Postseason: North Stars ready to start over

The Havre North Stars American Legion baseball team has not had an ideal season, at least not the one they wanted. Not up to this point anyway.

The team went just 9-15 in the regular season in district play and 18-24 overall, but the great thing about sports is there is almost always a chance at redemption. And for the North Stars it comes this week at the Northern A District Tournament in Fort Macleod, Alberta.

The North Stars finished sixth out of seven teams in the Northern A standings, which earned them a first-round matchup against third-seeded Vauxhall Thursday at 10 a.m.

Despite not getting great results throughout their 42-game campaign, the Northern A is littered with parity and the North Stars feel they can compete with anyone. Havre beat every team in the conference at least once this season, including its opening-round opponent, the Spurs.

“The only seed that matters is that No. 1 seed,” North Stars head coach Dan Wirtzberger said. “The district really is wide open. Everyone has beat everyone and lost to everyone. It’s going to come down to who plays their best ball. ”

Vauxhall, Havre’s opening round opponent, posted a 14-10 record in district play and recently swept the North Stars in a doubleheader by scores of 8-3 and 9-8. Yet, even though they lost both games, the North Stars know they can compete against the Spurs and since it will be a nine-inning game, both teams will have to adjust.

“It will be different because all of the games are nine innings,” Wirtzberger said. “We came really close to beating Vaxhaull and probably should have beaten them but we lost it in the seventh inning. They will have their best pitcher, we will have ours, and it’s going to come down to who plays their best ball.”

Havre’s best pitcher, could be one of two starters for Thursday’s opener. Tyrell Pierce and Jeff Miller have led the way for the North Stars on the mound this season, while Havre has also got quality innings from Dylan Carpenter and Chris Vukasin.

But good pitching is just part of what the North Stars need over the next four days in Canada. To be the first Havre team to get to the state tourney in nearly a decade, Havre needs to put the ball in play, and score when it has chances. The North Stars have consistent hitters in Travis Roth, catcher Jake Sedahl, David Denny and Spencer Ross at the top of the order. Miller has also come on strong the second half of the season, while Ryne Antley, Vukasin, Gavin Gunderson and Chance Pitkanen will need to be steady in the batting order as well.

The seven-team district tournament includes 14 games and is double elimination format. The top two teams advance to the Class A State tournament. The key is getting to Sunday, where two teams that advance are determined. Whether it is through the winner’s bracket or the consolation side, the North Stars would need to win three games to get there.

“It has been 10 years since the North Stars have made it to Sunday in the district tournament so that in itself would be a big accomplishment,” Wirtzberger said. “It would just be the culmination of everything that we have been preaching to them and it would show everyone why we have been doing the things we have been doing. It’s just a matter of us putting it all together and playing our best baseball.”

The Great Falls Electrics earned the first-round bye after finishing with the best regular season record, so they will play the winner of Lethbridge and Fort Macleod, who will square off Thursday at 6 p.m. to play for the right to take on the Electrics in the second round. The North Stars/Vauxhall winner will meet the winner of Medicine Hat and Tri-County, which play at 1 p.m., while the losing teams of those two games will meet in a loser-out contest Friday morning. The district tourney wraps up with Sunday’s championship game at at 2 p.m. The top two teams move on to the state tourney.