Northwoods League: This Stinger has trust

Aug. 11—WILLMAR

— Kevin Fitzer had never been to Minnesota before arriving in Willmar to play for the

Stingers

this summer.

Yet, Fitzer has put together quite a season for the Stingers, who are in the midst of its best year in franchise history with a 49-16 record. Willmar has clinched a

Northwoods League

playoffs spot for a second consecutive season.

As someone who grew up near the beach in Aliso Viejo, California, which is about 25 miles south of Anaheim, Fitzer was not sure what to expect of Minnesota.

"It's much more green than California and a lot of farmland everywhere," Fitzer said of Minnesota. "The only thing that has really thrown me off is there can be great weather in the middle of the day and when it comes to game time, it could just rain out of nowhere."

Fortunately for Fitzer, he has connections that have spent some summers in Willmar. Those connections brought him to the Northwoods League and have helped ease his transition.

Stingers second-year field manager Freddy Smith , who was named the Northwoods League Manager of the Year on Friday, was the Director of Player Development at California State University-Northridge in 2021 while Fitzer was a freshman.

Smith, who has maintained a strong relationship with CSUN head coach Eddie Cornejo, utilized his connections with Cornejo and Fitzer to recruit him to join the Stingers.

"Freddy has been a big help," Fitzer said. "He's helped me out through the bad times and he's just made this summer a super fun time.

"He's just someone that you can relate to really well and have a normal conversation with outside of baseball as well. That's been really helpful."

A redshirt sophomore at CSUN, Fitzer was college teammates with ex-Stinger Graysen Tarlow, who played for Willmar in 2022 and 2023 before the St. Louis Cardinals selected him in the MLB Draft in July. He asked Tarlow about what to expect of Willmar before arriving.

Fitzer also credits his host family — Jeremy and Courtney Lee — for helping him get situated and become comfortable in west central Minnesota.

"It's been a great time here and Willmar has been awesome for me," Fitzer said. "My host family has been a big help in showing me around. ... (Jeremy and Courtney) have made it easy for me to be here and I really like it out here."

Fitzer has had a few firsts throughout his first summer in Minnesota. He ate walleye for the first time and ventured out to watch a Minnesota Twins game at Target Field.

All these factors have helped Fitzer not become homesick despite being much farther away from his hometown "than normal." His parents have also made it out to a couple of games this summer to support him.

"I really do enjoy the small town vibe," Fitzer said. "A lot of the people come out here and support the Stingers, which is very nice. They do a great job of supporting us and making us feel at home even though we're away from home."

In his first summer playing in the Northwoods League, Fitzer has been a cornerstone of Willmar's success.

Fitzer, a 2023 Great Plains West All-Star selection who hit 11 home runs in the Great Plains All-Star Home Run Challenge, leads the Stingers in nearly every offensive statistical category.

Fitzer, a 6-foot-3-inch, 200 pound right-handed batter, ranks first on Willmar with 56 games played, 69 runs scored, 73 hits, 58 RBIs, 32 stolen bases, 19 doubles and 12 home runs.

Fitzer is batting .322 with a .564 slugging percentage in 227 at-bats. He has a .982 fielding percentage with 236 putouts and 43 assists on 284 total chances.

"Kevin's been one of our more consistent players," Smith said. "He's a guy who has a bright future in the game of baseball. He's everything right that represents this program. If I could have 35 Kevin Fitzers that would be pretty cool."

Fitzer offers plenty of versatility for the Stingers. He has played first, second and third base and left and right field as well as serving as the team's designated hitter throughout the season.

"It's very easy for me to write him in the lineup," Smith said. "Kevin does a lot of things well."

Smith listed Fitzer's top three qualities: His makeup, his ability to hunt and hit his pitch and his ability to slow the game down with runners in scoring position.

Fitzer has had the most at-bats with runners in scoring position of any Stingers player this summer.

In his 89 at-bats with runners in scoring position, Fitzer is batting .371 with 35 RBIs and eight home runs. When there are runners in scoring position with two outs, he is hitting .406 with 13 RBIs and three home runs in 32 at-bats.

"Kevin always seems to come up at the right times," Smith said. "He's had some big hits for us this year."

Fitzer had one at-bat with CSUN before he suffered a left anterior cruciate ligament tear during a practice which sidelined him for the remainder of his freshman season in 2021.

