Northstars put it all on the line in Medicine Hat

There have been plenty of ups and downs this season for the Havre Northstars American Legion baseball team, but with the Northern A District Tournament starting Thursday in Medicine Hat, none of that matters anymore.

All that matters is finishing in the top two this weekend at the district tournament because that is what's required to keep the season alive and advance to the State A Legion tournament, a place Havre hasn't been in a over a decade.

"I think we are in a good position," Northstars head coach Patch Wirtzberger said. "I feel like the kids have really improved as the season has gone on. They have worked really hard and I think they have really bought in. Now we just have to try to play our best baseball and see what happens."

Havre (23-18, 13-11) will open the seven-team tournament against Tri-County (19-21, 11-13) the No. 5 seed. The Cardinals advanced to the state tournament a year ago but are 0-5 against the Northstars this season. Wirtzberger's team will enter the tournament as the No. 4 seed following a 13-11 record in the district. They finished a half-game behind third-place Lewistown and one game behind Lethbridge. Vauxhall comes in as the top seed after going 19-4 in the league during the regular season.

"The match up with Tri-County is an interesting one," Wirtzberger said. "We have had success against them this year, but I know they will give us their best shot, and they have beaten everyone this year with the exception of us and Vauxhall. They are also a team that made it to state last year, so beating them won't be easy, but I know our guys will be ready to go."

The winner of Havre and Tri-County will advance to play top-seeded Vauxhall. The other first-round matchups will pit Lethbridge against Fort MacLeod and Lewistown against Medicine Hat, the host team. Those games will be at 2 p.m. and 5:45 p.m. respectively Thursday. If the Northstars win, they will play the Spurs Friday at 3 p.m. A loss would mean a break until Saturday morning.

One thing that will be key for the Northstars and every team in the tournament, is pitching. And with pitch counts, getting through the four-day, double-elimination tournament isn't going to be easy. One advantage Havre brings is depth with Tony Antley, Kennedy McKay, Austin Delarosa and Tyrel Kjersem. And with the last regular-season game Sunday, they will all be rested and ready to go Thursday.

"We are fortunate enough to have four solid starters in Kennedy, Tony, Tyrel and Austin," Wirtzberger said. "They will all have the correct amount of days rest to start on Thursday. It will probably be a game-time decision. I have confidence in every one of them to go out and beat anybody in the district."

Antley has been the most frequent starter this season for Havre, with 11 starts and a 5-2 record. He also has an ERA of 6.2. Kjersem is also 5-1 with an ERA of 6.0 and Delarosa is 4-2 with an ERA of 5.5. McKay is another strong candidate to start after a 3-2 record, as well as a team-best 3.8 ERA and 38 strikeouts, another team high. When it comes to the bullpen, Wirtzberger said Havre would turn to Eli Cloninger, Ethan Roberts, Hunter Lovenguth, Trenton Maloughney, Ethan Carlson and Carson Lunak.

"Of course things can change because you need to advance," Wirtzberger said. "You don't want to leave guys on the shelf without using them at all, but that is the plan going in. We have solid guys like Carson, Trenton, Eli, Kelden and Hunter in the bullpen to help out as well. The pitch counts definitely change the game a little, but if everyone goes out there and does their job it will work itself out."

Offensively, Roberts and Quinn Reno will get things going at the top of the order. Reno narrowly edged out Roberts for the best batting average on the team, hitting .441 compared to .440 for Roberts. Reno also led the team with 41 RBIs and scored 41 runs, which was second behind Roberts, who scored 63, while leading the team in on-base percentage (.569) and stolen bases (39). Antley and Delarosa will also have a key role to play, along with McKay and Maloughney, who are all hitting over .300.

Whether the Northstars wind up going through the winner's bracket or the loser's bracket, they will need to win three games to advance to the state tournament and even though it has been 14 years since their last trip, Wirtzberger is optimistic about his club's chances.

"Vauxhall has to be the favorite but they have been beaten, especially late in the season," Wirtzberger said. "I'm excited about the opportunity we have in front of us and I think our guys will rise to the occasion."

The head coach also talked about what a state tournament berth would mean for a program that used to be counted among the elite in Montana Legion baseball.

"It would mean a lot to the program to get back to the state tournament," Wirtzberger said. "If we can break through and get there this year who knows what we may be able to accomplish in the years to come."

Havre will open up at the district tournament Thursday at 11 a.m. The championship game is scheduled for Sunday at 2 p.m. The top two teams will advance to the State A tournament.