20-9 Overall; 12-6 Lakewood League; 2-1 Postseason National Division Regular Season Champs!! Wednesday, July 28 Blues--- 020 000 0xx - 2 2 3 Muskies 403 330 xxx - 13 13 1 Win - Jenkins (3-0); HR - O'Connell (2) The Muskies advanced to the region 10C tournament by winning the 3 game series with Litchfield. The Muskies scored 4 runs in the 1st inning to take control early, and prevailed 13-2 in 7 innings. Dan O'Connell and Jake Sweeter led the Muskies, each contributing 3 hits and 4 RBI. Sweeter had a pair of doubles, while O'Connell had a double and a 2-run homer. Cole Jenkins earned the win, tossing 5 innings and allowing 2 walks, 2 hits, and 2 earned runs. All the base runners Jenkins allowed came in the Litchfield 2nd inning. This is the 5th straight year the Muskies have made the region 10C tournament. This years tournament will be played in Freeport beginning on August 7th. The team has 1 more game remaining before regions. They will host the St. Joseph Saints this Saturday at 1:30 PM. St. Joseph has also qualified for regions, and this game will determine who is the #1 seed in regions from the National Division. DIFFERENT DAY, DIFFERENT RESULT Sunday, July 25 Muskies 000 000 010 - 1 3 1 Blues--- 000 000 03x - 3 10 0 Loss - Wenker (6-3) The Muskies bats went from flaming hot to cold in just a few hours, as Litchfield Blues pitcher Stephen Pennertz held the Muskies to 3 hits in a complete effort. The two teams will complete the 3-game series Wednesday night at Champion Field in Sartell at 7:30 PM. The winner will advance to the region 10C tournament, and the loser will be done for the season. The Muskies scored their lone run in the 8th inning without the benefit of a hit. Pitcher Adam Wenker walked to leadoff the inning, and Adam Schellinger was hit by pitch to advance Wenker to 2nd base. After a Mike Carlson sacrifice bunt, Tim Burns hit sac fly to score Wenker. 7 HOMERS PROPEL BLOWOUT WIN Saturday, July 24 Blues--- 000 000 0xx - 0 3 3 Muskies 437 552 xxx - 26 25 1 Win - Weaver (7-1); HR - J. Sweeter 3 (4,5,6), A. Schellinger 2 (2,3), Burns (4), O'Connell (1) Everything went right for the Muskies in their first playoff game. The team used 25 hits and 7 home runs to rout the Litchfield Blues 26-0 in 7 innings. The Muskies/Blues best-of-3 series continues on Sunday with a 1:30 PM game in Litchfield. Jake Sweeter led the offense with 5 hits, 3 home runs, and 9 RBI in the game. Adam Schellinger hit 2 home runs, while Tim Burns had 5 hits, a home run, and 4 RBI. Dan O'Connell hit his first homer as a Muskie, and finished with 3 hits and 3 RBI. Adam Wenker added 3 hits and 3 RBI, while Mike Carlson also had 3 hits. Oh yea, the pitching wasn't bad either. Travis Weaver tossed a 3-hit shutout, earning his 7th win on the season. MUSKIES WILL FACE LITCHFIELD IN PLAYOFFS Thursday, July 22 The Litchfield Blues defeated the Sartell Stone Poneys 4-3 Wednesday night. Litchfield advances to play a best-of-3 series with the Muskies. The winner of the series advances to region 10C, and also plays a seeding game on Saturday, July 31 against the winner of the St. Joseph/Ultimate Sports Snappers series. The Muskies and Blues will face off at 6:00 PM Saturday in Sartell, and 1:30 PM Sunday in Litchfield. If they split those games, the deciding game will be played on Wednesday, July 28, at 7:30 PM in Sartell. MUSKIES BEAT TITANS, WIN DIVISION Sunday, July 18 Muskies 100 030 002 - 6 13 2 Titans-- 011 000 00x - 2 10 3 Win - Wenker (6-2); HR - J. Sweeter (3) On their final chance, the Muskies locked up the National Division title with a hard-fought 6-2 victory over Sauk Centre. This is the 3rd time in 4 years the team has claimed the regular season division title. Jake Sweeter's 2-run