2024 Spring Amateur Baseball

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Elrosa Saints

With an experienced and talented pitching staff, dependable defenders and multi-talented offense, Elrosa will be among the Stearns County League front-runners this season.

The Saints’ offense features Kevin Kuefler, one of the best leadoff batters and knowledgeable baserunners in the area. He often gets on ahead of the run-producing bats wielded by Ashton Dingmann, 13 RBIs, Derek Wiener, 19 RBIs, Gavin Kampsen, 16 RBIs and Jackson Peter, 15 RBIs.

Peter led the team with 38 hits, one of the top totals in the area, and four others drilled over 20 hits. The Saints can hit with power, belting out 13 home runs and 31 doubles. They are not adverse to small ball either, as their 28 steals and 39 sacrifices attest to.

Payton Van Beck has established himself as a premier pitcher in the Stearns County League.

His pitching is a reason the team is considered a top contender in the league.

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PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

Built around a solid defense, New Munich is rarely out of any game.

Around the horn from third base are Brandon Holm, Will Funk, Devin Hansen and Ty Reller. That group rarely made mistakes, providing strong support for their pitching staff.

New Munich page 6

Greenwald from page 3

Tyler Engelmeyer was also drafted. Ettel came through with good relief appearances and Hoffman is a veteran pitcher who can log innings.

Greenwald’s defense, which features Tyler Engelmeyer in the outfield and infielder Max Wehlage, played with more consistency and fewer errors than previous years. That helped cut down on the pitch-

es thrown by the pitching staff. What plagued the Cubs was a lack of consistent offense and experience. Both of those areas showed potential for improvements and effectiveness. Greenwald looking for help from some of its younger players in Isaac Rosenberger, Connor Anderson, Breydon Dobmeier and Grant Moscho as it competes in the

Stearns County League. It should also be helped by up-and-coming athletes who competed Big Dipper League championship last year.

Led by Hoffman’s 17 hits, the team had seven players with at least 10 hits. They learned to move runners around with steals, bunts and aggressive baserunning.

Greenwald is young, as most of its names were more familiar to high school fans than amateur fans two years ago. Of the regulars, Gabe Schwieters, Sam Frieler and veteran Tyler Hoffman, showed they could get on base and Tyler Engelmeyer demonstrated that he could drive them in.

The Cubs played and won in some tight games last year. This season, they may win a few more.

PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING Brandon Holm has solidified the third-base defense for New Munich. He is also among the best hitters the SilverStreaks send to the plate.

The SilverStreaks pitching staff is experienced and known to Stearns County League fans and players. Jim Thull’s career and legacy is established, and he added to it last year, winning five games with 44 innings pitched. Reller, who was drafted for state play and pitched for St. Martin, is another workhorse. He struck out 72, pitched in his 61 2/3 innings and compiled four wins and a sub3.00 ERA. Will Funk did well as a reliever, striking out 12 in 9 1/3 innings and, as his 1.93 ERA showed, limited runs.

New Munich has promising young arms waiting to prove themselves. Caden Sand pitched almost 30 innings last year and Hansen and Holm showed promise in limited appearances.

New Munich’s offense is difficult to stop. In its 18 games last year, Holm, Logan Funk and Hansen all had 20 or more hits.

The Grovers are not a team to be overlooked.

A big reason is because the team hits and has power behind their hits. Most think of Colton Meyer, and they should, as almost 50% of his hits went for extra bases. There are others, though, who effectively put the wood on the ball. Jordan Klaphake had 15 hits and 11 runs, while Josh Olmscheid pushed across seven runs with his 17 hits. Kurt Marthaler provided another 14 hits and Alex Welle had 15 hits during the team’s 13-game season.

Meire Grove’s pitching staff and defense did not give up a lot of runs. The staff is composed of proven veterans; Matt Imdieke pitched the most innings and was drafted for post-league play, Josh Olmscheid is a dependable reliever and Jordan Klaphake did well in key moments.

The team will benefit from newcomers Riley Elfering, Carson Theiler and Mason Hokanson.

ifying Elrosa. They play most of their games close and, with some timely hits and improved defense, should again be a contending team.

