2021 Amateur Baseball - Spring

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Page 2 | Amateur Baseball: Stearns County League - North

April 21, 2021

Elrosa Saints

PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

Brandon Roelike makes solid contact with the ball, making him a respected hitter in the Saints’ line-up. He and others make it difficult to retire the Saints without giving up runs.

Play Ball !

Enjoy the Amateur Baseball Season!

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Look to the Elrosa Saints to continue as the powerhouse in the Stearns County League.

The team’s offense can score on just about everyone, and their pitching and defense limit runs scored by opponents. The offensive core has experienced hitters like Jackson Peter, .382, Brandon Roelike, .300, Kevin Koehler, .390, and Matt Schmitz, .250, who had 10 or more hits. The addition of Luke Van Beck, .318, added to the prowess, and Will Van Beck, .297, showed his potential with 11 hits. The team scored every way possible and had 12 RBIs from James Koehler.

That cadre of hitters helped overcome the missing bats of Cody Eichers and Ethan Vogt.

Elrosa Aaron Vogt Abe Peter Austin Imdieke Brandon Roelike Cody Eichers Derek Wiener Edwin Martin Ethan Vogt Evan Wiener Jackson Peter James Koehler Kevin Koehler Luke Van Beck Matt Schmitz Riley Lenarz Ryan Illies Ryan Olmscheid Will Van Beck Peyton Winter Gavin Kampsen Totals

AB 3 12 20 40 6 31 1 17 17 55 40 41 44 56 2 33 4 37 4 4 467

Injuries and illness forced them to miss much of the season shortened by the coronavirus pandemic.

As it was, Elrosa outscored opponents 71-55 as they finished 10-4 on the year. The team’s ERA was 3.47, and their pitching staff again has potential to be among the best in the league.

On the mound, Peyton VanBeck emerged as the team’s ace. His 1.56p ERA across 40-plus innings showed he can con-t trol the bats of opponents.b Jackson Peter and Austinr Imdieke are dependable,o and Will Van Beck put int some good innings late in the year. They showed El-i E Elrosa page 3 c l t IP H R ER SO BB HP W L S ERA 17.2 11 8 6 11 14 2 1 1 0 3.06 o 12 18 12 13 17 4 2 0 0 0 9.75 M

Pitching Aaron Vogt Austin Imdieke Ethan Vogt Jackson Peter Payton Van Beck Luke Van Beck Ed Martin Evan Wiener Will Van Beck Cody Douvier Ty Reller-drafted Totals

R H BI BB 0 0 0 0 3 2 0 1 1 1 2 3 5 12 7 5 0 1 0 1 3 5 6 2 0 1 0 1 2 3 0 1 1 3 4 4 9 21 8 7 9 8 12 4 9 16 3 6 9 14 5 5 9 14 8 6 0 0 0 1 4 5 3 4 0 1 0 0 6 11 3 4 1 2 3 0 0 1 0 1 71 121 64 56

1B 0 2 1 12 1 4 1 3 3 17 4 12 12 13 0 3 1 10 2 1 12

1.1 19 40.1 8 1.2 .1 11 3 12.2 127

2B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 7

1 14 27 14 0 0 7 3 12 107

HR 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6

0 8 7 9 3 0 4 0 4 55

SB 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 3 4 2 3 4 0 1 0 1 0 0 22

0 6 7 7 3 0 4 0 3 49

0 18 39 5 2 1 5 2 12 112

0 0 0 11 2 3 17 3 4 3 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 1 0 0 0 5 2 1 63 12 10

SF HP AVE 0 0 .000 0 0 .167 1 0 .050 1 5 .300 0 0 .167 1 0 .161 0 0 1.00 0 3 .176 1 0 .176 0 1 .382 2 4 .200 0 1 .390 0 4 .318 0 3 .250 0 0 .000 1 1 .152 1 0 .250 1 1 .297 0 0 .500 0 0 .250 9 23 .259

0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 4

0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 3

SLG .000 .167 .050 .300 .167 .258 1.00 .176 .176 .455 .450 .439 .318 .268 .000 .152 .250 .270 .500 .250 .300

0.00 2.84 1.56 7.88 16.20 0.00 3.27 0.00 2.13 3.47

OBP .000 .231 .174 .440 .286 .212 1.00 .333 .333 .460 .333 .479 .434 .354 .333 .263 .250 .381 .500 .400 .366

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April 21, 2021

Spring Hill Chargers

The Spring Hill Chargers, probably more than any other team, felt the effects of the coronavirus pandemic last year.

Just as the team was beginning to do well in the post season, they had to step out of the season because of COVID-19. This year may be a year of redemption for them. With the Chargers’ emphasis on defense and pitching, opponents have to work to beat the Chargers.

The strong defense comes from experienced infielders and talented outfielders. Up the middle, Erik and Jamie Terres are among the area’s best combinations in field and at the plate. Offensively, they combine for over 32 hits and are always a threat to score when on base. The outfield features one of the league’s best centerfielders in Owen Meyer.

Amateur Baseball: Stearns County League - North | Page 3 Pitching IP H Anthony Revermann 20.2 32 Austin Schoenberg 30.2 28 Carter Tschida 16.1 19 Reagan Nelson 12 13 Ben Welle 3 2 Eric Terres 12 8 Jordan Welle 5.2 7 Aaron Christen 5 3 Jordan Orbeck 1.2 5 Brett Terres 3 5 Jaron Klaphakd-d 3 2 Totals 124.2 124

PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

Eric Schoenberg’s ability to hit with runners on base is a reason the Chargers like to see him at the plate. He had 11 RBIs with 11 hits last year.

R 24 16 15 10 0 3 5 4 6 2 0 94

ER 21 11 12 7 0 1 3 3 6 0 0 64

SO 14 14 4 9 0 7 3 4 0 4 3 62

BB HP W L S ERA 12 4 0 3 0 9.15 13 5 1 0 0 3.23 13 3 0 2 1 6.61 8 3 3 0 0 5.25 1 1 0 0 0 0.00 4 0 2 0 0 0.75 1 1 0 0 0 5.06 3 0 0 1 0 5.40 3 0 0 0 0 32.39 0 0 1 0 0 0.00 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 58 17 7 7 1 4.62

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rosa has more than Aaron Vogt, who has retired, and Ethan Vogt for pitching.

Elrosa’s defense will rarely give away games.

When combined with their offense and pitching, Elrosa is one tough team.

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Page 4 | Amateur Baseball: Stearns County League - North

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Wishing everyone good luck and lots of fun!

The Greenwald Cubs hold the promise of a good season in the potential of their young players.

That youth also brings questions and challenges.

The team needs to put together complete games.

There are times when the team hits well only to give up too many runs. Their pitchers have, at times, kept teams in check, but the offense does not always deliver.

They also need to find consistency on offense and some depth on the mound.

Kegan Stueve hit well for the team last year, but there were few others who had his consistency.

A real bright spot for the team has been the continued improvement of Tyler Hoffman on the mound.

He finished among the area leaders for innings pitched and had a respectable ERA. Hopefully, Brett Engelmeyer, Tyler Engelmeyer and Ethan Ettel should do more pitching this season.

Defensively, the team has a good outfield built around the play of Tyler Engelmeyer. The infield improved with the combination of Levi Feldewerd, Stueve and Ryan Kraemer.

Greenwald will be

April 21, 2021

GREENWALD CUBS more experienced than last year. Last season, a number of players had their first real taste of amateur ball, and sometimes they were overpowered by the experience of established players.

The team will be challenged, but they have the talent to meet those challenges and have a good year.

Pitching IP H Nick Rademacher 7.2 16 Tyler Engelmeyer 17 29 Tyler Hoffman 44.2 54 Ethan Ettel 2 8 Brett Engelmeyer 2.7 2 Derek Wessel 2 0 Tyler Leukam 1 3 Totals 77 112

R 10 30 30 8 0 3 4 85

Greenwald AB R Alejandro Thompson 0 0 Brandon Worms 4 0 Brett Engelmeyer 23 2 Derek Wessel 10 0 Doug Imdieke 1 0 Ethan Ettel 7 2 Henry Braun 6 1 Kegan Stueve 38 7 Levi Feldewerd 17 3 Nick Finken 2 0 Nick Rademacher 32 0 Ryan Kraemer 27 2 Tyler Engelmeyer 32 0 Tyler Hoffman 25 1 Tyler Leukam 28 4 Tyler Thomes 31 3 Zach Ettel 16 1 Totals 299 26

PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

Ethan Ettel is among the young players expected to help the Cubs this year.

Last year, he had to make the adjustment from high school to amateur play.

ER 6 28 16 8 0 1 4 63

H 0 1 5 1 0 1 3 12 2 0 4 5 4 2 5 9 4 58

SO 7 15 24 0 3 0 0 49

BB HP W L ERA 1 1 0 1 7.04 19 3 0 2 14.82 18 1 1 6 3.22 2 0 0 0 36.00 0 2 0 0 0.00 0 2 0 0 4.50 0 0 0 0 36.00 40 9 1 9 7.36

BI BB 0 3 0 1 0 2 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 4 5 0 2 0 0 1 2 2 3 3 5 1 2 1 7 2 2 1 2 17 38

1B 0 0 3 1 0 1 3 10 2 0 4 5 4 2 5 8 4 52

2B 0 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 5

HR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1

SB 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 2 0 2 0 0 8

SF HP 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 1 4 7

AVE SLG .000 .000 .250 .500 .217 .304 .100 .100 .000 .000 .143 .143 .500 .500 .316 .368 .118 .118 .000 .000 .125 .125 .185 .185 .125 .125 .080 .080 .179 .179 .290 .387 .250 .250 .194 .221

OBP 1.000 .400 .308 .182 .000 .250 .571 .395 .250 .000 .200 .267 .243 .148 .361 .353 .368 .299

Meire Grove Grovers The Meire Grove Grovers will create problems for some teams this year.

The Grovers should also create some good memories for their fans.

Alex Welle will manage the team this year and inherits a team with the elements that made it a contender last year.

Their offense can handle the pitching of most teams.

The bats of Alex Welle, Jordan Klaphake and Tanner Klaphake,

75 Highway 4 North, Meire e Grove Melrose, MN 56352 2 320-987-3646

who had six hits in one game last year, get runners on base. Tanner Klaphake is a tough batter to keep off base. Last year, he had an impressive .536 average and a .567 OBP. Colton Meyer and Josh Roelike provide power to drive in runs.

The Grovers have one of the area’s most effective pitchers in Matt Imdieke but can also bring Ben Klaphake and Jacob PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING Imdieke to the mound.

Josh Roelike adds a bit more power to the Grovers’ Meire Grove has a lineup and veteran experience in the field. He delivered tradition of a strong de- key hits for the team last year. fense, and with the talents of Tyler Moscho IP H R ER SO BB HP W L S ERA and Gabe Schwieters, Pitching Ben Klaphake 10 4 3 3 6 7 0 2 0 1 2.70 the team’s defense could Jacob Imdieke 14 16 24 16 11 15 10 0 1 0 10.29 well be better this year. Josh Roelike 6.2 9 5 5 2 1 0 1 1 0 6.75 Moscho has already es- Matt Imdieke 39.1 45 25 14 27 13 3 1 0 0 3.20 tablished himself as con- Gabe Schwieters 3 0 4 4 2 6 1 0 0 0 12.00 Colton Meyer 1.1 2 4 2 4 0 1 0 1 0 13.50 sistent hitter.

