Monthly Archives: August 2011

Infanger eager to improve Osakis in second season at the helm

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The Osakis football team will open up its season at home Thursday night against Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg hoping to rebound from a 3-5 regular season in 2010.

Head coach Bill Infanger took that losing record personally as he worked diligently in the off-season to make sure he gives his team the best opportunity to bounce back. I talked to Infanger for a story I wrote for today’s Osakis Review. Here is a complete rundown of my interview with him leading up to the season opener.

EM: How excited were you to get back at it this fall after the season you guys had last year?

Infanger: There really was never an off-season this year. We were disappointed with the way our season went overall last year with a 3-5 record. We started off right away with the weight program [after the season ended], and we had probably 10 to 12 guys who really participated hard in the weight program through the winter and into the spring, lifting weights in the morning three days a week.

I’ve been watching film and getting ready for this year ever since the last game last year. It’s been eating at me to get back out here. So yeah, really excited to get out here and excited about the fact that we have eight starters back from last year’s team to help us out and another 3-4 guys who got significant playing time on varsity last year.

So it’s a night and day difference coming into camp this year and the experience we have back and the things that we can do on a day-to-day basis. We’re a lot further ahead this year than we were last year at this time as far as what we know and where our knowledge base is at.

EM: You had been an assistant with this program but last year was your first year as the head coach. What was the biggest thing you learned in your first year as the head man?

Infanger: I’d say the biggest thing I learned is to use our players a little bit better. Instead of being disappointed or upset at what guys can’t do, I’ve found I need to focus on what guys can do and really bring that out in them and design plays around that.

Try to put our athletes in the right position to make plays. We started doing that a little bit more at the end of last year, and we’re definitely going to scheme our offense around that this year.

EM: Are you happy with the depth of this team and the numbers you have out this season?

Infanger: With 47 guys out, our depth should be pretty good, but we have a lot of linemen. A ridiculous amount of younger linemen, all wanting to play guard, tackle, center. We’re short at the defensive end, linebacker and running back positions. We have good talent there at the top, and I’m happy with that but a couple injuries could really hurt us this year.

EM: How has camp gone so far? Have you seen a solid focus from the players in practice so far?

Infanger: It’s been a little bit hit and miss. We’ve had some good days, and we’ve had some bad days. But our good days have been really good, really good intensity. We’ve had some really good senior leadership so far. The guys have been enthusiastic.

We’ve had some injuries, and on the days we’ve had some guys out with bumps and bruises, those have been the days that things have been a little bit slower. But overall, we’re happy with where we’re at right now.

EM: You have to replace a pretty solid back in Nikolaj Hagen this season. Who are you looking at to fill that halfback position and how confident are you in this team’s ability to run the ball like you want to on offense?

Infanger: We are shallow in our backfield, but I’m really excited about the guys we do have there as long as they stay healthy. We’ve got Stephan Rutten, a senior tailback this year. He played a lot last year for us, got five to 10 carries a game. This year, he’s going to be our main guy, our starting tailback.

Mitch [Herzog], his second year at fullback. We’re going to give the ball to our fullback a lot more this year than we did in the past and try to feature him a little bit more.

We’ve also got a junior back, Brian Thorstad. He spent a lot of time in the weight room this year and has really picked up his speed. He ran the fastest 40 time out here this fall, and he looks really good in drills. He’s going to press Stephan for reps and probably take a share of the load there at tailback. I think he’ll really surprise people. He’s a talented kid.

EM: You have some experience back along the offensive line with three returning starters. Do you feel some stability in that group will allow you to be a little more consistent in the running game this year?

Photo by Eric Morken/Echo Press: Osakis head coach Bill Infanger made things a little harder on his linemen as they pushed him on the five-man sled during practice last Thursday.

Infanger: That was the big thing. We looked back at the games that we won, and we were able to run the ball very easily. But when we played tougher defenses with guys who were a little bit bigger and more physical than us, our lack of experience really showed. We’d lose our focus and lose our sense of responsibility on plays and get caught in the fact that the other guy was just bigger and stronger than us.

