0-0 Overall; 0-0 Lakewood League 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. |
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