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Blizzard AFBL Series #2 Full Program Recap
09/14/2021, 3:15pm CDT
By Adam Barta, Owner | Blizzard Elite Baseball
11u, 14u, 15u, 16u, Varsity Championships
Blizzard Weekend Recap | Brought to you by Twin Cities Orthopedics
If August's nine championships were not enough for you, the Blizzard had a heavy dose of 'W's' over the weekend after the final AFBL Series saw over 70 teams competed for the final prize. Here is a quick recap ...
Blizzard 10u (Weekend Record: 2-1)
Usually when a team scores 60 runs, you think "Wow, what a good month of baseball." When you score 60 runs in 3 games, you may ask, "Were they counting by 10?" Coach Lufkin had his squad on full cylinders this weekend finishing 2-1 in the AFBL Series #2 11u division.
Jett Matazynski went 6-for-6 with 9 RBI while Easton Lutteke went 6-for-9 with 7 runs scored. There were eight others who hit above .400 this past weekend including: Hudson Stevens, Jacob Doherty, Vinny Vomastek, Jake Abrahamson, Wyatt Gutzman, Nolan Hemmelgarn, Cody Skull, Hunter Lipa,
Blizzard Blue 11u (Weekend Record: 4-0 - Champions)
The Blizzard 11u team continued a streak of dominance. After losing their first game of the season, this young squad has won 10 straight including 4 straight this past weekend as they beat Northstar twice, Chanhassen and P5 as they coasted to some offensive-filled games including a 19-for-32 performance by Miles Tomazewski, Cam Faville and Owen Brookins.
Lets not forget about a dominating effort by the pitching staff striking out 37 would-be hitters in 20 innings while allowing only 14 hits.
Blizzard Blue 12u (Weekend Record: 1-2)
Hiccups, you say? This weekend is a short-lived stint for a talented 12u team that saw their team hit .425 while making only one error. This talented squad of 12u mites will be back at it in no time !
It should be noted Lincoln Chandler dominated this weekend going 8-for-10 with 7 stolen bases and 10 RBI. Yikes.
Blizzard Gold 12u (Weekend Record: 1-1-1)
The Blizzard won a big game againts rival Icemen in a 5-2 victory before losing their first playoff game 4-0.
Anthony Berends and Jack Schultz had a heck of a weekend hitting .429 and .400, respectively. Jaxon Thom struck out seven hitters in six innings of work while Maximus Krause and Logan Schmid had a perfect 0.00 ERA with Schmid earning a save in the 5-2 victor.
Blizzard Blue 13u (Weekend Record: 3-0)
Do these guys lose? Despite playing 'up' in the 14u division, the 13u team dominated...again. However, run differential forced these guys out of the playoffs losing out to bracket winner, Blizzard Black 14u.
On their flawless season, Easton Ahrens and Ty Beck are 36-for-56 including 6 triples and 10 doubles.
Oscar Waisanen and Mark Susa have struck out 22 hitters in 21 innings while Chase Rudolph, Ryan Endrizzi and Brady Keane have a 0.00 ERA in the teams first 13 contests.
As a whole, this squad has a 1.9 ERA and is hitting .420.
15u next weekend? :)
Blizzard Black 13u (Weekend Record: 2-1)
After a 2-0 start to the weekend, the Black team lost to in-program 'rival' Blizzard Gold 13u.
This team can really hit and is being led by some really good young bucks including Nate Barlay (8-for-9) and Zach Bostrom (6-for-8). Mix in Riley West's 6 stolen bases and you have a squad that can really pack a punch at the plate.
Led by Nate Barclay on the mound, this team is waiting to bust out and make a deep run in their next tournament. They struck out 15 in 15 innings and made only four errors in 58 chances this past weekend.
Blizzard Gold 13u (Weekend Record: 1-1-1)
Lets talk about on-based percentage from this past weekend, shall we?
This team, which had a .529 OBP this past weekend, was led by guys who like to touch first base as much as possible including: Cade Shelstad (.778), Beckett Koehler (.750), Mitchell Pierskalla (.700) and Aniston Koury (.667) and Elliot Paidin (.667).
