Dakota Munger leads Chamberlain/Kimball/Lyman baseball's charge towards state tournament

May 10—CHAMBERLAIN, S.D. — Dakota Munger has learned to embrace the whole-field approach on the baseball diamond.

The Chamberlain/Kimball/Lyman senior has stayed patient in the batter's box, knowing that putting the ball in play will produce a better outcome than trying to hit home runs.

"If I hit a single, I can turn it into a double with my speed," Munger said. "In previous years, I tried to do it all at once, and this year, I've learned to just put it in play and trust my teammates that they'll have my back and come through."

Munger and his CKL teammates have used this philosophy at the plate to produce a 11-0 start to the season. The Cubs currently average 10.7 runs per game, batting .349 as a team with an on-base percentage of .461. They've also recorded 21 extra-base hits and 50 stolen bases.

The pitching has also made strides from the previous season, as CKL's 1.97 team earned run average is a significant improvement from last season (5.20), when the Cubs went 5-6. Opponents have batted just .193 against Cubs pitchers, as the message continues to be one where the players believe in themselves.

"They're all good hitters, and they have the baseball smarts," head coach Mike Schwartz said. "They know where to go with the ball ... I've always told the boys that they can beat the best of any team."

Munger stands atop a deep lineup where Sandler Wiekamp, Brayden Oldenkamp, and Conway Collins all are batting north of .340, while also pitching in a rotation with Blake Leiferman leading the Cubs with a 1.52 ERA and Hudson Heath maintaining a .950 WHIP.

Munger, who primarily plays in the infield, is batting .697 with a 1.610 on-base plus slugging percentage. He leads the team with 12 RBIs, 17 runs scored, and 13 stolen bases, while striking out once in 42 plate appearances. He's recorded four three-hit games, including the victory over Platte-Geddes/Dakota Christian/White Lake on April 22, where he also drove in three runs.

Schwartz has noted Munger has seemed more relaxed at the plate this season. The mentality comes from spending countless hours in the batting cages, learning to stay back on pitches to utilize the whole field, and tuning out his surroundings to focus on the opponent, knowing who is always there to cheer him on.

"A lot of the credit has to go to my family, friends, and teammates," Munger said. "They believe me no matter what happens on or off the field. That kind of helps take a lot of the pressure away and just go have fun playing."

On the mound, Munger has recorded a 1.88 ERA in four appearances (three starts), going 2-0 and striking out 29 batters in only 18.2 innings pitched. He recorded 10 strikeouts in a complete-game effort against Rapid City Christian on April 27, and followed it up with 6.2 shutout innings on May 5 against St. Thomas More, striking out nine.

"He's commanding the baseball rather than trying to throw his hardest," Schwartz said about Munger's pitching. "When he was younger, he got in his head a little bit trying to win the game when things weren't going great. But every time he's thrown this year, he's not overthrowing the ball."

CKL sits atop the Region 4B standings with the goal of making the Class B state tournament within reach, which begins on May 31 at Augustana University's Ronken Field in Sioux Falls.

Munger, who's a three-sport athlete and plans to play golf and baseball at Dakota Wesleyan next year, knows playoff baseball is going to come down to how well the pitching and defense can execute in big spots.

"We're pitching well, pitching our way through games, and not having to rely too deep on our bullpen," Munger said, "and that's going to be big going into regions. If we can save pitchers and score runs at the same time, it's going to be a successful run."

With the strong start to the year, the message from Schwartz following an 8-3 victory over Winner/Colome on May 7 was to continue playing with confidence. CKL is in line to host a portion of the Region 4B playoffs as well.

"They come in excited and ready to play," Schwartz said. "That's how they've been all year ... I told them 10-0 is an awesome accomplishment, but keep driving, ask for more, and stay hungry."