homer in the 5th inning put Sartell ahead of Sauk Centre 3-2. Adam Wenker went 8 solid innings and earned the win. He also chipped in 2 hits. Jake Sweeter, Luke Sweeter, Josh Rathbun, and Adam Schellinger also contributed 2 hits. As the #1 seed in division playoffs, the Muskies will play a best-of-3 series with the winner of #4 Litchfield and #5 Sartell Stone Poneys. Those teams play Wednesday, 7/31 in Litchfield in a "play-in" game. #2 seed Ultimate Sports Snappers will take on the #3 St. Joseph Saints in what should be a very competitive series. The winners of the #2 vs. #3 and #1 vs. #4/5 series will advance to region 10C, and will also play a seeding game on Saturday, July 31. The final National Division Standings are: Muskies 12-6 Snappers 11-7 St. Joseph 10-8 Litchfield 4-14 Stone Poneys 4-14 1 WIN FROM #1 Weaver blanks Becker, 8-0 Friday, July 16 Bandits 000 000 000 - 0 4 4 Muskies 200 030 03x - 8 10 1 Win - Weaver (6-1) The Muskies victory over Becker, and a St. Joseph loss earlier in the week, leaves the Muskies still leading the National Division. Now they need to win their final game to guarantee a #1 seed in league playoffs, and an easier road to the region 10C tournament. The Muskies play at Sauk Centre Sunday. Travis Weaver tossed a 4-hit shutout against Becker. He got 2 runs of support in the first inning and cruised from there. Weaver struck out 9 and walked 2 in the game. Dan O'Connell's 2-run double in the 5th inning extended the Muskie lead to 5-0. Brian Schellinger and Jake Sweeter led the team with 2 hits each. MUSKIES CLIPPED BY CLEAR LAKE Sunday, July 11 Muskies 001 001 013 - 6 14 2 Lakers- 005 001 10x - 7 11 2 Loss - Wenker (5-2); HR - J. Sweeter (2) More frustration for the Muskies, as they take a 1-run loss while leaving the bases loaded in the 9th inning. They also loaded the bases in the 6th and 8th innings, but couldn't put together a big inning. The loss leaves the Muskies needing a St. Joseph loss, and wins in their final two games, to win the Lakewood National Division. Mike Carlson and Dan O'Connell each had 3 hits against Clear Lake. Josh Rathbun, Luke Sweeter, and Tim Burns each had 2 hits. MUSKIES DEFEAT LITCHFIELD Friday, July 9 The Muskies won a slugfest in Litchfield, 20-8, getting 3 hits each from Mike Carlson and Josh Rathbun. The Muskies led 9-8 after 6 innings and then pulled away. Travis Weaver pitched 6 innings for his 5th win. He also went 2-for-2 with 3 RBI at the plate. MUSKIES LOSE TO NEW RIVALS Wednesday, July 7 S Poneys 020 033 000 - 8 ? 4 Muskies- 300 000 110 - 5 ? 1 Loss - Schoen (1-3) The Sartell Stone Poneys, a new team this season, pulled off an upset of Sartell's incumbent town team. Tony Schmitz had 3 hits and 3 runs scored for the victors. Nich Zierdan pitched 8 solid innings for the win. It was the Poneys third victory of the season. The loss drops the Muskies lead in the National Division down to a 1/2 game over St. Joseph. The Muskies may need to win all 4 remaining games to capture the top seed in division playoffs. St. Joseph , 9-6 in Lakewood League play, holds the tie breaker over the Muskies. If the Muskies win the division, they may face the Stone Poneys in the league playoffs for a best-of-3 series. The Poneys will be either the #4 or #5 seed in league playoffs, and will play Litchfield in a play-in game. WENKER, RATHBUN LEAD MUSKIES TO IMPORTANT WIN Wednesday, June 30 Snappers 000 000 000 - 0 5 4 Muskies-- 200 100 01x - 4 5 0 Win - Wenker (5-1); HR - Rathbun (4) The Muskies took a big step towards winning the Lakewood League National Division by beating the Ultimate Sports Snappers 4-0 behind Adam Wenker's 5-hit shutout. The Muskies now lead thier division by 1.5 games with 5 games to play. The