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Jul. 15—SHAKOPEE — Sunday marked a big moment for the
.
The Willmar Velocity age 12-and-under team won the program's first state title.
Velocity won the Tier III state title Sunday at the Neil Johnson Fields in Shakopee by beating the Chanhassen 12B Blue squad 7-2.
"It's a talented group of girls who had a lot of desire," said head coach Kelly Zuidema. "They were focused on giving their best effort."
The Velocity went 5-0 through the weekend. Included were wins over the 612 Minneapolis 12A Navy team, 10-4, the Chaska 12B Purple 11-1, and the Champlin 12B Silver 3-2 in pool play. In the semifinals, Willmar knocked off the Chanhassen team it eventually met in the championship, 9-3. Chanhassen came through the losers' bracket to meet Willmar in the final.
"We're incredibly proud of the girls," Zuidema said.
Willmar heads to the Upper Midwest National Championships this weekend in Cottage Grove, Eagan and Mendota Heights. Teams from North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska are expected. For the Velocity, it's another step for the program. There are 128 teams expected with pool play taking place at multiple sites in the south metro.
"They (the players) are really looking forward to it," said Zuidema, who is on the Willmar Softball Association's board of directors. "They want to see what we can do there."
Zuidema said USSSA (United States Specialty Sports Association), the sanctioning body for youth fast-pitch softball in Minnesota, had some 208 teams competing in state tournaments at various levels. Tier III is the highest the Velocity has achieved in the association's five years of existence.
Throughout the season, the Velocity played Class A and B teams. The Velocity, a Class B team, beat all its Class B opponents and lost to Class A teams.
"We are Class B," Zuidema said. "We played all Class A and B ball in all of our tournaments. And while we played well against the A teams, they beat us. I'd say we were an A-minus or B-plus team."
They now are also state champions.
They finished fourth two years ago as a 10U team.
Team members are: Haddie Carroll, Calire DeLeeuw, Aspen Krakow, Amelia Kveene, Lily Lingl, Ayla Rudenick, Revalee Serrano, Ashtyn Solberg, Maggie Strand, Brooklyn Wadsworth and Sydney Zuidema.
Coaches are Kelly Zuidema, Matt Carroll and Britney Lingl.
All three coaches have daughters on the team, as does Willmar Softball Association president Andrew Kveene. All 11 players on the team are from Willmar. Kelly Zuidema said that community support has been strong, with many sponsors helping the program also play a winter indoor program.
"They have been amazing," Zuidema said of the sponsors. "We are very, very blessed."
Maximus Martin, an outfielder from Kansas State and a former Willmar Stinger was selected in the 10th round of this week's Major League Baseball amateur draft by the Boston Red Sox. Martin played for the Stingers last year.
Martin also played at Rutgers and Georgia State before transferring to Kansas State. He's listed at 6-foot, 190 pounds and is from Edgewater Park, New Jersey.
This past season he batted .320 with a .420 on-base and .612 slugging percentage for Kansas State. He hit 14 home runs and 18 doubles with 54 RBIs and 546 runs in 55 games, going 66-for-206 at the plate with five stolen bases.
For the Stingers in 2024, Martin batted .239 with one home run and 24 RBIs in 38 games, going 26-for-109 at the plate with 28 runs. He also hit five doubles and one triple and had a .370 on-base and .330 slugging percentage.
Martin aims to become the 17th Willmar Stinger to reach the majors. Included in that total are current Minnesota Twins Brooks Lee and Louie Varland, Louie's brother Gus Varland of the Milwaukee Brewers, Joey Ortiz also of the Brewers, Tanner Banks of the Philadelphia Phillies and Kyle Manzardo of the Cleveland Guardians.
Continue reading...
.
The Willmar Velocity age 12-and-under team won the program's first state title.
Velocity won the Tier III state title Sunday at the Neil Johnson Fields in Shakopee by beating the Chanhassen 12B Blue squad 7-2.
"It's a talented group of girls who had a lot of desire," said head coach Kelly Zuidema. "They were focused on giving their best effort."
The Velocity went 5-0 through the weekend. Included were wins over the 612 Minneapolis 12A Navy team, 10-4, the Chaska 12B Purple 11-1, and the Champlin 12B Silver 3-2 in pool play. In the semifinals, Willmar knocked off the Chanhassen team it eventually met in the championship, 9-3. Chanhassen came through the losers' bracket to meet Willmar in the final.
"We're incredibly proud of the girls," Zuidema said.
Willmar heads to the Upper Midwest National Championships this weekend in Cottage Grove, Eagan and Mendota Heights. Teams from North Dakota, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois and Nebraska are expected. For the Velocity, it's another step for the program. There are 128 teams expected with pool play taking place at multiple sites in the south metro.
"They (the players) are really looking forward to it," said Zuidema, who is on the Willmar Softball Association's board of directors. "They want to see what we can do there."
Zuidema said USSSA (United States Specialty Sports Association), the sanctioning body for youth fast-pitch softball in Minnesota, had some 208 teams competing in state tournaments at various levels. Tier III is the highest the Velocity has achieved in the association's five years of existence.
Throughout the season, the Velocity played Class A and B teams. The Velocity, a Class B team, beat all its Class B opponents and lost to Class A teams.
"We are Class B," Zuidema said. "We played all Class A and B ball in all of our tournaments. And while we played well against the A teams, they beat us. I'd say we were an A-minus or B-plus team."
They now are also state champions.
They finished fourth two years ago as a 10U team.
Team members are: Haddie Carroll, Calire DeLeeuw, Aspen Krakow, Amelia Kveene, Lily Lingl, Ayla Rudenick, Revalee Serrano, Ashtyn Solberg, Maggie Strand, Brooklyn Wadsworth and Sydney Zuidema.
Coaches are Kelly Zuidema, Matt Carroll and Britney Lingl.
All three coaches have daughters on the team, as does Willmar Softball Association president Andrew Kveene. All 11 players on the team are from Willmar. Kelly Zuidema said that community support has been strong, with many sponsors helping the program also play a winter indoor program.
"They have been amazing," Zuidema said of the sponsors. "We are very, very blessed."
Maximus Martin, an outfielder from Kansas State and a former Willmar Stinger was selected in the 10th round of this week's Major League Baseball amateur draft by the Boston Red Sox. Martin played for the Stingers last year.
Martin also played at Rutgers and Georgia State before transferring to Kansas State. He's listed at 6-foot, 190 pounds and is from Edgewater Park, New Jersey.
This past season he batted .320 with a .420 on-base and .612 slugging percentage for Kansas State. He hit 14 home runs and 18 doubles with 54 RBIs and 546 runs in 55 games, going 66-for-206 at the plate with five stolen bases.
For the Stingers in 2024, Martin batted .239 with one home run and 24 RBIs in 38 games, going 26-for-109 at the plate with 28 runs. He also hit five doubles and one triple and had a .370 on-base and .330 slugging percentage.
Martin aims to become the 17th Willmar Stinger to reach the majors. Included in that total are current Minnesota Twins Brooks Lee and Louie Varland, Louie's brother Gus Varland of the Milwaukee Brewers, Joey Ortiz also of the Brewers, Tanner Banks of the Philadelphia Phillies and Kyle Manzardo of the Cleveland Guardians.
Continue reading...