This year, I don’t think we’re going to see that. We got the experience. I think four of the five starting lineman were in the weight room this winter and put the time in, and we’ve never had that. We’ve never had that five guys across the front all participate wholeheartedly in the weight program coming into the season. So we’re really excited about that. Don’t really know what to expect, but I think it will be good.

EM: You have Cody Rupert taking over as this team’s starting quarterback. How confident are you in his ability to lead this team and make the big throws when he needs to?

Infanger: He’s a real athletic kid, first. He’s got a great arm, can throw the deep ball really good. Probably the strongest arm we have had play quarterback for us for quite a few years. He can throw it a country mile, but the big thing with him is the inexperience.

He’s got the legs to run the ball if we need him to. He has varsity experience. He was a starting cornerback for us last year and played a lot on defense, but it’s just going to be how he handles the game. Eventually he’s going to make a mistake and how does he handle that? That’s going to be the big challenge for him because he’s got all the tools.

EM: What is going to be the biggest strength of this team?

Infanger: I would say we’re strong with the eight [returning starters] that we have coming back. I’m going to put a lot of weight on those guys and expect those guys to make plays. Again, just like last year, the strength of our team is going to be running the ball.

However, this year we do expect to be more affective with our play-action passing game behind that. We’ve got both of our receivers back who got some varsity experience. So we have two guys who are experienced at the wideout position, and with Cody’s arm and the ability to throw it over the top, we should be able to stretch defenses and play the deep ball a little bit more. Then also have the underneath stuff open up because of the threat of the deep ball this year.

We’ve got guys this year that can really execute all facets of the game. We’ve got backs this year that are faster that can get to the outside. We’ve got receivers who I feel can run vertical and threaten the defense deep, and we also have some possession type receivers who can run underneath.

Again, that goes back to putting a lot of pressure on Cody being a first-year starter. He’s got to make the right read and then use that arm and those skills that he’s got and put the ball on target.

EM: What is your biggest concern with this team?

Infanger: My main concern is the mentality of the team coming in. We have to stay positive and we’ve got to get off to a quick start. Confidence is huge, especially when you’re coming off a 3-5 season. I think if we can get off to a quick start these guys will believe in themselves and the team will start to role. Where if we have some trouble early in the season and we face some adversity in that first game, how are the guys going to react to it? That’s my biggest concern.

EM: What are your realistic goals for this team?

Infanger: We haven’t talked about long term season goals. We’ve been really focused on now, on every day in practice, what can we do to become a better football team? The only team we’re talking about is KMS, that first game and getting to 1-0. That’s really all that’s on our mind.

If I have to look ahead, I would like to set a goal of we have to have a winning season this year. I think with the guys that we have back, we should expect at a minimum to have a winning season and then hopefully be in contention for a conference championship at the end of the year.

EM: Do you like the move to the Prairie North Conference and the addition of a few Class 2A teams?

Infanger: That’s the thing I like about it. There’s no point to look at the negative side of it and say, ‘oh, we play bigger enrollment schools now and it’s tougher.’ It is what it is. We’re excited about the challenge, and we’re looking at the positive side of it.

Now maybe we can get these 2A wins that we need so maybe we can get two home playoffs games. If we go 7-1 or 8-0 in a season, now we’re going to get two home games in the playoffs and not have to go on the road till that third game. That would be nice.

EM: How big of a challenge was it playing predominately a 1A schedule during the regular season and then going up to 2A for the playoffs?

Infanger: There’ a big difference when we go down to Pierz and you see all the extra bodies they have standing on the sidelines. Even the facility that they have compared to the schools that we typically play, you can tell we’re playing a little bit different level of team when we get to those 2A playoff games. That’s why it would be nice to play at home.

Empting expects big things out of a new cast of players

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Alexandria head coach Mike Empting has come to expect big things from his seniors over the last couple years.

And for good reason. The last two graduating classes at Jefferson High School have led the Cardinals to a 16-6 record. The Cardinals hope the 2011-2012 class can take the reins from here and help this team overcome back-to-back heartbreaking losses in the section title game the last two years.