Muskies used 2 hits and 2 Snapper errors to take 2-0 1st inning lead. Rathbun contributed an RBI single in that rally, then homered in the 4th inning to make 3-0. That was plenty of support for Wenker, who retired 15 straight batters at one point and allowed only 2 runners past first base. Overall, he allowed 5 hits, no walks, and struck out 4. MISSED OPPORTUNITIES Sunday, June 27 Muskies-- 100 000 000 - 1 8 0 Black Sox 000 001 10x - 2 4 0 Loss - Weaver (4-1) The Muskies opened the game with 3 straight hits, 2 of them doubles, but scored only 1 run in the inning. That missed opportunity was the theme of the day, as the team wasted a strong outing from Travis Weaver in the 2-1 loss to American Division leading Freeport. The Muskies also missed an opportunity to secure their lead in the National Division. The team now leads the St. Cloud Snappers and the St. Joseph Saints by 1 game with 6 league games remaining. Weaver didn't allow a hit until the 6th inning, and allowed only 4 hits in his complete game. Overall, he allowed 1 walk, hit 2 batters, and struck out 3. Mike Carlson, Tim Burns, and Brian Schellinger all had 2 hits in the game. MUSKIES DEFEAT STEVES Friday, June 25 Steves- 002 001 000 - 3 7 3 Muskies 001 330 00x - 7 13 3 Win - Wenker (4-1); Save - O'Connell (1) box score The Muskies defeated their natural rivals in a spirited game at Champion Field. Adam Wenker worked 5 innings for the win, allowing 2 runs, 1 earned. Dan O'Connell allowed 1 run in 4 innings of relief and earned a save. Mike Carlson led the offense with 3 hits, while Tim Burns and Luke Sweeter added 2 hits each. CYCLONES ROLL MUSKIES Wednesday, June 23 Cyclones 020 115 3xx - 12 13 0 Muskies- 000 100 0xx - 1 9 1 Loss - Schoen (1-2) box score For the second time this season the Muskies win streak was stopped at 6 games, as the team was overpowered by the Sauk Rapids Cyclones. Jeremiah Piepkorn led the Clones with 4 hits, including 2 doubles and a homer. Adam Schellinger was a bright spot for the Muskies, going 4-for-4 in the game. Tim Burns added 2 hits. MUSKIES SWEEP 3 LEAGUE GAMES Monday, June 21 The Muskies swept 3 league games last week, solidifying their lead in the National Division. The team now leads the division by 2.5 games with 8 games to play. Wednesday: Grays-- 000 000 012 - 3 7 0 Muskies 301 011 00x - 6 10 5 Win - Jenkins (1-0); Save - Schoen (1); HR - Rathbun (3) Josh Rathbun's home run capped a 3-run first inning. Starter Cole Jenkins settled in with the early cushion and posted 6 scoreless innings. The Muskies survived 3 errors in the 9th inning to hold on for the victory. Saturday: Saints-- 100 000 000 - 1 7 0 Muskies 200 000 01x - 3 11 0 Win - Wenker (3-1); HR - Burns (3) Adam Wenker allowed a run in the 1st inning, then cruised to a 7-hit complete game. He retired 15 of the last 16 batters faced. Overall, he allowed 7 hits, 1 walk, and struck out 7. The Muskies quickly took the lead back. With 2 outs in the 1st Tim Burns homered, then Jake Sweeter and Rathbun hit back-to-back doubles for 2-1 lead. Sunday: Bees---- 000 030 200 - 5 8 5 Muskies 201 013 30x - 10 13 3 Win - Weaver (4-0); Save - Johnson (2); HR - Carlson (1) Luke Sweeter led Sartell's 13-hit attack, hitting a triple and 3 hits total. Adam Schellinger, Brian Schellinger, and Burns added 2 hits. DEMINSKY DRAFTED BY THE MINNESOTA TWINS Thursday, June 10 Sartell's own David Deminsky was drafted Wednesday by the Minnesota Twins. Double D was selected in the 44th round of the major league baseball draft. Congrats David!! Deminsky has won two games for the Muskies this season, including this past Saturday against Isanti. In total, he has played parts of 4 seasons with the Muskies. The St. Cloud Times story on Deminsky can be