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Jul. 17---- It has been quite the second-half turnaround for the
.
They have the
second-best record (9-3) since June 30.
Freddy Smith's team is hoping it is more than just a hot streak.
And they will need it to be.
Willmar (25-23) ended the first-half fourth in the Great Plains West Division.
A postseason berth would require the Stingers to be the division's leader by season's end.
They would need to have a better second-half record than the St. Cloud Rox, who clinched a playoff spot by winning the first-half title, and the rest of the pesky Great Plains West.
"We got a good jolt of energy with our second-half players who showed up — and even post the All-Star break, the guys have been competing every game," said Smith, who also served as Willmar's field manager from 2022-24. "I think the biggest key is not to be complacent."
Willmar, which saw its two All-Stars in shortstop Kyle Panganiban and pitcher Parker Barraza depart among others, has retained key position players for the final stretch of the season.
Max Buettenback, Luke DeVine, David Estrada, Kai Gonzaga and Merrick Rapoza have been everyday players for Smith since their respective arrivals to Willmar.
Their contributions have helped Willmar average 9.4 runs in second-half play.
It's a small sample size, but that's nearly double of what the Stingers averaged in first-half games (5.1).
"We were close to a .500 team in the first half, very below average — we'd play a really good game and then the next day, we'd come out flat and play a really bad game," Smith said. "Now we're starting to see consistent numbers offensively, playing a very mistake-free defense and we've had some very good pitching performances."
Buettenback, who is transferring to Wichita State University after three seasons at the University of Nebraska, is batting .250 and his 11 home runs is tied for second in the Northwoods League.
DeVine, a Santa Clara University Sophomore, is hitting .314 and his 34 stolen bases ranks fourth in the Northwoods League.
Estrada is a University of Hawaii redshirt freshman who is batting .339, which is tied for the 10th best among qualified hitters in the Northwoods League. He has played the most games in a Stinger uniform (39).
Gonzaga, a Pomona-Pitzer redshirt freshman, has recorded 15 of his 24 hits in the second half and is up to a .312 batting average. Rapoza, a Florida Gulf Coast University, is hitting .302.
"All of them have been consistent since they stepped foot here," Smith said. "It makes it easy to pencil them in and then you have four other guys who are competing for every day at-bats."
Some newcomers who the Stingers are receiving immediate impacts from are middle infielders Kobe Eikmeier and Landon Lowe, catcher Jehee Lee and outfielder Paris Pridgen.
All are batting over .260, led by Pridgen. He's an Austin Peay University redshirt junior who is batting .500 with nine stolen bases in five games.
Koen Barton, Eli Kokenge and Brady Nelson have given the Stingers plenty of good innings throughout season and they are joining forces with new arms, highlighted by Brandon Mikos.
Mikos, a Youngstown State University redshirt senior, has a 2-0 record and a 2.31 ERA in four games.
"We often talk about the skill sets these guys have, but we have really good culture guys as well and I think that's a big key to this thing," Smith said.
Heading into Friday, Willmar is 2-1 in its six-game homestand.
It hosts the Larks once more at 6:35 p.m. Friday and plays a non-divisional series against the Waterloo Bucks over the weekend at Bill Taunton Stadium.
"Winning in front of the fans — that's the most important thing — especially for the community because that's why we're here," Smith said. "They always find a way to fill the seats up."
Continue reading...
.
They have the
second-best record (9-3) since June 30.
Freddy Smith's team is hoping it is more than just a hot streak.
And they will need it to be.
Willmar (25-23) ended the first-half fourth in the Great Plains West Division.
A postseason berth would require the Stingers to be the division's leader by season's end.
They would need to have a better second-half record than the St. Cloud Rox, who clinched a playoff spot by winning the first-half title, and the rest of the pesky Great Plains West.
"We got a good jolt of energy with our second-half players who showed up — and even post the All-Star break, the guys have been competing every game," said Smith, who also served as Willmar's field manager from 2022-24. "I think the biggest key is not to be complacent."
Willmar, which saw its two All-Stars in shortstop Kyle Panganiban and pitcher Parker Barraza depart among others, has retained key position players for the final stretch of the season.
Max Buettenback, Luke DeVine, David Estrada, Kai Gonzaga and Merrick Rapoza have been everyday players for Smith since their respective arrivals to Willmar.
Their contributions have helped Willmar average 9.4 runs in second-half play.
It's a small sample size, but that's nearly double of what the Stingers averaged in first-half games (5.1).
"We were close to a .500 team in the first half, very below average — we'd play a really good game and then the next day, we'd come out flat and play a really bad game," Smith said. "Now we're starting to see consistent numbers offensively, playing a very mistake-free defense and we've had some very good pitching performances."
Buettenback, who is transferring to Wichita State University after three seasons at the University of Nebraska, is batting .250 and his 11 home runs is tied for second in the Northwoods League.
DeVine, a Santa Clara University Sophomore, is hitting .314 and his 34 stolen bases ranks fourth in the Northwoods League.
Estrada is a University of Hawaii redshirt freshman who is batting .339, which is tied for the 10th best among qualified hitters in the Northwoods League. He has played the most games in a Stinger uniform (39).
Gonzaga, a Pomona-Pitzer redshirt freshman, has recorded 15 of his 24 hits in the second half and is up to a .312 batting average. Rapoza, a Florida Gulf Coast University, is hitting .302.
"All of them have been consistent since they stepped foot here," Smith said. "It makes it easy to pencil them in and then you have four other guys who are competing for every day at-bats."
Some newcomers who the Stingers are receiving immediate impacts from are middle infielders Kobe Eikmeier and Landon Lowe, catcher Jehee Lee and outfielder Paris Pridgen.
All are batting over .260, led by Pridgen. He's an Austin Peay University redshirt junior who is batting .500 with nine stolen bases in five games.
Koen Barton, Eli Kokenge and Brady Nelson have given the Stingers plenty of good innings throughout season and they are joining forces with new arms, highlighted by Brandon Mikos.
Mikos, a Youngstown State University redshirt senior, has a 2-0 record and a 2.31 ERA in four games.
"We often talk about the skill sets these guys have, but we have really good culture guys as well and I think that's a big key to this thing," Smith said.
Heading into Friday, Willmar is 2-1 in its six-game homestand.
It hosts the Larks once more at 6:35 p.m. Friday and plays a non-divisional series against the Waterloo Bucks over the weekend at Bill Taunton Stadium.
"Winning in front of the fans — that's the most important thing — especially for the community because that's why we're here," Smith said. "They always find a way to fill the seats up."
Continue reading...