Their big win included an offensive-filled game vs. friendly foe Blizzard Black 13u where Cade Shelstad and Tate Hartmann had a combined 5 RBI
Blizzard 507 13u (Weekend Record: 3-1)
Two one-run games on Saturday earned these guys a #1 seed on Sunday. The semi-final game saw this rookie team win 21-5 before falling to HTP in the championship game.
Kason Neuhring dominated in game one on the mound striking out the first 13 players he faced while Corbin Guggisberg is a double machine hitting four more this weekend for a season total of 10 !
Blizzard Blue 14u (Weekend Record: 3-0-1 - Champions)
In a highly anticipated match up, the Blue team beat the Blizzard Black 14u in a rubber match in the championship game 12-3. Led by Keaton Coe, Isaiah Walker, Spencer Barta and Kaleb LaFafor, the 4some combined for 26 hits.
The pitching staff was all '2s' in their 4 games of work. They had 22 Ks, 22 Bs, 22 HA in 22 innings of work. Some of those aren't great numbers but they look cool when you see them on the page :) Luckily, they were aided by four double plays and some magnificent web gems including a Machado-like layout by Jace Matazynski in the championship game.
Too many people on the DL including yours truly, who broke his foot when tackling a would-be assailant in the parking lot trying to mug a nice old lady. Just kidding ... this guy doesn't know how to walk down a flight of stairs.
Blizzard Black 14u (Weekend Record: 3-1 - Runner-Up)
The Blizzard Black 14u team reached the championship game for the second straight weekend and they did not disappoint. Charlie Mueller led his team in hits (6) and RBI (6). Brendan Koester led the way on the mound this past weekend striking out eight in three innings and allowed zero runs. Riley Asmus also struck out 13 in 7 innings in a complete game effort vs. a very good SWAT team.
This 12-2 team has the weekend off before heading into the CIS Fall State Championships in Iowa next weekend.
Blizzard Gold 14u (Weekend Record: 2-1)
While the 14u Gold squad didn't come away with any hardware this weekend, their winning record is sign of good things to come as Ethan Jeffers, Peter Adie, Charlie Wright, Max Amundson and Rourik Gulbrandson all hit above a .500 clip this weekend.
Ryley Wuebkers struck out 10 in his four-inning outing while Ethan Jeffers struck out 8 in his start.
Blizzard 507 14u (Weekend Record: 3-0)
The 507 14u team narrowly missed out on bracket play after going 2-0 but lost the tie breaker on run differential to a talented Complete Game squad.
Gunnar Ganske was fantastic behind the dish after another defensive clinic behind the dish.
Walk-off alert! Tony Zaleski had a walk-off on Sunday in their consolation game 4-3 vs West Metro, a team that beat them the previous tournament 16-10. Much improved !
Blizzard Blue 15u (Weekend Record: 2-1)
Blizzard Blue narrowly missed out on the playoffs after a tight 3-2 loss to the Dak-Min Prospects in pool play. Carter Amelse was a nifty 5-for-7 this weekend while teammates Colin Mitchell was 4-for-9 and Luke Adams was 4-for-7.
Pitching was the cat's meow as the team put up a collective 1.2 ERA in 3 games.
Alex Oehlke: 4IP, 8K
Nick Johnson: 3IP, 4K
Carter Kurth: 3IP, 3K
Blizzard Black 15u (Weekend Record: 4-0 - Championship )
Blizzard Black 15u showed everyone why they were champs this weekend. They can hit (team .467 batting average). They can pitch (team 2.21 ERA). They can field (3 errors in 87 total chances).
Joe Fredkove had arguably the best weekend of any player in the program racking up 13 RBI including 3 2Bs and seven runs scored. Jacob Rodgers and Owen Mortimer were a combined 11-for-22 on the weekend as well.
9 different pitchers combined for 19 strikeouts in 19 innings of work while only allowing 14 based knocks on the weekend.
Blizzard Gold 15u (Weekend Record: 2-1)
Every single player touched home plate in this past weekend's AFBL Series #2 racking up 27 runs that were evenly distrubuted throughout the line up.