As all those elements Jordan Klaphake 1.2 0 1 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 5.40 Welle 3 4 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 9.00 come together, the Gro- Andrew Aaron Meyer 1 3 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 18.00 vers will enjoy successful Jaron Klaphake-d 2.2 4 3 3 0 1 0 0 1 0 10.12 games this season.

Totals 82.2 87 75 53 53 45 16 4 5 1 5.77

Meire Grove page Meire Grove AB R5

grovemutual.com

Aaron Meyer 3 0 Alex Welle 81 5 Andrew Welle 36 4 Anthony Carpenter 5 0 Anthony Welle 5 1 Bob Deters 5 0 Colton Meyer 17 5 Gabe Schwieters 10 2 Jacob Imdieke 1 0 Josh Roelike 25 4 Jaron Klaphake 7 2 Jordan Klaphake 35 6 Josh Olmscheid 21 4 Kurt Marthaler 34 4 Matt Imdieke 4 0 Ryan Olmscheid 37 5 Tanner Klaphake 28 7 Tyler Moscho 31 3 Totals 385 52

H 0 10 9 0 1 0 5 1 0 8 2 11 4 5 0 9 15 9 89

BI BB 0 0 4 2 3 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 6 1 0 0 0 0 5 1 1 2 4 2 3 2 6 0 0 0 1 1 6 1 3 3 42 20

1B 0 8 9 0 1 0 1 1 0 5 1 10 3 4 0 8 11 9 71

2B 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 1 1 1 0 0 1 3 0 12

HR 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 6

SB 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 0 0 0 1 0 6

SF HP 0 0 0 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 2 0 0 2 0 2 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 0 3 14

AVE SLG .000 .000 .123 .148 .250 .250 .000 .000 .200 .200 .000 .000 .294 .882 .100 .100 .000 .000 .320 .520 .286 .429 .314 .343 .190 .238 .147 .235 .000 .000 .243 .270 .536 .750 .290 .290 .231 .309

OBP .000 .155 .386 .000 .333 .000 .333 .100 .000 .370 .500 .351 .320 .194 .000 .300 .567 .353 .294

April 21, 2021

New Munich SilverStreaks

The New Munich SilverStreaks are never out of a game.

The team has the players to ignite a rally from any point in the lineup, and the roster comes through with key hits. Will Funk is the player most think of when it comes to New Munich, but is just one on the roster who consistently delivers. Adam Strangler has a proven record of getting on base and driving in runs. Jacob Hinnenkamp has developed into a player who will get hits in clutch, and Ty Reller has more than once had momentum building hits for the SilverStreaks.

Reller is a pitcher with the team, continuing a tradition of dominance at that position.

Jim Thill remains a durable pitcher and effectively holds batters in check. They are helped by the experience of Nick Strangler behind the plate.

Defensively, the team is solid across all positions and rarely fails to support their pitchers or protect the offensive lead. There are teams which can and will defeat New Munich, but every team knows that when they face New Munich, they are facing a quality team.

Spring Hill from page 3 Tony Revermann, Austin Schoenberg and Carter Tschida can throw a lot innings.

With their talents, and the experience of catcher Nathan Terres calling games, they will keep the Chargers in games. Reagan Nelson earned three wins in relief last season.

O ff e n s i v e l y, Spring Hill can score with power or by manufacturing runs. They score often. All but three of their players scored and three had over 10 runs.

With younger players such as Ben Welle, Reagan Nelson and Luke Dehmer gaining experience last year, the Chargers will be challenging all teams they face this year.

Amateur Baseball: Stearns County League - North | Page 5

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Pitching Jim Thill Ty Reller Nolan Sand Will Funk Hunter Rademacher Totals

At .400, Will Funk is often on base. His base-running skills enable him to get around the bases and score needed runs for the SilverStreaks.

New Munich Adam Strangler Alex Hungnam Caden Sand Caldin Rieland Chad Funk Devin Gertken Hunter Rademacher Jacob Hinnenkamp Jim Thill Joe Hoppe Joe Strangler Keagan Strangler Logan Funk Nick Strangler Nolan Sand Paul Sand Peyton Rademacher Tanner Rieland Ty Reller Will Funk Totals

AB R 40 9 10 1 8 0 2 0 26 5 4 2 32 7 36 7 2 0 1 0 31 5 6 0 30 2 12 2 8 3 1 0 8 2 35 5 39 1 42 8 373 59

Spring Hill AB Aaron Christen 4 Anthony Revermann 41 Austin Schoenberg 53 Ben Welle 3 Brandon Welle 2 Brent Terres 38 Carter Tschida 15 Dylan Gertken 2 Dylan Meyer 4 Eric Schoenberg 46 Erik Terres 43 Jamie Terres 50 Jordan Orbeck 22 Jordan Welle 4 Luke Dehmer 9 Nathan Terres 46 Owen Meyer 39 Reagan Nelson 30 Totals 451

H 13 1 1 0 2 0 6 10 0 0 5 2 6 1 2 0 3 5 9 17 83

R 4 6 12 2 0 5 1 4 0 2 9 13 1 1 0 6 10 6 83

BI BB 6 3 0 0 0 0 1 1 3 9 1 1 2 8 4 4 0 0 0 0 4 7 3 1 4 1 1 5 1 4 0 0 1 2 2 1 6 3 10 5 49 55

H 1 11 26 0 1 10 4 1 0 11 15 17 4 0 1 11 9 8 130

IP H R 46 44 22 38.7 27 14 6 9 12 6.3 13 14

SO 28 44 7 8

BB 8 11 4 2

HP W L 3 3 3 4 4 1 3 0 1 0 0 0

S ERA 0 3.13 0 2.79 0 16.50 1 15.63

3 1 0 0 2 100 94 62 50 89

3 28

0 10

0 1

1B 8 1 1 0 2 0 4 5 0 0 4 2 6 1 1 0 3 3 8 12 61

2B 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 10

HR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 3

ER 16 12 11 11

SB 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 8

SF HP 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 1 5 15

BI BB 1B 2B HR SB SF HP 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 11 0 0 2 0 0 8 4 23 2 1 7 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 7 3 8 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 11 3 9 2 0 0 3 1 2 7 13 2 0 1 2 2 16 5 11 3 3 3 1 4 2 1 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 8 5 10 1 0 3 1 3 3 4 9 0 0 2 0 1 6 3 7 0 1 1 0 0 64 39 111 13 6 22 11 12

0 7

0 5

AVE SLG .325 .450 .100 .100 .125 .125 .000 .000 .077 .077 .000 .000 .188 .125 .278 .306 .000 .000 .000 .000 .161 .129 .333 .333 .200 .200 .083 .083 .250 .375 .000 .000 .375 .375 .143 .086 .231 .205 .405 .619 .223 .249

AVE SLG .250 .250 .268 .268 .491 .585 .000 .000 .500 .500 .263 .316 .267 .267 .500 .500 .000 .000 .239 .283 .349 .395 .340 .580 .182 .364 .000 .000 .111 .111 .239 .261 .231 .231 .267 .367 .288 .357

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OBP .413 .100 .125 .333 .314 .200 .395 .366 .000 .000 .350 .500 .250 .389 .500 .000 .500 .167 .318 .479 .345

OBP .500 .268 .534 .000 .500 .317 .313 .667 .000 .300 .462 .441 .217 .000 .111 .352 .318 .333 .361

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April 21, 2021

Page 6 | Amateur Baseball: Stearns County League - South Pitching Adam Winkles Ethan Navratil Robert Schleper Tylor Schroeder Cody Fourre Dylan Panek Brad Mergen Totals

IP 27 15.1 2 35 3 1 7.2 91

H R ER 26 15 13 14 6 2 2 3 2 40 12 10 2 1 1 3 3 1 3 1 8 90 41 37

SO 20 12 1 17 2 1 6 59

BB HP W 18 2 1 5 0 2 2 0 1 10 1 2 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 40 3 6

L 1 1 0 2 0 1 0 5

S 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 2

ERA 4.33 1.17 9.00 2.57 3.00 9.00 9.39 3.66

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Farming Flames

The Farming Flames will be a team to beat in the area, and it will not be easy to do.

Within the club, there is an established core of veterans, and younger players are ready to step up and shine. Offensively, the team is multifaceted. In last year’s shortened season, five players – Aaron Eiynck, Cody Fourre, Ethan Navratil, Isaac Nett and Nick Mergen – claimed home runs. Nett consistently gets on base and scores runs. Nett scored 11 runs, and he can credit Navratil, Tylor Schroeder, Fourre, Eiynck and others in the lineup. The Flames are deep and consistent in their hitting.

Schroeder proved to be the team’s workhorse on the mound, striking out batters at key moments but generally getting the batters to hit to his defenders. Adam Winkels provides another reliable arm as does Navratil.

The Flames started hot last year and lost some close games. This year, they could very well keep winning all year long.

PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

Pitcher Adam Winkels is one in a trio of moundsmen the Flames can depend on to keep them in games. He was one of four Flames to earn wins last season.

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Farming Aaron Eiynck Adam Winkels Bradon Einyck Carey Shay Chad Mergen Cody Fourre Dylan Panek Eric Schmitt Ethan Navratil Hunter Mergen Isaac Nett Nick Mergen Robert Schleper Taylor Fourre Tylor Schroeder Will Mergen Totals

AB 37 31 7 1 13 46 10 5 34 3 46 41 2 39 35 29 379

R H BI BB 6 10 2 2 4 8 4 3 1 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 4 2 3 6 12 5 0 2 1 1 0 0 1 0 2 7 12 8 7 0 0 1 1 11 22 13 5 8 10 5 4 0 0 0 0 8 12 4 6 6 11 2 6 7 6 5 3 71 113 52 43

1B 8 5 4 0 4 10 1 1 10 0 16 8 0 9 8 3 87

2B 1 3 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 4 1 0 3 3 3 20

3B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1

HR 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 5

SB 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 1 0 5 0 0 14

SF HP AVE SLG OBP 0 1 .270 .378 .325 0 0 .258 .355 .324 0 0 .571 .571 .625 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 .308 .308 .438 2 2 .261 .348 .292 0 0 .100 .100 .100 0 0 .200 .200 .429 0 0 .353 .471 .463 0 0 .000 .000 .250 0 2 .478 .674 .547 3 1 .244 .341 .326 0 0 .000 .000 .000 1 0 .308 .385 .400 0 2 .314 .400 .442 1 3 .207 .310 .343 7 11 .298 .396 .386

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AB R H BI BB 1B 2B 3B HR The Roscoe Rangers Roscoe 11 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 have plenty of enthusi- Austin Pauls 18 1 3 2 1 2 1 0 0 astic youth on their dia- Brady Klingfus Brandon Schleper 35 11 12 1 0 9 3 0 0 mond this year.

