Joe Drennan
Sports EditorIn 1980 Dave Schultz was part of the first Forest Lake Mickey Mantle baseball team to win a state championship, a feat that went unmatched until 2000. Last week, this years Mickey Mantle baseball team became the third Forest Lake team to win the state championship. The team included David ìTripî Schultz, Daveís son.
Daveís 1980 team beat Shakopee 4-2 in the title game. Dave doubled in the tying run of the game before he later scored the winning run.
After the state championship, Dave later became a coach when his sons began to play baseball. Dave coached several of the players from this years state championship team since they were ten-years-old up until recently. Dave watched the players mature over the past few seasons and realize their potential to be a good baseball team.
ìUsually I see teams that succeed when they were younger but this team has gotten better as they have gotten older,î Dave said.
Before the season started Dave says Trip thought about the idea of his Mickey Mantle team winning the state championship just like his dadís team. Trip wasnít the only one thinking about that possibility though.
ìIíve been thinking about it,î Dave said. ìIt was on the back of my mind the whole time. I always thought it would be neat. It wasnít until they won the Bloomington Tournament the week before that I really thought it would happen though.î
When Forest Lake recorded the final out against Apple Valley last week, Dave said it was a pretty emotional time for him.
ìI was pretty close to having a tear in my eye,î Dave said. ìIím pretty emotional and it was very emotional. Our whole family enjoyed it including my parents who were there with me when I won the state championship.î
Now that Dave and his son have both won Mickey Mantle state championships, itís time for them to battle back and forth over which team was better.
ìI actually think the team I played for would win,î Dave said. ìI think we were a better team and the reason I say that is when we played, the tournament was different than it is now. I tell my son that all the time to give him a hard time. Itís been such a long time ago though itís hard to say.î
If they compare how the teams did at their respective regional tournaments, then Daveís team would be better as they finished second and Tripís team finished third.
Trip isnít Daveís only son who has had success on the baseball field. Daveís other son Michael won a ten-year-old state championship a few years ago.
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