Prep Baseball: State Tournament Preview: La Crescent only team to defend championship; two teams making first appearances

In the 11th year of a three-class format, a new baseball champion will emerge in Class A and in Class AAA. La Crescent will attempt to defend its Class AA title. Two teams are making first appearances: Deer River and Fosston, both in the Class A tournament.

The six teams that advance to championship play will compete at the Minnesota Twins’ new stadium in downtown Minneapolis — Target Field — on Saturday, June 19. All three games will be Webcast live on 45.GrandStadium.tv and simultaneously broadcast on KSTC-TV, Channel 45. The Class A title game will begin at noon, followed by the Class AA championship game at 3 p.m. The Class AAA title game is scheduled for 6 p.m.

This year’s tournament will be played Thursday through Saturday, June 17-19, at locations across the state. Class A quarterfinals, championship semifinals and consolation semifinals, consolation championship, and third-place game will be played at the Mini Met in Jordan and the Athletic Field in Chaska. The Class AA and Class AAA schedules will be the same with the Class AA games being played at Dick Putz Field and the adjacent Joe Faber Field in St. Cloud. The Class AAA games are being held at Siebert Field in Minneapolis and Midway Stadium in St. Paul.

The Warriors of Deer River have hit .349 as a team while holding opponents to .243. They are adept thieves, as well, having stolen 113 bases so far. Sophomore Damon Benham has a team-high batting average of .479. Senior Kenny Benham has a team-high 31 RBI. Both junior Cody Willis and sophomore Eythan Stangland have identical 6-0 records and 2.69 ERAs. Stangland has struck out 51 and Willis has struck out 44.

(Section 6) Sebeka (19-5) vs. (Section 1) Southland, Adams (21-4) 10 a.m. June 17 at the Mini Met, Jordan.

The Trojans of Sebeka are making their third appearance and first since 2007. Sebeka has hit .314 as a team while holding opponents to .182. The Trojans have also stolen 72 bases. Sophomore Paul Funk has a team-high batting average of .507 and 24 RBI. Six players have driven in 14 or more runs, including senior Josh Kinnunen who is hitting .372 with 17 RBI. Senior Alex Brockpahler is 8-1 on the mound with a 0.79 ERA and 79 strikeouts. One of his wins was a no-hitter against Pillager. Senior Taylor Pederson has gone 6-2 with a 0.55 ERA and has 55 strikeouts. Southland is making its second appearance with the team’s first in 2008 resulting in a runner-up finish.

Southland provided no team or individual statistics. Neither team has played any other qualifiers.

(Section 4) Mayer Lutheran (17-8) vs. (Section 3) Adrian (23-2) 12:30 p.m. June 17 at Chaska Athletic Park. Both teams are making their fourth appearance. Mayer Lutheran last qualified in 2008 and Adrian last played in 2005. Neither team has played any other qualifiers.

The Crusaders of Mayer Lutheran are led by three power hitters with seven home runs between them. Senior Scott Willmsen has a team-high .371 batting average with one home run. Seniors Josh Genske (.338 and 21 RBI) and Chad Ische (.290 and 15 RBI) each have slammed three home runs. Junior Aaron Cook (5-3, 2.25 ERA and 58 strikeouts) and Genske (5-3, 5.85 ERA and 21 strikeouts) see the most mound time.

The Dragons of Adrian have scored 206 runs and are hitting .318 as a team while limiting opponents to 80 runs and a .191 average. Seniors Adam Diekmann and Brett Nowotny have hit all four of the team’s four home runs — three for Diekmann (405 and 29 RBI) and one for Nowotny (.422 and 21 RBI). Diekmann has gone 10-0 this season with a 2.04 ERA and 96 strikeouts. His career record is 24-3. Four other players have also pitched without losses.

(Section 5) Eden Valley-Watkins (24-0) vs. (Section 2) Minnesota Valley Lutheran, New Ulm (13-13) 12:30 p.m. June 17 at the Mini Met, Jordan.