I talked to Empting about his team after a morning practice last Wednesday for a story I did for this Wednesday’s Echo Press. In the meantime, here is a full rundown of everything he had to say as Alexandria gets set to open the season in Willmar this Friday.

Photo by Eric Morken/Echo Press: Alexandria head coach Mike Empting had a teaching moment with senior captain Charlie Wensman during last Wednesday's practice.

EM: You have had a chance to see your kids in practice for a week and a half now. How is the team looking through camp so far?

Empting: It’s been going pretty good. We lost a lot from a year ago, so we’re still trying to find out who’s going to fill some of those holes. We’re starting to figure out who can play for us, who needs to be out there. I think we’re moving in a good direction.

The kids are learning, they’re staying positive. There’s always that adaptation that has to happen. Fooball’s a physical game. No matter what you do in the offseason, it’s hard to prepare for the start of the season, the physicality, the hitting and that kind of thing. There are some guys that love it and it’s just kind of second nature to them and there are some guys that have to get used to it a little bit.

EM: How many starters do you have to replace on each side of the ball?

Empting: On the offensive side we lost guard, center, guard and then our entire backfield. We lost our Z [receiver], as well. On the defensive side, we lost pretty much our entire front. Everett Fandrich rotated at defensive end there, so he was a part-time starter defensively. Lost two linebackers and two out of our defensive backfield. So we have lots of holes to fill in some pretty important places.

EM: Parker Giroux and Michael Joerger formed one of the best one-two punches in the area at running back last year. Who do you have stepping in there and how difficult is it going to be to replace their production (the two combined for 30 touchdowns and more than 2,000 yards on the ground last year)?

Empting: Michael and Parker, they’re going to be tough to replace right away. They pretty much played there off and on in one capacity or another since their sophomore years. They were not only really good athletes, but they knew our offense really well, too.

Having said that, I think we have some good athletes that are going to be able to step in there. They’re just obviously not going to have the experience that Parker and Michael had right away. Right now, Gideon Burnham and Aaron Steidl are taking reps with the first group. Brock Wood and Steffan Morical and Tyler Kelly are taking reps with the second group.

Some of those guys are probably going to have to be starters on the defensive side of the ball, too. That’s where we kind of have to figure out how much can these guys play on the offensive side? How much can they play on the defensive side? How much rest do they need? But they’re good athletes. They’re very capable, but right now, we just do not have the same experience level that we’ve had there the last two years.

EM: Do you feel that position is still a strength of this team or is it going to take some time to get these guys adjusted to the varsity level?

Empting: I think it’s something we’re going to have to work on. Those guys are capable of, if they get a hole, they could be game breakers. They could take it the distance anytime they touch it, anyone of those guys really.

But so much goes into our offense, so much timing because we have somebody in motion all the time. If we’re running, whether we’re handing the ball off to that motion guy or faking it and going another direction, there is just so many meshes back there with the quarterback that have to happen.

That was one of the things that Michael and Parker had. By the time they were seniors we didn’t have to take a whole bunch of time in practice to work on that. Now we have everybody back there all new, so we need to spend a lot of time on that, which takes us away from being able to prep in other areas. Having said that, I think they’re catching onto it really quickly. Good athletes, smart kids, so they’re going to catch on.

EM: You have Logan Serum taking over at quarterback this year. He was throwing it around pretty good today. How comfortable are you with him taking over that position?

By Eric Morken/Echo Press: Senior quarterback Logan Serum fired a ball during practice last Wednesday. Serum will get his shot as this team's quarterback after backing up Cole Ellison last season.

Empting: I think we’re going to be in a pretty good spot with Logan. He’s really come a long way from a year ago. He had a great off-season. He’s looking really good here early on. He makes really good decisions with the ball, smart kid. He worked a lot on his throwing in the off-season, which has really paid off. He’s showing he can fire it underneath.

He’s been able here in practice to beat coverage on the under routes, and he’s been able to throw it down the field really well, too. Now it’s just a matter of are we going to get the guys down field to get open? Logan’s in a good spot. He’s had a great off-season, and it’s paying off for him. I think we’re in good shape there.

