Havre Northstars ready to return to the diamond

As summer returns to the Hi-Line, so does the return of the Havre Northstars American Legion baseball club. The Northstars return to the diamond after going 35-16 last season and they will return several players from that team. Along with new players to the club, Havre Northstars head coach Patch Wirtzberger feels good about their upcoming season.

"I'm excited about our potential," Wirtzberger said. "We got a lot of guys returning from last year and some good young kids coming up. It's always exciting to see how the team is going to mesh."

The Northstars have many veterans on their roster that they hope can lead them to success this summer. Even though he already graduated, Eli Cloninger returns for another year of eligibility after posting a .395 batting average and 27 RBIs. He also started four games at pitcher where he recorded a 4.610 ERA.

The Northstars' senior class will consist of Drake Berreth, Theron Peterson, Kale Reno and Trenton Maloughney. Last year for the Northstars, Maloughney recorded a .298 batting average and 31 RBIs. He also started nine games at pitcher, where he went 5-3 and recorded a 3.566 ERA.

Last summer, Berreth posted a .259 batting average and 23 RBIs. Meanwhile, Peterson recorded a .291 batting average and 29 RBIs. At the plate, Reno posted 17 RBIs and a .254 batting average. On the mound, Reno started eight games at pitcher where he went 6-1 and posted a 2.414 ERA. With the experience that all these seniors bring back with them, Wirtzberger believes it can only help them this summer.

"It's always good to have a good core group of seniors that have been in the program for a really long time because they know what the standard is and they can teach it to the young kids," Wirtzberger said.

Kale VanCampen, Lane Kinsella, Conner McKay, Brody Nanini and Tarek Shipp also return for the Northstars. Nanini should be instrumental in the Northstars' plans this summer both at the plate and on the mound. Despite some injuries, he started 12 games last summer at pitcher where he posted a 9-2 record and a 3.500 ERA. He also made an impact with his bat as he posted a .383 batting average and 33 RBIs last summer.

The Northstars also have a strong core of freshmen. Last year, Jevin Jenkins got some experience as he posted a .304 batting average in 15 games. Other freshmen on the roster this summer include Colter Solomon, Chason Mader and Tanner Delarosa. Ezra Pyle also joins the team as an eighth grader.

"All good athletes and good baseball players," Wirtzberger said about his young players. "They've been on our B team for the last couple years so I think they have an idea of the standard and what to expect going forward so I'm excited about that age group as well."

The Northstars were originally set to begin their season this Saturday at home with a doubleheader against the Kallispell Lakers but inclement weather forced the games to be canceled. Now the Northstars will have to begin the season April 24 with a doubleheader against the Billings Expo A team at Legion Field.

This should be a unique season for the Northstars as they are scheduled to face some tough teams. They will face the Great Falls Chargers AA team and the Helena Senators AA team in May. Along with the A teams on their schedule, Wirtzberger believes the tough schedule will help his team become better.

"Seeing some of the best teams in the state is going to be a whole lot of fun," Wirtzberger said. "Some really tough competition so I'm excited for our team to have that type of a schedule."

Havre will also compete in several tournaments through the summer. The Northstars will host the Havre Jamboree June 3-5. A week later, the Northstars will head to Three Forks for the Gallatin Valley Tourney. Halfway through June, Havre will compete in the Harold Gjerde Memorial Tournament in Lewistown.

At the end of June, the Northstars will compete in the Miles City Tournament. Early in July, Havre will head to Florence to play in the Bitteroot Bucs Invite. From July 21 through July 24, the Northstars will host the North District Tourney at Legion Field. The state tournament will then take place in Belgrade from July 28 through Aug. 1.

As they head into their season, Wirtzberger believes pitching will be the team's greatest strength. He expects a deep rotation this summer as most of last year's pitching staff returns. Wirtzberger also believes having a veteran roster will help them this season.

"Experience is going to be our friend," Wirtzberger said. "This is a group that's been to the state tournament twice in a row and a lot of these guys were on both of those teams so they know what to expect and can hopefully rise to the occasion."

The Northstars are looking to improve on their hitting as they head into the season. But with the roster and coaching staff that the Northstars have, Wirtzberger is optimistic about this summer.

"I'm just really excited about this group," Wirtzberger said. "To have the continuity of the coaching staff that has been together for three plus years now and then a lot of the kids that have been in the program for that long, it's very exciting for us and something that we hope leads to a lot of success this summer."

The Havre Northstars begin the season April 24 at Legion Field with a doubleheader against the Billings Expos A team that starts at 1 p.m.