Brent Heinen 20 1 6 3 4 3 1 1 1 With 10 players un- Bryce Vanderbeek 9 1 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 der the age of 18, the club Chris Vanderbeek 39 4 14 7 1 12 1 0 1 is counting on energy and Cody Mackedanz 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 7 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 raw talent to face the ex- Cory Schmitt 0 0 perience of other teams Dawson Hemmesch 23 2 3 1 1 2 1 Devon Savage 35 5 12 7 3 9 1 0 2 in the Stearns County Garth Utsch 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 League. That view is not Grant Thompson 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 without some basis as the Jordan Schleper 31 2 7 2 5 4 2 0 1 team showed last year. Josh Mackedanz 10 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 They started three of Max Athmann Nick Gabrielson 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 those younger players.

0 0 The Rangers veterans Nick Hommerding 5 0 0 0 1 0 0 RJ Leyendecker 17 1 4 1 1 3 1 0 0 know how to play. Devon Russell Leyendecker 25 3 6 2 1 6 0 0 0 Savage and Chris Vander- Spence Eisenbraun 2 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 beek are always threats Spence Evans 22 1 4 1 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 to get on base. They and Zach Mackedanz 8 0 1 0 0 1 0 323 34 75 27 25 57 12 1 5 Brandon Schleper all Totals had 10 or more hits. The pitching corps does have Josh Mackedanz and ing much of the pitching some experience with Dawson Hemmesch do- for the team. Brent Heinen, Brandon Schleper and Jordan Schleper, all veterans, came on after them.

Manager Ben Moser is excited about having those veterans mix well with promising highPHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

Infield defense by Josh Mackedanz (front) and Brady Klingfus have helped the Rangers improve play.

Josh Mackedanz is also the primary pitcher for the team.

Pitching Dawson Hemmesch Josh Mackedanz Brady Klingfus Brandon Schleper Jordan Schleper Brent Heinen Zach Mackedanz Cody Mackedanz Spence Evans Josh Mackedanz Totals

IP 24.2 31.1 7 .1 2 1.2 5.1 4.2 4.1 2 83.1

H 24 40 7 2 5 6 6 5 5 0 100

R 15 34 7 2 1 5 5 6 2 0 77

ER 13 27 4 2 1 5 5 3 1 0 61

SB 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 8

SF HP AVE SLG OBP 0 2 .000 .000 .214 0 1 .167 .222 .250 0 3 .343 .429 .395 1 0 .300 .600 .417 0 0 .111 .222 .200 0 0 .359 .462 .375 0 0 .000 .000 .500 0 1 .143 .143 .250 0 1 .130 .174 .200 0 1 .343 .543 .410 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 0 0 0 .226 .387 .333 0 2 .000 .000 .167 1 1 .000 .000 .333 0 0 0 0 .000 .000 .167 0 0 .235 .294 .278 0 2 .240 .240 .321 0 0 .500 .500 .667 1 1 .182 .182 .250 0 1 .125 .125 .222 3 16 .232 .322 .319

school talent. Austin Pauls started every game in outfield and played errorless ball. Bryce Vanderbeek became a regular infielder while Max Athmann started in the outfield and caught for the team. The versatility of Jaxon Leyendecker also shows promise.

If the talent the team has stays focused, Roscoe could very well be a team that can win games and be fun to watch.

SO 15 26 7 0 1 2 3 2 1 1 58

BB HP W L S ERA 14 4 0 2 0 4.74 8 7 0 5 0 7.76 8 0 0 0 0 5.14 2 1 0 0 0 54.05 2 1 0 1 0 4.50 1 1 0 1 0 26.99 1 1 0 0 0 8.44 1 2 0 0 0 5.79 3 0 1 0 0 2.08 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 40 17 1 9 0 6.59

St. Martin Martins

April 21, 2021

Pitching Bryan Schlangen Jaylyn Arceneau Scott Lieser Ben Schroeder Kyle Lieser Avery Schmitz Scott Schlangen Matt Imdieke-d Adam Winkels-d Totals

IP 31 9 49.1 24.2 1 1 2 8.1 4.2 131

H R ER SO 28 5 4 26 7 6 3 10 23 5 5 56 25 14 12 18 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 3 3 3 2 11 6 6 3 1 1 1 3 98 40 34 120

BB HP W 5 0 2 4 0 0 6 2 6 6 3 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 0 27 5 10

L 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 5

S 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

Amateur Baseball: Stearns County League - South | Page 7

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ERA 1.16 3.00 0.91 4.38 0.00 0.00 13.50 6.48 1.93 2.34

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With great location and a variety of pitches, Scott Lieser is among the best pitchers in the area. He allowed only five runs in his 6-0 season last year.

Downtown • St. Martin St. Martin AB Avery Schmitz 20 Ben Schroeder 1 Brady Goebel 7 Bryan Schlangen 57 Chas Hennen 14 Derek Koll 38 Derek Stroeing 3 Jaylyn Arceneau 52 Kyle Lieser 54 Matthew Schlangen47 Michael Schlangen 36 Nathan Schlangen 36 Ryan Messer 16 Ryan Nett 2 Scott Lieser 30 Scott Schlangen 53 Tanner Arceneau 17 Zach Moritz 14 Totals 497

R H 3 2 0 0 1 2 15 16 3 4 6 8 2 2 7 17 14 15 7 11 4 7 4 9 1 5 0 0 3 5 8 9 5 4 2 3 85 119

By consensus, the St. Martin Martins baseball squad has the best pitcher and possibly the best pitching staff in the Stearns County League.

Built around the pitching of Scott Lieser (.91 ERA, 56 strikeouts, 49.1 innings), the Martins are tough to score

BI 3 0 0 7 1 4 1 11 10 12 1 6 2 0 3 4 5 2 72

BB 1 0 0 11 2 6 1 2 14 4 10 5 0 0 3 6 5 1 71

1B 2 0 2 14 3 8 2 14 8 8 7 6 5 0 4 9 3 3 91

2B 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 2 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 9

3B 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

HR 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 5 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 11

on. Others on the staff are equally effective with Bryan Schlangen (1.16 ERA, 31 innings) and Ben Schroeder (4.38 ERA, 24 innings) showing the depth of the staff.

When backed by the Martins’ talented and experienced defense,

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SF HP AVE SLG OBP 1 1 .100 .100 .182 0 0 .000 .000 .000 0 1 .286 .286 .375 1 3 .281 .368 .423 1 1 .286 .357 .412 1 1 .211 .211 .333 0 0 .667 .667 .750 0 2 .327 .423 .375 0 1 .278 .593 .435 0 0 .234 .383 .294 0 4 .194 .194 .420 0 1 .250 .444 .357 0 0 .313 .313 .313 1 1 .000 .000 .333 0 0 .167 .200 .242 2 1 .170 .170 .267 1 0 .235 .294 .409 0 1 .214 .214 .313 8 18 .239 .314 .355

the pitching staff rarely gives up runs. In 12 of their 15 games last season, the Martins allowed five or fewer runs.

The Martins’ offense, on the other hand, can score runs in a variety of ways. The team outscored opponents 8540 over the year. Lead-

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The talent is not confined to experienced players. Seniors and juniors come from the Albany and Paynesville programs to contribute to the team’s success.

The Martins did at times strike out but overall were always in games. This year, they will be a team that is hard to beat and fun to watch.

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Page 8 | Amateur Baseball

April 21, 2021

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Amateur Baseball: Stearns County League - South | Page 9

Richmond Royals Richmond AB Aaron Budde 2 Andrew Luethmers 1 Austin Larson 3 Brady Blattner 11 Brady Klehr 22 Carter Thelen 2 Chase Aleshire 34 Cole Schmitz 46 DJ Schleicher 7 Dalton Thelen 45 Dusty Adams 35 Justin Schroeder 38 Kenny Mooney 3 Kyle Budde 34 Lane Myer 2 Logan Aleshire 40 Mason Primus 32 Reid Emerson 1 Trent Gertken 34 Totals 392

Pitching Austin Larson Blaine Athmann Brady Klehr DJ Schleicher Dalton Thelen Eli Emerson Logan Aleshire Jim Thull-d Team

IP 9 8 1.2 21.2 12 32.1 1.1 10.2 94.2

R H 0 0 1 0 1 0 3 3 4 2 2 0 8 9 11 17 0 5 14 12 6 10 7 16 0 0 5 10 2 1 13 10 11 10 1 0 10 12 99 117

H 12 5 5 30 7 36 2 14 111

R 9 0 6 20 4 15 1 10 65

BI 0 0 0 4 2 0 13 11 2 7 6 9 1 4 0 8 8 0 12 87

ER 5 0 6 11 3 14 1 8 48

BB SO 1B 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 7 0 1 0 0 0 4 0 5 2 0 11 1 0 5 8 0 5 7 0 8 5 0 9 1 0 0 6 0 9 3 0 1 10 0 5 5 0 6 1 0 0 5 0 6 67 0 72

SO 8 8 2 14 10 37 0 13 92

2B 3B HR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 2 3 0 3 0 0 0 4 1 2 2 0 0 5 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 3 0 2 1 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 3 25 1 19

BB HP W L S ERA 5 0 1 1 0 5.00 3 0 1 0 1 0.00 2 0 0 1 0 32.40 3 1 3 2 0 4.57 10 1 0 0 0 2.25 5 2 2 1 0 3.90 0 1 0 0 0 6.75 2 2 0 0 0 6.75 30 7 7 5 1 4.38

SB 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 5

PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

SF HP AVE SLG OBP 0 1 .000 .000 .333 0 1 .000 .000 .667 0 0 .000 1.000 .250 0 0 .273 .364 .273 0 1 .091 .136 .333 0 0 .000 .000 .000 2 0 .265 .500 .342 0 0 .370 .630 .396 0 0 .714 .714 .750 2 2 .267 .533 .393 1 2 .286 .343 .432 0 0 .421 .711 .477 0 0 .000 .000 .250 1 1 .294 .382 .405 0 0 .500 .500 .800 1 2 .250 .475 .415 0 2 .313 .625 .436 0 0 .000 .000 .500 2 0 .353 .706 .425 9 12 .298 .513 .412

This year, as in the past few years, the Richmond Royals will be a benchmark team.

Defeating the Royals can be a highpoint of the season for some teams and is needed by others to mark successful season. The Royals do not give up runs easily. With

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the pitching skills of Eli Emerson, Dalton Thelen, Brady Klehr, DJ Schleicher, Logan Aleshire and Blaine Athmann, the team usually has a quality arm on the mound. Emerson gets batters out (3.9 ERA across 32.1 innings) by having batters hit playable balls or by striking batters out. Dalton Thelen (2.25 ERA) is effective in relief, and Schleicher is a good starter who earned three wins.

Offensively, the team has a lineup that makes it difficult for opponents to keep them in check.