EM: Are you confident you have guys who can make plays for him on the outside?

Empting: I am. We have two guys out at that X position (Darian Bowman and Erich Murphy) that are both tall and rangy, 6’4,” long arms, can get down the field and go get the football. Our Z receiver (Ben Ferrell) is a little bit smaller but great speed, jumps really well and has caught the ball real well in preseason camp.

Darian Bowman is a kid who played on the JV last year, came out for the first time in the last couple of years, and he improved a lot. We knew as last year kind of closed out that he was going to have a shot this year to play and be a playmaker for us. He’s showing that so far.

Ben Ferrel was a junior last year, and he injured his shoulder. So he went through and had the surgery, rehabbed his shoulder. But again, playmaker, quick, fast kid, great athlete, ability to jump. He’s going to play that spot that Mark Whiting held a couple years ago. Ben Vickstorm was there last year. So yeah we think our perimeter guys are going to be pretty good.

EM: What is your biggest concern heading into the season?

Empting: Depth. Our top two grades, we don’t have a lot of kids out. The kids we have out are great kids. They’ve worked hard, they had a great offseason. They’re smart kids, very very coachable. But we’re at a position where there’s just not a lot of them there.

If we get a couple of injuries, and we’ve already had a couple injuries at positions where we’re looking at sophomores at backup roles. So our big key for us is going to be our ability to stay healthy. I think if we can keep our first line, line and a half, two lines at some spots, I think we’re going to be really good. An injury or two at some spots, we’re going to be at our younger guys filling in there.

EM: You come into almost every season with guys who are being asked to play big roles at the varsity level for the first time in their careers. Those players have stepped up to the challenge the last two seasons. You’re going to need that to happen again this year aren’t you?

Empting: Every year we’re at this point. As we close out one season, and we get together in our offseason meetings as coaches and look at who’s graduating, it seems like we always graduate a great group that played such important roles.

Then we start looking at who’s going to fill in those spots and every year we have guys that step up and take the reins and carry on the tradition. We come into every season having these questions and every year we have a group of seniors that step up and just continue it on. This year’s seniors are doing the same thing.

EM: Are the expectations the same with this group? Do you expect them to compete for a conference and section title?

Empting: Absolutely. From the time I took over, even when I was an assistant here, I think those expectations were always there. We’ve established, I think, a great tradition here. Kids, parents buy into what we’re doing. As long as we have good participation in our offseason programs, we have great kids that keep coming through the program, the expectations will be high.

I look at this team and ask are we capable? Can we make a run at a conference championship? I think we can. I think we’re going to be in every single game we play. I think we’ll be really tough by the end of the season.

We should be right back in the section finals again. Not to take anything away from our competition. We play in a great conference, a tough section, great opponents and great coaches, but I have confidence in our kids. We have a tradition here and the kids recognize that and the coaches know that too. I think it’s not just an expectation I have, but it’s an expectation that the coaches have. I think the kids believe in it, too. And I think as a football community here, we all believe that.

Beetles walk-off to force decisive game three

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In the end, the Alexandria Beetles’ longest tenured player was not going to let his team get swept out of the Northwoods League playoffs last night.

Kevin Vangheluwe, the third year Beetle out of the University of Michigan, was dominant in 3 2/3 innings of relief. That performance allowed Alexandria to win a 4-3 game in 10 innings after Chad Bunting walked on a 3-2 count with two outs and the bases loaded. The win forced a decisive game three in the North Division playoffs. First pitch will be at 7:05 at Knute Nelson Field tonight.

Photo by Eric Morken/Echo Press: Chad Bunting (left) was all smiles coming off the field on Tuesday night after forcing in the game-winning run with a walk on a 3-2 pitch.

Vangheluwe came on for starter Jon Reed with one out in the seventh in a 3-2 game. He got ahead of Cody Ferrell 0-2 before the Mankato third baseman sent a chopper toward short. Nick Gumm charged the ball but could not play the short hop as Ferrell reached on an error to load the bases. That sent NWL MVP Shaun Cooper to the plate with a chance give his team the lead.