He entered the college scene as an infielder. But with his knee injury and the players CSUN had, Fitzer made the switch to outfield and was also utilized as a designated hitter for his redshirt freshman season.

Fitzer appeared in 20 games with 10 starts in 2022. He batted .317 with three doubles and one triple, adding 13 hits, 12 walks, 10 RBIs, seven runs and four stolen bases in 41 at-bats.

As he entered his third season with CSUN this spring following a stint with the Humboldt Crabs over the summer of 2022, Fitzer did not begin the season as a starter.

That "set a fire" in Fitzer and he quickly became a mainstay left-fielder in the Matadors lineup for the 2023 season.

Fitzer played in 49 games, which tied for the most games played on the team, and he started in 46 of them. He batted .339 with 60 hits and a team-high 50 RBIs, adding 35 runs, 19 walks, eight home runs, six stolen bases, five doubles and three triples.

That effort led Fitzer to become a 2023 All-Big West Second Team pick.

"My roommate (and teammate) — Jakob Simons — helped me out a lot," Fitzer said. "He was a big role model for me and helped me adapt to the outfield and I think a couple switches in my hitting, my approach and just mentally has helped me out."

Fitzer believes the biggest part in helping him succeed this year has been the improvement of his mental game.

He has received guidance from

Mario Soto

, a Sports Psychology Consultant who has a master's degree in Sport and Performance Psychology Consulting from California State University-Fullerton.

Soto started working with the CSUN baseball program this year and that's how he formed a connection with Fitzer.

"Every time I came to the field or to a practice and did a workshop, Kevin would ask, 'what do you got for me?'" Soto said. "He's a student of the craft.

"Kevin — to his credit — looks at things objectively. He knows that if he's going to be a great player, he has to be consistent at things."

Soto would ask Fitzer questions about his routine to create a dialogue to help identify how Fitzer could best replicate the qualities that bring him success.

Fitzer would even approach Soto in the dugout or even between his at-bats for advice.

"That was a big step for me this year," Fitzer said. "Mario was able to help me with certain things and helped me change my routine. I have cleaned up what I was doing and I think it's starting to head in the right direction, but it still needs some improvement."

Baseball can be a game of ups and downs and Fitzer felt down about the way he was performing early on with the Stingers.

So, Fitzer took action and decided to reach out to Soto and let him know that he was doubting himself.

"I kind of laughed at him and he knows my personality. I said, 'oh really, so you feel sorry for yourself? How's that going?'" Soto said. "(Kevin) started laughing and I said, 'You understand you're really damn good.'"

Fitzer was appreciative of Soto's compliment.

Soto continued to Fitzer, "I shouldn't have to remind you, but I'm going to do that. You're really damn good. You got to go back on all of the body of work that you've put into this point and continue to trust it and build on it."

Trust. That word stuck with Fitzer. Soto emphasized to Fitzer the importance of having the trust and confidence in himself and his abilities.

"Dedicating myself to that has helped me out a lot," Fitzer said.

Fitzer's phone conversation with Soto helped him get back on track in a big way.

The Northwoods League announced Fitzer as a 2023 Postseason All-Star on Friday.

"We're human beings and sometimes doubt creeps in," Soto said. "This idea of the mental game — the routines, strategies and the conversations we have — it's about learning how to be kind to yourself.

"I'm not surprised, but I am thrilled that Kevin's showing this kind of performance. What's scary is that I've really only worked with him for a year and now he's seeing what's possible. Now my goals for him personally, we're going to move them up a little higher."

As Fitzer and Company gear up for the playoffs, many of them have decided to sport black mustaches for the postseason.

The black mustaches — created by Fitzer, Drey Dirksen and Andrew Sojka — made their first appearance in Willmar's 14-3 victory over the Minot Hot Tots on Monday evening.

Willmar, which won the Great Plains West First Half title, will have home field advantage in the playoffs as it opens up postseason play in a best-of-three series against the St. Cloud Rox. The Stingers are in search of their first Northwoods League championship in franchise history.

Game 1 is at 4:05 p.m. Sunday at Joe Faber Field in St. Cloud. Game 2 is set for 7:05 p.m. Monday at Bill Taunton Stadium. Game 3, if necessary, will take place at 7:05 p.m. Tuesday back at Bill Taunton Stadium.

"The Stingers got a good chance and we got a good group of guys," Fitzer said. "Watch out for the black mustaches in the playoffs."