found here. MUSKIES WIN OMANN INSURANCE INVITE Tim Burns named MVP Monday, June 7  The co-host Muskies rode pitching and defense to win their own tournament, beating 3 quality teams while making only 1 error during the weekend. Tim Burns was named tournament MVP for the second year in a row. He finished the tournament 7-for-12 at the plate and made a game saving catch in the Muskies opening game. In the third place game, Lastrup defeated Howard Lake 7-5. Co-host St. Stephen beat Isanti 11-10 to earn 5th place, and Detroit Lakes won 7th place with a 5-1 win over Bay City, WI. A final bracket can be viewed here. The Muskies beat Isanti 5-2 in extra innings, and then beat Lastrup 5-1 to advance to the title game of the Omann Insurance Invitational. Game 1: Muskies 110 000 003 - 5 8 0 Isanti--- 000 200 000 - 2 3 1 Win - Deminsky (2-0); HR - Adam Schellinger (1) The Muskies defeated the defending tournament champions, getting 2 1/3 innings of strong relief from David Deminsky. Deminsky entered with the game with 2 outs in the bottom of the 7th inning and 1 man on base. After a walk he allowed a sinking liner to left field that was caught by a diving Tim Burns. Had it fallen in, the Isanti would have won the 7-inning game. Instead the Muskies won it in the 9th inning, when Luke Sweeters leadoff double sparked a 3-run rally. Game 2: Muskies 002 030 0 - 5 9 1 Lastrup 000 001 0 - 1 4 2 Win - Wenker (2-1) Adam Wenker nearly pitched a shutout, allowing only an unearned run in the 6th inning. In total, he allowed 4 hits, 2 walks, and struck out 4. Tim Burns led the offense, smacking a pair of RBI doubles and 3 hits in the game. Game 3: Muskies--- 410 100 0 - 6 11 0 Springfield 000 000 1 - 1 6 1 Win - Weaver (3-0); HR - Rathbun (2), Sweeter (1) Josh Rathbun's first inning grand slam gave Travis Weaver all the support he would need. Weaver allowed 6 hits and 2 walks and lost his shutout bid in the 7th inning. Jake Sweeter also homered for Sartell. Rathbun, Sweeter, Burns, and Brian Schellinger all had 2 hits in the title game. MUSKIES WIN 2, RAIN SCRAMBLES SCHEDULE Sunday, June 6 The Muskies beat Isanti 5-2 in extra innings, and then beat Lastrup 5-1 to advance to the title game of the Omann Insurance Invitational. Rain pushed back the schedule, and 1 Saturday game remains to be played on Sunday. The Sunday schedule is: in St. Stephen: 10:00 - Howard Lake vs. Springfield (Semi-final) 12:15 - St. Stephen vs. Isanti (5th place) 2:30 - Lastrup vs. Howard Lake/Springfield loser (3rd place) in Sartell: 11:00 - Bay City vs. Detroit Lakes (8th place) 1:30 - Sartell vs. Howard Lake/Springfield winner (1st place) MUSKIES LOSE AT DASSEL Wednesday, June 2 The team's win streak was stopped at 6 in an exhibition loss to the Dassel-Cokato Saints. Sartell lost 8-2. Starter Shawn Schoen pitched well, but his own error derailed a 2-2 game in the 6th inning. Adam Schellinger led the offense with 3 hits. The Muskies play 3 home games this weekend as they host the Omann Insurance Invitational this weekend. The 8-team tournament is co-hosted with the St. Stephen Steves. A complete schedule/bracket can be found here. The Muskies open at 10:00 AM Saturday against the Isanti Redbirds. Isanti is the defending tournament champion. The Muskies will play at either 3:00 or 5:30 Saturday afternoon against either Lastrup or Detroit Lakes. DEMINSKY HURLS SHUTOUT Muskies beat Rockies and Snappers over weekend Monday, May 31 Friday: Muskies- 000 320 110 - 7 11 5 Snappers 010 030 000 - 4 6 3 Win - Schoen (1-0); Save - Wenker (1) Saturday: Muskies- 000 100 000 - 1 2 0 Snappers 000 000 000 - 0 3 4 Win - Deminsky (1-0) Pitching perhaps his last amatuer game, lefthander David Deminsky shutout the St. Cloud Snappers