“As he comes walking to the plate, I said, ‘this is the last thing we want,’ ” Beetles field manager Matt Hancock said. “We were going to have to beat him for once. He’s been beating us all year, and we were going to have to beat him.”

Cooper has put together one of the best seasons in NWL history. His 22 home runs is a league record and his 64 RBIs are just four off the all-time record. The Beetles feel like half of those home runs and RBIs have come against them. He was dominant against them in game one of this series, going 3-for-4 with a walk, a two-run home run and four runs scored.

Vangheluwe couldn’t help but think about that as he came to the plate with the bases loaded in the seventh. He got ahead of him 0-2 before forcing him to fly out to deep center field. It brought the tying run across on a sac fly, but it kept one of the best players in league history from turning the tide in Mankato’s favor.

“My fastball felt good today,” Vangheluwe said. “We played him so many times, and he’s just tearing our team apart. I know personally, he’s hit me a good amount. I strictly remember him hitting a couple doubles and a triple off me…We just had a good scouting report on him today. We knew what he struggled with, and like I said, my fastball was on today, and I put it where I needed it to be.”

The Beetles’ righty was dominant after that at-bat. His line was perfect on the night – 3 2/3 innings pitched, zero hits, zero walks and two strikeouts. It gave him his ninth win of the season on a night when emotions ran high for the long-time Beetles pitcher.

“I don’t think there was one thought in [Hancock's] mind to pull me out today,” he said. “I was just so amped up, and it was easy to get amped with my teammates making great plays behind me every inning. Those are usually plays that don’t bounce our way in these close games against Mankato, but they went our way today. I fed off of it. I threw strikes, and they made the plays.”

The Beetles could have ended things in regulation but stranded runners in scoring position with less than two outs in the eighth and ninth inning. Things finally came together in the 10th with a little help from MoonDogs reliever Matt Mazzoni.

Mazzoni walked his third man of the inning when Rick Devereaux drew a free pass to load the bases with two outs. That brought Bunting to the plate with a chance to be the hero. The outfielder from Cal-Berkeley likes to swing early in the count, but had to deviate from that philosophy after watching Mazzoni struggle with his control throughout the inning.

“He’d walked three guys already that inning and even with the outs he got, he was having trouble locating his fastball,” Bunting said. “So I knew I needed to be a little patient, make him throw some pitches. Then hopefully get mine because a lot of times when you’re not throwing it where you want it, the umpire won’t even call a close one. That was my plan, go up there and get a good pitch and be patient on the pitches I didn’t want.”

His free-swinging tendencies got the better of him on the first pitch he saw. Bunting fell behind 0-1 after fouling off a ball on a check swing. He took the next two pitches for balls and worked the count to 3-2 before fouling off a fastball to keep the at-bat alive. Mazzoni issued his fourth walk of the inning on the next pitch, sending a fastball high and tight as Bunting helped his team live to fight another day.

“My mindset was just get ready early and see the ball deep,” Bunting said of his approach on 3-2. “I fought off a fastball way deep in the zone. I wanted to make sure I didn’t get caught out in front of anything.

“It means the world. Being able to stay relaxed like that. The guys on base came up and talked to me. They kept me relaxed. The guy had been missing spots, so they told me, go up there, be relaxed, stay patient.”

The win forces a third and final game to determine who will move on to the NWL championship series tomorrow night. The MoonDogs will throw Sam Selman (2-4, 3.89 ERA), while the Beetles will counter with Matt Fyffe (4-4, 4.82).

Fyffe was expected to be Alexandria’s ace at the beginning of the season. He has pitched like it at times, most recently in a seven-inning, 10-strikeout performance in a win over St. Cloud on August 1. He lost his last decision in a 4-2 game against the same team he will face tonight. Fyffe will now be asked to rebound in an attempt to extend this team’s season.

“I know one thing,” Hancock said. “He’s going to compete, and that’s what you want out there in game three. He’s going to do everything he can to get us a ‘W.’ I don’t know if he’ll have all three pitches. I don’t know if he’ll have one pitch. But to be honest with you, there’s not many other kids I’d rather have out there than Matt Fyffe.”