Cole Schmitz, because of power, (three doubles and three home runs) might be the best known of the lineup. There are others who cause problems for opposing pitchers. Justin Schroeder has a .410 average with 16 hits. Dalton Thelen had 12 hits, and eight Royals finished with at least 10 hits.

The club will be missing some players early on because of collegiate play. But when all are assembled, the team will be tough to beat.

Stearns County League South pg. 12

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April 21, 2021

Page 10 | Amateur Baseball: Victory League - South Pitching Cody Stich Jon Bauer Kyle Collins Matt Pichelmann Noah Croaker Putter Harlander Shane Olmscheid Will Kleinschmidt Matt Swanson-d Totals

IP 12.1 6 2 43 1 11.1 1.1 22.1 3.2 103

H R 0 5 0 2 0 2 0 20 0 1 0 6 0 4 0 8 4 4 4 52

ER 3 2 2 16 1 2 4 4 4 38

SO 10 2 1 31 0 8 0 22 2 76

BB HP W L ERA 8 1 1 0 2.19 2 0 1 0 3.00 0 0 0 1 9.00 12 4 3 2 3.35 1 0 0 0 9.00 2 1 2 0 1.59 2 1 0 0 27.01 14 2 2 0 1.61 1 2 0 0 9.82 42 11 9 3 3.32

Good Luck Lakers from the

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The rearranged Victory League format means it will be a little tougher for Avon Lakers to win some games.

It also means other teams will have to defeat Avon to record a good season. The Lakers have all the parts for a successful team.

Good hitters appear throughout the starting line-up and off the bench.

Annually, the Lakers have leaders in batting average and RBI production. Last year, the top hitters were Caleb Curry, .421, and Josh Becker, 432; Carter Holthaus had 14 RBIs, and Cole Fuecker had 11 more.

The Lakers also have a strong tradition of good pitchers, which Matt Pichelmann only added to last year. Defensively, Avon is a good team to Avon AB R H Bjorn Hansen 48 14 13 Caleb Curry 38 14 16 Carter Holthaus 34 4 8 Carter Huberty 5 4 1 Carter Philippi 14 3 4 Cody Stich 19 3 5 Cole Fuecker 44 14 15 Jon Bauer 1 0 0 Josh Becker 44 11 19 Matt Meyer 43 8 9 Nolan Rueter 2 2 0 Reed Voit 1 0 0 Riley Voit 32 4 7 Shane Olmscheid 1 0 1 Taylor Holthaus 32 8 4 Will Kleinschmidt 43 7 8 Zac Tomsche 4 2 1 Totals 405 98 111

PHOTO BY MIKE KOSIK

Matt Pichelmann’s pitching gives the Lakers an edge when they take to the field for weekend play.

His control and durability brought the team five wins last year.

BI 10 14 7 1 3 7 11 0 13 4 0 0 5 0 6 6 1 88

BB 7 10 14 1 1 2 10 0 8 10 1 0 4 0 13 6 2 89

1B 6 7 7 1 3 5 11 0 17 9 0 0 5 1 2 4 1 79

2B 4 6 1 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 4 0 21

3B 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2

HR 1 3 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 9

Call us for your Free Estimates

SB 4 10 1 1 2 0 4 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 27

SF HP AVE SLG OBP 1 0 .271 .500 .357 1 4 .421 .816 .566 0 2 .235 .265 .480 0 0 .200 .200 .333 0 0 .286 .357 .333 0 1 .263 .263 .364 2 1 .341 .614 .456 0 0 .000 .000 .000 1 2 .432 .477 .527 1 0 .209 .209 .352 0 0 .000 .000 .333 0 0 .000 .000 .000 1 0 .219 .281 .297 0 0 1.00 1.00 1.00 0 1 .125 .250 .391 0 3 .186 .279 .327 0 0 .250 .250 .500 7 14 .274 .402 .421

St. Wendel Saints

320-774-1999 301 34th Ave S, Ste 2 • Waite Park, MN

The St. Wendel Saints are hoping to continue their rebound ride of last year as they went from being cellar-dweller to contending for regional berth.

They have the players to go further. Player-manager Tyler Huls led by example hitting .364, and Pete Schumer was a .311 hitter. Others who delivered in the eight-game season last year were Jack Opatz, Jake Ethen and Jordan Gombos. Ethen is always a threat to put the ball in play and struck out only three times last year.

Where the team will have to improve is hitting throughout the lineup. Too often the Saints had a goahead runner on base only to see the threat die from the lack of key hits.

The team’s pitching was built around the arms of Pete Schumer and Jack Opatz. Both threw a lot of innings which kept St. Wendel in the game until the late innings.

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Avon Lakers

watch as misplays are not all that common.

The Lakers will have to adjust as some veterans, such as Taylor Holthaus, Jonathan (Putter) Harlander and Will Kleinschmidt, opted to retire.

Still, Avon has the depth to absorb those changes, and with the addition of young talent, this baseball squad will be a force in the VLSouth/West.

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St. Wendel page 11 PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

Jordan Gombos makes solid contact batting for the St. Wendel Saints. His offense is one reason the team is hoping for a good year in Victory League play.

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April 21, 2021

Amateur Baseball: Victory League - South | Page 11

Freeport Black Sox The Freeport Black Sox should be an improved team this year, even with the quality of competition they face.

Freeport plays in the Victory League-South/West division. They will face powerhouses such as Avon and Sobieski. Buckman is also on the schedule. Last year, there were some adjustments as a few new people came into the lineup. That lineup showed potential.

Tyler Hemker mixed in well offensively with the proven talents of veterans Carter Sawyer and Jake Braegelmann. Bryan Benson added 12 more hits. The team needs to improve on getting hits with men on base. Braegelmann showed he has the potential to do that.

The pitching staff used lot of different arms with Cody Rose, Taylor Erickson and Craig Meyer logging the most innings. Freeport had some nice games at the end of last year. That should serve as a launch for the team this season.

Swing in and see us after the game • On Sale • Off Sale • Catering

320-836-2154 3 29001 Co Rd 17 • St. Rosa, MN 2900

Pitching Alexander Martinez Bryce Stalboerger Carter Neuenschwander Cody Rose Taylor Erickson Craig Meyer Connor Hemker Brandon Bokelman Nate Winter Nate Mettenburg Rob Mettenburg Totals

Mike & Beth Arnzen, Owners M

IP H R ER SO BB HP W L S ERA 3.2 5 9 5 5 4 0 0 2 0 12.27 12 7 9 8 10 10 3 0 1 0 6.00 11.2 20 23 25 3 2 2.2 1 3.2 107.2

13 17 23 19 2 1 3 0 2 92

14 9 15 6 1 2 1 0 1 67

8 4 15 5 1 0 1 0 1 48

Freeport AB R Alexander Martinez 23 2 Andrew Wollack 7 2 Ben Mettenburg 3 0 Brady Pesta 28 4 Brandon Bokelman 18 2 Brandon Sawyer 8 1 Bryan Benson 40 6 Bryce Stalboerger 18 3 Carter Neuenschwander 12 1 Carter Sawyer 21 2 Cody Rose 15 1 Connor Hemker 18 3 Dylan Carlson 33 3 Gavin Sawyer 9 3 Ike Sawyer 16 2 Jake Braegelmann 29 4 Nate Mettenburg 18 5 Nikalas Neeser 1 0 Taylor Erickson 6 1 Trevor Sawyer 31 5 Tyler Hemker 38 9 Totals 392 59

14 9 21 2 24 11 12 7 2 5 2 1 3 2 0 1 0 1 93 53 H 5 2 0 3 6 1 12 4 1 8 1 3 4 1 2 9 5 0 1 4 11 83

0 3 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 9

BI BB 6 6 1 1 0 0 1 3 2 5 0 3 6 5 2 6 1 2 6 1 0 1 1 1 3 4 0 1 0 8 6 5 6 6 0 0 2 0 0 7 2 8 45 73

0 1 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 5

0 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 8

0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1

6.17 1.80 5.87 1.80 3.00 0.00 3.38 0.00 2.45 4.01

PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

1B 2B HR SB 4 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 6 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 8 2 0 3 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 6 2 0 3 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 4 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 6 2 0 0 5 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 4 0 0 1 10 0 0 1 69 8 1 13

SF HP 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 1 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 0 2 13

AVE .217 .286 .000 .107 .333 .125 .300 .222 .083 .381 .067 .167 .121 .111 .125 .310 .278 .000 .167 .129 .289 .212

SLG .348 .286 .000 .107 .333 .250 .300 .222 .167 .476 .067 .111 .121 .111 .125 .345 .278 .000 .167 .129 .263 .227

OBP .379 .375 .000 .194 .478 .417 .417 .417 .214 .458 .125 .250 .256 .200 .417 .412 .458 .000 .286 .341 .413 .354

St. Wendel from pg. 10 The Saints have a young crew and will be looking to them to help IP H R keep their improvements Pitching Alex Dalbec 2 2 1 going. In the outfield, Jack Opatz 21.2 25 23 Carter Douvier showed Jake Ethen 10 12 11 32 33 16 he has the potentional to Peter Schumer Tyler Huls 1 1 3 be a top outfielder.

Totals 66.2 73 54 Last year, St. Wendel played with good teams and upset Avon in an early season match- a year of experience for up as they started 3-0 on younger players and a the year. This year, with renewed sense of confiSt. Wendel Aaron Welle Alex Dalbec Braden Bomgaars Carter Douvier Charlie Slivnik Hunter Welle Jack Opatz Jacob Wolter Jake Ethen Jon Ethen Jordan Gombos Peter Schumer Rolando Ramos Tyler Huls Will Ethen Totals

AB 7 23 3 26 22 5 28 17 28 13 25 29 7 22 3 258

R 0 4 0 2 1 0 5 0 4 0 2 4 0 5 2 29

H 1 3 0 5 4 1 8 1 8 0 6 9 2 8 0 56

BI BB 1B 1 0 1 1 4 2 0 0 0 0 0 5 2 1 4 0 0 1 5 0 6 1 2 1 2 1 6 0 2 0 4 0 6 4 4 7 2 1 1 1 1 6 0 0 0 23 16 46

2B HR SB 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 1 8 2 7

ER SO BB HP W L ERA 1 3 1 0 0 0 4.50 17 9 13 5 1 2 7.06 10 8 13 4 0 1 9.00 14 11 14 2 3 1 3.94 3 0 1 1 0 0 27.00 45 31 42 12 4 4 6.62

SF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2

Cody Rose was one of Freeport’s effective pitchers.

He struck out 21 in 20 innings last season.

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dence, the Saints should create problems for other teams.

HP 0 3 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 7

SF 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 2

HP 0 3 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 7

AVE .143 .125 .000 .192 .182 .200 .286 .059 .286 .000 .241 .311 .286 .364 .000 .217

SLG .143 .167 .000 .192 .182 .200 .429 .059 .357 .000 .241 .393 .429 .545 .000 .271

OBP .143 .323 .000 .192 .217 .200 .355 .158 .311 .133 .241 .393 .375 .391 .000 .281

855-845-8415

360 Railroad Ave • Albany, MN

April 21, 2021

Page 14 | Amateur Baseball: Victory League - South

St. Stephen Steves Pitching Blake Guggenberger Chris Belling Derek Durant Jake Schelonka Nick Krippner Riley Hartwig Totals

IP 2 10.1 4 18 8.1 20.2 63.1

H 3 6 2 17 21 10 59

R 2 7 1 11 16 13 50

Pitching depth and offensive punch will give the St. Stephen Steves a good year.

