North Stars look to shine again

The Havre North Stars American Legion baseball team took a big step forward last season. The North Stars may have finished at .500 with a 21-21-2 record, but they proved they are a team to reckon within the Northern A district.

That’s because last season, the North Stars finished with the best record in the district, and despite not qualifying for the Montana A state baseball tournament, the North Stars built a solid foundation for this season.

“I think that’s what we are looking at doing,” head coach Dick Fuzesy said of winning the regular-season title again. “I know it comes down to how you play at the tournament, but I always like going in as the No. 1 or No. 2 seed. Last year, I think having that bye kind of hurt us, but this year, if we have eight teams, so if you get the one or two, you play the seven or eight.”

And while the North Stars did lose some important players from last year’s team, such as Tyrell Pierce, Gavin Gunderson, Travis Roth and Ryne Antley, there is a good mix of youth and experience set to replace them.

One player that returns from last season’s North Stars is catcher Jake Sedahl. Sedahl, who is getting set for his third season of legion baseball, hit over .400 last season and led the North Stars in hitting.

“I am still trying to figure some things out with the lineup,” Fuzesy said. “Except for Jake Sedahl. I know he will be there at No. 3. We are going to try some different combinations and I think we will be a little more aggressive running the bases. We don’t have a lot of double hitters, but we have some good athletes.”

Outside of Sedahl, the Havre lineup doesn’t feature a ton of power, but it does feature a number of efficient hitters such as Jeff Miller, Jerod Boles, Brenden Danielson, Nic Tanner, T.J. Lovenguth and Trey Murphy. Dylan Carpenter, who will play at third base when he’s not pitching, is also a solid hitter.

“I think we are going to be different offensively than we were last year,” Fuzesy said. “I am not saying that we are going to be bunting all the time. But we are going to try to get singles and move guys over and be aggressive on the bases.”

Carpenter, Boles and Miller are all threats at the plate, yet they each excel on the mound, also. Carpenter won eight games for the North Stars a season ago and had an earned-run average of less than five. Boles also had an ERA under five and, according to Fuzesy, he finished with the lowest ERA on the team. Miller also pitched a ton of innings for the North Stars last season and proved to be a reliable option in the rotation.

Those three will be the main pitchers for Havre, but Danielson should also get some time on the mound as will newcomers Kaden Anez and Tony Antley. Kennedy McKay, Ethan Roberts and Brenden Garden are three other newcomers who should see time on the field.

“A lot of those guys we are going to try as pitchers,” Fuzesy said. “We figure that while we have them young we can start them there and at least teach them the fundamentals.”

Like last season, the North Stars are scheduled to play 44 games, with the first one coming next Sunday at Legion Field against the Glasgow Reds. Havre and Glasgow will play a doubleheader that day with first pitch in the first game at 2.p.m. The North Stars will play a total of 28 conference games and 16 non-conference games.

The North Stars will have their sights set on reaching the state tournament, but with only one bid up for grabs at the district tournament and teams like Vauxhall and Lewistown also vying for it, it will be difficult to achieve.

“Our focus is getting the regular season title,” Fuzesy said. “I think that Vauxhall is going to be tough, so s Lewistown. I think they are the top teams in the district along with us.”