Defense wins championships.

It’s an old saying typically reserved for the football field or the basketball court, but for the Bishop Ryan baseball team, it will be the difference between winning a state title or being one of the seven other teams that fell short of its ultimate goal.

The Lions’ pitching and hitting have been solid throughout the season, but it’s their play in the field that has been a point of emphasis. When Ryan plays Region 4 champion Grafton in the first round of the state tournament today, it will look to keep errors at a minimum.

“We’re working on making the routine plays,” Ryan coach Brent Nelson said. “A couple times a game that routine play leads to a run and we can’t have that. That one error leads to a run and when you get down to state, you have to make the routine plays and hold teams down. Runs are tough to come by at the state tournament.”

Ryan (14-1) committed three errors in a regular season game against Velva-Drake-Anamoose, allowing the Aggies to score six runs in the final two innings for a 6-5 win. The loss was Ryan’s lone setback of the season and cost the Lions the Region 6 regular-season title.

“The key is to play well in the field and limit errors and continue to hit like we have all year,” said junior shortstop and pitcher Austin Eggl. “We have to make sure everyone fields their position soundly and good things will happen.”

Since that loss on May 13, the Lions have reeled off five consecutive wins, including two against the Aggies in the region championship semifinals and championship game. Nelson said hitting has been key to the team’s success.

“We’ve hit the ball really well pretty much all year,” Nelson said. “Our team batting average is .430. That’s what’s carried us all year. Our on-base percentage is .535. When you’re getting on base half the time, you’re going to win a lot of games.”

Junior Mason Kramer leads the team in batting average at .524 as well as in RBIs (24), doubles (six) and home runs (four). Kramer went 2-for-3 with a home run and a double in the Lions’ 9-3 victory over V-D-A in the region championship game. He also was the winner pitcher. Senior Josh Schell (.460) and junior Tyler Allers (.447) are also swinging hot bats entering the state tournament.

Of the eight Lions who’ve played in at least 10 games, eight of them are batting above .400 and nine have a .500 on-base percentage or better.

The Lions need to keep up their production at the plate because their road to a seventh state title begins with matchups against teams with plenty of state-tournament experience. Grafton finished as state runners-up in 2012 and are regulars competitors during the season’s final weekend.

“We’ve played them in past years,” said Nelson, a second-year head coach but a longtime assistant at Ryan. “We’ve been to the state tournament quite a bit over the last 15 years and they always seem to be there. This year, we don’t know too much about them, but sometimes that’s a good thing.”

Both teams lost six starters from last year’s rosters.

If the Lions get by Grafton in the first round, they could play defending champion Beulah on Friday.

“We have a tough road, but we certainly are confident we can go in and win state,” Eggl said.

Although experience in the state tournament favors its opponents, Ryan has players who know what it’s like to play in big games. Eight of the nine starters are at least three-sport athletes. Kramer played four sports this season.

“We have kids who have played in big football games and region basketball games,” Nelson said. “Everyone is going to be a little nervous, but that helps being three-sport athletes. They know what to expect and I have a lot of confidence in this group of kids.”