No. 3 seed Lyle/Pacelli takes aim at Class 1A state baseball title after finishing second a year ago (2024)

AUSTIN, Minn. — The Lyle/Austin Pacelli baseball team is hoping to take care of some unfinished business from last year’s Class 1A state tournament.

The Athletics made a run all the way to the state championship game in 2023 only to suffer a 3-2 loss to Fosston. L/P returns to state this season with a veteran team and with a state title on its mind after coming so close a year ago.

“It movitated us from the offseason workouts that the boys did,” Lyle/Pacelli coach Brock Meyer said. “They all have stuff on their phones that they look at every day, whether it’s an article about the loss or whatnot.

“I don’t know if they expected to be in that situation last year, but this year they expect it."

And with a dynamic 1-2 pitching punch, the Athletics should be a title contender. L/P (22-2) is the No. 3 seed and will face unseeded East Grand Forks Sacred Heart (19-3), the Section 8 champion, in the state quarterfinals at 1 p.m. Thursday at Joe Faber Field in St. Cloud.

“We’re just going to worry about ourselves and play the best we can,” Meyer said.

L/P has six returning starters, including its top two pitchers.

“We’re excited and the kids kind of know what to expect when we get there and (know) the playing field,” Meyer said. “Being in those spots really helps, even to help calm the younger kids down a little bit. We just have to take care of business and not get too worried about it.”

Hard-throwing right-hander Hunter VaDeer will start on the mound in the quarterfinals for L/P. The junior, who is committed to Division I Creighton University in Nebraska, is 9-0 with two saves, a 1.15 ERA and a whopping 115 strikeouts in just 54⅔ innings. He has also allowed just 16 hits.

“Hunter always gives us a chance,” Meyer said.

VaDeer posted a win in the state quarterfinals a year ago and Isaac Nelsen followed with a win in the semifinals. That could be the same formula in this tournament. Nelsen (7-0, three saves, 0.57 ERA) is slated to start in the second state game for L/P. The right-handed Nelsen, who plans to play college baseball at Division III St. John's University, has struck out 87 in 49 ⅓ innings.

“If we can score four or five runs a game, with our pitching staff, I have full confidence that we’ll win games,” Meyer said. “It’s just coming up with some clutch hits and doing our job with some situational hitting.”

L/P has had stellar overall pitching this season. Led by VaDeer and Nelsen, the Athletics have a staff ERA of 1.18 and have held opponents to a .141 batting average. Dane Schara (3-1, two saves, 1.14 ERA) is the No. 3 pitcher for the Athletics.

“At some point we’ll need him to come in and pitch,” Meyer said.

Meyer said a key for the L/P offense will be to get good production from the top of the order.

VaDeer has also been a hitting force with a .462 average, five home runs, five doubles, three triples and 30 RBIs.

Some of the team’s other top hitters include juniors Landon Meyer (.479 average, 12 doubles, 13 RBIs) and Logyn Brooks (.385, seven doubles, 20 RBIs) and seniors Schara (.344, 14 RBIs) and Nelsen (.299, 20 RBIs).

Coach Meyer said Brooks played perhaps his best ball of the season at last year’s state tournament.

Despite their experience, the Athletics also have a couple of eighth-graders who play, including shortstop Grady Meyer, who like Landon Meyer is the son of the coach.

Cherry is the No. 1 seed in the tournament. If L/P wins in the quarterfinals, it would face the winner of No. 2 Parkers Prairie and unseeded Heritage Christian Academy in the state semifinals at 11 a.m. Friday in St. Cloud. The Class 1A state title game is at 10 a.m. on Monday, June 17, at Target Field in Minneapolis.

Baseball state pairings and results

Guy N. Limbeck is a Rochester native who has been working at a daily newspaper since 1981. He has worked at the Post Bulletin since 1999. Readers can reach Guy at 507-285-7724 or glimbeck@postbulletin.com.