St. Stephen’s pitching is built around the talents of Nick Krippner, Riley Hartwig and Jake Schelonka. That trio PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

Bo Schmitz is a player St. Stephen opponents do not want to see at the plate with the game on the line. Last season, he led the team in hits and home runs.

Good luck to all area teams!

St. Stephen Alex Wolhart Ben Berscheid Ben Omann Blake Guggenberger Bo Schmitz Brandon Waldvogel Chris Belling Cody Wolhart Derek Durant Jake Schelonka Logan Siemers Mat Meyer Nathan Shaw Nick Krippner Riley Hartwig Tony Schmitz Totals

AB 3 9 31 38 41 5 13 3 24 46 33 38 4 4 33 29 354

R H 1 3 3 2 6 8 8 13 13 17 0 1 5 7 0 0 2 4 9 14 5 9 8 13 1 2 1 2 3 4 6 9 71 108

BI 1 1 4 8 9 0 3 0 2 12 3 5 0 0 4 13 65

BB 0 2 9 5 2 1 2 0 5 1 5 6 0 0 2 6 46

SO 0 2 4 3 3 0 0 1 4 1 7 2 1 0 6 3 37

1B 2B 3B HR SB SF 3 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 2 1 5 2 0 1 4 1 8 3 0 2 0 0 9 5 0 3 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 6 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 2 9 2 2 1 3 0 7 1 0 1 0 0 8 1 0 4 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 1 5 2 0 2 0 1 75 16 2 15 13 6

HP AVE 0 1.00 0 .222 0 .258 2 .342 5 .415 0 .200 0 .538 0 .000 0 .167 0 .304 0 .273 0 .342 0 .500 0 .500 0 .121 0 .310 7 .305

SLG 1.00 .222 .419 .579 .756 .200 .769 .000 .167 .500 .394 .684 .500 .500 .121 .586 .489

OBP 1.00 .364 .425 .444 .500 .333 .600 .000 .310 .319 .368 .432 .500 .500 .171 .429 .396

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ER 2 7 1 9 12 13 44

SO 0 8 3 23 15 28 77

BB HP W 2 0 0 10 3 0 3 0 0 12 0 2 17 3 2 18 2 1 62 8 5

L 0 0 0 2 2 1 5

S ERA 1 9.00 0 6.10 0 2.25 0 4.50 0 12.96 0 5.66 1 6.25

combined to strike out 58 batters in 65.1 innings. Those strikeouts and the relief pitching of Chris Belling helps keep opponents from scoring a lot of runs on the Steves.

The offense, led by Mat Meyer, Bo Schmitz and Tony Schmitz, can match whatever runs opponents score. Meyer and Tony Schmitz are proven .300 hitters, and Bo Schmitz hit over .400 last year. They are not the only ones who get on and push runners across the plate. Chris Belling, with a .500 average, and Mat Meyer hit over .300., also drove in runs.

The Steves will face quality competition as the Victory League season unwinds, but they have the talent to handle it.

Opole from page 13 When the Opole Bears play together and are focused, they can compete in their games.

The team has some talented players that together can replace the elements lost by the retirement of Joel Klein.

Tate Lange, still a senior in high school, is a .300 hitter, and Isaiah Folsom and Austin Lange have both shown they can hit Victory League pitching.

The Bears’ pitching staff was led by Jake Nelson last year. He was drafted for post-season play by state-bound Avon. Blake Nienmeyer and Austin Justin also pitched for the Bears.

Opole’s struggles last year often came because the team was young and

Opole AB Alan Justin 11 Alex Lange 33 Austin Lange 26 Blake Niemeyer 7 Cody Skwira 10 Dierks Opatz 1 Dominick Hoikka 3 Drew Lange 5 Isaiah Folsom 25 Jake Klein 1 Jake Nelson 15 Joel Klein 21 Jordan Schmitz 9 Lane Gerads 4 Matt Huls 9 Steve Benkowski 18 Tate Lange 29 Tony Boeckermann 17 Zack Bialka 0 Totals 244

R 1 3 3 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 2 5 0 0 1 2 5 0 0 25

H 2 5 6 0 2 0 1 0 6 0 4 5 2 0 1 3 9 1 0 47

new to amateur play.

They showed a willingness to learn and now have some experience.

They could well be a fun team to watch.

Good luck to all area teams!

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BI BB 0 2 2 1 2 4 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2 3 2 0 0 2 2 2 3 0 1 0 0 3 0 2 2 1 3 1 2 0 0 20 25

1B 2 4 6 0 2 0 1 0 5 0 4 3 2 0 1 3 7 1 0 41

2B 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 0 5

HR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

SB 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 5

SF HP 0 2 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 9

AVE .182 .152 .231 .000 .200 .000 .333 .000 .240 .000 .267 .238 .222 .000 .111 .167 .310 .059 .000 .193

SLG .182 .182 .231 .000 .200 .000 .333 .000 .280 .000 .267 .429 .222 .000 .111 .167 .379 .059 .000 .225

OBP .400 .200 .375 .125 .200 .000 .333 .286 .296 .000 .421 .333 .300 .000 .200 .286 .375 .158 .000 .291

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April 21, 2021

Amateur Baseball: Victory League - West | Page 15

Sobieski Skis The Sobieski Skis return to Class C play this year and have all the pieces to be a dominating team.

The Skis hit well and with power. They are also not adverse to playing the small game and do so successfully. The lineup is potent. Matt Baier is hard to keep of the base. Joey Hanowski drives in runs.

Collin Eckman had six home runs. The area leader board has at least one Ski in almost every offensive column.

The offense alone will win games. The Skis also have the pitchers to keep opponents from putting up a lot of runs. Three of their pitchers, Alex Gwost, Tyler Jendro and Dusty Parker, threw over 20 innings last year. Alex Gwost had a microscopic

.70 ERA. And, six of their pitchers had ERAs below 3.

The Skis will be favored in almost all their games this year. They could also be a great team to watch from the stands.

Sobieski Collin Eckman Alex Gwost Tyler Jendro Austin Weisz Beau Hanowski Matt Baier Thomas Miller Gabe Hirsch Jake Kapphahn Scott Litchy Chris Reller Brad Czech Joey Hanowski Dusty Parker Dan Marod Riley Hirsch Zach Opatz Josh Wenzel Zach Gwost Riley Czech Totals

AB R 50 13 37 4 48 9 30 11 14 6 27 10 13 3 15 2 50 13 33 7 13 3 6 0 47 10 57 6 29 7 46 5 42 6 37 9 25 2 13 3 632 129

H 17 9 18 11 6 16 6 1 13 8 6 1 18 17 6 15 12 11 5 4 190

Pitching Collin Eckman Alex Gwost Tyler Jendro Thomas Miller Jake Kapphahn Scott Litchy Chris Reller Dusty Parker Josh Wenzel Zach Gwost Riley Czech Totals BI hp/w 13 9 6 4 11 6 5 7 2 5 7 15 3 3 1 4 11 10 8 7 3 3 0 0 11 6 11 10 12 2 11 4 5 6 3 5 2 3 3 4 128 113

1B 15 9 17 10 5 15 5 1 9 4 5 1 14 11 0 13 8 9 5 4 145

IP 14 25.2 21 9.2 18 15.1 13 20.2 6.1 10.1 3 157 2B 1 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 2 1 1 0 3 4 2 2 4 2 0 0 27

H 11 20 29 15 11 44 16 27 1 3 1 178 3B 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1

R ER SO 2 4 17 6 2 14 23 18 21 6 6 8 2 2 18 32 31 8 14 9 7 21 16 16 3 2 5 3 2 10 0 0 1 112 92 125 HR 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 1 2 3 0 0 0 0 0 17

SB 2 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 3 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 12

BB HP W 2 0 0 14 0 2 12 0 0 3 0 0 8 0 2 6 0 0 4 0 0 6 0 1 3 0 3 11 0 1 1 0 1 70 0 10

SF 0 2 1 2 1 3 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 1 2 2 1 2 0 0 20

AVE .340 .243 .375 .367 .429 .593 .462 .067 .260 .242 .462 .167 .383 .298 .207 .326 .286 .297 .200 .308 .301

L 3 0 4 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 9

S ERA 2 2.57 0 0.70 1 7.71 0 5.59 0 1.00 0 18.20 0 6.23 0 6.97 0 2.84 0 1.74 0 0.00 3 5.27

SLG .820 .243 .396 .400 .500 .630 .538 .067 .420 .545 .538 .167 .511 .474 .655 .370 .381 .351 .200 .308 .427

OBP .441 .317 .444 .486 .579 .738 .563 .263 .383 .375 .563 .167 .453 .403 .258 .380 .375 .381 .286 .471 .407

Randall Cubs The Randall Cubs When Wenzel or pitchers who can, and do, have a good foundation Caleb Strack are on the strike out batters. That for this year with last mound, the Cubs have pitching, when combined year’s team members returning to the field.

IP H R ER SO BB HP W L S ERA Hitters Thomas Kun- Pitching Travis Wenzel 40.1 33 26 19 32 27 1 4 1 0 4.24 kel, Travis Wenzel, Sam Caleb Strack 42.2 29 24 20 50 28 4 4 3 0 4.22 Nagel and Matt Otremba Brett Strack 7.2 13 12 7 4 1 0 0 1 0 8.22 15 20 14 13 22 14 2 1 0 0 7.80 led a good team of hit- Sam Nagel 4.1 5 5 4 4 4 0 0 0 0 8.31 ters. Wenzel is one of the Thomas Kunkel 1 3 2 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 18.00 best all-around offensive Rick Drew Jake Schelonka-d 2 2 3 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 4.50 players who hits well Reese Kapsner-d 1 4 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0.00 with power and has the Levi Beseman-d 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 speed to steal.

