Minnetonka pitcher Sam Thorsesen, a University of Minnesota commit, is one of three Skippers named to the Class 4A All-State team. Photo by Mark Hvidsten, SportsEngine
The Minnesota State High School Baseball Coaches’ Association released the 2017 All-State teams on June 20 and Minnetonka led the Class 4A field with three players selected in Jimmy Ramsey, Sam Thoresen and Gus Steiger.
Ramsey, committed to Oregon, led the state with seven home runs and 34 hits, helping Minnetonka average 6.7 runs per game and compile a 17-4 regular record. Thoresen went 5-1 on the mound for the Skippers and is committed to play for Minnesota next season. Steiger was tied for second in the state with 32 hits and heads to South Dakota State to continue his playing career.
Cameron Kline and Mitch Jerde made the list for Class 4A runner up Forest Lake. Kline -- a Star Tribune All-Metro player -- tallied an 8-1 record on the hill and an 0.84 ERA that carried the Rangers to the state championship game where they fell to unseeded Eden Prairie 5-1.
Check out the complete list of selected players below:
First Name | Last Name | High School | Year in School | Best Position | Other Position |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cole | Albers | Champlin Park | Senior | SS | P |
Alex | Belch | Rochester John Marshall | Senior | P | RF |
Brock | Boltmann | Edina High School | Senior | 3B | CF |
Travis | Brown | St. Michael Albertville | Senior | P | CF |
Sam | Carlson | Burnsville | Senior | P | CF |
Avery | Lehman | Coon Rapids | Senior | CF | P |
Max | Gamm | East Ridge | Senior | SS | |
Charles | Horton | Maple Grove | Senior | 1B | P |
Jack | Husemann | Eagan | Senior | P | 1B |
Ross | Indlecoffer | Mounds View High School | Senior | 3B | 1B |
Mitch | Jerde | Forest Lake | Senior | 1B | |
Nick | Juaire | Lakeville North High School | Junior | C | |
Danny | Kapala | Eastview High School | Senior | P | |
Jack | Kelly | St. Michael Albertville | Senior | C | SS |
Cameron | Kline | Forest Lake | Senior | P | CF |
Sam | Laakso | Duluth East | Senior | P | P |
Griffin | Lanoue | Rosemount High School | Senior | P | |
Max | Meyer | Woodbury High School | Senior | P | SS |
Ryan | Nickel | Mounds View High School | Senior | SS | 2B |
Will | Oberg | Wayzata | Senior | P | 1B |
Trent | Palmer | Anoka | Senior | P | SS |
Jimmy | Ramsey | Minnetonka | Senior | RF | P |
Sam | Riola | Blaine | Senior | P | SS |
Cody | Spahr | Tartan High School | Senior | P | |
Gus | Steiger | Minnetonka | Senior | 2B | SS |
Ronnie | Sweeny | Woodbury High School | Senior | 1B | |
Sam | Thoresen | Minnetonka | Senior | P |
Milwaukee Brewers prospect and St. Cloud State commit, Trevor Koenig, led a group of four All-State selections for St. Cloud Tech, the most of any team in the state regardless of class.
Koenig was 10-0 and boasted a 0.97 ERA through section play as a central piece of the Tigers when they 25-0, until they were upset 9-4 by Hibbing in the Class 3A quarterfinals. Chris Backes (22 RBI, .494), Logan Aleshire (2 HR, 28 RBI, .333) and Ethan Hopper (6 HR, 43 RBI, .443) join Koenig on the list.
Bemidji features three players on the list, further adding to the northern prominence in Class 3A.
Minnesota commit Otto Grimm maintained peak numbers as one of the state’s top performers, batting .507 and tallying five home runs and 31 RBI that tied him for most in the state during the regular season. An effective base runner, he also tied for second with 21 stolen bases and third in runs (32).
Senior Jared Young hit for .500 on the season and was second in the state behind Grimm with 29 RBI. Fellow graduate Caleb Carlson caps the Lumberjacks’ presence on the list after batting .427 and knocking a team-high 14 doubles at the plate.
