Mike Kraft/MDN Minot coach Craig Schmich and the Metros are the No. 2 seed in the West Region tournament, which begins today in Bismarck. The Metros will play Watford City at 5 p.m.

After two months, 40 games, 14 doubleheaders, three tournaments and bus trips that have taken them all across the state, the postseason has finally arrived for the Minot Metros, with a berth to the state tournament just two wins away.

The quest for a state title begins at the regional level today, as the Class A West Region tournament kicks off in Bismarck, with eight teams vying for four tickets to Casselton the following week.

The Metros (24-16) have put themselves in prime positioning to grab one of those coveted spots, earning the region’s No. 2 seed for the second consecutive season. Minot advanced to last year’s regional final after defeating Dickinson and the Bismarck Senators, before ultimately falling to the Bismarck Reps in the title game. The Metros would go winless in two attempts at state.

“The better the seed you can get in the state tournament, the easier your ride is, but with everybody in our state, we’ve seen most of the teams from the East, we’ve seen all the teams from the West and everybody can play baseball,” Metros coach Craig Schmich said. “It doesn’t really matter where you finish up, but obviously being the home team will give you a little bit of an advantage, so if we can get the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the West, we should have a pretty decent ride.”

Minot opens its tournament schedule against one of only two conference opponents that managed to hand them a loss this season. The Metros finished with an 11-3 record in regional play, but split a doubleheader with Watford City on June 19. The Walleye (9-13) were 3-11 in conference play and will serve as the No. 7 seed when the two teams meet at 5 p.m. The Metros dropped the opener of that doubleheader, 9-4, before regrouping in the nightcap, ending the game via mercy rule in the fifth inning leading 10-0. If that doubleheader taught Minot anything, it’s that they can’t afford to overlook anybody.

“We finished the conference season pretty well, going 11-3 and getting second place, but I don’t think anybody in our conference is an easy win or anything like that,” Schmich said. “We’re going to have to come in and play our game and if we don’t then we’re going to get beat. The biggest thing is to let these guys know that they can’t just show up to the baseball field and expect to win. You have to go out there and earn it.”

The Metros swept every other team in the conference seeded below them, outscoring conference opponents 110-59. The 110 runs scored was second in the conference and the 59 runs allowed was tied with the Bismarck Reps for second fewest. The team that everyone is chasing – Valley City – proved all season long that it is the team to beat. They outscored conference opponents 114-45, the largest margin of victory amongst the eight teams while sporting the best run production and scoring defense. Valley City swept Minot 4-2 and 8-5 when the two teams met on July 2 in Valley City. The Royals dropped their conference opener to the Bismarck Senators before going unblemished in conference play the rest of the season.

Experience will be a factor, and the Metros have leaned on their second- and third-year players to carry them this season. Remington Anderson and Jace Price are two said players that have been filling up the stat sheet this season. Anderson is second on the team with a .400 batting average and leads the team in both runs (32) and triples (4). Price sports a .351 batting average and is second on the team in hits (40), runs (29), RBIs (28) doubles (8) and triples (3). He and Gavin King led the Metros with two home runs.

The Metros batted .317 as a team, collected 357 hits and plated 266 runs.

“I think we’ve got a pretty good shot at winning it,” Minot’s Owen Sundahl said. “We’re going to have to play well, but I think we can do it. We’re just trying to play our best and get to state.”

A good offense needs solid pitching and defense behind them. The Metros will rely on their four heavy hitters on the mound in Kayden Danielson, TJ Hjelmstad, Brody Johnson and Anderson. Minot’s top-four pitchers accounted for 15 wins this season, eating up 174 2/3 innings. Danielson went 5-1 on the mound, striking out 39 batters while sporting a 2.07 ERA. Hjelmstad – coming off his first career no-hitter – has a 2.10 ERA.

“We need to play hard and make sure we make all the easy plays and we’ll be in a good spot,” Hjelmstad said. “I think we’re in a good spot. I think not a lot of teams can beat us when we’re hitting the ball and making routine plays. When we do that, we’re really good.”

Johnson led the pitching staff with 41 strikeouts, with hitters batting just .195 against him. As a collective, Minot’s hurlers sport a 3.61 ERA, with opposing batters hitting .259. Anderson posted 33 strikeouts and a .233 opposing batting average. The Metros have struck out 216, walked 190 and allowed 224 runs.

In the field, the Metros had a .914 fielding percentage, committing 92 errors.

“The biggest thing for us is just playing defense and coming up with the big hits when we need them,” Schmich said. “We don’t need to go out and 10-run teams, but we do need to come up with the big one when the situation arises. And then pitching is just throwing strikes and defense playing good behind them.”

The Metros enter the tournament having won their last six conference games.