Posted: 4/12/06
Sky is the limit for Rangers thanks to depth
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Joe Drennan
Sports Editor
Last year the Forest Lake High School baseball team had the talent to possibly win a state championship in head coach Brian Raabeís mind, but they dropped their first game in Section 7AAA play to end their season. The Rangers may have graduated a few key players from last yearís team, but theyíre stocked with depth at every position this year as they make a run at a section title.
ìWith the players we have returning we have to get past what happened last year (losing the first round section game) and look forward,î Raabe said.
ìIím expecting great things from these guys and it will only happen if they believe in themselves and us as a team. If they do that the sky is the limit ó but they have to believe.î
The team will be lead by senior captains Nick Carroll, Jed Hanson and Jeff Brooks.
Leading the team on the pitcherís mound will be Hanson and junior Trip Schultz. Last season Hanson pitched 58.3 innings, striking out 87 with a 1.08 E.R.A. Schultz pitched 36 innings, striking out 44 with a 1.75 E.R.A. A third starter hasnít emerged, but Raabe says senior David Gauerke, junior Brady Bance, senior Erik Zentzis and senior Jeff Brooks could all step into that third spot.
ìWeíve got a very good one-two combination, weíre just looking to see who that number three guy will be,î Raabe said. ìWhoís actually going to take the spot we donít know.î
Once a third starter does emerge, the other candidates could get some innings on the mound in relief.
Behind the plate, Carroll will return with plenty of time logged behind the plate last year. Carroll hit .214 in 28 at bats last year. Hanson will also do some catching when not pitching, and junior Drew Cremisino should get a chance behind the plate.
Zentzis will be getting a lot of time at first base, but junior Christian Fogerty and Cremisino could also get a few innings covering first. Zentzis had a .339 batting average last year in 62 at bats.
Gauerke and senior Jake Lipp will battle for the starting position at second base, but Mitch Minnig will also get a look. At third base, Lipp and Fogerty are the frontrunners to see a lot of playing time there.
Senior Jeff Brooks who led the team with a .466 batting average last year will again patrol between second base and third base as a short stop, but Fogerty and Hanson could fill in there if needed.
The outfield has a few players that can move around, but getting most of the playing time. Seniors Andrew Pooch, Kyle Johnson and Hanson, along with Schultz are the main outfielders. Schultz was a power at the plate last year with a .333 batting average.
ìWith the depth we have, weíre only carrying 14 guys on the roster to start, letting the guys on the JV team work their way up,î Raabe said.
ìItís not that some of the guys on JV couldnít play at the varsity level, we just have so many guys that can that itís better to let them play on JV and perform a little bit instead of sitting on the bench.î
Another position Raabe likes to consider on his roster is a base runner.
ìIím a big believer in having athletes understand their roles as there are only nine guys that can play at one time,î Raabe said.
ìIíve got more than nine guys who can play varsity baseball, so they have to understand their roles. Last year Kyle Johnson was our base runner and he stole some bases for us and scored some runs because he understood his role and worked on it.î
Competition
Last year the Rangers were Co-Suburban East Conference champions along with Woodbury and Stillwater in what Raabe argues is the toughest baseball conference in the state of Minnesota. This year the SEC will only get tougher as baseball powerhouse Cretin-Derham Hall joins the conference.
ìWeíre going to be playing top notch baseball in the state of Minnesota,î Raabe said. ìWeíll go to battle and see what happens.î
Once done with SEC play life doesnít get any easier for the Rangers when they face off in Section 7AAA play.
Raabe feels St. Francis will be a strong team and state runner-up Grand Rapids shouldnít be taken lightly.
ìThere are a lot of good teams in our section,î Raabe said.
To be successful in both SEC and 7AAA play, Raabe says the Rangers need to focus on execution.
ìI am a true believer that baseball is a game of execution, and that if we go out there and out execute our opponent weíll be just fine,î Raabe said. ìThese guys have worked very hard and they understand that concept.î
Dug Out Club
This year the Dug out Club, the Rangers booster club, will again host theme nights at Rangers home games. Each theme night will be sponsored by different local businesses.
ìWeíre trying to get as many people out to our games as possible,î Raabe said. ìIn our first game of the season we drew very well and we want to continue that.î
The Rangers game April 19 when they host Stillwater is student night. When the Rangers host Big Lake on April 24, itís ladyís night and all women in attendance will receive a carnation from Forest Lake Floral.
The Dug Out Club is looking for some creativity on April 26 when the Rangers host Cretin-Derham Hall because itís banner night. The Dug Out Club is encouraging fans to make creative posters to display at the game.
Youth travelling baseball teams will have their night on May 1 when the Rangers host Roseville. May 12 is alumni night, and May 19 is fill the stands night.
The Dug Out Club will again be giving free freezes to kids who chase down foul balls that land outside the stadium.
Season opener
The Rangers opened their 2006 campaign Saturday afternoon at The Ballpark at Schumacher Field with a 6-1 victory over Duluth Central.
ìWe played OK,î Raabe said. ìOur pitching and defense was fine, but our hitting was subject.î
Schultz pitched for 52?3 innings, striking out seven, while allowing one run. Brooks finished the game on the mound.
ìBoth Jeff (Brooks) and Trip (Schultz) threw with some good velocity,î Raabe said.
At the plate Raabe was a bit frustrated with the Rangers output.
ìWe were no-hit for five innings,î Raabe said.
Despite being no-hit, the Rangers did score three runs. Two Rangers batters walked, then another reached base after being hit by a pitch to load the bases. Two wild pitches allowed two runs to score, then the third scored on a fielderís choice.
ìYou could argue that was good hitting on our part because we had a good eye at the plate and took the walks,î Raabe said.
The Rangers traveled to Roseville Monday where they won 3-1.
Both teams scored a run in the third inning, but a two run eighth inning gave the Rangers the lead and victory.
ìIt was a good game as our pitching and defense ended up winning the game for us,î Raabe said. ìWe ended up getting timely hitting to winî
Hanson pitched seven innings, with Brooks closing out the game. Hanson had seven strike outs in the game as he threw 60 strikes and only 27 balls all night.
ìThatís unheard of for a high school kid,î Raabe said.
The Rangers next game is at 4:30 p.m. today, Thursday, at Mounds View.
Forest Lake Times
P.O. Box 218
880 SW 15 St.
Forest Lake, MN 55025
651-464-4601
Fax 651-464-4605