Beetles hoping to save their season at home tonight

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The Alexandria Beetles will be in a must-win situation tonight when they return home to host their first playoff game since 2003.

The Beetles became the latest team to fall victim to Mankato slugger and Northwoods League MVP Shaun Cooper in a 10-4 loss last night. Alexandria manager Matt Hancock said their goal was not to let Cooper beat them in this series when I talked to him on Monday morning.

“If we have to walk him 16 times in the series then that’s what we’ll do,” Hancock said. “With runners in scoring position, he’s proven he’s the best in the league. If he has proven he can beat us like that, why continue to let him do that?”

Turns out that is easier said than done. Cooper went 3-for-4 with a walk, four runs scored and two RBIs. His two-run shot in the sixth blew things open at 8-2 after the Beetles had held a 2-0 lead early in the game. It was Cooper’s 21st home run of the summer.

Michael Reed took the loss for Alexandria. He worked the first five innings, allowing five runs on six hits and four walks. He struck out four. The Beetles also committed six errors on the night, leading to five straight unearned runs off relievers Michael Schweiss and Scott Sanderson.

Alexandria will now turn to Jon Reed out of the University of Tennessee to save its season. Reed is 6-1 with a 3.35 ERA this summer. He will be countered by Nebraska’s Tyler Niederklein (4-1, 2.86) when the two teams square off at 7:05 p.m.

Beetles’ run ends in a title, gains them national attention

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The 2011 Alexandria Beetles team has probably already established itself as the best team in this organization’s history.

A 26-9 record in the second half and a franchise-record 42 wins overall has earned them that distinction. Now they can add North Division champions to that list, as well.

Alexandria came into a doubleheader with Duluth at Knute Nelson Field needing to sweep and have Willmar lose in order to clinch the second-half title last night. The Beetles did their part in the opener, winning 8-5 behind five strong innings from Michigan’s Kevin Vangheluwe. Willmar’s 4-1 loss to Thunder Bay then set the stage for an exciting game two.

Photo by Eric Morken/Echo Press: Alexandria closer Anthony Bazzani was congratulated by teammates after finishing off an 8-5 win over Duluth in game one of a doubleheader last night.

The second half of the season has been filled with some incredible wins for Alexandria, and last night’s division clincher ranks right up there with the best of them.

Beetles’ all-star closer Anthony Bazzani came on in a 4-3 game to try and get the final three outs knowing what was on the line. He immediately ran into trouble after a grounder through the infield and a bloop hit into right put runners on first and second with nobody out.

A sacrifice bunt and a pop out to second ensued before Bazzani was stuck in a 3-0 count with the go-ahead run on second and two outs. Two pitches later, Marcus Riewer hit a fastball off the end of the bat that looked like it would find grass in left-center field.

The Beetles’ Chris Fritts charged the ball hard from left, knowing he had to try to make a play. Angling toward the ball in a full sprint, Fritts laid out at the last second to make a diving catch just off the grass. It sent his teammates into a frenzy as they piled on him in left field to celebrate this organization’s first playoff appearance since 2003.

“I [got a good jump],” Fritts said. “It gets pretty dark out here so you can see the white ball pretty well at night. I’m playing in, trying to take that away from the littler left-handed slap hitter that was up. Chad Bunting in centerfield came in and is just screaming at me to make a play, so I just laid out.”

It put an end to a game that was filled with some tense moments in the final few innings. Alexandria head coach Matt Hancock had to watch the seventh from the stands after he was ejected in the top of the sixth. Duluth had already scored once to cut the Beetles’ lead to one when shortstop Nick Gumm made a nice play on a ball that short-hopped him.

Gumm threw on to first base where Rick Devereaux scooped the ball out of the dirt. The throw clearly beat the runner, but the first-base umpire ruled that Devereaux had been pulled off the bag by the throw. Hancock had already argued a called strike in the first inning and a move that he felt should have been a balk on the Duluth starter in the middle innings. By that point in the sixth, he had seen enough.

