Last bats: Senior night at Legion Field

The end of the regular season is right around the corner for the Havre Northstars American Legion baseball club, which means that every inning counts, especially now.

But, tonight will be one of the biggest nights of the season, as it will not only see the last home-games of the year, but there will be another major moment for the Havre squad.

Tonight at Legion Field, the Northstars (11-21) will be taking on the Great Falls Lightning in a Class A North District showdown at 5 p.m., where Havre will look to add some wins to its record to gain some momentum in the district standings going forward. The two teams have split in their previous doubleheader showdowns already this season, which will be something the Northstars will be looking to change.

Havre head coach Patch Wirtzberger is looking forward to the challenge that Great Falls will bring at Legion Field tonight.

"Great Falls is a team that we've split with twice so far this year," Wirtzberger said. "It would be a good opportunity to go out there and see how far we've come since the beginning of the season. We know that if we play well, we can win two games today, which would help us a lot in district standings."

But the doubleheader has a very special emphasis on it tonight, as it will be senior night for the Northstars, who will be celebrating the efforts that seniors Quinn Reno and Tyrel Kjersem have put into the team since day one.

Senior nights are always huge for the community and the players that are being recognized, on top of it being the last home game of the season, as well.

Reno has been a major force for Havre, especially this year. Offensively, Reno has put the hurt on fielders. Earlier this season, Reno not only put up an infield home run in a game but had two triples in one game to send several runners home for the Northstars. Needless to say, Reno is an offensive powerhouse who makes any defense nervous when he steps up to the plate.

Reno has made a lot of impact for the Northstars since he first took to the field as one, something that Wirtzberger has been glad to witness.

"Quinn is just a great kid," Wirtzberger said. "I was fortunate enough to be a part of the coaching staff when he first joined the Northstars when he was 16. He really is the epitome of just working your butt off every single day. You can just see that he's gotten better each year by the way he works. That's something I'm really proud of and I'm happy that I was able to be a part of his career."

Meanwhile, Kjersem has brought his A-game for Havre over the course of his team with the Northstars. Kjersem has really developed as a great pitcher, striking out batters at the mound and making sure his teammates on defense are as fired up as they can be. At the same time, Kjersem has been a resounding leader for the team and a great addition to the lineup at-bat, too, making him a well-rounded player.

Kjersem, who Wirtzberger sees as not only a great player, but an excellent role model for the young team, too, has been a big help in driving the Northstars forward.

"Tyrel has just come a long way since he took his first step on the field as a Northstar," Wirtzberger said. "Obviously, he's had a big impact on the mound and he's a great pitcher. He's starting to become a good hitter for us in the middle of our lineup that people have to be aware of. He's really stepped into a leadership role with our young team this year. He has interest in trying to help those younger kids and that's a huge help to us."

Senior night will be full of many things, including the emotions that will be present due to the celebration of the two seniors, but Wirtzberger knows that Havre will still be ready to throw down tonight.

"Emotions might play into the game early in that first game just to shake the butterflies off," Wirtzberger said. "But I know that this is a team that will get focused and ready when they need to. They're going to play hard for Quinn and Tyrel because they know that those are two guys that have worked really hard over the last three years to put them in a better place than they found it. I think they'll be ready to go."

It will be a special night for seniors Kjersem and Reno, but the two, alongside the rest of the Northstars, will be bringing their all against the Great Falls Lightning tonight at Legion Field at 5 p.m., where Havre aims to grab a pair of wins in the doubleheader to boost their district record and standings. The field will be full of high emotions and energy when the Northstars take the field to defend their home stadium.

Havre was set to host the State A Legion tournament later this summer, but COVID-19 threw a wrench into those plans, so the Northstars will be making their final Legion Field appearance tonight. The games against the Lightning start at 5.