with a 3-hit, 16 strikout gem; leading the Muskies to a 1-0 win. Deminsky just completed his final season at SCSU, and is expected by many to get selected this coming weekend in the Major League Baseball draft. He had 2 weeks of rest since his last college game, and wanted to face several SCSU teammates who play for the Snappers. As good as Deminsky was, the Snapper's Brad Haag was just as effective. Haag held the Muskies to 2 hits, zero walks, and 1 unearned run while striking out 9. Adam Schellinger led off the Muskies 5th inning with a single and later scored on Josh Rathbun's fielder's choice grounder. Brian Schellinger has the other Sartell hit. On Friday night the Muskies defeated the Cold Spring Rockies 7-4 in Cold Spring. Mike Carlson had 3 hits and 3 stolen bases for the Muskies. Brian Schellinger added 2 doubles, and Shawn Schoen got the pitching win. MUSKIES BEAT NEWEST RIVAL Wednesday, May 26 Muskies-- 134 000 13x - 12 10 3 St Poneys 010 000 00x - 1 5 4 Win - Weaver (2-0); HR - Rathbun (1), B. Schellinger (1) The first game between Sartell's two amateur teams went to the veteran Muskies. Travis Weaver pitched a complete game in the 12-1 victory, which was shortened to 8 innings by the 10-run rule. Weaver was backed by 3 double plays and another spectacular catch by centerfielder Dan Gaughan, whose diving catch robbed the Stone Poneys of a first inning double. Brian Schellinger had a home run and 2 hits in the game. Josh Rathbun also homered, and Jake Sweeter contributed 2 hits and 2 RBI. WENKER, DEFENSE DEFEAT ICE Sunday, May 23 Muskies 000 020 110 - 4 8 0 Ice---- 000 000 100 - 1 6 1 Win - Wenker (1-1); Save - Johnson (1); HR - Burns (2) Adam Wenker turned in 7 strong innings and was aided by errorless defense and a great play by centerfielder Dan Gaughan. Wenker struck out 8 while allowing 5 hits and 3 walks against last years class 'C' state champions. In the Ice 4th inning Gaughan made an outstanding catch as he crashed into the centerfield fence. He covered a lot of ground in Faber Fields spacious outfield, robbing Sam Radbil of an extra base hit. Offensively, the Muskies drew 8 walks and had 8 hits but missed several scoring chances. They left 13 men on base in the game. Tim Burns opened the scoring with a 2-run homer in the 5th inning. Burns finished 3-for-3 with 3 RBI. Adam Schellinger hit triples in both the 7th and 8th innings, helping the Muskies cushion their lead in each inning. Adam finished with 3 hits, 2 runs scored, and an RBI. MUSKIES TOP ROYALTON Wednesday, May 19 Muskies-- 102 302 2xx - 10 9 1 Riverdogs 300 101 0xx - 5 5 4 Win - Beckstrom (1-0); HR - Burns (1) The Muskies earned a road victory in exhibition play, winning 10-5 behind a 3-run homer from Tim Burns. Luke Sweeter added 3 hits. Manager Randy Beckstrom earned the win with 2 scoreless relief innings. A WEEKEND SPLIT - THE HARD WAY Tuesday, May 18 Saturday: Blues-- 200 002 103 - 8 11 0 Muskies 002 000 040 - 6 7 4 Loss - Johnson (0-1) Sunday: Muskies-- 000 030 010 1 - 5 11 2 Springers 010 100 020 0 - 4 9 1 Win - Johnson (1-1) The Muskies entered the weekend with just 1 win over the Cold Spring Springers in the last decade, and a 9 game win streak over the Litchfield Blues. Neither stat proved to be predictive. On Saturday, the Muskies didn't play well but used a 4-run 8th inning to get a late 6-5 lead. Reliever Pete Johnson could not complete the comeback victory, however, as he yielded a 9th inning, 3-run homer to Litchfield's Joe Pennertz. Tim Burns led the offense, getting 3 hits, 2 doubles, 2 RBI, and 2 stolen bases. Josh Rathbun added 2 hits. The team played much better against the mighty Springers, battling for a 5-4 10-inning victory. Starter Travis Weaver kept the Muskies