One last time at Legion

The Havre Northstars American Legion baseball team will have some important games to play in the next few weeks, but few will be more important than Sunday's doubleheader against the Vauxhall Spurs.

That's because while the games are important for the Northern A District standings, the double dip Sunday at Legion will also be the final home games of the season for Havre and the last chance for six Northstars players, Jake Sedahl, Kennedy McKay, Brenden Danielson, Brendan Garden, Trey Murphy and Gavin Mosbrucker, to play on their home field one final time. The first pitch will go out Sunday at 2 p.m.

"This group has some good players," Northstars head coach Mickey Williams said. "I wish that I had more time to work with them."

In Williams' first season back at the helm, the Northstars find themselves in the middle of the pack in the Northern A. Havre is currently tied for fifth, with a record of 12-12, but with a strong finish, it's possible the Northstars could climb as high as third or fourth. Fort MacLeod, Havre, Lethbridge and Tri-County are all in the hunt for spots three through six. Vauxhall currently sits in first place, two games clear of Lewistown.

While the matchup with the Spurs Sunday is critically important when it comes to the final district standings, the Northstars will also be motivated to send their seniors out with a win. One of those seniors is Sedahl, a fifth-year catcher who has been the heart and soul of the Northstars the past few seasons.

"It's going to be kind of weird, knowing it's going to be the last game up at Legion," Sedahl said. "I have played a lot of games on that field. I am going to miss it a lot. I can't think of the last time I didn't spend a summer playing baseball. We all want to go out with a win of course, but it's going to be tough."

Sedahl has done his part to help the Northstars keep pace with the rest of the Northern A, and at the plate, he has put forth another stellar campaign. With a .442 average, Sedahl has the highest mark on the team of any player with at least 100 at-bats. He also boasts a team-high 40 RBIs and leads the Northstars in extra-base hits with 15, including eight doubles and seven triples.

Yet, Sedahl isn't the only senior standing out at the plate. Danielson is also having a good year at the dish, although he is doing it a little differently. Danielson is batting .311 but getting on base at a clip of .526, which leads the team. He also leads the Northstars in runs scored with 42. His 34 walks drawn are also first on the team. No one else has more than 15.

"I am going to miss it a lot," Danielson said. "It's going to be a big change and I am going to really miss it."

Danielson will continue his career on the diamond at Williston College in North Dakota. However, he won't be the only senior playing college baseball next season as Brendan Garden will do the same thing in Rochester, Michigan. Garden has been a solid all-around player again for the Northstars in 2018, batting .355 with 20 RBIs and 21 runs scored, which rank third and fourth on the team respectively.

Garden has been good at the plate but maybe even better on the mound. He boasts a 5-3 record in eight starts and 11 appearances this season. He leads the Northstars in innings pitched and has an ERA of 4.46, which is also best on the team among pitchers with at least 10 innings thrown.

"I think I will miss all of my friends," Garden said. "It's pretty hard to comprehend, to be honest. I am going to miss this field."

Like Garden, McKay has stood out on the mound and at the plate, as well as in the field. Normally at shortstop or second base, McKay has won all of his starts on the bump this season and leads the team in double plays turned with five. McKay is also hitting .356 with an on-base percentage of .491.

"You make a lot of friends, you even make friends from other towns," McKay said. "I think I will miss that the most, the friends that I made on the team. It will be hard leaving them."

Mosbrucker, who is batting .302 for the Northstars and has also done an admirable job on the mound in 16 innings on the mound, offered similar sentiments.

"I am really going to miss it, I am going to miss playing with all these guys," Mosbrucker said. "I have been playing with them my whole life. I just really like playing baseball."

Murphy, who also played football, basketball and tennis during this last school year, said he was also going to miss playing for the Northstars. The utility infielder, who moves around between first and third base, has hit .320 and has an on-base percentage of .433.

"I think I am just going to miss some of the relationships I have built," Murphy said. "It's going to be weird knowing it's the last time we are playing at Legion with all of these guys. We have been with this same group of the guys since Tee-ball. We have been around each other our whole lives, so missing them will be the biggest thing."

The Northstars will honor their seniors Sunday against Vauxhall. The Northern A doubleheader will close out the home schedule and the first pitch will go out at 2 p.m.