The Grovers showed they could push runs across. They scored 28 runs in one game and posted wins over New Munich and state-qual-

Ben

Spring Hill enters a new era, as Eric Terres takes the managerial reins.

He inherits a team capable of winning regularly this summer. Led by Ben Welle, Austin Schoenberg and Jamie Terres, Spring Hill’s offense can score runs. Ben Welle’s .325 batting average and 27 hits produced 25 RBIs in the team’s 23 games. Not far behind is Jamie Terres, whose .294 season produced three home runs and 22 RBIs. Austin Schoenberg has a mix of patience, drawing 11 walks, and power, with three home runs. Eric Terres is no slouch, either, hitting for a .329 average with five doubles.

In addition, the Chargers know they can rely on the talents of veterans Nate Terres, Owen Meyer and Devin Orbeck.

The Chargers are bit younger than previous years, but have the will and desire to continue the tradition of success at Spring Hill. Spring

PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

Kurt Marthaler’s play at first base is a plus for the Grover infield. His batting production is a reason the Grovers are a respected hitting team.

PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

Welle has emerged as one of the top pitchers in the Stearns County League in the past few years. His control and location helped win six games last season.

The Martins would like to see their run production increase.

St. Martin has earned a reputation of winning close games. Last year, it was involved in 12 games decided by a difference of two or fewer runs. It does not give up a lot of runs; only one team scored 10 runs on them, and most scored three or fewer runs.

Credit that to one of the stingiest pitching staffs in the area. Led by Scott Lieser, the Martins’ ERA in its 21 games was 1.89, and no pitcher recorded an ERA of 3.00 or higher.

Lieser is the ace pitcher for the Martins and the Stearns County League in general. His control stops most batters from hitting often or well. What really stands out is that he struck out 113 batters. That was one more than his combined total of hits, walks,

St. Martin Martins

hit batters and runs. When he is on the mound, opponents are rarely on base, leading to his nine wins. Scott Lieser is not the only pitcher the Martins can send out to shut down batters. Ben Schroeder and Carter Thelen each produced over 20 innings and combined to strike out over 80 batters.

The Martins have used that pitching to keep games from getting away from them. Their offense, which is fairly balanced, has scored just enough to win games.

The hitting of leadoff batter Kyle Lieser is what most think of when considering the Martins. Lieser gets on with hits, 24, and walks, 20, creating opportunities for runs.

Spring Hill from page 6

They have talented youth, as Ethan Meyer, Sam Rieland and Daniel Spanier join the team. They will be joining as Corey Schoenberg and Jordan Welle retire. That mix should fit in well with the experi-

The pitching staff showed last year it could do well. Ben Welle’s 3.06 ERA was through 88 1/3 innings in which he recorded 81 strikeouts with a 6-2 record. Anthony Revermann threw 56 2/3 innings in going 5-4 and Orbeck did well in relief appearances.

Spring Hill plays in a league that has seen improvements in every team throughout recent seasons. There is no doubt it will be challenged this season. There

St. Martin page 11

With some of the area’s best players in their lineup, the Royals have the ingredients to be a factor in this coming baseball season.

Cole Schmitz is the player most think of when picturing the Royals. With 25 hits, 12 runs and 12 RBIs, he gives good reason to be thought of. He possesses power in his swing and rarely is cheated with a weak swing.

Another tough out is Kyle Budde, whose 21

hits got him on base a lot. He combines his ability to time pitches with a good eye for the strike zone, allowing him to convert those hits, seven walks and four hit-by-pitches into 15 runs.

Justin Schroeder is constantly on base, collecting 19 hits and driving in 15 runs. There were others with at least 10 hits, as the Royals showed they could score. Sam Holthaus is another showing a lot of potential.

Where Richmond will need to improve is not allowing runs. While the fielding, led by Dalton and Carter Thelen and Tyler Prom, was good, it often played with runners on base. Pitchers DJ Schleicher and Luke Jokela pitched over 30 innings each last year. Talen Braegelmann and Isaac Holthaus also displayed the makings of being good pitchers.

The Royals were on the short end of eight games decided by three or fewer runs, sometimes because they hurt themselves. Still, those losses

have

a

showed Richmond could play well against some of the best teams in its

league. This season, it may well show it can win most of those games.

PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING Cole Schmitz’s power and consistency

made him

respected batter in the Richmond lineup. His 25 hits included four doubles and three home runs.

Avon Lakers

The Lakers are among the elite teams in the area, rarely disappointing their fans as they play out the season.

Avon boasts a deep pitching corps with sub3.00 ERA from its regulars. Matt Pichelmann, ho earned nine wins last year, and Dominic Austing both pitched over 60 innings. That duo consistently throws strikes and rarely walk batters while keeping batters off stride (and off base) with strikeouts.

Another striking out batters is Elian Mezquita. Like Pichelmann and Austing, he struck out over 50 batters while throwing over 50 innings.

In addition, Jackson Henderickson, Cole Wellmann and Joe Dolan can provide quality innings.

The depth helps when Avon finds itself having to play clusters of games in a short time frame. Its pitching will help them win those games.

finished with over 25 hits last year, and four of those hit over .300 in the team’s 30 games. Caleb Curry and Carter Philippi provide a great 1-2 punch by regularly slapping out hits, combining for 17 doubles and seven home runs and driving in 31 runs.

The offensive onslaught does not end with those two. With the hits Peyton Randall and Dolan bring to the game alongside Mezquita, Carter Holthaus and Wellmann, Avon has too much firepower to be easily shut down. Eight of the Lakers tallied at least 10 runs.

The Lakers’ defense is a great asset in helping its pitchers protect leads. In 17 of its wins last year, Avon gave up three or fewer runs, including six shutouts.

Laker fans and faithful have gotten used to seeing victories when the Lakers take to the field. They have every reason to believe that tradition will continue this season.

Avon also hits well; six members of the team Avon Lakers page 10

Roscoe Rangers

Roscoe may have turned a corner last year.

The Rangers made effective use of their offense and defense to win four games and qualify for the Stearns County League South playoffs. In addition, they lost a couple of games by fewer than three runs.

Jordan Schleper’s hitting was a key part of the Rangers’ offense, as his 17 hits included three home runs. Brandon Schleper was another contributor with a solid bat, slapping out 13 hits. Max Athmann, one of the team’s talented younger players, and veteran Russell Leyendecker each logged 12 hits.

Roscoe has dependable arms, as Parker Brezinka, Bryce Vanderbeek and Leyendecker pitched over 20 innings each. Brezinka was credited with three of the team’s wins.

Something the Rang-

ers hope to improve on is run production. They would get people on base but did not always drive them in. The team, though, should benefit from the play of the group that won the Big Dipper championship last year.

If they can solve that deficiency, the Rangers

will be looking at another improved season.

PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

Elian Mezquita struck out about a batter an inning for the Lakers. An all-around player, he brings pitching, defense and offensive talents to the Lakers.

PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

Veteran Russell Leyendecker (left) provides leadership and solid play in the field for the Rangers. Offensively, he is among the team’s top batters.

St. Stephen St. Steves

St. Stephen is ready to make a statement in the Victory League. It has a balanced blend of veteran leadership and young talent throughout the lineup. With some of the most effective hitters in the area, the Steves hits with average and power and combines those swings with solid baserunning. Their pitching has the depth to stay in any game.

Cole Fuecker has become the face of the Steves. His .436 average resulted in 34 hits, 25 runs, 24 RBIs, six doubles and nine home runs, placing him in the top 10 in the area in each category. He is patient

enough to draw walks and fast enough to steal bases. Joining Fuecker in a

Avon Lakers from page 9

dangerous lineup is Mat Meyer, whose offense alone can swing a game. He hits with power and average. Bo Schmitz, the leadoff hitter, has benefited from the bats of Fuecker and Meyer. He reached base 21 times and scored 19 runs.

Protecting the team’s leads are their cadre of pitchers. Jack Greenlun

struck out over 100 batters in 76 innings with a 2.11 ERA. Landon Lunser’s ERA was even lower at 1.40 in 50 innings, along with striking out 61 batters. Coming in when needed was Derek Durant, who pitched 24 2/3 innings with four wins.

The pitchers are backed up by a defense that includes Durant and Charlie Kent at shortstop and second, respectively and Andrew Wollak in the outfield.

St. Stephen will miss the talents of the retired Brandon Waldvogel, but

Freeport Black Sox

has potential in the talents of Reid Lunser, the return of TJ Bevans and utility man Nick Greer.

