PREP BASEBALL: Marshall prepared for state opener against Grand Rapids | Information, Sports activities, Jobs

Independent File Photo Marshall AJ Toulouse looks up after scoring a run during their Section 2AAA tournament game against New Ulm on June 5th. Marshall faces Grand Rapids in the quarterfinals of the Class AAA tournament today.

MARSHALL – After last season was canceled due to COVID-19, the Marshall baseball team is back at the state tournament, celebrating two of their best wins of the season, with Marshall defeating Mankato West 6-2 and final 2-1 in the Section 2AAA tournament Week to make his third trip to the state in the past five years.

“We’re playing our best baseball right now” That’s what Marshall trainer Chace Pollock said. “The two-time victory over Mankato West shows that and we are excited to see what comes next.”

Marshall (17-6) earned the number 4 in the AAA tournament and will meet the number 5 of the Grand Rapids in the quarter-finals at 12:30 pm today at the Mini-Met in Jordan. Grand Rapids started the tournament with a 17: 7 record and celebrated a 6-0 win over Chisago Lakes in the Section 7AAA tournament. The Thunderhawks have also won 13 of their last 14 games, including the last seven in a row.

Grand Rapids has a mix of youth and experience in its roster, including four seniors in Chris Pederson, Kodi Miller, Wyatt Holcomb and Andrew Sundberg and eight juniors in Ben Keske, Garett Drotts, Walker Ritter, Dan Wohlers, Erik Overlee, Andy Linder, Ren Morque and Jake Overlee. The rest of the roster consists of college students Myles Gunderson, David Wohlers and Kyle Henke, as well as newcomers Nolan Svatos, Easton Sjostrand, Jake Garski, Dominic Broberg and Kyler Miller.

Grand Rapids enters today and has averaged just over six runs per game (6,125), outperforming their opponents this season a 147-78. Meanwhile, Marshall has also entered the tournament with an average of just over six runs per game (6.26) and has surpassed his opponents 144-90 this year. Pollock said they have faced Grand Rapids many times in their history and knows it will be a competitive match.

“We’re on opposite ends of the state, but we’ve played against each other many times in the past.” said Pollock. “They’re a big hockey community, but they have some good ball players and it’s going to be a very good game between two teams that are very similar. But other than that, I don’t know much about them, which is nice because we saw the same teams almost all year round. “

Marshall has a wealth of experience in his roster, led by the team’s 10 seniors in Chase Douglas, Josh Baker, Cole Felcyn, AJ Toulouse, Mitchell Bouwman, Jack Bly, Jacob Hughes, Brock Schultz, Zach Allen and Benson Kuecker and six juniors in Keaton Maertens, Jacob Eben, Seth Radtke, Connor Neubeck, Charlie Jacobson and Owen Wettenmus. The rest of the roster consists of college students Tyler Maeyaert, Andrew Wallen, and Zach Leibfried, and newcomer Talan Plante.

Pollock said they have been trying to keep things simple lately in preparation for Tuesday.

“We kept things simple” said Pollock. “Much of the work was done in the beginning and middle of the year, but we’ll practice a little before we go to Jordan on Tuesday.”

The remainder of the AAA class tournament consists of St. Thomas Academy, Mendota Heights (17-9) and top-ranked Willmar (22-2), Albert Lea (12-11) and runner-up Sartell (21-3). ) and Sauk Rapids-Rice (10-12) against Mahtomedi (17-5). Three of these teams (Willmar, Sauk Rapids-Rice, and Sartell) all come from the Central Lakes Conference.

On the way to the state tournament, Pollock said they look forward to the opportunity to continue their season and spend more time together as a team.

“We look forward to continuing to play; We’re a very tight-knit group and it’s fun to be with the boys. “ said Pollock. “You will have an experience that will last a lifetime and we’re just happy to be together for a while longer.”

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