in the game, allowing 3 earned runs over 8 innings. Johnson pitched in relief again, and earned the victory with 2 scoreless innings. Brian Schellinger drove in the game winner, hitting a sharp grounder past the third baseman with Jake Sweeter on 2nd base. Luke Sweeter, Rathbun, and Dan Gaughan all had 2 hits against the Springers. MUSKIES DROP DIVISION BATTLE TO ST JOSEPH Sunday, May 9 Muskies 120 000 002 - 5 7 2 Saints- 011 010 50x - 8 15 1 Loss - Wenker (0-1) The Muskies dropped an important game to division rival St. Joseph, failing to capitalize on an early 3-0 lead. Brian Schellinger was in the middle of the early lead, as he singled and scored on an error in the 1st inning, then hit a 2-run single in the 2nd inning. St. Joseph tied up the game with single runs in the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th innings. The Saints broke the tie with a 5-run 7th inning behind 5 hits and 1 Muskie error. Starting pitcher Travis Weaver went 6 innings for the Muskies, yielding 10 hits and 2 earned runs. Adam Wenker, just back from his freshman season on St. John's University, took the loss in relief. WEAVER LEADS MUSKIES TO VICTORY Saturday, May 1 Jimmy's 000 000 010 - 1 8 5 Muskies 000 101 41x - 7 10 1 Win - Weaver (1-0) The Muskies opened their Lakewood League schedule with a 7-1 victory over the Sauk Rapids Jimmy's Hurricanes. Righthander Travis Weaver pitched 7 shutout innings and earned the win. Weaver struck out 5 while allowing 5 hits and 3 walks. The Muskies 10 hit attack was led by 4 players with 2 hits; Adam Schellinger, Tim Burns, Jake Sweeter, and Josh Rathbun. Rathbun had 2 RBI and Schellinger hit 2 doubles and drove in 3. OPENER IS A LOSS Sunday, April 18 The Muskies dropped their season opener at Kimball, losing 10-11. Both teams hit well but showed some rust on defense. The Muskies totaled 16 hits, getting at least 1 from all 9 starters. Dan Gaughan led the team with 3 hits and 2 RBI. Ryan Czarnetski, Jake Sweeter, Tim Burns (2 RBI), Brian Schellinger, and Adam Schellinger all contributed 2 hits. The team has 12 days off before it opens on Lakewood League play at home on May 1. The Muskies will host the Sauk Rapids Jimmy's Hurricanes at 1:30 PM. A LOOK AT THE 2010 MUSKIES Friday, March 26 With the start of the season near the Muskies roster has come into focus. Here is a look at the changes. These 5 players won't return for the 2010 season: Dave Schlangen, P - A huge loss, the 4 year Muskie retires to spend more time with his young family. After 16 years of amatuer ball, his last season may have been his best: 101 IP, 1.07 ERA, 10 Wins. Rob Gabrielson, P/OF - leaves to start Sartell's newest amatuer team, the Stone Poneys. Jim Gabrielson, DH - joins his brother with the Stone Poneys. Joe Wenzel, Inf - is not coming home from college. Ryan Bottini, Inf - Graduating from college and starting an architect career. 4 new players: Tyler Fries, P - A Sauk Rapids native and senior relief pitcher at Winthrop Univ. Throws submarine style. Cole Jenkins, P - A HS senior and ace pitcher for the Sabres, Cole will play part time for the Muskies this season. Dan O'Connell, OF - 30-ish Sartell resident is a long time player for the St. Cloud Snappers. Hit 3 homers last year against the Muskies. Ryan Czarnetski, OF - Played for the Muskies in 2004 and 2005, and returns after active duty in the National Gaurd. 