Eli Cloninger likes the heat

With it being the middle of summer, Havre's Eli Cloninger could not be any more happy. Along with getting to fish and play baseball, he also enjoys the heat associated with his favorite time of the year. He should be extra happy this summer as the Havre Northstars American Legion baseball club is having one of their strongest seasons in recent memory.

"It's been really fun. It's probably the best team I've been on in a long time," Cloninger said. "We're doing really good. A lot better than the rest of the years."

The Northstars have a record of 23-10 and a conference record of 5-1, both the best in the Class A North District. The Northstars are currently playing their best baseball with a month left in the regular season as they are riding an 11-game winning streak. Many players have contributed to the Northstars' strong play, including Cloninger himself.

In his senior season, Cloninger has been a key part of the Northstars' offense. He leads the Northstars at the plate with a .427 batting average. He also excels at running the bases where he leads the team with 44 runs scored. He has also helped on defense for the Northstars as he has a .935 fielding percentage out of 107 total chances. While he has not decided for sure whether this will be his last season, Cloninger is determined to play like it is.

"Just staying focused, having fun," said Cloninger on why he is having success this season. "This could be my last year so I got to put it all out there."

Cloninger has been playing baseball since the age of five when he was competing in tee-ball. Over the years, he credits his father for helping him develop into the player that he is now. He has also grown to enjoy spending time with all his teammates over the years.

"Being around the same people my whole life," said Cloninger on what he loves the most about baseball. "The atmosphere's just amazing."

Over the years, Cloninger has made many memories with his teammates. One of his favorite memories came last year when he rode to the state tournament in Lewistown in a pickup truck with his friends.

Along with baseball, Cloninger enjoys many other outdoor activities such as fishing and hunting. During the summer, he will fish for anything he can catch and during hunting season, he puts in a tag for everything he can hunt.

Even though this season is his senior year, Cloninger is eligible to return to play another season for the Northstars. He has still not decided what he will do next but he believes returning to the Northstars next year is a real possibility for him.

After he is eventually done with the Northstars, Cloninger wants to continue playing baseball at the collegiate level. However, he has not found any colleges that he is interested in yet. After college, he wants to become a physical therapist and open his own business.

For now, Cloninger is focused on finishing his senior year for the Northstars on a strong note. With just over a month left in the regular season, the Northstars hope to keep their positive momentum going into the district and state tournaments at the end of the month. Since Havre will host the state tournament, they have already qualified for it. With guaranteed berths in both the district and state tournaments, Cloninger believes the Northstars should focus on maintaining their momentum to win both tournaments.

"We've got to win districts first and then we want to win the state tournament," Cloninger said.