Before our first game in the second round of the State Tournament, right before we took the field, Maple Lake's PA announcer played John Denver's "Country Roads." In my mind, it was confirmation that the stars had aligned: we had all the pitching in the world, our lineup was fantastic top to bottom, those words were on the back of our State t-shirts, and there was just a sense that this was our time. Since this group's first Tourney appearance in 2013, we've gotten better ever year, made deeper runs, and more often than not ended up losing to the would-be Champs. So after what happened with the Young America game this year, there was just this . . . feeling---and of course our offense, and defense, and pitching...
Alas =)
Our three shutouts is second best in Tourney history; second only to Plato's four in 2007 when they won the whole thing. Our thirteen-run 3rd inning against New London-Spicer is a record in the wood bat era. Our .818 winning percentage is the second best in Muskies history (last year we were at .838). And our Final Four appearance marks our best finish ever. All in all, it was a great year, and while the disappointment is still fresh and stings like something that really stings a lot, we have nothing to be ashamed of. It was a hell of a run, and we just got beat by a good team. That happens, it's baseball.
Feel free to scour the boxscores for yourself. The scores mostly speak for themselves.
A few notes as we close the book on the 2019 season and prepare for what comes next.
First, Vocca and Herber were absolute studs.
Vocca threw fifteen innings of shutout ball, earning two Ws, scattering 11 hits and striking out 13 (not to mention his two-hit, 4 RBI game against Spicer; with one ball nearly toppling a light tower in Maple Lake). Tony also ended the year with a 38 scoreless inning streak, which is incredible.
Herber hit .428 (9 for 14), with a double, two runs, and three RBI. Not bad for a nine-hitter ;-) Herbie was also named to the All-Tournament Team.
Kyle Bergstrom also had a heck of a Tourney. The Big Cat hit .416 with a key homer in the Spicer game and three knocks in the Hutch game. Fun to watch him hit all year.
Also of note: Nick Rost hit .363; Andy Henkemeyer hit .357; Tyler Bergstrom hit .308. Great Tourneys up and down the lineup.
Our draftees from Fairibault were nothing short of fantastic. Lane was terrific on the mound, and Mike Carpentier, as per usual, was a calming presence in the dugout, bringing a sense of levity to intense moments and just being an all-around leader.
Vocca's .418 season average is second all-time in the wood bat era, trailing only Andy's ridiculous mark of .429 in 2016.
Tyler Bergstrom led the team in home runs with seven, topping his personal best of five in 2014.
The Nate Rost led the team in steals with seven. Speed kills.
We hit .313 as a team, which is second only to our 2010 mark of .315. Our collective ERA of 1.95 is a team record as well.
Between the Townball Classic, our deep run in the Tourney, and having one of the best teams in Muskies history, it was nothing short of a fantastic year. You, the fans, made us feel like gold; there are no words, "thank you" doesn't even come close. But, from el web maestro and the rest of the Fish, from the bottom of our hearts, THANK YOU!
El Webby out.
