Knights make second consecutive trip to state

By BOB VARMETTE

Journal Sports Writer

SLEEPY EYE -- It looked like just another practice. You likely never would have guessed the first game of the Class 1A state baseball tournament was less than two days away.

The sky was blue, the breeze was pleasant. Tuesday evening was a perfectly nice, relaxing evening to throw the ball around a little bit.

Maybe you can do that when you're playing in the state tournament for the second year in a row. But that's actually not entirely correct. In fact, only three members of the Sleepy Eye St. Mary's Knights were starters when last season's team finished as the Class 1A runner-up to St. Paul St. Agnes.

Still, the Knights are not an anxious team.

"We're pretty relaxed," St. Mary's senior pitcher Chad Armbruster said. "We're just getting things together, going over situational stuff. When we get up there, we'll be ready to play. We'll know what to do."

Armbruster will know what to do, and what to expect. So will the Knights' two other returning starters -- Darrin Haala and Randy Braun.

But what about all the new guys? After all, St. Mary's lost a lot of seniors from last year's squad. Armbruster, Haala and Braun will be the ones to lead.

"I think the experience they've had has been great for this team," St. Mary's coach Bruce Woitas said. "Both Chad and Darrin, and Randy Braun, too, they've been regular varsity players since their sophomore years. They've played in three section championship games. They got the trip to the state tournament last year."

Said Haala: "We're more relaxed than the new guys, you can tell. They don't know what to expect quite yet."

But the new players in the lineup aren't exactly untested. They've helped St. Mary's through the regular season and through the Section 2-1A tournament.

The atmosphere and the anxiety of a state tournament may be a new experience for them, but playing for keeps is something they've already done.

"Playoff experience is going to be huge for us," Armbruster said. "We only have three starters from last year, but we had that experience and it's huge. We've won five games straight in the playoffs and I think the new guys that have come up are doing a real good job."

St. Mary's (17-8) will meet Mayer Lutheran (22-3) in the quarterfinals at 12:30 p.m. today at The Mini-Met in Jordan. It's the Knights' fourth appearance in the state tournament, and their second straight.

But this is a different team than the team that went 25-2 in 2001. The 2002 Knights are not the offensive machine last year's squad was.

This team's strength is its pitching. Armbruster and Haala, Woitas has maintained all season long, gives the Knights the luxury of having two No. 1 pitchers.

When it's three games for the rest of your life, that may make the Knights more of a threat to win their first state championship than their record would indicate, and give the town of Sleepy Eye its second baseball title in three years. Sleepy Eye High won the 2000 Class 1A crown.

"I've been very fortunate, very spoiled as a coach to have over the years good, quality pitchers," Woitas said. "And when you have Chad and Darrin with three years of getting varsity experience on the mound, and being able to take that out to the pitcher's mound each game, you're thinking a couple of runs is all we're going to need. But we still have to make the plays behind them defensively and you still have to put the ball in play offensively."

Both Armbuster and Haala are seniors. Both were named to the Class 1A all-tournament team last season.

Each enters this year's state tournament at 6-0. Armbruster has 84 strike outs with a 1.74 ERA. Haala fanned 66 and has a 2.19 ERA.

In their varsity careers, the two are a combined 29-3. All three of the losses have come in the postseason.

Both want the ball. Both believe the Knights have some unfinished business to take care of.

My arm is really good," Haala said. "I should be able to throw as many innings as I have to. I'm confident. ... I know what we have to do."

Added Armbruster: "I'm just really excited to play again in the state tournament. I'm looking to have a lot of fun and get done what we didn't get finished last year."

Mayer Lutheran counters with two quality pitchers of its own.

Matt Lane is a power pitcher with a fastball in the mid- to upper-80s. In 2002, he was 7-3 with a 1.47 ERA with 76 strike outs.

Corey Hawkinson is the control pitcher. He's 7-0 with a 2.35 ERA and 33 strike outs.

Woitas said the Knights are ready to face either of the Crusaders' top pitchers. And relaxed.

"We've challenged ourselves till the end of the year again and these guys came through when they had to," Woitas said. "In one playoff game, we had an ugly win. But the kids still found a way to get it done and you have to be able to do that this time of the year."