Local nine hopes to round the bases at state legion
by Andy Rogers
Thisweek Newspapers
If history repeats itself, one area American Legion baseball team might find itself playing at the regional tournament again this year.
Third District winner Eastview along with first runner-up Lakeville North and second runner-up Eagan qualified for the Legion State Tournament from Thursday to Monday in Hibbing.
The top two teams move on to the either the Great Lakes Regional in Illinois or Central Plains Regional tournament in Missouri in August, which is good news for local teams because the Third District has a reputation of success at state.
Apple Valley won the state American Legion tournament in 2002 and was runner-up in 2009, 2007 and 2004. In 2008, Eastview won the state title.
Coaches feel that the Third District tournament prepares the team well for state.
“There are so many tremendous programs (in the district),” Lakeville North head coach Josh Storm said. “They don’t take days off. There’s a lot of key Lake Conference teams in our group like Eagan, Burnsville, Rosemount, Apple Valley and Lakeville South. We’re playing a high level of competition.”
The tournament also features programs from Forest Lake, Stillwater and Woodbury, which also provides stiff competition.
“It’s almost like a state tournament,” Storm said. “We’re facing some tremendous pitching and it sets you up to be successful at the state tournament and beyond.”
Since the competition level is so high, one good or bad play can determine the outcome of the game.
“You have to have a little bit of the baseball gods on your side and you need a good draw,” Eastview head coach Bob Klefsaas said.
“That’s what baseball is all about. I love to be able to go out on the field and say this team might be better on paper than us, but if we make some great plays, any day of the week you can beat anybody.”
Lakeville North
Lakeville North has been one of the premier teams in the state this season.
In the final state American Legion coaches and media baseball poll, the team rose to No. 4 thanks to its 26-6 record.
“We’ve played extremely well,” Storm said. “Everyone got on board and the leadership took over.”
Pitching by Andy Yetzer, A.J. Moore, Tyler Brekke, Colin Baker and John Hayes has been the team’s biggest muscle this season.
Yetzer has a 1.36 ERA with a 6-1 record. He’s given up eight earned runs. Moore has 37 strikeouts in 36 innings going 4-1.
The team is playing for a state title thanks to the power it has at the plate. The team is hitting .370.
“On any given day, eight of the nine players could hit a home run,” Storm said. “We have really good power.”
T.J. Evanson is leading the team in home runs and RBI. Nick Kulla and Collin Baker are both hitting well above .400, and Nick Altavilla and Tim Kuznair both had game-deciding hits in the district tournament.
“We don’t really have a weak spot,” Storm said.
Eagan
One of the biggest surprises of the district tournament was No. 8 seed Eagan.
As teams learned last year, Eagan saves its best for playoffs. Last year, Eagan was a No. 12 seed.
“It’s been an impressive run the past few years,” head coach Kevin Nagel said. “It’s pretty impressive what the kids have been able to do without having the advantages of a top seed.”
Eagan used a victory at a legion baseball tournament in Plover, Wis., in early July as a springboard to win nine of its final 11 games.
“The kids really jelled during that out-of-town tournament,” Nagel said. “There’s something about getting out of state.”
Success starts on the mound for Eagan. Neal Kunik is one of the top pitchers in Minnesota. He’s the only player to give Eden Prairie a loss this year. He’s gone 17-0 stretching back to June 24, 2009, counting high school and legion games.
Eagan has five accomplished pitchers – Charlie Conkel, Taylor Mathiason, Garrison Harris and Brad Walker.
“We’re going to be a tough matchup for any team later in the tournament,” Nagel said.
Twenty-three home runs have fueled Eagan’s offense at the plate.
“I thought they were going to be small-ball,” Nagel said. “They turned out to be a run-producing machine.”
JD Dorgan and Harris lead Eagan’s home run derby with seven and six, respectively. Both are hitting above .400.
With some state tournament experience behind them, Nagel knows what it will take to be successful.
“Last year, if you look at the statistics, we were the best hitting team and the worst fielding team,” Nagel said.
This year, Eagan is more balanced.
“I just hope the kids come focused,” Nagel said. “Maybe last year they were just happy to be there. We have nine guys returning.”
Eagan was rated No. 20 in the final State American Legion coaches and media baseball poll.
Eastview
In many ways this was supposed to be a rebuilding year. With 13 of the team’s 18 players eligible to play in 2011, coach Klefsaas thought 2010 would be too early to have success.
“We blossomed a lot quicker than I thought,” Klefsaas said. “We’re real fortunate.”
Klefsaas and Eastview won a state tournament in 2008. He feels this year’s version has better depth and pitching, but there’s no comparison until it’s all over.
“The 2008 team had a lot more savvy,” Klefsaas said. “They did the little things better at the end of the year.”
Klefsaas figured that manufacturing runs was the right fit for the team.
“Put the ball in play and run,” Klefsaas said. “I’m not sure if they ever played that way growing up. It took a while for them to understand, but now they have it. They’re peaking at the right time.”
The team’s top three pitchers have an ERA of less than one run and the team’s defense has had 36 errors in 33 games.
The team’s top pitcher has been Ty McDevitt, who has gone 6-1 this season with a 0.47 ERA. Tom Jerle has a 0.91 ERA striking out 56 batters in 31 innings. Joe Voss went 7-0 with a 0.91 ERA. Adam Morris has also been a big help going 5-0. He’s allowed 25 hits and three walks while striking out 38.
Eastview also has five players batting over .400 – Matt Larson, Alex Knop, McDevitt and Ty and Cody Groskruetz.
Eastview entered the state tournament ranked No. 2 in the state but the team drew a tough bracket with No. 3 North St. Paul and No. 1 Eden Prairie up first.
Andy Rogers is at
andy.rogers@ecm-inc.com.
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