Freeport has the players to win in Victory League play.

Matt Johnson could work his way into any lineup with his hitting and baserunning. Few are as effective as he is when it comes to making hits count. He drove in 12 and scored 19 on his own – without hitting a home run.

Ike Sawyer constantly finds ways to reach base, whether by hits or walks. With the hitting of Mason Toutges, 17 hits, and Bryan Benson, 15 hits, he and others came across the plate.

looking for more pitching (most teams are), but it has effective arms. Andrew Kerzman is its goto pitcher and finished with 65 1/3 innings. Not far behind is Iver Papke, who showed control in his 56 2/3 innings as he struck out 50 batters.

Mitch Reller was again dependable, logging 45 1/3 innings and winning three games.

The Black Sox finished last season with some of their best play. That should be a building block for this season.

The Black Sox can play small ball and have no problem using bunts and steals. The team piled up 32 steals last year, regularly taking extra bases to get into scoring position. In addition, Brandon Sawyer and Jake Braegelmann are threats to break open a game with their hits and Nate Mettenburg and Trevor Sawyer have shown they can put the ball in play.

Freeport may be

PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

Jack Greenlun showed he was a reliable starter last year ,striking out 101 hitters in 76 innings. He finished with six wins for the Steves.

PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

Iver Papke is a tough pitcher to hit consistently. He led Freeport in ERA and strikeouts last season.

St. Martin from page 7

He has power, five home runs; speed, seven doubles; and a knack for the dramatic. Last year, he hit a walk-off home run and scored a game-winning run from second base on a sacrifice bunt.

Brady Goebel led the Martins in hits and average, slapping out 25 base knocks, six for extra bases. Others, such as Avery

Schmitz, Nolan Rueter, Tanner Arceneau and Scott Lieser, followed with hits and sacrifices. St. Martin rarely hit home runs, but it does hit well enough to drive in winning runs.

Defensively, the Martins are fun to watch, rarely making errors and coming through with solid fundamental play in all areas of the game.

The Martins win by combining offensive, defensive and pitching talents. That combination should again carry them through this season.

St. We d l Wendel S Saints

The Saints are looking to build on the success they had last year. The seven-win season was one of continued improvement. Besides the wins – and some of them were impressive – St. Wendel played in some close games with traditional powers.

St. Wendel is built around the talents and example of Austin Dickmann. His .333 batting average does not reflect that he is among the top power hitters in the area. His 29 hits included six doubles, seven home runs and 25 RBIs. Defensively, he can play anywhere, including pitcher. As a pitcher, he was often protecting leads he helped produce, recording 64 strikeouts in 58 1/3 innings. He handles the defensive element of pitching as well, recording a total of nine putouts and assists in one game.

both strong defensive and offensive players.

Not the far behind in the power department is Brandon Dickmann, who piled up 25 hits with seven doubles and five home runs. He constantly finds

St. Wendel page 15

PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

Scott Lieser’s command of his pitches make him a top pitcher in the area. He logged over 100 strikeouts last year for the Martins.

Far ming Farming Flames Stearns County League - South

Look for the Farming Flames to be back among the contending teams in the Stearns County League this season.

Farming competed with some of the best in the league last year, but were just edged out of wins. Five of its losses were by two or fewer runs.

The Flames can get on base and score. Adam Winkels, Will Mergen, Tylor Schroeder, Josh Becker and Aaron Eiynck all notched 10 or more hits.

Farming page 17

Upsala Blue Jays Blue Victory League - South/West

Given half a chance, the Blue Jays can produce wins in close games, and they play in many close games.

Last season, eight of their games were decided by two or fewer runs, and they won five of them. Only four teams scored seven or more runs against them.

The first line of keeping those games close is the pitching staff built around Matt

plinger. www.ampsrs.com

Upsala page 16

PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

Will Mergen has regularly made contact with the ball for the Flames. He has provided his with runners on base.

PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

Infielder Brady Burggraff’s reach and arm provide a defensive strength for Upsala. Offensively, he will at times be the DH for the team.

Swanson, Levi Lampert and Micha Rip-

The Opole Bears have only improved the past few years and should continue to do so this season.