Led by two four-hit efforts by Watson Fleming and Julias Koehler and on the mound by Karson Foster and Roman Lachenmeyer who pitched in five innings each.
Blizzard Blue 16u (Weekend Record: 4-0 - Championship)
Blizzard Blue has continued their reign in Minnesota tournaments despite having to score a shutout and score at least 9 runs in their final game of pool play to move on. So of course they won 14-0 in a game where Tyler Guerin went five-inning CG and nine players scored at least one run.
Graham Sullivan and Zach Zanetti each had seven hits while Alex Boston did his best HULK impression hitting a triple to help his team to a weekend .407 average.
Easton Stone has been unstoppable on the mound this year and continued to show why he is one of the top 2024 graduates in our program after a seven-inning and seven strikeout CG.
Blizzard Black 16u (Weekend Record: 2-1 )
Blizzard Black narrowly missed out on the championship game after losing a tight 3-2 contest vs. the Minnetonka Blue team.
Their 9-3 season record is an indicator of how consistent they have been in August and September. They have hit .349 this year while having a solid 3.00 ERA.
This past weekend, they hit .325 and had a 1.94 ERA led by Ben Johnson and Louis Hertling who both chipped in four hits while 6'7" Brayden Carlson continues to do his thing on the mound striking out seven in five innings of work.
Blizzard Blue 2022 (Weekend Record: 2-1-1 )
In one of the biggest tournaments of the year, the Blizzard Blue 2022 went 2-1-1 and missed out on playoffs that showcased off the top 40 teams in the country including a team from the Dominican Repulic.
THE WORLD INVITE, brought to you by Prospect Select, was dominated by great teams, great fields, high velocity and a ton of college and pro scouts.
We will be doing an extended recap of the varsity tournaments in upcoming articles.
Blizzard Black 2022-2023 (Weekend Record: 2-1 )
After a 2-1 weekend, we know that this pitching staff is the real deal. Caleb Hautajarvi threw a six-inning CG that included five strikeouts while Caleb Vanderplas has 18 strikouts in nine innings on the season. Kyle Henke has a 2.00 ERA and has struck out seven in seven innings while Parker Gilchrist has a clean 0.00 ERA in his two appearances this season.
Blizzard Blue 2023 (Weekend Record: 1-2)
Despite a slow start to the season, this 5-5 teams has some of the most talented players in the program. It's only a matter of time before they string it together, which they will need to do before this weekend's Perfect Game Kernels Foundation tournament where they will be seeking a bid to the World Championships in Jupiter, FL.
Pitching standouts include: Ben Berkhoff (5IP|5K), Peyton Milene (5IP|8K, Cole Spitzer (15IP|18K), Ian Regal (4IP|4K), Brayden Olson (7IP|7K), Nelson Koenig (17IP|14K)
Matthew Maulik, Brayden Olson and Joe Merchlewitz have a combined 24 hits in their first ten games.
Blizzard Black 2023 (Weekend Record: 5-0 - Championship)
Don't be surprised by this team's 9-3 record as they have done an excellent job on both sides of the baseball. They won the AFBL Series #2 in walk-off fashion and after a 5-0 weekend, these guys are the real deal behind hitters such as TJ Logan (9-for-15), Isaiah Hasz (7-for-15), Parker Huebsch (6-for-13) and Mitchell Iliff (6-for-13).
Aiden Welch struck out seven in his five innings of work this weekend while Hasz has been dominant and consistent allowing only one run in five innings while Leo Matuga was the savior in the bullpen in the championship game throwing 4.1 earning the win. Mark Manders struck out eight would-be hitters in five innings of work this weekend as well.
Blizzard Gold 2022-2023 (Weekend Record: 2-1)
The Blizzard Gold Varsity squad took the #1 seed after a 2-0 record in pool play. Bryce Rog, who earned TCO Player of the Day this weekend, hit .571 with an .OBP of .727. Owen Hinderman brought his lumberjack axe from Duluth and hit .429 and chipped in 3RBI this past weekend before losing 5-1 to the Blizzard Black 2023 team.
Bergen Baumann struck out 10 in six innings of work while Andrew Johnson struckout six in five innings of work.
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