Advertisement

St. Michael rallies in Rochester to repeat as state Legion champion

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

Jul. 30—ROCHESTER — Despite being the defending Division I State American Legion state champions, the St. Michael Mikes had something to prove this season.

The Mikes had just three returning players from last year's championship team and an entirely new coaching staff.

"We started out fresh and no one had us in the (state) rankings all year," first-year St. Michael coach Levi Fry said. "I think the boys took that as a little bit of a chip (challenge), but they just kept playing."

St. Michael needed to play to the very end during Sunday's state championship game. The Mikes scored twice with two outs in the top of the seventh to rally past Eden Prairie 5-4 to repeat as state champions.

"It's amazing," Fry said.

Eden Prairie was just one out away from winning the game in the seventh. With two on and two outs, Kurt Lekatz had an RBI infield single to tie the game. Mason Varley followed with an RBI single that scored what proved to be the winning run.

"I was extremely nervous, but I knew I just had to get the job done," Varley said. "We came in here wanting to go back-to-back; we wanted that from the start."

Comeback wins in the postseason are nothing new for St. Michael. In the first round of SubState play prior to the state tournament, the Mikes had a walk-off win in the bottom of the seventh after trailing 6-0 at one point.

"We know what it takes to come back," Fry said. "I've always told the boys 'You have to believe and you have to want it.' If you don't want it, it's not going to happen."

Matt Maulik, who made a nice backhanded stop at shortstop to finish off a 2-1 semifinal win over the Rochester Redhawks, was the MVP of the tournament. Against Eden Prairie, he hit a solo homer in the first inning and then closed out the win on the mound.

Maulik, who has been battling a sore elbow, pitched his first inning of the tournament in the bottom of the seventh. He allowed a two-out double before getting the final out for the save.

"I was just like, 'I'm going to go in there and throw the ball as hard as I can,' and hope it goes in the strike zone," he said. "I wanted it."

Maulik is one of the three players back from last year's state championship team. He is a 2023 high school grad who will play college baseball at Division I University of St. Thomas in St. Paul.

"We only had (three) returning guys from last year, but we had all the confidence in the world," Maulik said. "The talent level from last year has dropped off, but every kid on this team is out there to win and they're putting their full effort in."

St. Michael had a lot of newcomers to its Legion roster this season, but the Mikes are a veteran team. All of the players were 2023 high school grads except two, and they graduated in 2022.

"We're an old team, everyone has graduated," Fry said. "When we would get down, someone would pick us up. I think it just took a different guy every game."

Varley said that being a veteran team has kept the Mikes loose all season.

"I think our main goal is to just have as much fun as we can," he said. "Sometimes we get a little lackadaisical and have a little too much fun and we have to dial it in."

St. Michael (24-4-1) and Eden Prairie both qualify for the American Legion region tournament that begins on Wednesday in South Dakota. St. Michael went 2-2 in region play a year ago.

"We're excited to get out there and give it another shot," Fry said.

—In the third-place game, Mankato got a walk-off grand slam and topped Wayzata 8-5.

St. Michael 5, Eden Prairie 4

State championship

St. Michael#102#000#2#—#5#10#1

Eden Prairie#002#020#0#—#4#7#2

St. Michael: Ryan Luster 2-for-3, 2 R; Matt Maulik 1-for-4, 1 HR, 1 RBI, 1 R; Evan Saunders 1-for-2, 1 RBI, 1 R; Kurt Lekatz 2-for-4, 1 RBI; Mason Varley 1-for-4, 2 RBI; Dillion Glass 1-for-4; Kaleb Klinkhammer 1-for-3; Ashtyn Groves 1-for-3, 1 RBI. Pitchers: Reid Baynard 4 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K; Miles Kay 1 2/3 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K; Joey Rathman (WP) 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K; Matt Maulik (Sv) 1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K.

Eden Prairie: Nick Thompson 1-for-3, 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 R; Seth Tierney 1-for-4, 2 RBI; Ashton Farris 2-for-4, 2 2B, 2 RBI; Cade Hutchison 1-for-3; Connor Meadows 2-for-2, 1 3B, 2 R. Pitchers: Vinny Dykstra (LP) 7 IP, 10 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 1 BB, 1 K.