Opole has developed a solid offensive corps, with Alex Lange, Tate Lange and Hunter Boeckermann leading the way. Alex Lange led the team with 19 hits. Tate Lange was not far behind, getting on base to score 12 runs in 17 games. Boeckermann was a real surprise. He had shown potential the previous year and broke out with 13 hits, some at key moments in games.

All totaled, the Bears boasted nine players with at least 10 hits. Drew Lange, another youngster, had 15, and Jordan Schmitz and Dominick Hoikka each registered 14 hits.

The Bears had growing pains, as they learned their

respective roles over the past few years. Others in the offense have started to produce.

On the mound, Isaiah

Folsom, 64 1/3 innings, can be a dominant pitcher who goes deep into games; he won six games a year ago.

Opole page 15

PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING

Drew Lange’s defensive abilities came to the forefront for Opole last year. The versatile fielder can play any infield position.

Opole

from page 14

Tate Lange contributed 45 2/3 innings with 41 strikeouts. Hunter Ahrens emerged as a go-to pitcher, often pitching his best when facing some of the best teams in the area. The team showed it could win close games and at times pounded out lopsided wins. There were other games when it was the reverse. In part, it was because Opole stranded runners at key times.

Defensively, the Bears have improved. Besides pitching well, Folsom fields well. The play of Luke Bieniek and Hoikka has strengthened the outfield and Drew Lange is a versatile infielder with a strong arm.

Opole has shown it has learned the game during the past few years. This season, it should again be a winning team

Lake Henry from page 13

Besides that, Wendlandt hit over .400, and he and Shane Kampsen are both capable of 15-hit seasons.

The offensive punch is varied and multi-faceted. Ludwig and Dingmann have home-run power, and the team likes to run. Four players swiped at least three bags and three more reached double-digit RBI totals.

The Lakers have all the pieces to be a winning team. If they

St. Wendel

from page 11

Logan Harren has proved adept at getting on base any way possible (21 hits, seven hit-by-pitches). When on base, he moves, recording five steals and seven doubles.

The Saints are excited by the potential shown by Tanner Reis, who hit .324 last year with 12 hits and led the team in triples.

Defensively, St. Wendel has a good center fielder in Rolando Ramos, a speedy outfielder who gets to the ball. Brandon Dickmann has become a solid first baseman with a knack for digging out errant throws.

The team will need to find another arm now that Peter Schumer opted

all come together, they will be tough to count out.

Lake

to play in Sartell. Still, Jake Ethen and Ramos had over 20 innings and should help Austin Dickmann in that regard. The Saints showed last year they could win in the Victory League. This season, they could well win a few more.

Sobieski Skis Swanville Swans

Swanville comes into the season looking for a bit more consistency from its lineup. Travis Barthel would be a mainstay in most batting orders, consistently hitting and reaching base. Hudson Pung and Jordan Sales are both hard to keep off the bases. What the Swans need are batters to follow them with run-producing hits.

The pitching staff is built around Cooper Thieschafer and Levi Beseman. They have the ability to limit opponents’ hits and strike out batters. Thieschafer, who had 22 strikeouts in 36 1/3 inning, led the team with two wins.

The Swans have the players necessary to

compete against their opponents. They also have the players who can win those games.

Flensburg Falcons

Flensburg may have given an indication it is turning itself around at the end of last season.

The Falcons posted a 4-1 win over Swanville in the Victory League South/ West play-in game and qualified for the league’s double-elimination phase of the playoffs, the first time in a few years it went that far.

The Falcons have the

players to again make the playoffs. Juan and Carlos Melanciano both put the bat on the ball consistently, recording 15 and 11 hits, respectively. Reece Hubbard, the team’s leading hitter, also had 15 hits and Luke Youngblom added 11 more.

With the bulk of the team returning, Flensburg is poised to score runs this season. The team’s biggest challenge will be pitching, or rather depth in pitching. Russ Fellbaum, 23 innings, Ben Knopik and Dan Kokett all threw well, but others struggled.

The Skis have consistently been one of the best teams in the area and will be again this season.

Led by a strong offensive corps, Sobieski can score on anyone. While capable of various methods of scoring runs, all-around hitting has usually stood out. The team hits well throughout the lineup; in their 23 games last season, 13 players had at least 10 hits.

