCE JOHNSON

Crow River Revie Review

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Hamburg turns moderate season into state trip By Jarrod Peterson The Hamburg Hawks had a middle-ofthe-road type of season in 2015. They ﬁnished with a record of 9-12, good for ﬁfth place in the South Division of the Crow River Baseball League. Their season came to an end Aug. 22, 2015, when they fell to the Chokio Coyotes by a score of 8-2 in a playoff game in Cold Spring. As a team, the Hawks held a batting average of .226, placing them 12th in the league, and had a team earned run average of 4.04, eighth in the league. Justin Perlich and Scot Arganbright

led the Hawks at the plate, as they batted .394 and .393, respectively. Perlich ﬁnished third in the league in runs scored (26), and Arganbright drove in 18 runs, putting him eighth in the league. Brandon Buesgens brought the power to the Hawks’ lineup, as he smacked three home runs and also scored 16 runs. Clint Aretz drilled six doubles, tying him for eighth. On the mound, the Hawks were paced by Alex Kroells, who had the team’s lowest ERA at 3.41 in 33 innings pitched. The Hawks ﬁnished the season with 122 strikeouts and 106 walks.

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Baseball: My Pastime By Jarrod Peterson While baseball might not be America’s pastime anymore, it still brings me back to the days when I was a lot younger and attending games at The Metrodome in Minneapolis. There really is no bond like the one a father and son share while at a baseball game. I remember spending many Saturday nights out in the $10 leftﬁeld seats during the Twins’ years of American League Central Division dominance. Saturday nights was always a big draw, too, and the games were always great. I remember having a birthday party there on Cristian Guzman bobblehead night as Barry Zito, of the Oakland Athletics, pitched against my favorite team. The Twins won that night, and I think Corey Koskie and Jacque Jones both hit homeruns. Growing up I played a lot of baseball. I really started to love it when we were allowed to pitch starting in fourth grade. Up to that point, it was either t-ball, parents’ pitch, or pitching machine. I remember many nights spent on the diamond, as the sun would set beyond the trees, signaling to us that we better hurry up to ﬁnish that inning, because we weren’t allowed to play under the lights. While football and basketball eventually replaced baseball, the game gave me a lot of memories that I will remember forever. I probably should have kept playing. I didn’t realize one day the Minnesota Twins would need a left-handed closer. Woulda, shoulda, coulda.

s! m a e T k c u L d o Go

St. Boni Sa k c u l int d o

LYLE

1320 Pryor Ave Glencoe

320-864-6222

MIKE

575 Jeﬀerson St Hutchinson

320-234-9690

Good Luck Crow teams in 2016! Crow River Valley League

Grumpy’s on Main

Pizza, Burgers, & More!

St. Bonifacius (952) 446-1478

Congratulations to Plato and Green Isle on their respective 1st and 2nd place finishes in the Class C Baseball Tournament

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Crow River Valley League 2015 Statistics

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