Sleepy Eye duo leads All-Journal baseball squad

By JIM BASTIAN

Journal Sports Writer

NEW ULM -- They may well be the finest 1-2 pitching combination in Sleepy Eye High's history.

Of their school's 25 wins (and a state Class 1A title), the pair won 19 of those games.

Hitting-wise, they averaged .340 and .431, respectively.

Together, they were Sleepy Eye High's "Dynamic Duo." Cole Deibele and Jim Eckstein are The Journal Co-Players of the Year.

Deibele posted an 11-2 record and pitched victories in the subsection, section and state championship games. In 73 1-3 innings, he fanned 74 and allowed only nine earned runs for a miniscule ERA of 0.86.

"Cole became a tremendous pitcher for us as the season went on," said Indians coach Bruce Belseth, who was named The Journal Coach of the Year. "He was the type of pitcher that when he took the mound, we knew he gave our team confidence and we knew that we had a good chance to win."

Hitting-wise, according to Belseth, Deibele may have struggled a little bit.

"He pitched a lot of innings and he may have had not as good an offensive year (.340 batting average)," Belseth said. "He did not hit as well as he did a year ago. When he pitched, he had a lot to think about and probably was not as good of a hitter as he could have been had he not had to pitch so many innings for us. (But) he is the type of player that you want on your side when the game is on the line."

Eckstein, who was selected to the Lion's All-Star team and was also named to the Tomahawk Conference and all-state academic teams, picked up pitching wins in the section semifinals and state semifinals. His pitching record was perfect with an 8-0 mark and an ERA of 1.31. In 58 2-3 innings, Eckstein struck out 70 opponent hitters.

At the plate, he carried a robust .431 batting average and drove in 34 runs.

"Jimmy had a tremendous season," commented Belseth. "When he went on the mound, we were going to win the game. He is a strong-armed pitcher that needed a little more rest. But when he got that rest for us, he did the job every time out."

Belseth said the left-handed hitting Eckstein "really hit the ball well for us. Early in the season, his hitting was just unbelievable and as the season went along, his hitting may have tapered off a little. But I attribute that to not only the pressure that the kids went through but also, like Cole, the number of innings that he pitched may have taken its toll."

Deibele and Eckstein have each been three-year starters for Belseth who, since 1990, has posted a record of 155-81 as head coach.

Belseth knows players like Deibele and Eckstein do not come along every day.

"When you look at Class A baseball, to have one good pitcher to carry your team all season is nice," he said. "To have two like Cole and Jimmy ... we know that we always have two and that is just a great feeling."

And Belseth knows the excellence both displayed on the athletic fields in their careers mirrors what they mean to the town of Sleepy Eye.

"I hope that the kids who play baseball for Sleepy Eye in the future ... saw what Cole and Jim did on the mound and on the field," Belseth said.

"But if you can walk down the halls of Sleepy Eye High School and you can get as good of grades as these two get, if you can be as athletes as they are and if you can be as good as citizens as these two are, win or lose, you can't ask for anything more as a coach."

The All-Journal Area Baseball Team

LOREN HAVEMEIER, SLEEPY EYE HIGH: Havemeier is without a doubt the finest all-around athlete to ever play in the town of Sleepy Eye. This season, he hit .460 and had 121 career hits. He was named to the All-Tomahawk Conference team and was also tabbed to the Tomahawk and all-state academic teams. "He has been a mainstay of Indian baseball for four years," Belseth said.

MIKE NACHREINER, SLEEPY EYE HIGH: Nachreiner caught both Eckstein and Deibele and hit .346 while allowing only eight passed balls all season. He had a huge home run in the state championship game. "He is an excellent student who took control of our pitching staff," Belseth said.

CODY WALTER, SLEEPY EYE HIGH: Just a sophomore, who possesses as much speed as Havemeier, he hit .441 in 2000 and for his career has stolen 26 base in 27 attempts. "He puts pressure on opponents with his speed," Belseth said.

BRYAN WEISS, SLEEPY EYE HIGH: The senior first baseman hit .326 and had no errors at first base. "Bryan was critical to our defense; he saved many errors by his play at first," Belseth said.

CHRIS MIELKE, MINNESOTA VALLEY LUTHERAN: Mielke hit .448 IN 2000 and had a slugging percentage of .552. In 58 at-bats, he struck out only five times and had 14 stolen bases.

EVAN JACOBS, NEW ULM HIGH: Jacobs was a solid lead-off hitter and center fielder for the Eagles. In 2000, he hit .387 and was second on the Eagles in hits with 29.

SCOTT O'BRIEN, NEW ULM HIGH: O'Brien led the Eagles in hitting with a .431 average. His 23 RBI led the team and scored 26 runs. He also led New Ulm High in triples with seven.

AL WURTZBERGER, NEW ULM HIGH: The Eagles' catcher batted .346 and led the team in walks with 24. In 59 at-bats, he fanned only twice and was the team's leading base-stealer with eight.

RYAN WELLMANN, NEW ULM HIGH: Wellmann led the Eagles pitching staff with a solid 11-1 record. In 75 innings, he struck out 73 and had a 1.39 ERA -- lowest on the team.

MATT HRANICKA, McLEOD WEST: Hranicka was "a workhorse on the mound for us and led us to a third-place finish in the (Tomahawk) Conference," said Falcons coach Dave Wendlandt. He hit .347 in 2000 and had 14 RBI.

JOEY SCHUGEL: NEW ULM CATHEDRAL: Schugel hit .321 in 2000 and could be one of the best shortstops to come out of New Ulm when his career ends.

ADAM ARMBRUSTER, SLEEPY EYE ST. MARY'S: Armbruster hit .419 in 2000 for the Knights with 18 RBI. "He had a great year after sitting out last year because of an injury," said St. Mary's coach Bruce Woitas.

ANDY KONZ, SLEEPY EYE ST. MARY'S: Konz hit .386 in 2000 and led the green and gold with 23 RBI.

DAN SCHWARTZ, SLEEPY EYE ST. MARY'S: The left-handed pitcher had a 3.35 ERA in 2000. "He had a good year. He lost two games 1-0 and 2-1 -- in the 2-1 loss he gave up only one hit." commented Woitas.

JESSE TOLLEFSON, Springfield/Cedar Mountain/Comfrey: Tollefson was the Tigers' top hitter and pitcher in 2000. On the mound, he was 3-4 with a 1.64 ERA. At the plate, he hit .298 and had an on-base percentage of .421.

HONORABLE MENTION: Minnesota Valley Lutheran: Tom Metzger, Luke Asleson; New Ulm High: Craig Spelbrink; McLeod West: Brandon Karg, Travis Mons; New Ulm Cathedral: Mike Hall, Aaron Kiecker; Sleepy Eye St. Mary's: Chad Armbruster; Springfield/Cedar Mountain/Comfrey: Adam Luckhardt.