Pierz Headed To Second Straight State Tournament

Don’t look now, but the 2017 Pierz Pioneers baseball team is headed to its second consecutive state tournament, and the players couldn’t be any more excited.

“It’s pretty cool considering a lot of these guys are football and wrestling and they go all the time,” Pierz Senior Pitcher and Shortstop Matt Tautges said. “So for me, just being basketball and baseball and going twice now is pretty cool.”

“It’s a pretty good feeling,” Pierz Senior Second Baseman Lane Girtz said. “It feels a lot like last year and this year we’re looking to a little bit more damage and we’ve got the tools to do so. It feels good.”

Sitting at 24-2 headed into the tournament, there isn’t a lot the team needs to brush up on. At this stage of the season, it’s all a mental game.

“Just the mental stuff like getting your head to sticking to what we do as a team and just playing our game right,” Pierz Senior Catcher and Pitcher Matt Kummet said.

Going 24-2 isn’t an easy feat, though, and all the players know what has gotten them to this point: pitching.

“Our pitching has been outstanding,” Pierz Head Coach Dan Saehr said. “Matt Tautges, Preston Rocheleau, and Matt Kummet are probably our top three pitchers.”

It doesn’t hurt when you’re sending one of the best pitching staffs down to St. Cloud to face other opponents at a shot at the state title.

“When you have pitching, it keeps you in every single ballgame,” Saehr said. “You factor that in with good defense and timely hitting, it makes for a tough combination to beat. Hopefully we can continue to do that and if we do, I like our chances at making a run in the state tournament.”

The Pioneers will begin that run to the title game on Thursday against 18-5 New London Spicer.