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Lourdes baseball team has one more goal on season-long quest

guy n. limbeck, post-bulletin, rochester, minn.
·4 min read

Jun. 12—The Lourdes baseball team has wanted to go places this season, but the Eagles have been patient in their quest.

After losing in the Section 1AA title game a year ago, the Eagles wanted to return and win a section title this spring. That mission has been accomplished. Now Lourdes will take aim at trying to win a Class AA state championship.

The Eagles (18-4) are the No. 5 seed in the eight-team field and play No. 4 Wadena-Deer Creek (20-5) in the state quarterfinals at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday in St. Cloud. The winner advances to the semifinals on Wednesday. The state title game is Friday at Target Field.

"We're going to go all out to win that first game," Lourdes coach Dave Jenson said. "We want to give ourselves a chance to play in the game to get to Target Field."

Wadena-Deer Creek has a standout ace pitcher in Josh Dykoff.

"Hopefully our lineup depth is the difference," Jenson said.

After starting the season a modest 4-3, Lourdes has posted a 14-1 record since May 1. The veteran team has taken a calming approach to each game, making sure to never look ahead.

"That's one thing we've been really big about this year, just taking it one game at a time, one out, one inning at time," Lourdes senior catcher Sam Schneider said. "Just that mindset all the way through and trying to win ball games."

Joe Sperry has been a main cog for Lourdes both on the mound and at the plate. He is batting a lusty .500 with six homers and 32 RBIs. The senior will start on the mound in the state quarterfinals. The right-hander is a stellar 9-1 with a 0.67 ERA.

"I'll be ready to throw," Sperry said. "I want the ball in my hands for sure."

Jenson said that Sperry is "a great player, but we have many people who contribute throughout the lineup."

Three other seniors who have been big contributors to the offense have been Schneider (.295, 18 RBIs), Sam Stanley (.296, 27 runs, 10 RBIs) and Gannon Fix (24 RBIs). But a pair of underclassmen have also played huge roles in freshman Nick Bowron (.500, two homers, 31 RBIs) and sophomore Isaac Wenszell (.369, four homers, 16 RBIs, 35 runs).

"The key is to keep doing what we've been doing all year, staying focused and going into practice and getting those good reps," Wenszell said. "And just having those seniors motivate us and keep us going forward."

Jenson said the Eagles are a very close-knit team and most of the players have been playing in tournaments together for years. That could play a big factor in the tournament for the Eagles, who are playing in their first state tournament since 2017.

"I think the No. 1 key is just kind of managing your emotions," Jenson said. "It's really easy to get super excited. Or if things go bad, you just want to be able to hit the brakes on those things."

Jenson said the Eagles have been a very good defensive team overall. And the pitchers have done a solid job of throwing strikes and limiting walks. Sperry has walked just nine in 52 2/3 innings while striking out 83.

"The next biggest key is playing well defensively," Jenson said. "In the four losses that we've had you can pretty much point to one inning where there were a couple defensive miscues. And that's why we lost those games."

Senior left-hander Carter Wenszell (2-0, 0.72 ERA) could be an option to start in the second game along with his younger brother, Isaac, a right-hander. Isaac Wenszell is 3-0 with a 0.89 ERA in just 15 2/3 innings.

"We're going to be ready to compete up there," Sperry said. "We know that every team's won their section so everyone's good. We've just got to stay focused and keep getting better every day."

The top seeds in the Class AA field are No. 1 Fairmont (24-3), No. 2 Watertown-Mayer (20-5) and Duluth Marshall (17-5).

"I think it's going to come down to who gets a lucky bounce here or there and putting yourself in a good position to take advantage when you do get those breaks," Jenson said.

State quarterfinals: No. 5 seed Lourdes (18-4) will face No. 4 Wadena-Deer Creek (20-5) in the opening round at 12:30 p.m. on Tuesday at Dick Putz Field in St. Cloud.

At stake: The winner will advance to the state semifinals at 11 a.m. on Wednesday in St. Cloud. The loser plays in the consolation round at 10 a.m. in Sartell.

Final round: The Class AA championship game is at 1 p.m. Friday at Target Field in Minneapolis. The two semifinal losers will play for third place at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday at Dick Putz Field.