Veteran Tony Antley and the Northstars brace for plenty of home field fun

Through 12 games in Northern A District play, the Havre Northstars American Legion baseball team has put itself in a solid position. However with 10 district games in the next eight days, including four against teams Havre has yet to play, the Northstars will soon have a better idea of where they stand.

As of right now, Havre has as good a chance as just about any team of finishing at or near the top of the Northern A standings. The Northstars have played five of their seven opponents and won at least one game against each team but Fort MacLeod. Havre, which is 15-12-1 overall and 8-4 in the Northern A, will start its string of 10 games in eight days, tonight, in Lewistown. The district doubleheader will start at 5.

Havre will then host Tri-Country for a doubleheader Thursday, before hosting Great Falls and Lethbridge for Northern A doubleheaders Saturday and Sunday. The six-game homestand will be at Legion Field, where the first pitch will be thrown at 5 p.m. Thursday, 3 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday.

"At the beginning of the year, a lot of us wrote that down as our goal," Tony Antley, a third-year Northstars player said about getting to the State A Legion baseball tournament, "so we have been working really hard to have a chance to do that. But it's something we really want, especially for the older guys."

This past weekend, the Northstars took a big step in the right direction as they took three of four games on the road from Medicine Hat and Vauxhall. Antley was on the mound against Medicine Hat last Saturday and helped the Northstars sweep their Northern A rivals for the second time this season. Sunday, Havre split with Vauxhall. Antley was on the mound for the second victory over Medicine Hat and earned his third win after more than five innings of work.

While Antley isn't the ace of the Northstars pitching staff, he has been more than reliable this season, registering a team-high 42 innings pitched in addition to an overall record of 3-2. He also had a solid ERA of 3.75, which is the lowest on the team among pitchers with at least six starts.

"I am a lefty, so I usually end up pitching, in the outfield or at first base," Antley said. "I just try to throw strikes and have the ball hit, either into a ground ball or the outfield, but I can't do it myself. I need to have the defense supporting me and the defense played really well against Medicine Hat. It seemed like just about everyone was stepping up."

Antley, who is the younger brother of former All-District outfielder Ryne Antley, has proven to be just as effective in the field, as he is on the mound. Antley, who has played outfield and first base, is tied for the team lead with just one error. He also had 31 putouts and seven assists. His 97.4 fielding percentage is also second on the team behind only catcher Jake Sedahl and is also tied for the team lead in double plays turned with three.

At the plate, Antley has struggled a bit in 2018, at least compared to 2017, when he batted nearly .400. Antley is batting just .239 right now, but when there are runners in scoring position, it peaks to .310. He is also second on the team in RBIs with 19, including four that have come with two outs. Additionally, he is tops on the team in doubles with five.

"I have been in a slump and it's kind of mental," Antley said. "But I have good guys in front of me and they get on base and that makes it easier. I am just trying to get something out of infield or a long fly ball."

That attitude is part of the small-ball philosophy the Northstars have adopted under Mickey Williams. Havre has put together 23 sacrifices this season and is averaging 7.1 runs per game.

"When we are able to put the ball in play, we do a lot better," Antley said. "That's a big thing for us. Our hitting is a lot better so that is our main focus, just getting the ball in play."

That will be key for a Havre team that is also trying to juggle its pitching staff, which is not easy with new pitch rules that were implemented last season to try and protect for pitchers from fatigue and injuries. That led to Bridger Staples and Tyrell Kjersem to pitch against Vauxhall, after throwing just 10 innings combined prior to that. It should also lead to some more juggling this week and next as the Northstars play 10 games in eight calendar days.

The stretch starts Tuesday in Lewistown with a doubleheader against the Redbirds starting at 5. Thursday, Havre will host Tri-Country for two games, which also start at 5 p.m. The doubleheader against the Great Falls Chargers will be played Saturday at 3, followed by another doubleheader Sunday against Lethbridge. That will begin at noon.