Havre Northstars set to face state champions in tough road test

As the summer approaches, the Havre Northstars American Legion baseball club will be looking to begin finding its stride. This Saturday, the Northstars will face an early-season test on the road with a doubleheader against the Helena Senators AA team.

"It's going to be good for us to get down there and see where we stack up and see if we can battle through a tough doubleheader," Havre head coach Patch Wirtzberger said. "I got all the confidence in the world in these kids and that they're going to go out there and give it everything they got for two games."

The Senators are probably the best team the Northstars have faced yet this season. The Senators are the defending AA state champions and they have already jumped out to a 10-4 record this season. Along with several returning players from last year's championship team, the Senators have young players ready to make an impact. While Wirtzberger expects a tough outing this weekend, he believes there will be opportunities for the Northstars.

"They throw strikes, they throw hard and they've got good off-speed pitches. They hit the ball well and they run the bases very well," Wirtzberger said. "When it comes down to it, they're just a baseball team like us and they make mistakes just like everybody else, so hopefully we can get down there and compete."

If the Northstars want to compete, they will need their best players to show up. Brody Nanini has made an impact this season on both sides of the plate for Havre. At the plate, he leads the team with a .484 batting average, a .568 on-base percentage, 15 hits and seven RBIs. On the mound, he has a 1-0 record as a pitcher with a 3.170 ERA and 17 strikeouts.

Eli Cloninger has also been off to a strong start this season with a .387 batting average and 12 hits. Kale Reno is another player who has made an impact at the plate and on the mound. At the plate, he has a .364 batting average and six RBIs. On the mound, he has pitched in three different games where he has recorded 14 strikeouts for the Northstars.

The Northstars head into this weekend with a 6-4 record. With high school spring sports in session, the Northstars should be missing some players this weekend. However, Wirtzberger is confident in the team's batting and pitching heading into the doubleheader. If they can clean up some errors on defense, Wirtzberger believes they will be right there with the state champions this Saturday.

"I would really just like us to get better on the defensive end," Wirtzberger said. "I feel like we're hitting the ball pretty well and our pitchers have been doing a really good job. If we can clean up some of the defensive mistakes, I feel like this team can beat anybody."

The Havre Northstars will begin their doubleheader on the road at the Helena Senators AA team Saturday at 3 p.m.