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Summer baseball heats up

Minot Vistas and Metros return to Corbett Field this summer

Alex Eisen/MDN Minot Vistas pitcher Carson Tonini throws a pitch in an American Legion baseball game played last season at Corbett Field.

The high school baseball season is over, so now American Legion baseball can begin. The Class AA Minot Vistas and the Class A Minot Metros return to Corbett Field to battle teams from around the state and find out who can best conquer the dog days of summer.

The Minot Vistas lost to the Fargo Post 2 in the state tournament last year and are hungry to finish what they started last year.

The Minot Metros return after a memorable state tournament berth from a year ago. The Metros were fifth in the region out of six teams and battled out of the regional tournament to earn their seat at state.

Here is a preview of what to look forward to in the coming months.

The Minot Vistas

With five players returning from the previous summer, the Vistas are looking to be another state championship contender this season.

“I’m really interested in the group we have,” Vistas head coach Pat Arntson said. “I think we’re pretty talented and I’m excited.”

Carson Tonini is going to be the driving force on the mound for the Vistas. Coming into the summer, Arntson is counting on Tonini to get the pitching staff rolling and is “what we’d consider our No. 1.”

Catcher Creighton Rudolph is another presence on the field that will bring leadership for the Vistas.

“Creighton gives stability behind the plate,” Arntson said. “The last two seasons, we’ve let him plan his own game behind the plate and we expect a lot out of him.”

Losing some power at the plate from last year, Arntson said the team will be looking at Johnny Tubbs to add some juice and be the big three or four spot in the lineup.

The Vistas will be tested early on as they face Fargo Post 2 at home to begin their season.

“We’ve talked a lot about (the championship game) against Fargo Post 2, who has won the past three championships and beat us last year for it,” Arntson said. “With how important baseball is to this group, we won’t be celebrating anything less than a championship… We definitely aren’t going to line up for a photo with the runner-up trophy.”

The Vistas’ season begins today against Fargo Post 2 at Corbett Field in Minot. The action starts at 4 p.m.

Minot Metros

The Metros take to Corbett Field this summer with only two athletes from last year’s squad.

Fred Nelson, the head coach of the Metros during the summer and the Bishop Ryan Lions coach during the spring, says he’s excited for those that are returning, the players coming in from Ryan and those joining the Metros for the first time.

“We’re going to be young, but I think the kids we have are very talented,” he said. “They’re all excited to be a Metro and to play at Corbett Field.”

Last year, the Metros were 19-18 overall. Going into the region tournament, the Metros were the No. 5-seed out of six teams. They outlasted everyone to win the region, but lost early on at the state tournament. They want to make a deeper run this year.

“That’s the goal on any team I coach,” Nelson said about winning a championship. “Come to the region tournament, we want to win that thing and go to the state tournament.”

One thing that could plague the Metros early on is growing pains.

“There might be a little bit of an adjustment period for us,” Nelson admitted. “But I think we’ve got a roster filled with athletes and filled with baseball players, so I think we’ll be able to make those adjustments easily.”

Jordan Love returns to the team from last year and is someone Nelson is looking to be a leading force on the team.

“He came along towards the end of the summer and I’m excited to see him again this year,” Nelson said.

Ryan players Kersey Harris, Logan Merck and Calvin Watkins join the Metros this summer. Nelson said this group had a good spring with him, so he expects nothing less during summer play.

Merck batted .429 with the Lions in the spring and had 19 RBIs. Watkins batted .348 and had a 3-2 record on the mound with a 3.55 ERA. Watkins earned All-Region honors with the Lions.

“Dylan Buchanan and Aydan Almy have looked pretty good defensively,” Nelson said. “They threw a pretty good bullpen for us the other day and I’m excited to see what they can do.”

As for the rest of the team, Nelson said they are going to be athletic and, even though they are young, they should be a fun team to watch.

The Metros started their season on Wednesday and were swept in a doubleheader against Mandan, 9-6 and 7-5. They will aim to regroup today on the road against the Bismarck Capitals. That doubleheader will start at 5:30 p.m.

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