Totals 115 109 86 66 116 76 7 9 5 0 5.17 Randall Caleb Strack Kyle Peterschick Ricky Drew Travis Wenzel Sam Nagel Chuck Strack Brett Strack Thomas Kunkel Josh Jennings Dane Peterson Gabe Nagel Matt Otremba Alec Zack Dane Couture Totals

AB 50 46 51 53 49 1 48 47 14 9 9 41 40 0 458

R H 8 9 13 14 8 13 17 19 9 16 0 0 5 16 13 17 4 1 0 2 3 0 11 15 6 11 0 0 97 133

BI 5 7 10 20 16 0 10 3 1 1 1 8 3 0 85

BB 1B 4 8 10 10 8 8 10 13 6 7 1 0 8 16 14 17 3 1 1 2 1 0 5 13 8 10 0 0 79 105

2B 1 2 3 3 6 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 18

HR 0 2 2 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10

SB 3 3 1 6 0 0 1 6 1 0 1 2 2 0 26

Flensburg Falcons Pitching Josh Genske Luke Thoma Ray Kokett Russ Fellbaum Gerard Kokett Wesley Waytashek Adam Gardner Totals

Flensburg Adam Gardner Andrew Marod Bob Wenzel Brent Carry Calvin Sherwood Devin Janousek Dylan Lukasavitz Gerard Kokett Josh Geske Luke Thoma Matt Stumpf Nick Kokett Ray Kokett Russ Fellbaum Wesley Waytashek Totals

IP H 5 0 5.2 6 2 1 13 17 6 5 7 14 .1 15 64 89

R 0 6 0 2 0 0 2 3 2 4 2 2 4 3 0 230

H 2 5 1 3 2 0 6 6 6 5 5 6 5 5 2 59

R 3 6 1 21 5 13 5 105

ER 1 4 1 20 2 13 5 73

BI 2 4 0 3 0 0 2 1 6 4 2 0 0 0 1 25

SO BB HP W 0 3 1 1 2 3 1 0 1 4 1 0 5 9 0 1 2 5 1 0 3 3 0 0 1 4 0 0 14 31 4 2

BB 0 1 3 2 2 0 2 1 3 1 1 0 3 3 0 22

1B 2 3 1 3 2 0 4 5 5 3 4 6 5 4 2 49

SF HP 3 1 5 0 0 1 1 2 2 2 0 0 1 0 2 2 0 2 0 0 0 1 3 1 1 0 0 0 18 12

AVE .180 .304 .255 .358 .327 .000 .333 .362 .071 .222 .000 .366 .275 .000 .290

SLG .200 .478 .431 .585 .633 .000 .333 .362 .071 .222 .000 .415 .300 .000 .395

OBP .255 .429 .367 .477 .421 .500 .429 .524 .316 .300 .182 .447 .396 .000 .408

The players for the Flensburg Falcons can put together good games. Josh Geske and Andrew Marod provide offensive punch, and Dylan Lukasavitz and Luke Thoma have shown they can score. Russ Fellbaum helps from the mound. When the Falcons play a complete game, they often come out as victors.

L 0 0 1 2 1 1 0 6

2B 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 5

HR 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 5

SB 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

SF 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 3

HP 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4

with their hitting, produced a winning team last year and should do so this year.

Victory League fans will see more teams

BY HERMAN LENSING | STAFF WRITER

There is a different look to the Victory League format and schedule this season.

First, the Foley Lumberjacks joined the league to fill the vacancy created by the departed Aitkin team. Sobieski will play as a Class C team after spending two years playing in Class B. Following the 2020 season, the league has restructured. Instead of four divisions, there will be two.

– VL-South/West: Avon, Flensburg, Freeport, Opole, Randall, Sobieski, St. Stephen, St. Wendel, Swanville and Upsala.

– VL-North/East: Buckman, Foley, Ft. Ripley, Nisswa, Pierz Brewers, Pierz Bulldogs, Pierz Lakers, Royalton and St. Mathias.

Each team will play all teams in their division.

In addition, Avon, Freeport, Opole, St. Stephen and St. Wendel will face Buckman, Pierz Brewers, Pierz Bulldogs, Pierz Lakers and Royalton.

Foley, Ft. Ripley, Nisswa and St. Mathias will face Flensburg, Randall, Sobieski, Swanville and Upsala.

It come out to a 13- or 14-game season.

Following the regular season, there will be divisional playoffs to see which teams qualify for the Region 8C tournament. In the first round of playoffs, the seventh seed and 10th seed will face off as will the eighth and ninth seed. The winners advance to an eight-team double elimination playoff to determine the top four seeds from each division. They qualify for the Region 8C tournament. The regular season champion of each division automatically qualifies for Region 8C play.

Good luck to all area teams!

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April 21, 2021

Page 18 | Amateur Baseball: Victory League - East

Pierz Lakers The Lakers’ pitching depth showed as three of the Lakers were drafted last year.

The pitching staff and a line-up of consistent hitters will make the Pierz Lakers a contending team. Preston Rocheleau and Chad Weiss have established reputations as batters’ banes, and Reese Kapner and Pete Herman add to the pitching depth.

Alex Haapajoki, Weiss, Pierz Lakers Alex Haapajoki Brady Petron Broc Peterson Carter Petron Chad Weiss Dan Rocheleau Dan Saehr Eric Hanneken Jamie Litke Jason Sadlovsky Jeremy Bingesser Kirby Fischer Luke Girtz Mitch Woitalla Mitchell Smude Nathan Janson Paul Herman Peter Herman Preston Rocheleau Reese Kapsner Reggie Litke Seth Vagts Totals

Pitching IP Carter Petron 4.1 Chad Weiss 21.1 Peter Herman 10 Preston Rocheleau 27.2 Reggie Litke 5.1 Jeremy Bingesser 2.2 Reese Kapsner 13.1 Dan Saehr 3 Broc Peterson 1 Jason Sadlovsky 1 Pierz Lakers 98.2

H 3 19 11 21 4 2 10 4 2 0 86

Pierz Brewers

R ER SO BB HP W L S ERA 4 1 9 3 0 0 0 0 2.08 3 0 29 2 0 2 0 0 0.00 4 4 7 5 0 1 0 0 3.60 11 4 32 12 0 1 1 0 1.30 3 1 4 2 1 0 1 0 1.69 9 1 1 5 0 0 1 0 3.37 6 6 13 7 2 2 0 0 4.05 1 1 3 1 0 0 0 0 3.00 2 2 0 1 0 0 1 0 18.00 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 47 20 99 38 3 6 4 0 1.82

With the bats of Brandon Stuckmayer, Mike Poser and Rylee Rausch in their lineup, the Pierz Brewers are able to rally for runs. That trio can consistently get on for the bats of Pete Schommer and Cody Kimman to produce RBIs. Schommer and KimMitch Woitalla, Herman When thinking of man also provide innings and Rocheleau all hit well watching a good team in from the Brewers’ mound and push runs across the action, the Lakers are one and keep the team in games. plate. to consider.

AB R 31 4 7 2 9 2 14 3 24 2 2 0 3 1 1 1 1 0 9 1 6 2 4 1 41 5 30 3 4 1 1 0 34 7 30 4 41 4 36 8 9 2 6 1 343 54

H 10 2 2 5 12 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 9 10 0 0 12 6 11 8 1 1 92

BI 3 2 1 2 7 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 5 6 0 0 8 0 5 2 3 0 45

BB 6 2 2 0 4 0 0 0 1 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 4 3 2 7 4 0 40

1B 8 2 2 5 10 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 6 7 0 0 11 6 5 7 0 0 72

2B 1 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 3 0 0 1 0 4 1 1 0 15

HR SB SF HP AVE 0 0 2 2 .323 0 0 0 0 .286 0 0 1 0 .222 0 0 0 0 .357 0 0 1 1 .500 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 1 .333 0 0 0 0 1.00 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 1 0 .167 0 0 0 0 .000 0 2 0 0 .220 0 0 1 1 .333 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 .000 0 2 0 0 .353 0 0 0 0 .200 1 2 0 0 .268 0 0 1 0 .222 0 0 0 1 .111 0 0 0 0 .167 1 6 7 7 .268

SLG .323 .286 .222 .357 .583 .000 .333 1.00 .000 .000 .167 .000 .244 .433 .000 .000 .382 .200 .415 .250 .222 .000 .309

OBP .462 .444 .364 .357 .586 .000 .500 1.00 .500 .182 .375 .000 .238 .355 .000 .000 .421 .273 .302 .349 .429 .167 .356

Pitching

IP

H R

Pierz Bulldogs Austin Dickmann Austin Gohl Brandon Dickmann Charles Boser Cody Meyer Craig Luberts Derek Schommer Dylan Kummet George Toops Jared Prokott Jonah Prokott Joseph Strauch Logan Meyer Michael Leidenfrost Taylor Marshik Teddy Dehler Totals

R 3 1 1 6 0 1 2 1 0 0 1 1 1 5 0 4 35

H 8 6 10 12 2 1 1 4 1 1 2 3 5 7 0 4 69

BI 3 2 5 3 0 0 1 1 2 0 2 0 3 3 0 2 27

BB 3 0 2 4 0 1 1 1 2 1 0 1 0 2 0 1 19

1B 8 6 6 7 2 1 1 3 0 1 1 2 3 5 0 3 51

2B 0 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 7

AB 8 5 30 38 14 34 18 5 2 36 37 29 40 35 1 2 334

R 0 1 5 3 4 5 3 0 0 4 5 3 4 7 0 2 46

Buckman is well positioned to have another exciting year in Victory ER SO BB HP W L S League play.

5 11 9 0 0 2 0 9 29 15 1 1 1 0 While the regrouping 0 4 1 0 1 1 0 of the VL teams will no 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 doubt create some chal3 15 5 1 0 1 0 leges for the team, it has 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 the players at all positons 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 to meet the challenges.

1 6 1 0 1 0 0 With Noah Boser, .386, 0 3 2 0 0 0 0 leading way, the team has 18 60 35 2 2 5 1 consistent hitters throughout the lineup. Lane Girtz and they have the players and Matt Kummet also hit to do so. well. The pitching staff 3B HR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2

SB SF 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 3 1 11

IP 27.1 30.2 2 5 4 2 1 7 5.2 79

H 19 38 2 10 8 2 2 5 2 86

R 13 18 1 9 5 0 1 1 0 48

ER SO BB HP W L S ERA 4 8 10 2 3 1 1 1.32 9 23 9 4 2 1 0 2.64 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 4.50 9 3 3 3 0 1 0 16.20 5 2 3 0 0 1 0 11.25 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0.00 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 9.00 1 6 1 0 1 0 0 1.29 0 3 2 0 0 0 0 0.00 30 43 30 9 6 4 1 3.42

The Brewers have a teams, and this year good tradition of good should be no exception.

H 1 1 11 8 3 5 3 0 0 11 8 9 8 11 0 0 79

BI 0 0 6 6 2 3 4 0 0 2 3 2 5 3 0 0 36

BB 0 1 4 3 5 5 1 0 0 1 9 5 3 3 0 1 41

1B 1 1 11 7 2 5 1 0 0 11 8 9 8 7 0 0 71

2B 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 7

HR SB SF HP AVE 0 0 0 0 .125 0 0 0 0 .200 0 1 0 1 .367 0 0 2 1 .211 1 0 0 1 .214 0 0 2 2 .147 0 0 2 0 .167 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 1 .306 0 1 3 0 .216 0 1 0 0 .310 0 1 1 1 .200 0 1 0 0 .314 0 0 0 0 .000 0 0 0 0 .000 1 5 11 7 .237

SLG .125 .200 .367 .237 .429 .147 .278 .000 .000 .306 .216 .310 .200 .429 .000 .000 .266

OBP .125 .333 .457 .286 .450 .293 .211 .000 .000 .342 .370 .412 .273 .368 .000 .333 .332

Buckman Billygoats

Pierz Bulldogs

The Pierz Bulldogs Jonah Prokott 15.1 14 13 have the players needed Austin Dickmann 27.1 20 9 to play a good game.