Photo by Eric Morken/Echo Press: Beetles' manager Matt Hancock argued with the home plate umpire after Jeremy Boyd struck out to end a scoring threat in the first. Hancock and the rest of the Beetles dugout thought a called strike two was low during the at-bat.

“The way I view it, our shortstop, Nick, makes a great play on the ball and Rick makes a great pick on the ball,” he said. “And the umpire wants to act like he’s good enough to nonchalantly say that he’s off the bag. Obviously he was not off the bag in my opinion. I would have to go back and see the replay.”

Devereaux said his foot was definitely on the bag, but it ended up not mattering in the end. Michael Schweiss got the next two batters to ground out, leaving the tying run stranded in scoring position.

“He’s learning as much as we’re here to learn,” Devereaux said about the call at first. “It’s tough because you know the call’s wrong, but at the same time, he’s growing in being an umpire. You’re obviously not going to be happy in the moment, but you see it both ways.

“In a situation like that, you’re just trying to move on. Once it’s over, it’s over. I think coach, you saw he kind of stood up for us there. Once that’s over you kind of have to move on to the next pitch and refocus yourself to get the next out.”

Alexandria’s knack for rallying from behind continued in both games against the Huskies. The Beetles trailed 1-0 in the nightcap and 5-3 in game one. But those kind of deficits have been nothing for a team that featured six players with batting averages above .300 in the starting lineup in game two.

“We’re just all loose as a team,” Fritts said. “Whenever we get down, no matter what it may be, we’re just like, ‘alright, five runs, three runs, two runs, doesn’t matter.’

“It’s just a tribute to our coaching staff. They make sure we’re ready every day, but at the same time, we’re relaxed and we’re focused. We’re just a laid back group. We’re joking and having fun. No matter what the situation, we’re confident. That’s what it’s been about the whole second half of the season.”

Hancock’s players rewarded him by dousing him with water after the game. It was a moment that meant a lot to the manager who is now in his third stint with this organization.

“The support this small community gives to this ball club,” he said. “Just to be able to put a winner out on the field [is special]. To finally be able to put the icing on the cake and get the job done, it just means a whole hell of a lot to me to be honest. It’s something that certainly right now, I don’t have an overall definition to put on it, but something when I look back will be something that’s really special to me.”

Special was a word Hancock used a lot when describing this second half of the season. The Beetles’ 26-9 record in that time has Alexandria competing for homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.

It has also earned the team some recognition on a national level. Perfect Game USA, an online baseball scouting service, has Alexandria ranked as the eighth best team in any of the college summer leagues. The Beetles are the highest ranked team in the Northwoods League, six spots ahead of Mankato.

“It’s incredible,” Bazzani said of this team’s second-half surge. “We know that we got the ability, and we know we can compete against any team on any given day. We just kept winning and kept winning, got closer as a team and kept meshing more and more. Now that we’ve got this far, we might as well go and take it all the way now.”

If Alexandria is going to do that it’s going to have to happen without a few key parts. All-stars Jeremy Boyd and Casey Shiver, as well as last night’s hero Chris Fritts and catcher Dale Ricketts will all be leaving the team after this weekend to get back in time for school. Depth has been one of Alexandria’s greatest strengths this season. That will be put to the test throughout the postseason.

“It’s a shame we’re going to lose the guys we’re going to lose,” Devereaux said. “Everybody wants to be here, including them. But as long as we stay together and everybody buys in, we’re going to be fine. We’re going to go out there and play our tails off and hopefully win this thing.”

Bazzani wouldn’t go so far as to say that this team is the favorite to win it all when I asked him on Wednesday night. Green Bay is playing well in the South right now and Mankato has 41 wins and probably the best player in the league in Shaun Cooper.

But the way the Beetles have been playing the last month and a half, I don’t think anyone would be surprised to see them take it all. Certainly not their head coach.

“It’s really been a special run,” Hancock said. “It really has. These guys have been incredible. Their will to win, all year really, has been [unmatched] by anyone else in the league. I wouldn’t put anything past these guys. The chance to win the whole league is certainly something that’s very realistic in my opinion.”