Collin Eckman, 26 hits, Joey Hanowski, 26 hits, Matt Baier, 21 hits, and Dusty Parker, 20 hits, set the bar for the Skis. They were productive hits, as Hanowski and Eckman each recorded over 20 RBIs and Baier and Parker both scored at least 10 runs.

Some of that production comes from power, as Eckman and Hanowski can hit home runs. The Skis are not adverse to playing small ball when needed, ether. Matt Filippi had four steals, while Eckman and Baier produced sacrifices.

Sobieski’s offense produced runs, which gave it leads. Those leads are protected by a proven pitching staff. Jake Kapphahn and Parker were true banes for batters last year. Kapphahn’s 1.49 ERA came as he struck out 52 in 56 1/3 innings. Parker’s 41 1/3 innings produced 39 strikeouts and a 1.69 ERA. Collin Eckman provides another durable arm, as he logged 30 2/3 innings.

The team’s defense, built around infielders Gabe Hirsch and Beau Thoma and outfielder Parker, rarely give opponents easy opportunities to score.

The Skis will have a bit of a different look this season, as longtime catcher Riley Hirsch has retired. He caught the majority of the team’s games the past 15 years, including many state championship games.

That change comes as the Skis get ready to compete with a younger team than in previous years. Thoma and Filippi, second-year recruits, are expected to play a larger role, but others will have opportunities to step up and continue the tradition of Sobieski’s success.

Both Schroeder and Winkels finished with 13 hits.

What the Flames missed was getting the one extra hit to put them over the edge. The team is rarely out of games, in part due to solid pitching. Adam Nibaur keeps the Flames in games with his control, 43 strikeouts, and durability, 58 innings. He was drafted for postseason play by Lake Henry and appeared in the Region 15C tournament. Winkels and Schroeder each totaled more than 20 innings last year. They do not let games get out of control.

of Schroeder, Breyden Eiynck, Taylor Fourre and Isaac Nett backs up the efforts of the pitching staff.

The Falcons are hoping to benefit from the potential Austin Neu showed at the end of last season. If all the pieces fall into place, Flensburg will again be playing in the postseason.

Defensively, Farming has always produced stout defenders and should again this season. The play

The Flames showed last year they have all the elements needed for a good season. This season should be the one.

Sobieski page 22

Randall Cubs Royalton Riverdogs

Randall comes into the 2024 season with a tradition of good play and being competitive.

Last year, at times, the team was challenged to play well. At the same time, they showed it can be competitive.

The Cubs offense has a lineup that can handle its opponents’ pitching.

Kyle Peterschick and Nathan Benning are always threats to reach base. Peterschick, .320 batting average, and Benning, .296, each totaled 16 hits. Four of Benning’s hits went for extra bases. He puts himself in position to score runs.

Travis Wenzel is another player who cannot be overlooked with 15 hits, four for extra bases. He scored nine runs.

Matt Otremba was particularly effective, hitting at a .400 clip with 11 hits. Ricky Drew also logged 11 hits, three of them being extra-base hits. He scored 10 runs off those hits. Brett Strack’s hitting and patience, 12 hits and eight walks, gives the Cubs another offensive threat. Randall’s pitching staff can also be effective.

During the July 2 weekend, it posted two wins, allowing only two runs in

two games. Wenzel had 70 innings last year and Benning added 28 more. Both of them can control their pitches and are not wild.

The Cubs are looking to improve their offensive production. It was not that the team did not score runs, but it did not score enough runs.

With the players they have, and the tradition that is Randall baseball, the Cubs could be back to being a winning team.

With a lineup of good hitters, the Riverdogs can be a hard team to earn a win against.

Opponents need to hold the bats of Tyler Jendro, Brady Brezinka, Grayson Suska and Joe Gaida in check. They, as well as Nathan Benusa, Nathan Psyck and Zack Cekalla, have all consistently hit well.

Jendro is impressive with a .408 batting average and five extra-base hits. He totaled 20 hits and two triples last year. Benusa delivers with runners on base and led the team in RBIs. Suska defied superstition, augmenting his 13 hits with

13 walks to score a teamhigh 13 runs.

