DIAMOND RETURN — Members of the Fairmont Cardinal baseball team are scheduled to open the season on Thursday, April 4, when they travel to Central Jackson County for a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. Front row (left to right): Noah Heckman, Ethan Darnell, Mason Bicknas, Joey Crissinger, Mac Larson, Jensen Livesey, Brayden Williamson, Vincent Schultz, Ben Sanken. Second row: Merritt Pomerenke, Kellen Fritz, Jarrin Jackson, Tyler Bicknas, Reid Johnson, Josh Salter, Owen Terfell, Luke Hefner, Caden Loken, Cole Nawrocki. Third row: Sawyer Raven, Micah Vaughn, Isaac Stone, Jordan Walters, Carmine Hecht, Nolan Anderson, Cole Brockman, Connor Sanvig, Norlin Gerndt. Back row: Ben Maurer, Joseph Hackett, Eric Determan, Tyler Kurt, Cole Wimmers, Nate Salter, Trevor Markestad, Levi Pulley, Hudson Raven. Not pictured: Joe Long, Preston Geardes, Dakota Wiley. (Photo courtesy of Charlie Sorrells)
FAIRMONT — With four starting position players and two additional pitchers returning from last year's Class AA third-place state baseball team, some head coaches are viewing this spring as a rebuilding season. Dew.
But that's not the case for Fairmont's Don Waletich.
“I'm not really interested in that word (reconstruction).” said Waletich, who led the Cardinals to the Class AA state championship in 2022. “We (the coaching staff) are teaching them solid fundamentals and how to play the game.
“Our goal is the same every season and we try to get better every day. If we can achieve that, everything else will fall into place.”
It also doesn't hurt that Fairmont returns hard-throwing senior right-hander Nate Salter, who won nearly every postseason diamond honor available in 2023.
Nate Salter was near the top of the Cardinals' statistical charts from both a pitching and offensive standpoint, earning Sentinel All-Area Baseball Player of the Year, All-Class AA State Tournament status, All-Section 3 honors and All-Big honors. South Conference honors a year ago.
Nate Salter led the way with seven doubles, seven triples, and two home runs in 2023, outscoring opponents with a .391 batting average and 23 RBIs. He also drew 17 walks, collected 59 total bases, got on base at a .500 pace, and scored an RBI. He has a .641 slugging percentage.
The ace right-hander struck out 63 batters in 62 innings on the mound, posting a record of 7 wins, 1 loss, and a 1.92 ERA.
“Nate had a great season last year and will be our ace again.” said Valetić. “As a fourth-year varsity starter, we will rely heavily on him this spring. When he is not pitching, Nate will once again anchor the infield defense at shortstop.
“We will definitely be strong in midfield this season.”
Freshman Josh Salter will take on a similar role to his brother Nate on the Cardinals' roster, handling middle infield duties to supplement the innings on the hill.
“When we brought Josh up to the varsity level and played second base about a third of the way through last season, he really solidified our infield defense and made a huge impact offensively. ” Waletich mentioned Josh Salter, who batted .333 with a .410 on-base percentage and nine RBIs and nine runs batted in in just 18 games as an eighth-grader.
Senior center fielder Levi Pulley and sophomore catcher Joseph Hackett rounded out a strong midfield label with solid contributions to Fairmont's second consecutive state title in 2023.
Pulley stopped the Cardinal with 28 RBIs and scored 19 points, covering a lot of ground defensively at Fairmont's Herb Wolfe Field in a friendly.
Hackett had 18 RBIs, but more importantly he handled the pitching staff with the experience and knowledge of a seasoned varsity veteran behind the plate.
“We didn't really plan for it, but Joseph helped us last season with the way he caught every inning of every game, encouraged pitches, kept runners close (on the bases) and handled himself in all aspects of the game. I impressed (the coaching staff).'' said Valetić.
Freshman Jensen Livesay and senior Ben Maurer each return to the pitching rotation after posting impressive 8-0 records and helping the Cardinals advance to state.
Moller had a perfect record of 6-0 with a 2.36 ERA in 29.2 innings pitched, while Livesey was 2-0 with a 2.03 ERA in 10.1 frames pitched.
In fact, in last spring's state tournament against Cannon Falls, where Fairmont University took third place, Livesay pitched the first four innings with two strikeouts, no walks, allowed one earned run on five hits, and won the game with two strikeouts. Ta.
Sophomore Joe Long will also join the Cardinals' five-pitch rotation and compete for time in the outfield, while Livesey will compete with junior Trevor Markestad for time at first base.
However, Markestad will likely have an infield track at third base, and junior Mika Vaughn will also be part of the infield.
Senior Cole Wimmers, sophomore Merritt Pomerenke and junior Tyler Kurt will compete with Long for the outfield positions on either side of Pulley.
Waletich expects Big South Conference rivals Luverne and Jackson County Central to compete with a Fairmont team for top honors in the South subsection of Section 3AA, with New London We expect Spicer, Paynesville and Morris areas to be the top competitors in the North subsection. section.
Levi Becker will return as the Cardinals' varsity assistant coach, and Matt Lytle will once again handle junior varsity duties.
Jack Hested will coach the C team and Darren Keltgen will provide leadership for the middle school program.
