Zumbrota-Mazeppa in First-Ever State Baseball Tournament

MSHSL State High School Baseball Tournaments are slated to begin Thursday, June 13, 2024 at various locations in the state.

Class 1A and Class 2A  contests are played at fields next to each other in St. Cloud,

Class 3A games are at Chaska Athletic Park.  Class 4a competes at CHS Field in St. Paul.

Zumbrota-Mazeppa (17-7) is making their first-ever trip to state in baseball after winning Section 1 Class 2A in southeast Minnesota.  The Cougars did not win their Hiawatha Valley League Conference but it definitely makes them battle tested.

Three of the nine teams in the league are Class 3A schools.  Stewartville won the conference with Byron and Z-M tying for second place.  Byron and Stewartville, along with Kasson-Mantorville are Class 3A schools.

All but one team in the H-V-L had double digit wins this season and that one school is a tradition-rich baseball school, Rochester Lourdes.

The Cougars come into the state tournament with a team batting average of .339, on base percentage of .436.  averaging 9.6 hits, 7.4 runs per game with 57 of their 230 hits going for extra bases.

Eight Z-M players are batting over .300 led by Preston Ohm, Senior, batting .500 while playing in all 24 games.  His on base percentage is .567.  Ohm has 38 hits, leads the team with 8 home runs and 34 RBI.

Classmate Hunter Streit is batting .400 after playing every game with .479 on base percentage.  He has 32 hits, 22 RBI.

Jack Krier, Senior, has also played in every game, hitting .391 with .465 on base percentage, 39 hits, leads teams in runs scored with 33 and stolen bases with 28.  Krier has only been thrown out twice attempting to steal a base.

Preston Ohm is 8 for 8 in stolen bases, Streit is 11 for 11.  Zumbrota-Mazeppa team totals in stolen bases is eye popping 104 out of 107.

Four pitchers have logged over 22 innings led by Hunter Ohm, Sophomore (Preston's brother) with 44 innings pitched.  Hunter has a 9-0 record allowing 24 hits, 15 runs, 10 earned with 10 walks, 90 strikeouts, 36 looking.  ERA is 1.579.  Opponent batting average .147.

Kaleb Lochner, Senior, has thrown in 35 2/3 innings from the mound, started 3 games, has a 4-1 record with 2 saves, 43 hits allowed, 20 runs, 19 earned, 7 walks, 36 strikeouts, 13 looking.  ERA 1.402.

Preston Ohm has pitched in 29 innings with 7 starts.  He is 1-3, giving up 19 hits, 22 runs, 17 earned with 20 walks, 50 strikeouts, 21 looking.  ERA 1.345.  Opponent batting average .181.

Streit has pitched 22 innings with one start,  He is 1-0 with 2 saves. Has allowed 26 hits, 13 runs, 12 earned with 10 walks, 24 strikeouts, 9 looking.  ERA 1.636.

Zumbrota-Mazeppa has 27 errors in 24 games this season.  Opponents are 80 of 84 in stolen bases.  Team ERA is 3.47.  Opponent batting average is .231.

The #5 seed Cougars first opponent, #4 seed Foley Falcons (21-4) were at state last year and are riding a 10 game winning streak.  The Falcons have shut out 6 opponents this season.  Losses to Pierz, Holdingford, Becker and Little Falls.

Foley is Granite Ridge Conference Champions, edging Pierz in the 8-team league that sports 6 of their teams with double digit wins and some 3A schools (Little Falls is in State 3A tournament).

The game is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Dick Putz Field in St. Cloud.

First game of the day features #2 seed Rockford Rockets (23-5) from Wright County West Conference going up against Blake Bears (14-10) out of the Independent Metro Athletic Conference whish has 6 teams.  Providence Academy won that league.  First pitch is scheduled for 10:00 a.m.

12:30 p.m. #3 seed Perham Yellowjackets (22-2) face Le Sueur-Henderson Giants   (19-5).  The Yellowjackets won the Heart O' Lakes Conference while the Giants reside in the Minnesota River Conference.  Both leagues have seven teams.

3:00 p.m. top seed Esko Eskomoes (24-3) got a tough random draw in Montevideo Hawks (20-5).  Eskomoes are defending state champions and play in Polar League which Silver Bay won (10 teams).

Hawks finished behind Minnewaska Area in 8-team West Central Conference.

This is Rockford's first-ever trip to state in baseball.  Blake is making their second trip (2014).  Le Sueur-Henderson is also enjoying their first journey as Le Sueur-Henderson.  Le Sueur participated in 1979.

Perham was runner-up last year.  This is their 11th trip.  This is Esko's third journey to state.

Montevideo has 5 visits to state with the most recent in 1996.