2010 SCHEDULE IS SET Wednesday, March 10 The 2010 schedule is set. The Muskies have 27 regular season games scheduled. The team will also co-host the 4th annual Omann Insurance Invitational. The tournament will be held June 4-6 at Champion Field and St. Stephen's Trobec Field. A tournament bracket and schedule can be seen here. The Muskies will play the defending champion Isanti Redbirds in the first round. Other returning teams are the Lastrup Lakers and the Springfield Tigers. The Detroit Lakes Angels, Howard Lake Orphans, and Bay City (WI) Bombers are new teams this year. 2009 MUSKIES SEASON IN REVIEW Record breaking year ends 1 game short of state Monday, September 21 The Sartell Muskies entered the 2009 season concerned about the loss of two college pitchers, and unsure of its prospects in the competitive Lakewood League. The concerns were unfounded, as the mix of a deep roster, excellent defense, and outstanding seasons by the team's best players produced 29 victories, a division title, numerous team and individual records, and nearly got the team to the state tournament. The Muskies won the Lakewood National Division in the regular season with a 13-5 record. The team took 2nd in league playoffs, and then won their opening game of the region 10C tournament. The team needed 1 more win to reach the state tournament, and held a 6-2 8th inning lead in their 2nd region game. That game ended in an agonizing 7-6 loss, and then the season ended with a 4-1 loss to the eventual state champion Orthopedic Sports Center. Despite that lost opportunity, the team had an excellent season and broke many records from the wood bat era (which began in 2002). Among the team records broken were games played (42), wins (29), win percentage (.690), ERA (2.79), WHIP (1.27), runs scored (271), hits (405), doubles (76), triples (10), home runs (24), stolen bases (69), and fewest errors per game (1.51). The complete record book can be found here. The 2009 stat leaderboard can be found here. The Muskies have long counted on Tim Burns to power the offense and Dave Schlangen to lead the pitching staff. The two stars surpassed their excellent standards in 2009, as both put together their best Muskies seasons to date. Burns led the team in every offensive category and demolished many of his own team records. He led the team in batting average (.414) and on base average (.462) and played in all 42 games. He broke season records for the following categories: slugging % (.781), OPS (1.243), hits (70), doubles (14), triples (6), home runs (12), at bats (169), runs scored (50), RBI (59), and stolen Bases (32). Schlangen also took excellence to a new level. He posted a 1.07 ERA while breaking his own team records for innings pitched (101), wins (10), and WHIP (0.87). Travis Weaver found relief from years of shoulder pain and was another key member of the pitching staff which set records for ERA and WHIP. Weaver won 7 games while posting a 2.69 ERA in 77 innings as the teams #2 starter. Other members of the pitching staff were Rob Gabrielson (4-2, 2 saves), Pete Johnson (6 saves), Randy Beckstrom (4-1), David Deminsky, Steven Fish, and Shawn Schoen. First baseman Jake Sweeter posted an excellent season, his 2nd with the Muskies. He was second on the team in a host of categories, including batting average (.344), on base average (.391), slugging % (.539), OPS (.930), doubles (13), and home runs (4). Jake's brother Luke Sweeter was 3rd on the team in OPS (.821), and 2nd on the team in hits (48), RBI (32), stolen bases (8) and games played (40). Luke was also a defensive stalwart at catcher in his first amateur season. Other members of the Muskies this season were outfielders Dan Gaughan (.293 average), Adam Schellinger (3 homers), and Nate Strenge; infielders Josh Rathbun (.297 average), Brian Schellinger, Mike Carlson, Tyler Zelinski, Adam Wenker, Joe Wenzel, Ryan Bottini, and Jim Gabrielson. The team was managed by Randy Beckstrom for the 4th consecutive season. Beckstrom has compiled a 96-53 record in his 2nd stint as Muskies Manager. |
 |
 |
 |