Season Preview 2009 - Howie's Season
When the Bruce Belters play their first game as a member of the Independent League, it will be against a Haugen Knights team fresh off a season in which they made it all the way to the WBA’s final four.
While Bruce is new to the Indy League, the rest of the faces are quite familiar. The Indy League is beginning its second season in which the twelve teams are split into two divisions, with each team playing 16 league games. Each team plays every other team in their division twice, and all the teams in the other division once. The two divisions are really only for scheduling purposes, as all twelve teams will be listed in one group of standings for the league.
The front runners in the league look to be the same, with the Knights, Millers, and Hornets all returning quite a few familiar faces from their successful squads the last few years. However, the rest of the league has a number of successful teams that could jump into the league race, as well as knock off any of the so-called favorites on any given day. Here’s a general layout of the Indy League:
The Favorites: Haugen Knights, Haugen Hornets, Brill Millers
The Contenders: Cumberland Islanders, Grantsburg Honkers, Hayward Hawks, Spooner Cardinals, St. Croix Ravens
Looking to take the next step: Stanberry Giants, Seeley Mudpuppies
The New Guys: Siren Steelers (2nd season), Bruce Belters
Absent: Webster (not participating in the league in 2009
From the Knights’ perspective, they’re as talented as anyone in the league, and if they show up ready to play, it will take quite an effort from the team across the diamond to beat them. The Knights return a team very similar to the ones that have taken the field the last couple years in Haugen; a young, athletic, talented group of baseball players who have been successful on some big stages in years past. One player that won’t be returning to the Knights this season is Cody Candler, who played 1st base and has been a key member in the heart of the Knights batting order. Matt Lundberg, who played shortstop and batted second in the order, is also questionable to return this season. Candler and Lundberg (potentially) have left the area for work related reasons. Either way, both players have been a big part of the Knights the last couple years, and we hope to see them around the ballpark a couple times this season.
Candler and Lundberg are big losses, but the Knights still return an excellent core of players to compete for the league title and playoff success. Two big parts of this unit are staff ace Danny Lindsey and catcher Travis Thompson. Lindsey has grown into one of the top pitchers in the league, and also does damage at the plate in the middle of the Knights order. Thompson is arguably as good a hitter as any in the league, and the same goes for his defense behind the plate. These two along with reliable veteran Josh “Jolly” O’Rourke will see most of the duty on the mound in 2009.
Behind Thompson and Lindsey is a cohesive and athletic group that covers as much ground as any defense in the league. At 3rd base is versatile Carter Crotteau, who has also seen some time at first over the past couple of years. Rob Berger is another solid athlete who has seen time at 3rd in the last couple seasons. Berger and Crotteau provide the Knights two athletic players at the corners along with some power at the plate, and some combination of these two should help to fill the void left by Candler.
If Lundberg returns, he’s a lock for the shortstop position, as he has been the last few years for the Knights. While the boys in the dugout call him E6, Lundberg is as solid a shortstop as you’ll find in the Indy. His double play partner is the slick fielding 2nd baseman, Thad Thompson (Travis’ brother), who steals a number of hits each year with his patented backhand sliding stop.
It’s tough to find an outfield that covers as much ground as the guys roaming the Knights outfield. Andrew Mau swings a mean bat and plays even meaner defense. Time after time, sure hits to the gap end up in the glove of Mau, and many a base runner has learned their lesson trying to take an extra base on a ball hit near centerfield. In leftfield is Taylor “T” Soltes, who mans the leadoff spot in the batting order and uses his athleticism and great instincts to take away what Mau can’t get to. Manning the right side of the outfield is Erik Hill, who like Mau and Soltes, covers a lot of ground and has frustrated quite a few hitters over the last few seasons. He has also lead the league in eye black usage for the past four years.
The Knights have been one of the top teams in the league the past few seasons for a variety of reasons, but one of them is the versatility and depth of their team. Having capable utility players (that would be starters on many of the teams in the league) allows the Knights a lot of flexibility with their lineup. Derc Teschler, Colton Sirek, and Ryley Olson are a few guys who have made big contributions in years past, and will likely be the ones to fill the void left by Candler and possibly Lundberg.
Teschler has caught more and more innings over the past couple years, giving Thompson a break from behind the plate duties, but also allowing him to play other positions. Thompson will likely spend a lot of time on the mound this year, and Teschler does a great job catching for the fire baller. Sirek and Olson are both very versatile players, able to play well in both the infield and outfield, while Sirek also pitches every now and then. These guys will without a doubt make their mark on the 2009 season.
The season will start out fast and furious, as the Knights play rival and fellow 2009 WBA Final Four qualifier Brill Millers in the second week of the Indy League season. These two teams have battled for Indy League supremacy over the last couple years as the Millers won the league in 2008 and the Knights took the title in 2007. If both teams advance to the state tournament again, it would be quite an interesting scenario. The 2009 WBA State Tournament is being hosted in Haugen, so for the two teams to meet on the WBA’s grandest stage on a field quite familiar to both of them would be quite an event.
However, there’s a lot of baseball ahead of us before those possibilities can play out, so we’ll see what happens in the summer of 2009. Baseball is awesome, and it’s back, so get out to the park and support your local team.
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2009 - Howie's Season
As most know, the Knights longtime team member and friend, Jeff Howenstine, passed away over the offseason. The Knights have dedicated the 2009 season to him, and will wear mementos on their hats and jerseys to honor him. Howie will be sorely missed, and the boys in red will do their best to make him proud. Here's to you Howie.
