EM baseball regional champs returning eight starters

ELK MOUND  —  The Elk Mound baseball team under veteran coach Paul Andrea will be returning eight starters for the 2016 season to carry on from their regional championship in 2015.

With an overall record of 17-5 (10-3 in the Large Dunn-St.Croix Conference) in 2015, Elk Mound lost to Durand in a Sectional Final in Cumberland.

Cole Tyman (catcher) and Brandon Bohl (pitcher) were First Team All Conference in 2015 and also were Second Team All-District.

Trey Mohr was Second Team All Conference last year, and Alex Hollister was an Honorable Mention.

Jon Storing, an Honorable Mention All Conference last year, “will have to be replaced in the outfield,” Andrea said.

In addition to Cole Tyman, Brandon Bohl, Trey Mohr, and Alex Hollister, Mounders returning to play baseball this year are Grant Kjellberg (third base), Dane Lew (outfield), Hunter Adleman (outfield), Ethan Kjellberg (pitching, first base) and Carter Pritchard (second base).

“All of them had a full year (of) varsity experience last year, and we look for Tyman and Bohl to be our captains again this season,” Andrea said.

Newcomers who hold the promise of potential for the team include sophomores Dylan Curry and Black Rosenthal, he said.

“They practiced with the varsity (team) at the end of the season and had very good summers on their Babe Ruth teams,” Andrea said.

The strengths of this year’s team will be experience, pitching and defense. The biggest weaknesses will be “cutting down our amount of strikeouts at the plate and putting the ball in play to move runners around. We left way too many runners in scoring position last year,” Andrea said.

As for statistics, “the stats will take care of themselves if guys work hard at getting better every day. Our goal as always is win the conference and then survive and advance in the tourney,” he said.

“On paper, this is one of the most talented group of guys we’ve had in my 17 years as a head coach,” Andrea said.

Durand will be Elk Mound’s toughest competitor this year, he said.

“In our conference, Durand will be tough any day Hunter Black takes the mound. He beat us soundly in our Sectional game, and the kids know they will have to have their A game when he’s on the hill. Spring Valley in the (Small Dunn-St.Croix Conference) will be solid as well as Pepin Alma. After that it just depends on how the other teams’ young players develop during the season,” Andrea said.

After 17 years of coaching, Andrea’s overall record is 201-112.

Roster

Seniors: Grant Kjellberg (third base; batting average .291); Cole Tyman (catcher; pitcher; batting average .366; earned run average 3.36); Ryan Conlin (outfield; batting average .348); Alex Hollister (first base; outfield; batting average .370); Brandon Bohl (pitcher; first base; batting average .317; ERA 1.24).

Juniors: Carter Pritchard (second base; batting average .303); Dane Lew (outfield; batting average .270); Trey Mohr (pitcher; shortstop; batting average .282; ERA 1.39); Hunter Adleman (outfield; batting average .319).

Sophomores: Ethan Kjellberg (pitcher; first base); Dylan Curry (shortstop; pitcher); Blake Rosenthal (outfield); Logan Bergh (outfield; pitcher).