The Eagles of Eden Valley-Watkins are making their third appearance, but first since 2001, and they were the 1985 runners-up. The team has scored 242 runs and has a .381 batting average while limiting opponents to 57 runs and a .141 average. Three Eagles have averages of .500 or better — senior Tyler Geisinger at .542 and 30 RBI; junior Kevin Kramer at .511 with 24 RBI; and senior Ryan Schmitz at .500. Five other players are hitting .400 or more. Both Tyler Geisilinger (2.00 ERA and 82 strikeouts) and junior Matt Geislinger (1.21 ERA and 79 strikeouts) are 10-0 on the season.

The Chargers of Minnesota Valley Lutheran are making their second appearance; their previous appearance was in 2004. Senior Galen Holzhueter has a team-high batting average of .380. Junior Michael Schlottman has a team-high 30 RBI, including two home runs, and has a .366 average. Junior Brandon Johnson has hit three home runs, is hitting .363 and has 29 RBI. Six different pitchers have records, but senior Keith Besemer has the most innings, 62, and is 5-3 with a 4.29 ERA and 33 strikeouts. Neither team has played any other qualifiers.

Class AA Highlights
(Section 7) Cloquet (20-7) vs. (Section 2) Mankato East/Immanuel Lutheran (15-12) 10 a.m. June 17 at Dick Putz Field, St. Cloud.

The Lumberjacks of Cloquet are making their third appearance and first since 1975. Senior August Reynolds has a team-high batting average of .462 with three home runs and 11 RBI. Nine other players have driven in 10 or more runs also. Senior Thomas Rogers has the most innings pitched, 64, and has a 5-4 record, 2.16 ERA and 51 strikeouts. Sophomore Adam Hanson also sees action on the mound with 40 innings, 2.95 ERA and 32 strikeouts.

The Cougars of the co-op Mankato East/Immanuel Lutheran team (first co-op appearance but Mankato East qualified in 2000) have 20 home runs to their credit. Eighteen of the homers have come from the trio of junior Adam Geiger (8 ), senior Derek Quame (6) and senior Seth Allan (4). The three also have 27 doubles and 94 RBI between them. Geiger also has a team-high average of .470. Quame has worked the most innings on the mound (45) and is 5-1 with a 2.61 ERA and 43 strikeouts. Junior Danny Lindstrom is 5-0 in 40 innings with a 1.39 ERA and 26 strikeouts. The Cougars have not played any other Class AA qualifiers, however, they did beat Class AAA qualifier Rochester Mayo twice, 6-4 and 3-2.

(Section 5) Delano (21-5) vs. (Section 4) St. Anthony Village (22-5) 10 a.m. June 17 at Joe Faber Field, St. Cloud.

The Tigers of Delano are making their sixth appearance and first since 2004. Delano has scored 200 runs while holding opponents to 75. The Tigers have stolen 72 bases. Senior Justin Polak has a team-high .437 average and 26 RBI. Sophomore Tyler Wolfe is hitting .431 with 24 RBI and senior Adam Ernst is hitting .432 and has 22 RBI. Wolfe has also seen the most innings on the mound (55) and has a 2.77 ERA with a team-high 59 strikeouts. Three other players have also seen significant time on the mound and have a combined 14-2 record.

The Huskies of St. Anthony Village have scored 190 runs and their opponents have been limited to 85. This is their fourth appearance. Their most recent appearance was in 2008. Junior Trevor Weber has a team-high .429 average. Junior Nicho Roessler is hitting .345 with 21 RBI and also has the most innings pitched, 70, a 7-2 record, 2.00 ERA and 68 strikeouts. The Huskies came out ahead, 5-3, in their May 22 game against the Tigers.

(Section 6) Rocori, Cold Spring (21-3) vs. (Section 3) Fairmont (18-4) 12:30 p.m. June 17 at Dick Putz Field, St. Cloud.