Joseph Strauch 3.2 4 4 Brandon Dickmann Cody Meyer 1 2 0 13.2 6 5 and Charles Boser are Logan Meyer .2 6 2 respected hitters, and Charles Boser 2.2 1 1 Michael Liedenfrost can Austin Gohl Otte 7 5 1 get around the bases. The Isaac Aaron Jenkins 5.2 2 0 pitching staff has Austin Totals 73.1 70 50 Dickmann’s durability and strike outs by Logan Meyer and Jonah Prokott. every game knowing they The Bulldogs go into have to play well to win,

Pierz Brewers Alvin Kimman Blake Kowalczyk Brandon Stuckmayer Cody Kimman Eric Boser Isaac Otte Jesse Marshik Maverick Kowalczyk Michael Burgraff Mike Poser Pete Schommer Preston Veith Ryan Stuckmayer Rylee Rauch Steve Kimman Zach Jones Totals

Pitching Cody Kimman Pete Schommer Rylee Rauch Isaac Otte Mike Poser Preston Veith Brandon Stuckmayer Isaac Otte Aaron Jenkins Totals

HP 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 5

Watch for the Next

Buckman Aaron Weber Andrew Rueckert Andrew Winscher Jack Suska Joe Kahl Lane Girtz Luke Otte Matt Kummet Matt Tautges Max Barclay Noah Boser Noah Cekalla Peter Suska Reese Young Shawn Lanners Travis Kahl Totals

AB 46 20 5 29 20 51 10 49 41 2 44 43 2 2 38 45 447

R 6 1 2 4 3 13 2 7 14 0 12 5 0 0 4 7 80

Pitching IP Aaron Weber 13.2 Andrew Rueckert 2.2 Andrew Winscher 14.1 Matt Tautges 45.1 Noah Boser 1 Shawn Lanners 1 Travis Kahl 8 Matt Kummet 7 Noah Cekalla 6 Preston Rocheleau-d14.2 Chad Weiss-d 3 Totals 116.2

H 15 2 7 34 1 3 5 10 10 10 8 105

R ER SO BB HP W L S ERA 7 3 10 4 3 1 0 0 1.98 3 1 3 7 0 0 0 0 3.37 6 0 16 15 0 2 1 0 0.00 17 17 32 21 3 5 2 0 3.38 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0.00 3 3 0 1 2 0 0 0 27.00 0 0 9 1 1 0 0 2 0.00 4 4 9 3 1 0 0 2 5.14 6 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0.00 5 0 11 5 1 1 0 1 0.00 6 6 0 1 0 0 0 0 18.00 57 34 94 59 11 9 3 5 2.62

features Matt Tautges but Aaron Weber and Andrew also has good pitchers in Winscher.

H 9 1 1 6 5 16 3 14 12 0 17 7 2 0 10 7 110

BI 8 2 0 2 1 5 3 9 4 0 18 2 3 0 5 3 65

BB 5 3 0 3 0 7 2 8 14 0 8 4 0 0 3 2 59

1B 7 1 1 3 5 14 1 10 11 0 12 6 2 0 8 7 88

2B 2 0 0 2 0 2 1 3 1 0 4 1 0 0 2 0 18

HR 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1

SB 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 3 0 2 0 0 0 1 0 8

SF HP AVE SLG 1 1 .196 .239 0 0 .050 .050 0 0 .200 .200 1 1 .207 .241 1 0 .250 .250 0 6 .314 .353 0 0 .300 .300 2 1 .286 .327 1 0 .293 .317 0 0 .000 .000 0 1 .386 .545 0 3 .163 .186 0 0 1.00 1.00 0 0 .000 .000 1 0 .263 .316 0 3 .156 .156 7 16 .246.286

OBP .288 .174 .200 .303 .250 .453 .417 .397 .473 .000 .491 .280 1.00 .000 .317 .240 .354

Amateur Baseball Guide Coming July 21, 2021

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April 21, 2021

Amateur Baseball | Page 19

Favored teams still need to win

BY HERMAN LENSING | STAFF WRITER

There are new teams in the amateur baseball leagues which will grace the field in 2021.

In the Victory League, most see Sobieski as the favored team. The Skis return to Class C play after two years of playing in Class B. Well-rounded in all aspects of the game, the Skis play one of the best games in the area. But, they will not go unchallenged. While Avon is undergoing a bit of change, they are still the Lakers and can compete with anyone.

Buckman is another that cannot be overlooked.

Like Avon, the Billygoats are coming off an appearance at state. So too is the other favored team of Ft. Ripley.

Randall, which had a nice run to reach state last year, might well be a spoiler, and they have the personnel to be a dominate team. There are others who may just challenge the top runners. Nisswa, St. Stephen, Upsala, Pierz Bulldogs and Freeport were all mentioned as teams not to be taken lightly. The 2020 season also had flashes of promise from St. Mathias, Opole, Pierz Brewers,

Royalton, Pierz Lakers and St. Wendel. Swanville and Flensburg both had upsets, and everyone is waiting to see how well Foley will adapt to the league.

In the Stearns County League, almost everyone mentions one team as the team to beat – and for a very traditional reason. The St. Martin Martins have Scott Lieser who is thought to be the best pitcher in the SCL. The team, which went to state, also has hitting defense. However, nobody is conceding a title to the Martins. A few managers said in the SCL in any game, anyone can beat another team.

Elrosa is pointed to as a team that could also come to the top and is expected to do just that in the SCLNorth. Last year, the matchup between the Martins and Elrosa at St. Martin might have been the best game of the SCL season.

Richmond is expected to give both runs for

PHOTOS BY HERMAN LENSING

Any match-up between Lake Henry and St. Martin is going to affect the standings in the Stearns County League-South this year. The talents of Shane Kampsen (left), Scott Schlangen (right) and Kyle Lieser (back) provide for fun to watch contests.

their money. The team has the pitchers and hitters to take charge of their games.

Farming will also have a say in how the season unfolds. Fans have talked for a few years about the potential of the Flames and how they are the team of

the future. The future could very well be this year. They have the veterans needed to stabilize the team and the youthful talent win the games.

Lake Henry came around late in the year, and from the SCL-North, New

Munich is mentioned as a dark horse to come out on top.

Meire Grove or Spring Hill cannot be discounted, and Roscoe and Greenwald have the ability to upset teams.

In the Resorters League, Sauk Centre, Long Prairie, Alexandria and Osakis should be battling for top spots. That said, it would not do to overlook the traditions Urbank-Parkers Prairie, Ashby and Carlos in putting together good teams. Kensington always has the potential to upset another team.

Speculation of who will finish first is a wideopen field. The fun comes from seeing the games The play of Freeport’s Isaac Sawyer (11) and St. Wendel’s Richmond and Farming contests almost always have a bearing on the Stearns County played and who is the best Jack Opatz are among the reasons those teams cannot League-South standings. Defense by Farming’s Tylor Schroeder and base-running by team on that day. be counted out in a Victory League-South/West game.

Richmond’s Carter Thelen create exciting plays.

2020 Area Leaders Best Batting Average .684 Mat Meyer, St. Stephen 31 minimum plate .655 Dan Marod, Sobieski appearances .674 Isaac Nett, Farming .593 Matt Baier, Sobieski .536 Tanner Klaphake, Best On Base Percentage Meire Grove 31 minimum plate .500 Chad Weiss, Pierz Lakers appearances .500 Dylan Haskamp, .738 Matt Baier, Sobieski Sauk Centre .579 Beau Hanowski, Sobieski .491 Austin Schoenberg, .567 Tanner Klaphake, Spring Hill Meire Grove .478 Isaac Nett, Farming .566 Caleb Curry, Avon .432 Josh Becker, Avon .551 Shane Kampsen, .432 Bo Schmitz, St. Stephen Lake Henry .429 Beau Hanowski, Sobieski .534 Austin Schoenberg, .428 Shane Kampsen, Spring Hill Lake Henry .527 Josh Becker, Avon .524 Thomas Kunkel, Randall Best Slugging Percentage .491 Noah Boser, Buckman 31 minimum plate .486 Austin Weisz, Sobieski appearances .820 Collin Eckmann, Best Earned Run Average Sobieski Minimum of 18 innings .816 Caleb Curry, Avon 0.70 Alex Gwost, Sobieski .770 Shane Kampsen, 0.85 Preston Rocheleau, Lake Henry Pierz Lakers/Buckman .756 Bo Schmitz, St. Stephen 0.91 Scott Lieser, St. Martin .750 Tanner Klaphake, 1.00 Jake Kapphahn, Sobieski Meire Grove 1.16 Bryan Schlangen, .711 Justin Schroeder, St. Martin Richmond 1.32 Cody Kimman, .706 Trent Gertken, Richmond Pierz Brewers

1.56 Payon VanBeck, Elrosa 1.61 Will Kleinschmidt, Avon 1.80 Craig Meyer, Freeport 1.80 Cody Rose, Freeport Most Hits 26 Austin Schoenberg, Spring Hill 26 Shane Kampsen, Lake Henry 24 Matthew Quade, Lake Henry Most Runs 19 Shane Kampsen, Lake Henry 17 Travis Wenzel, Randall 16 Mathew Quade, Lake Henry Most RBIs 20 Travis Wenzel, Randall 18 Noah Boser, Buckman 16 Jamie Terres, Spring Hill Most Doubles 6 Caleb Curry, Avon 6 Sam Nagel, Randall 6 Shane Kampsen, Lake Henry

Most Triples 2 Bjorn Hanson, Avon 2 Jake Schelonka, St. Stephen Most Home Runs 6 Collin Eckman, Sobieski 5 Jeremiah Piepkorn, Nisswa 5 Kyle Lieser, St. Martin 5 Shane Kampsen, Lake Henry Most Steals 10 Caleb Curry, Avon 7 Andrew Rousslange, Sauk Centre 7 Austin Schoenberg, Spring Hill Most Walks 15 Matt Baier, Sobieski 14 Carter Holthaus, Avon 14 Kyle Lieser, St. Martin 14 Matt Tautges, Buckman 14 Thomas Kunkel, Randall Most Sacrifices 5 Kyle Peterschick, Randall Most Hit By Pitches 7 Drew Boland, Nisswa 6 Alex Kowski, Sauk Centre 6 Lane Girtz, Buckman

Most Innings 61.2 Grant Ludwig, Lake Henry 51.1 Ty Reller, New Munich/Elrosa 49.1 Scott Lieser, St. Martin Most Strike Outs 57 Dylan Haskamp, Sauk Centre/Alexandria 56 Ty Reller, New Munich/St. Martin 56 Scott Lieser, St. Martin Most Wins 6 Scott Lieser, St. Martin 5 Dylan Haskamp, Sauk Centre 5 Matt Tautges, Buckman 5 Ty Reller, New Munich/Elrosa Most Saves 2 Brian Beuning, Sauk Centre 2 Will Van Beck, Elrosa 2 Collin Eckman, Sobieski 2 Scott Litchy, Sobieski

April 21, 2021

Page 20 | Amateur Baseball: Resorters League

Sauk Centre Titans Pitching Brian Beuning Dylan Haskamp Joe Schwinghamer Matthew Warring Payton Crider Shane Trattles Tyler Schwinghamer Totals

IP 6 38.1 3 3 2 28.1 6.1 87

H 7 31 3 8 3 38 7 97

R 5 25 2 4 4 18 8 66

ER 3 23 2 4 4 18 7 61

SO 11 56 5 1 1 24 6 104

PHOTO BY KAYLA ALBERS

Andrew Rousslange is just one of the Titans who consistently comes through with hits, putting men on base. He also manages the team.