Royalton can score runs; however, it struggles to prevent them. It showed it has the potential to shut down other teams, as it held four teams, including region-bound Foley, to four or fewer runs.

Pitchers Psyck, Zack Leibold and Grayson Suska are experienced and know how to win. Psyck controls his pitches well, striking 31 and walking only 10 batters. No Royalton pitcher walked more than 15 batters. Leibold, who had four wins, led the team with his 67 2/3 innings. The Riverdogs have the potential to compete in and win most games they play. Do not be surprised if they have a memorable season.

The Pierz Lakers have the players and experience to be a topflight team in the Victory League this season.

Hitters Brady Petron and Ryan Diers are among the best in the area. Diers, who had five home runs and nine doubles, finished with a .966 slugging percentage. Other hitters such as Kolten Happke, Carter Petron and Paul Herman have shown they can handle the pitching of league foes. The Lakers’ pitching is another reason for an

optimistic season. In six of their games, the pitching staff combined with the defense to allow one run, and they had one shutout.

Noah Cekalla, Preston Rocheleau and Carter Petron all demonstrated they can control pitches and retire batters. When the Lakers were upset

in the Victory League North/West playoffs, those three, as well as veteran Chad Weiss, were drafted for postseason play.

The Lakers have all the pieces needed to win in the Victory League this season. No one should be surprised if they have a great season.

The Pierz Brewers are not a team to be taken lightly.

Mike Leidenfrost, .377 batting average and 20 hits; Rylee Rausch, .298 batting average and 17 hits; and Gunner Wiklund, .377 batting average and 20 hits, lead a team that put runners on base and gets them in. Stuckmayer is particularly adept at getting timely hits, driving in 13 runs last year, while Wiklund posted a .623 slugging percentage. The

Brewers mix extra-base hitting with pesky baserunning to manufacture their runs.

Pete Schommer’s pitching is dependable and effective. He and Cody Kimman both had low ERAs. With Schommer on the mound, the Brewers

always have a chance to win. Only one team scored 10 runs on the Brewers last year. The Brewers would like to be a bit more consistent with their offense. If they find it, they will be a team to watch.

The Titans are coming into the season as a favored team in the Resorters League and in the area.

Built around strong pitching and defense and with an improving offense, the Titans can score, shut down opponents and win. A focus of the team will be to score more runs this season.

Sauk Centre has the players to do so. Derek Holm and Dylan Haskamp provide a solid 1-2 punch at the top of the lineup. Both hit well and are patient enough to draw walks. They are followed by run-producing hits from Brian Beuning, Andrew Rousslange and Jared Gessell. They showed last year they have the consistency and power to drive in runs.

Working from the mound are Shane Trattles, Haskamp and Matthew Warring. That trio won 12 games last year, and Haskamp’s 1.36 ERA

was among the best in the area, in part due to his 89 strikeouts in 66 innings. Mix in Shawn Hayungs and Beuning as relievers and the Titans are equipped from a pitching standpoint. Last year, both Beuning and Trattles were drafted for state play.

The pitching is supported by a strong defense that plays behind it.

Jake Haskamp’s catching anchors the team. Beuning, Dylan Haskamp and

Rousslange are utility players and do well wherever they play. The Titans will not have the services of Jacob

Zollman this year, but the play of Warring and Eli Fletcher the last few years lend promise for another successful season.

Alexandria Black Sox

Alexandria could not get its offense going last year and saw games get away from it. It did, however, have games where it played close and some where it really hit well. That consistency was not always there. The team does have a good corps of hitters in Waylon Muenezhuber, Tate Breitkreutz, Alex Jinkins and Brady Burgau. Chris Curry and Carter Stockert provide pitching.

Ashby A’s

Close games were an issue for the A’s last year. Three of its losses were by less than a run, and only two teams scored more than five on them. Ashby can put runs on the scoreboard and tallied a 13-run win. Brandon Christianson and Matson Hoff can, and do, get on base. Carter Spangler has shown he can pitch.

Carlos Cougars

Carlos is a team that few overlook. With Devian Swerman, Devin Cimbura, Lake Hagen and JD Hennen in the lineup, the Cougars have quality batters. Hennen and Shay Endres also are more than capable of keeping batters in check. Last season, they picked up wins over Sauk Centre and Urbank.