The Spartans of Rocori are making their sixth appearance. Their most recent appearance was in 2007. The Spartans have exactly twice as many runs scored as opponents, 182-91. Rocori has also stolen 78 bases. Senior Eric Loxtercamp leads the team in average (.515), RBI (29), and home runs (3). Senior Mathias Butala is hitting .400 with 21 RBI has seen the most action on the mound (58 innings), earning an 8-1 record, 2.41 ERA and striking out 55. Rocori defeated Fergus Falls 8-1 early in the season.

The Cardinals of Fairmont are making their seventh appearance, but first since 1993. Fairmont has scored 165 runs with a team batting average of .348 while holding opponents to 50 runs and a .201 average. The Cardinals have stolen 50 bases. Junior Jon Ellis has a team-high batting average of .431 with 19 RBI and two home runs. Junior Max Waletich has a team-high 22 RBI and is hitting .418. Senior Tyler Beck has seen 55 innings on the mound, is 7-1 with a 1.26 ERA and 68 strikeouts. The Cardinals have not played any other qualifiers.

(Section 8 ) Fergus Falls (18-7) vs. (Section 1) La Crescent (22-4) 12:30 p.m. June 17 at Joe Faber Field, St. Cloud. This is rematch of the 2009 championship tilt in which La Crescent came out on top 5-3.

The Otters of Fergus Falls, making their fourth appearance, have tallied 172 runs while limiting opponents to 76. Sophomore Pete Gaustad has a team-high .439 average, two home runs, and 15 RBI. He is also 5-1 on the mound with 53 strikeouts in 42 innings and a 1.51 ERA. Senior Dan Revering has a team-high 18 RBI and is hitting .390. Senior Darin Stanislawski is also 5-1 and has 63 strikeouts in 44 innings and a 2.39 ERA. The Otters lost to Rocori 8-1 and defeated Class AAA qualifier Brainerd 4-2.

The Lancers of La Crescent are making their sixth appearance. They have scored 174 runs while limiting opponents to 93 and have stolen 95 bases. Sophomore Troy Traxler has a team-high .482 average with 17 RBI and two home runs. Junior Travis Kruckow is hitting .452 and is also 8-1 on the mound with 47 strikeouts in 49 innings and has a 2.70 ERA. Senior Austin Walleser is 8-2, has 74 strikeouts in 66 innings and a 1.27 ERA. The Lancers have not played any other qualifiers.

Class AAA Highlights
(Section 7) Forest Lake (16-9) vs. (Section 4) Stillwater Area (22-4) 10 a.m. June 17 at Siebert Field, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

The Rangers of Forest Lake are making their second consecutive and sixth overall appearance. They finished fourth in 2009. They finished as runners-up in 1993. The team did not provide any statistics. Forest Lake and Stillwater Area split a pair of games with Stillwater Area winning the early April game 2-1 and Forest Lake winning the May 8 rematch 6-1.

The Ponies of Stillwater Area are also making their second consecutive and sixth overall appearance. The Ponies were the 2009 runners-up, and did win a title in 1991. The team has scored 138 runs on 219 hits and has held opponents to 61 runs on 153 hits. Stillwater Area has stolen 64 bases. Senior Brandon Schuman has a team-high batting average of .417 with 19 RBI and one home run. Senior Jeremy Gillard also has 19 RBI and is hitting .377 with two home runs. Junior Jason Pernu is 7-2 in 65 innings pitched, with a 1.61 ERA and 48 strikeouts. He has only given up five extra-base hits, all doubles.

(Section 2) Eden Prairie (23-1) vs. (Section 1) Rochester Mayo (16-8) 10 a.m. June 17 at Midway Stadium, St. Paul.

