St. Michael Post 567 repeats as state baseball champions

By John Sherman
Department Commander Paul Hassing presents the Fred Wannamaker Award to shortstop Matthew Maulik of St. Michael Post 567. Behind them is Tournament Director Bruce Young.
From left are Tournament Director Bruce Young, recipient Matthew Maulik of the St. Michael Mikes, Scheels represent-atives Kathryn Sands and Hailey Kiffmeyer and American Legion Department of Minnesota Commander Paul Hassing.
From left are Tournament Director Bruce Young, recipient Matthew Maulik of the St. Michael Mikes, Scheels represent-atives Kathryn Sands and Hailey Kiffmeyer and American Legion Department of Minnesota Commander Paul Hassing.

The Mikes advance to regional championship

ROCHESTER — St. Michael Post 567 repeated as the Minnesota American Legion Baseball Division I Legion Baseball champion by defeating Eden Prairie 5-4 at Mayo Field in Rochester on July 30.

For the second straight day, St. Michael needed runs in the last inning to win the game. Trailing 4-3 going into the top of the seventh, the Mikes put two runs on the board to pull ahead 5-4 on hits by Kurtis Lekatz and Mason Varley.

St. Michael Post 567 Mikes players gather next to the title trophy.
Here are the Minnesota American Legion Baseball Div. I State Tournament Champions: St. Michael Post 567 Mikes. Front row kneeling, from left, are Miles Kay, Samuel Huber, Matthew Maulik, Ashtyn Groves, Mason Varley, Reid Barnard, Dillon Glass, Kurtis Lekatz and Ryan Luster. Back row standing are American Legion Department of Minnesota Commander Paul Hassing, St. Michael Coach Levi Fry, Joey Rathman, Colin Marshall, Evan Saunders, Grant Reidel, Kaleb Klinkhammer, Zackary Hlinsky, Evan Dombeck, Assistant Coach Reed Brown and Tournament Director Bruce Young.

In the bottom of the seventh, Mikes’ manager Levi Fry brought shortstop Matthew Maulik, his 5-11, 175-pound team leader, to the mound for his first appearance of the tournament. Maulik got the three outs he needed for the save, though Eden Prairie’s Ashton Farris hit a double down the right field line to add a dash of suspense.

Maulik was named winner of the Fred Wannamaker Award as the tournament’s most outstanding player at the conclusion of the awards ceremony.

“Winning this award is very special,” Maulik said. “All of the hard work has paid off. The last two games, we were able to get runners on base and move them around. We have only two players returning from last year’s state championship team. But I was confident we could win it again. Every kid out there puts in a full effort.”

Maulik described his relief appearance in the championship game: “My elbow has been hurting all week. But I knew what I had to do. I went out there and threw the ball as hard as I could.”

Eden Prairie’s Nick Macheledt was the Rob Wassenaar Award winner as the tournament’s outstanding pitcher. He threw a three-hit shutout in pool play to beat Minneapolis Post Office 2-0.

“The Wassenaar Award made me a little bit happier after losing in the championship game,” Macheledt said. “It felt good to get a confidence booster. I really like how our team has come together this year. We get along well together, on and off the field.”

St. Michael Mikes players celebrate with the state title trophy for Div. I.
St. Michael Mikes players celebrate with the state title trophy for Div. I.

Because Minnesota is among the six states with the most teams (in fact, it has had the most teams for 10 years running), two teams get to advance. St. Michael Post 567 and Eden Prairie advanced to the double-elimination Central Plains Regional Tournament in Rapid City, S.D.

The tournament is part of a national 64-team tournament. Only eight teams — one from each regional — reach the American Legion World Series. As part of a long tradition, the champions attend Games 1 and 2 of the MLB World Series.

Eden Prairie lost its first game in Rapid City, and St. Michael won its first game. The Mikes then lost to Lincoln, Neb. Post 3 by a score of 3-2. EP won its next game, and the two Minnesota teams ended up facing each other in a win-or-go-home game. The Mikes defeated the Eagles 7-5.

From left are American Legion Department of Minnesota Commander Paul Hassing, recipient Nick Machleft, Scheels representatives Kathryn Sands and Hailey Kiffmeyer and Tournament Director Bruce Young.

The Mikes then hammered Fargo Post 2 17-7 to earn another shot at Lincoln Post 3. They won 12-9 to force a true title game, and the game was tied 7-7 at the end of the seven-inning game. At the bottom of the eighth, Post 3 won on a walk-off hit that sent the runner on second home.

The Mikes were that close to going to the American Legion World Series in Shelby, N.C. Minnesota hasn’t had a team reach the World Series since Burnsville made it in 2013.

Lincoln Post 3 advanced to the World Series title game, where it lost 1-0 to League City, Texas, Post 554. It was the first team from Texas ever to win the championship in the 96-year history of the national tournament.