GROTON – Pitching has taken centerstage for Groton this postseason. The Tigers won all four games in their region giving up a combined four total runs.
Groton is slated to face off against Garretson in the opening round of the Class B State American Legion Baseball Tournament at 5 p.m. Friday in Madison.
Groton secured a repeat trip to the state tourney following a 2-1 win over Sisseton in the region final.
Groton coach Pat Krause thinks that close win is valuable for his team moving forward.
“Playing tight games with (Sisseton) has prepared us,” Krause said. “It makes us have to do different things to try to win the game. We hit ourselves into winning games, we pitched ourselves into winning games, and sometimes it’s just a matter of taking a couple of crucial walks.”
Groton played Sisseton multiple times throughout the season, unlike Garretson, as this will be the first matchup between the teams this year.
Krause is glad that his team gets to face a new opponent.
“I kind of like playing teams that we don’t know a lot about. Largely because then you don’t know what to expect in a sense,” Krause said. “It allows us just to focus on what we do best and focus on those aspects rather than when we played Sisseton.”
Groton and Sisseton saw each other plenty this season.
“We played them seven times throughout the year, and you know a lot about the team going into it, so you worry about what they do more than what we do,” Krause said. “So, when you face an opponent that we don’t know a whole lot about, it gives us a chance to look inward and focus more on what we’re doing well right now and continue to build on that.”
Krause doesn’t quite know what to expect from Garretson, but he knows it will be a tough test. The two squads did face one common foe. Like Groton, Garretson came up big on the way to winning its region.
“I went and looked at their schedule, and they went on a run in their region tournament. I think it took them two championship games to win the region, and that part of the state always has some pretty good baseball,” Krause said. “They played West Central in the region tournament and that’s a team we played and they’re pretty good. So, I think we just have to be ready because we know that the southern part of the state always has some pretty solid baseball teams.”
Groton is planning to lean on pitching and experience against Garretson.
“Our pitching has been really solid for us. We’ve got four guys in Jarret Erdmann, Gavin Englund, TC Schuster and Alex Abeln,” Krause said. “Those four guys are kind of pegged as my main four starters and they have the ability to go deep into games. They give me six innings, maybe even into the seventh innings. Then we have four or five guys that can come in for relief and give me another solid inning or two.”
The Tigers will also rely on players who are used to the big stage.
“Also, our veteran presence. We’ve got a lot of guys on our team that have played in the Legion state tournament that played last year or were a part of the team,” Krause said. “Those guys that have been around have stepped up.”
Going into the double-elimination tournament Krause has a specific message he tells his team.
“I just always say nothing changes. We sometimes think that because we get into these types of games that we have to change our approach at the plate, change our approach on the mound. I feel like we’re good enough that if we keep doing what we’re doing and keep things the same, that we’re going to be a tough out,” Krause said. “That’s why I always tell our guys nothing changes. We don’t have to change who we are. We don’t change how we play to match them. We have to play the way we play, and the scoreboard will take care of itself.”
