North Stars ready for exciting stretch

Summer has always been a challenging time for me sportswise. Don't get me wrong, I love baseball, softball and golf, but at the end of the day, it's hard for me not to yearn for fall and winter sports like football and basketball, my two personal favorites.

Yet, even I have to admit, one of the great things about Havre are its summer traditions, one of which is the Havre North Stars American Legion baseball team.

The North Stars are certainly one of the Havre's best sporting traditions. There is nothing quite like spending a late afternoon or evening at Legion Field, watching baseball and the sun set simultaneously. It's an ideal backdrop for baseball, but truthfully, the North Stars themselves have been as fun to watch this season as the scenery.

Before heading to Canada Wednesday for four games in two days against Medicine Hat and Vauxhall, the North Stars were sitting at 13-13 overall and 7-3 in the Northern A District. And while they have played plenty of meaningful games up to this point, each one matters now. The non-conference schedule, for the most part is over, which means it's time for this North Stars team to come of age.

However, in a lot of ways, this team already has. Under the guidance of head coach Dick Fuzesy, the North Stars have thrust themselves right into the thick of the district race. With a 7-3 mark in the league, following a two-game sweep of the Great Falls Chargers Tuesday night, the North Stars have a look of a team ready to make a run at a top seed in the district tournament, which just so happens to be in Havre next month, July 19.

It's been quite some time since the North Stars have advanced to the Montana Legion A state tournament, in fact, it's been over a decade. But with a chance to host districts next month and the potential to start at an advantageous position for seeding, the opportunity to end the drought is certainly there.

The North Stars have their flaws, as all high-school-age teams do. But after showing steady improvement, not only from the start of the season, but from a year ago, it's hard not to at least see the potential for the team to make a run.

Of course, pitching is always key in baseball and this year, Fuzesy has put together a pretty solid staff. Brendan Garden has developed into the ace for the North Stars, but other quality arms such as Austin Delarosa, Kennedy McKay, Brenden Danielson, Tony Antley and Ethan Roberts have all made quality contributions.

Pitching depth has been and will be a key for the North Stars going forward, but another positive development, has been the strides made defensively. In 2016, Havre had a really young legion baseball team. Many of the players were playing at that level for the first time, and it led to a lot of teachable moments.

But now, the time and effort invested by Fuzesy in his young players is paying off and there is no better example than of McKay, who has taken a gigantic step forward at shortstop. After struggling with errors a season ago, McKay has been lights out defensively. It's hard to remember a home game this season, where he hasn't turned heads with a great defensive play. But he's also not the only one.

Roberts and Danielson have also been outstanding in the outfield and of course behind the plate, Jake Sedahl has been as good as ever, throwing out baserunners at a higher rate than ever before.

Sedahl, the elder statesman of the team, is also starting to lead the way at the plate. After hitting better than .400 the past two seasons, he has hovered below that mark for most of 2017. But recently, he has found his groove and is creeping toward it again, which has made the North Stars, a dangerous offensive team already, even better.

Part of what makes Havre so dangerous when it bats is speed, pure and simple. If you look up and down the North Stars lineup, they have a lot of it, especially at the top of the order with Kelden Sullivan and Roberts.

Sullivan, Roberts and Danielson also have all done a great job of getting on base this season. Yet, what they have done an even better job of is advancing once they do. All three run the bases aggressively and it's also a reason why all three are among the top run scorers on the team.

Havre may not have a slew of power hitters, but with an average of more than six runs per game, it knows how to score. An important part of that, is what some refer to as small ball. Small ball used to be a staple of the North Stars and this season, it has returned. Bunts, infield hits, sacrifices, Havre is doing it all and doing it quite successfully.

A lot of times, winning baseball games is about doing the small stuff. It's about doing the right thing when the situation arises and there is no doubt, the North Stars have been much better in that aspect this season.

As I said earlier, it's hard to say how good this North Stars team will ultimately be and those judgements are best saved for the end of the year anyways. But there is little doubt that, thus far, the ride has been fun and the next few weeks, as they chase a state tournament berth, should give every baseball fan in Havre something to be excited about.