The Eagles of Eden Prairie are making their second consecutive and sixth overall appearance. They finished fifth last year, won a title in 2004, and were runners-up in 1998 and 2007. Eden Prairie scored 190 runs this year while holding its opponents to 68. The Eagles had 162 RBI on 249 hits and their team batting average is .354. Senior Tyler Peterson has a team-high .448 average and 28 RBI. Junior Tony Skjefte bats .441 and has 23 RBI on 38 hits, including three home runs. Senior Matt Halloran has 27 RBI and also belted three homers. Junior Brian Athey belted four home runs. Junior pitcher Grant Soderberg has a 7-0 record and threw 48 strikeouts in 45 innings for a 2.29 ERA. The Eagles beat Burnsville twice this season, 4-1 and 9-8.

Rochester Mayo is making its seventh appearance and first since 2001, the year the team finished second. The Spartans are led offensively by sophomore Steve Serratore with a .397 average, 25 RBI and a team-high four home runs, as well as by senior Ben O’Reilly with a .359 average, 25 RBI and three home runs. O’Reilly is also 6-2 on the mound and has 42 strikeouts in 53 innings and a 2.91 ERA. Junior Brandon Zywicki has pitched 48 innings, struck out 41 and is 7-1 with a 2.01 ERA. The Spartans lost twice to Class AA qualifier Mankato East/Immanuel Lutheran 6-4 and 3-2.

(Section 6) Robbinsdale Armstrong (16-8) vs. (Section 5) Coon Rapids (17-9) 12:30 p.m. June 17 at Siebert Field, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.

The Falcons of Robbinsdale Armstrong are making their third appearance. Their most recent appearance was in 2006. Junior Jackson Goihl leads the team with his .459 average, 24 RBI and four home runs. Senior Tyler Johnson also has 24 RBI and is hitting .408 with three home runs. Sophomore Andrew Favaro has seen the most action (47 innings) among the team’s numerous hurlers and has struck out 43, is 6-2, and has a 1.91 ERA. The Falcons did not play any tournament qualifiers.

The Cardinals of Coon Rapids are making their seventh appearance. Their most recent was in 2008 when they won their third championship. The first two were won in 1980 and 1993 and they were also second in 1997. Coon Rapids provided limited team statistics — 130 runs scored to opponent’s 119, a team batting average of .291 and a team ERA of 3.49. No individual statistics were provided. The Cardinals also did not play any other qualifiers.

(Section 8 ) Brainerd (20-4) vs. (Section 3) Burnsville (19-5) 12:30 p.m. June 17 at Midway Stadium, St. Paul.

The Warriors of Brainerd are making their 12th appearance, but first since 2003. Brainerd won titles in 1995 and 2000, and finished second in 1996. The Warriors have scored 176 runs to their opponents’ 73. Among the team’s 225 hits are 15 home runs, six of which have been hit by senior Kyle Crocker, who also has a team-high .430 average with 25 RBI. Five home runs were hit by senior Tate Rusk who is hitting .395 and has a team-high 26 RBI. Crocker also has most innings pitched, 54, and is 7-1 with 42 strikeouts and a 1.66 ERA. Senior Joel Martin has contributed five wins on the mound to one loss in 50 innings pitched and has struck out 37 and has a 2.92 ERA. Brainerd split a double-header with Class AA qualifier Rocori, winning 4-1 and losing 9-7. The Warriors also lost 4-2 to Class AA qualifier Fergus Falls.

The Blaze of Burnsville are making their fourth appearance and first since 1989. Burnsville is hitting .383 as a team, with 195 runs scored to opponents’ 71. Senior Brandon Peterson has team-high average of .423 with 22 RBI. Senior Jacob Threkeld is hitting .422 with a team-high 25 RBI. Peterson is 7-1 on the mound with 45 innings pitched, 42 strikeouts and a 1.24 ERA. Threkeld is 5-0 in 41 I innings pitched, has 33 strikeouts and a 1.88 ERA. Burnsville dropped two games to Eden Prairie this season, 4-1 and 9-8.

Courtesy: Minnesota State High School League (MSHSL)