Four players end baseball career for CHS

COLFAX — It was a shorter season than usual for area baseball teams with rain (and snow) either canceling or postponing many games. The Colfax baseball team did manage to get 13 games in, six of them being played as doubleheaders as four seniors ended their high school careers for the Vikings including Jeremiah Harder, Michael Hover, Austin Lee and Cody Peterson.

Harder was a three year letter winner for coach Tim Wilson, dividing his fielding time between second and third base and was involved with several double plays from both of those positions. He also pitched six innings during his sophomore and junior year. As a senior, he batted .275 with eight hits including three doubles and one homerun (against St. Croix Central), scored eight runs and knocked in five. In his three years he scored 15 runs, collected 25 hits with 15 RBIs. He also stole five bases and had two sacrifices.

Hover played two years for the Vikings after transferring from Barron and led the team in innings pitched as a junior with 39.2. He won four games and lost three that year, striking out 31 batters and walking 23 with an earned run average of 1.94. As a senior, he tied for first on the team in innings pitched with 22 and 2/3 and compiled a record of 2-2. The left hander led the pitching staff in strikeouts with 31 while issuing 17 free passes and ended with a 3.09 ERA. When he wasn’t on the mound, he was patrolling centerfield and came up with some pretty spectacular catches while covering a lot of ground to save runs.

On the offensive side, Hover tied for second on the team as a junior with 16 runs scored and was second in hits with 16. He led the team in stolen bases with nine and ended the year with a .309 batting average, earning him a first team All Conference selection. As a senior, he led the Vikings with 15 RBIs with 11 hits including two doubles, a triple and a pair of round trippers. He was second on the team in stolen bases with six, finished with a .262 batting average and was named second team All Conference.

Lee played varsity his sophomore and senior years and led the team as a sophomore with 15 RBIs while batting .333. His compiled stats for the two years include 26 hits with five doubles and two homeruns, 14 runs scored, 22 RBIs and two base steals. He was named the team MVP this season for his efforts not only for his offense, but for his defensive skills behind the plate as the catcher.

Peterson did not see a lot of playing time but earned a varsity letter as a senior, ending his playing days with one at bat.

“All of these guys worked hard in the off season to improve their game from season to season,” Wilson said. “Our record has improved the past few years because of their hard work. We will miss them next year.”