BB ERA W L S 3 4.50 0 0 2 25 5.40 5 1 0 3 6.00 0 0 0 0 12.00 0 0 0 4 18.00 0 0 11 5.72 1 2 1 10 9.95 0 1 0 56 6.31 6 4 3

The Sauk Centre Titans will be a team to watch in the Resorters League and the local area.

Titans pitchers Dylan Haskamp and Shane Trattles can keep batters off the bases and in the dugout with their strikeouts. Playing behind them is a solid defense that rarely gives opponents second chances.

Offensively, Sauk Centre has the hitters who can create long innings and put runners across the plate. Andrew Primus and Haskamp consistently reach base then wait for the bats of Andrew Rousslange, Brian Beuning and Andrew Primus to drive them in. That combination seldom fails to produce runs and a win.

Like all teams, the Titans will be rebounding from a year of coronavirus pandemic issues and protocols. They have the talent to do so and should remain a pace setter in the Resorters League.

GOOD LUCK SAUK CENTRE TITANS Player Alex Kowski Andrew Primus Andrew Rousslange Alejandro Thompson Brian Beuning Dylan Haskamp Derek Holm Eli Fletcher Greg Weiers Hunter Fletcher Jake Haskamp Joe Schwinghamer Matthew Warring Noah Fletcher Payton Crider Shane Trattles Tyler Schwinghamer Totals

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BB 4 4 3 0 3 6 6 2 0 5 2 1 1 0 0 0 2 39

1B 8 10 9 0 9 15 5 2 2 3 6 0 1 1 0 0 3 74

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April 21, 2021

Amateur Baseball: Resorters League | Page 21

Amateur baseball proved games could be played

BY HERMAN LENSING STAFF WRITER

It was amateur baseball that showed games could be viewed by the public during the coronavirus pandemic.

Admittedly, COVID-19 brought about a shortened season, limited crowds and a need for reminders to slow the spread of the virus, but the games were played nonetheless. The Stearns County League garnered a bit of statewide attention June 12, 2020, when it started playing games. Games were carried on radio stations, and news organizations from across the state showed up to talk to fans, coaches and managers.

There were varying opinions of playing organized sports during the pandemic. One view held it was too soon and resuming play should only come after the pandemic ended. Another view was to play the game but not allow fans. A third view held that the game had to be played as a protest to COVID-19 protocols.

Reactions to the protocols varied. Some refused to wear masks, and in at least one case, a person refused to purchase concessions when the servers did wear them. Some fans observed social distancing, leaving games if their decision to do so was not respected. Others said they were not going to come until social distancing requirements were removed.

Still, others made it a point to ignore social distancing all together.

PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

It was not uncommon to see concessions delivered by masked servers during the 2020 baseball season.

Ruth Lieser of St. Martin was among those who donned a mask.

All games at 1:30 p.m. unless otherwise noted; Game dates and times are subject to change.

PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

Greenwald manager Nick Rademacher (left) visits with columnist Pat Reusse June 12, 2020, when the Cubs played in St. Martin. The June games in the Stearns County League drew attention from across the state.

No matter the opinions related to COVID-19, fans came to see the games being played because they enjoy amateur baseball, something Minnesotans have done for well over a century.

“It’s fun to play baseball again,” said Colton Meyer, of Meire Grove, after the June 14, 2020, game with Elrosa. “The sun was shining. The wind was blowing. It was fun to be back.

Even with rules, it is still baseball.”

At every game, there was some talk of when the protocols would go away. While the COVID-19 protocols did not go away, the games continued to be played on the field. Fans and players adapted. In places concessions were available, people watched with beers and burgers.

The protocols made the season different from previous years, but as Meyer said, it was still baseball.

There were some great games and some blowouts, great plays and heart-breaking errors.

Veterans showed why they had become respected players, and

younger players stepped into roles of team leadership. Diamonds were worked on, regional and state tournaments were held, and champions were crowned.

Through it all, COVID-19 was never far from the minds of fans and players. Games were postponed or canceled because of pandemic concerns. Locally, Spring Hill had to pull out of the Region 15C tournament because of positive COVID-19 test results. The state tournament was moved because of concerns of crowd and community safety.

In spite of those challenges, the tradition that is Minnesota amateur baseball continued. One of the interesting aspects was that the state games, for the first time, were covered by television broadcasts.

The season concluded on Labor Day weekend. From the local leagues, Avon, St. Martin, Lake Henry, Foley, Buckman, Randall, Ft. Ripley and Alexandria played in the state Class C tournament.

When the final games were played, fans left the game knowing the season ended. A few wondered if high school, college and other sports could make adaptions and let their games go on too.

Amateur baseball, they pointed out, had shown it could be done.

Other Resorters Leagues Alexandria Black Sox Alexandria could have a very good team. Brett Savelkoul, Carter Stockert, Chris Curry, Eric Carlsen, Mitch Thompson and Travis Kruger all had 10 or more hits last year. Their defense and pitching turned in four shutouts in their 9-4-1 season.

Ashby A’s The A’s, with a tradition going back to 1890, have generally been a competitive team. That should continue this year.

Carlos Cougars Hunter Schoenrock, Isaac Peterson and Blake Radtke

Victory League Schedule

provide offensive punch.

Peterson, Radtke, Clarke Comer and Braden Reisdorf provide pitching.

Kensington Norseman Kevin Jenks, Devin Nelson and Alan Strom will all provide leadership. Blake Anderson helps the Norseman pitching staff.

Long Prairie Long Prairie is in almost every game they play. Most of their games are decided by one or two runs. Michael Heid, Zachery Miller and Mitchell Heid are among the hitters who put the ball in play. Ted Grey and Trent Johnson lead the

pitching squad.

Osakis Carter Rost, Drew Fearing and Luke Imdieke have shown they can hit. Imdieke can get the hits needed to drive in runs.

Urbank-Parker’s Prairie Bombers The Bombers have a tradition of offensive punch and good defense. They should be effective in Resorters League play. Hunter Arnold, Sam Haley and Hunter Haggenmiller help with the hitting. The pitching of Andrew Johnson, Haggenmill and Levi Arnold is a strength for the team.

APRIL 25 JUNE 6 Avon at Upsala Opole at Buckman Opole at Flensburg Randall at Foley Pierz Brewers at Pierz Sobieski at Fort Ripley Bulldogs St. Wendel at Royalton Randall at Swanville JUNE 11 Royalton at Nisswa Avon at Pierz Bulldogs 7:30 St. Mathias at Foley pm St. Wendel at Sobieski JUNE 12 MAY 1 Buckman at Sobieski 11:00 Pierz Bulldogs at St. Stephen am MAY 2 Flensburg at Fort Ripley Avon at Randall St. Stephen at Freeport 7:30 Buckman at St. Mathias pm Freeport at Flensburg Swanville at Nisswa 6:30 pm Foley at Nisswa Upsala at St. Mathias Ft. Ripley at Royalton JUNE 13 Pierz Brewers at Pierz Lakers Opole at Pierz Lakes St. Stephen at Opole Pierz Brewers at St. Wendel Swanville at Sobieski Randall at Nisswa Upsala at St. Wendel Sobieski at St. Mathias MAY 9 St. Stephen at Royalton Flensburg at Randall Swanville at Foley Foley at Royalton JUNE 18 Ft. Ripley at Pierz Brewers Nisswa at Pierz Brewers 7:30 Nisswa at Pierz Bulldogs pm Opole at Avon JUNE 19 Pierz Lakers at Buckman Fort Ripley at Swanville Swanville at St. Wendel Buckman at St. Wendel 3:00 Upsala at St. Stephen pm MAY 15 Buckman at Freeport 7:30 pm Pierz Lakers at Freeport JUNE 20 MAY 16 Flensburg at Avon Buckman at Avon Freeport at St. Wendel Foley at Flensburg Opole at Swanville Freeport at Royalton Pierz Bulldogs at Royalton Nisswa at Sobieski Pierz Lakers at Foley Pierz Brewers at St. StephenRandall at Upsala Noon Sobieski at St. Stephen Priez Bulldogs at Opole Noon St. Mathias at Fort Ripley Pierz Brewers at Opole 3:30 JUNE 25 pm Avon at Freeport 7:30 pm Pierz Lakers at St. Wendel Ft. Ripley at Pierz Lakers 7:30 St. Mathias at Swanville pm Upsala at Fort Ripley JUNE 26 MAY 22 Royalton at Pierz Brewers Pierz Bulldogs at Freeport 6:30 pm MAY 23 JUNE 27 Flensburg at Upsala Buckman Billygoats at Foley Freeport at Randall Flensburg at Swanville Nisswa at Buckman Fort Ripley Rebels at Nisswa Opole at St. Wendel Opole at Randall Pierz Brewers at Foley Pierz Lakers at St. Mathias Pierz Bulldogs at St. Mathias St. Wendel at St. Stephen Pierz Lakers at Royalton Upsala at Sobieski Sobieski at Avon JULY 2 St. Stephen at Swanville Buckman at Pierz BulldogsMAY 28 7:30 pm St. Mathias at Pierz Brewers St. Mathias at Nisswa 7:30pm 7:30 pm JULY 3 May 30 Foley at Ft. Ripley Flensburg at Sobieski Sobieski at Randall Foley at Pierz Bulldogs 7:30 St. Wendel at Flensburg pm Swanville at Upsala Randall at St. Stephen JULY 9 Royalton at Buckman Avon at Pierz Brewers 6:30 St. Wendel at Avon pm Swanville at Freeport JULY 10 Upsala at Opole St. Stephen at Avon-Noon MAY 31 JULY 11 Avon at Swanville Fort Ripley at Randall Freeport at Upsala Freeport at Opole Nisswa at Pierz Lakers Pierz Lakers at St. Stephen Pierz Bulldogs at Fort Ripley JULY 14 Royalton at St. Mathias Sobieski at Pierz Lakers 7:30 Sobieski at Opole pm St. Stephen at Flensburg JULY 16 St. Wendel at Randall Pierz Bulldogs at Pierz Lakers JUNE 5 7:30 pm Sobieski at Freeport 7:30 pm JULY 17 Pierz Brewers at Buckman Buckman Billygoats at Fort Ripley

Schedules page 22

April 21, 2021

Amateur Baseball | Page 23

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