Roger Wuertz, Josh Williams, Darren Michaelis, Jason Schlecht, Mike Stalboerger, Dan Starken, and Ken Leo all played college baseball this year.
Wuertz pitched for the University of Mary, which is located in North Dakota. Wuertz was a junior this year.
Williams, Michaelis, and Schlecht all played at Ellsworth Community College, which is located in Iowa Falls, Iowa. Williams caught, Schlecht pitched, and Michaelis played outfield for Ellsworth. They were all freshmen.
The Ellsworth team they were on struggled during the season, only winning four games. However, all of the players really believed the team had improved as the season progressed.
Williams split time with another catcher at Ellsworth. He batted around .250 and hit one home run during the season. He also threw out over 50 percent of the runners that attempted to steal on him.
Michaelis played the outfield and was the lead off hitter most of the season. Michaelis hit two home runs during the season.
Schlecht pitched for Ellsworth. He didnât play any position other than pitcher during the spring. Schlecht only had one win, but the whole team struggled during the beginning of the year.
Stalboerger pitched at one of Ellsworth's rivals, Waldorf, which is another community college in Iowa. He was a freshman.
Starken started at first base for Morris, and also pitched there. He played first base in high school. Starken is a sophomore on the Cougar baseball team.
Leo caught for Ridgewater Community College which is located in Willmar. He caught and played first base for the Bulldogs, while in high school. Leo was a freshman. He was the backup catcher for Ridgewater. They played 30 games this season.
Against Mesabi, Leo threw out three runners that were attempting to steal on him. He also had the game winning base hit. Leo said he was batting around .250 to .260.
"Skoglund helped prepare me for college baseball and life," said Leo. "He taught me a lot in his four years of coaching me in high school and legion baseball."
Williams, Michaelis, Schlecht, Stalboerger, and Leo all are 1997 graduates of Paynesville. They were a major part of the high school team that finished 15-6 last year and also a major part of the Legion team last summer.
Leo, Starken, Williams, Michaelis. and Schlecht also play for the Paynesville Pirates.
Stalboerger and Wuertz play for Lake Henry. Both of them pitch for the Lakers.