Aberdeen Circus Sports Bar has prepped as well as it can and now it is time to for the final exams.
The amateur baseball squad has sought out the stiffest competition to help it prepare for the upcoming State A tournament that starts this weekend. Circus meets Renner Saturday night in the opening round of the double-elimination tourney.
“This year we kind of went out of our way to go play some of the other A teams,” said Circus manager Ryan Ellingson. “We went out and played the Sioux Falls Brewers, perennially one of the top two teams, usually. We went to Valley City again. We’ve just seen some better pitching this year, so I feel like we’re probably a little more prepared to see some of the arms that we usually see at state.”
Ellingson said that the squad is playing well heading into the state tourney. Circus features a balanced attack throughout its lineup.
“I think you can go and up down our order, the majority of our team is batting over .300,” Ellingson said.
He was quick to point out that some of that occurred against Class B squads who usually don’t have the pitching depth that most Class A teams do.
Circus has added a pair of pickup players from Castlewood for the stretch run.
Aberdeen will face an athletic squad in the Renner Monarchs in the first round.
“I know they’re fast. They steal a lot of bases,” Ellingson said. “They hit the ball really well.”
He said the Monarchs have traditionally been among the top teams in the state.
“They’re always a tough opponent,” Ellingson said.
Ellingson is hoping that facing some of the strongest arms throughout the region during the season will help the squad to be able to come through when it matters now that the postseason is here.
“That’s kind of been our Achillies heel. We can get runners on base, we just haven’t got the big hits in the past,” Ellingson said. “Hopefully, we’re a little more prepared seeing some different arms.”
Ellingson said that Circus has relied on defense and pitching in the past. He said timely hitting will also be a pivotal factor during the state tourney.
“We don’t have the power arms that we’ve had in the past, so defense and obviously clutch hitting. That’s going to be the biggest thing for us,” Ellingson said. “We can usually get guys on base, it’s just getting that big hit, knocking in a couple of runs early. Just continuing to push some runs across, so put a little pressure on the other team.”
Circus will face either Brookings or the Rapid City Diamondbacks on Sunday in the second round. Aberdeen needs to win at least one game this weekend to advance to next week’s final rounds in Mitchell.