Kensington Norsemen

The Norsemen struggled last season, but did have some successes. Teigen Moritz can hit for power and Cole Brusse provided quality innings on the mound.

Urbank Bombers

As their name implies, the Bombers can hit. Andrew Johnson, Hunter Arnold and Austen Hadley both put the bat on the ball consistently last year as the team competed for wins in the Resorters League. Hunter Haggenmiller and Johnson kept the team in games with their pitching.

GOOD LUCK SAUK CENTRE TITANS

PHOTO BY HERMAN LENSING Jared Gessell is a batter Sauk Centre wants at the plate with runners on base. He came through with key hits for the Titans last year.

Pierz Bulldogs

The Bulldogs had some bright moments last year and they have elements to build on for an improved season.

Charles Boser, 16 hits, and Craig Luberts, 11 hits, can usually be counted on to reach base. Skip Toops, Keagon Frisbie and Ted Dehler also made contributions to the offense.

Defensively, the team regularly receives good play from Luberts, Dehler and Frisbie. The pitching of Brayden Haberman and Frisbie has also been effective. Deegan Beck and Cooper Grashorn showed they have the potential to help fill some of those spots.

The Bulldogs need to improve their offensive production and cut down on runs allowed. Helping in the latter priority is pitcher Chase Becker, who struck out 33 batters last season.

The Bulldogs will need to find replacements for some departed players. If they do, they will be an improved team.

The Foley Lumberjacks will be a difficult team to defeat in Victory League campaigns.

Foley has dominant players in every aspect of the game, starting with its pitching. The Jacks have one of the elite pitching staffs in the area. Drew Beier, who had eight wins and struck out 95 (including his totals after being drafted for state play by Buckman), leads a corps that includes proven pitchers Ryan Chmielewski and Logan Winkelman. Both Beier and Winkelman’s names are found among the all-area leaders. In addition, Michael Moulzolf, who made the top 10 for ERA, Alex Foss and

Sobieski from page 17

Foley Lumberjacks

Hunter Hamers can throw well.

Those pitchers are often on the mound with leads, as Foley has one of the best combinations of average (.319) and power (40 home runs). Noah Winkelman (.482 average) and Beier (.440 average) are both solid hitters. Two others, Mitch Loegering and Chmielewski, hit over .400. Beier led the area in big flies, hitting 13 home runs. Noah Winkelman slammed out nine home runs and Dan Marod added seven more. Foley also logged 60 doubles, five triples and 31 steals. Wyatt Ziwicki led the team in stolen bases with seven. That hitting often led

to runs being scored, as three Lumberjacks were among the leaders in RBIs.

Defensively, Foley has solid contributors in outfielder Joe Ziwicki and infielders Beier and Chuck Hackett. The team rarely hurts itself with its defense.

Where it is hoping to improve is with its offensive consistency. At times, Foley scored 20 runs one game only to struggle for one or two the next. When that challenge is overcome, it will be a hard team to take down.

Area Leaders

Batting average (min. 40 appearances)

.482 Noah Winkelman, Foley

.463 Cole Schmitz, Richmond

.440 Drew Beier, Foley

.438 Logan Funk, New Munich

.436 Cole Fuecker, St. Stephen

.435 Brady Petron, Pierz Lakers .433 Riley Hirsch, Sobieski

.427 Jackson Peter, Elrosa

.419 Charles Boser, Pierz Bulldogs

.408 Mitch Loegering, Foley

.408 Tyler Jendro, Royalton

Slugging % (min. 40 appearances)

.989 Drew Beier, Foley

.965 Noah Winkelman, Foley

.859 Cole Fuecker, St. Stephen

.851 Levi Lampert, Upsala

.772 Kody Ruedisili, Nisswa

.747 Dan Marod, Foley

.704 Cole Schmitz, Richmond

.677 Brandon Dickmann, St. Wendel

.667 Collin Eckmann, Sobieski

.660 Chuck Hackett, Foley

On Base % (min. 40 appearances)

.564 Riley Hirsch, Sobieski

.547 Tyler Jendro, Royalton

.540 Cole Schmitz, Richmond

.531 Cole Fuecker,

.522 Noah

.514 Drew Beier,