Check out the complete list of selected players below:
First Name | Last Name | High School | Year in School | Best Position | Other Position |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Logan | Aleshire | St Cloud Tech High School | Senior | 3B | P |
Chris | Belling | Sartell | Senior | P | |
Matt | Brooks | Benilde-St Margaret's | Senior | SS | P |
Anders | Brown | Chisago Lakes | Senior | SS | |
Caleb | Carlson | Bemidji High School | Senior | 1B | P |
Travis | Carruth | Hibbing High School | Senior | P | CF |
Chris | Backes | St Cloud Tech High School | Senior | CF | 3B |
Dylan | Criquet-Danielson | Marshall | Senior | SS | CF |
Derek | Drees | Benilde St Margarets | Senior | P | |
Jacob | Drew | Alexandria Area High School | Senior | RF | |
Ryan | Duffy | South St. Paul | Senior | P | P |
Evan | Furst | Mankato West | Senior | P | P |
Otto | Grimm | Bemidji High School | Junior | CF | P |
Bjorn | Hanson | Sauk Rapids-RIce | Senior | 2B | |
Ethan | Hopper | St Cloud Tech High School | Senior | 1B | |
William | Huls | ROCORI High School | Senior | CF | LF |
Brenden | Knoll | Kasson-Mantorville | Senior | RF | P |
Trevor | Koenig | St Cloud Tech High School | Senior | P | |
Hunter | Koep | Northfield | Senior | 1B | |
Rob | Meidl | Mankato West | Senior | C | 3B |
Peter | Nelson | St. Cloud Apollo | Senior | CF | P |
Mason | Penske | Marshall | Senior | SS | 3B |
Erik | Swenson | Bloomington Kennedy | Senior | C | |
Austin | Weisz | Little Falls | Senior | CF | |
Jared | Young | Bemidji High School | Senior | C | LF |
Nick | Zwack | Monticello | Senior | P | 1B |
Pierz's Lane Girtz collected six hits in the Class 2A tournament. Photo by Taylor Lunemann, SportsEngine
Back-to-back state tournament qualifiers Pierz and Belle Plaine led Class 2A with two All-State selections each.
Lane Girtz hit 6-10 for the Pioneers in the state tournament where they fell 6-4 to Minnehaha Academy in the championship game. Matthew Tautges tossed a four-hit shutout and drove in the deciding run with a walk-off single in Pierz’s 1-0 win over Duluth Marshall in the semifinals as evidence of his selection.
Nathan Herman and Brody Curtiss carried Belle Plaine on the hill and back to the state tournament with a 20-2 record before falling to 8-4 Duluth Marshall in the quarterfinals. Herman, the Tigers’ ace, went 7-2 in that span and owned a .076 ERA into the state tournament. Curtiss was 5-0 on the mound this year and led his team with three home runs.
Check out the complete list of selected players below:
First Name | Last Name | High School | Year in School |
---|---|---|---|
John | Aase | Proctor | Senior |
Jackson | Baird | Providence Academy | Senior |
Brady | Braaten | Pine Island | Senior |
Ryan | Christopher | Jackson County Central | Senior |
Carter | Clemensen | Norwood Young America | Senior |
Brody | Curtiss | Belle Plaine | Senior |
Emerson | Egly | St. Paul Academy and Summit School | Senior |
Alex | Evenson | Minnehaha Academy | Senior |
Henry | George | New Life Academy | Senior |
Lane | Girtz | Pierz High School | Senior |
Nathan | Herman | Belle Plaine | Senior |
Eric | Hinnenkamp | Long Prairie- Grey Eagle | Senior |
Michael | Jensen | Holy Family Catholic | Senior |
Jake | Larson | Crosby-Ironton | Senior |
Kaylan | Legred | Blue Earth Area | Senior |
Joe | Macken | Rochester Lourdes | Senior |
Hunter | Malachek | Maple Lake High School | Senior |
Dallas | McBroom | Waterville-Elysian-Morristown | Senior |
Cole | Pengilly | Le Sueur-Henderson | Senior |
Tyler | Peterson | Esko | Junior |
Nathan | Psyck | Royalton | Senior |
Gavin | Roosen | Kenyon-Wanamingo | Senior |
Matt | Tautges | Pierz High School | Senior |
Joe | Vondracheck | St. Croix Prep Academy | Senior |
Beau | Wilmer | Warroad | Senior |
Noah | Winkelman | Foley | Senior |
Coming off its first state tournament appearance and a consolation championship in 2016, Legacy Christian made another postseason run to the Class 1A title game with the help of All-State honorees Lucas Nelson, Josh Peterson and Ethan Mocchi.
Nelson and Peterson were the Lions’ one-two punch on the mound as both pitchers compiled 6-1 records and 50 or more strikeouts in the regular season with Mocchi behind the plate. Peterson led the Class 1A tournament with six hits, five runs and also hit .545 in the tournament.
Check out the complete list of selected players below:
First Name | Last Name | High School | Year in School |
---|---|---|---|
Lukas | Adelman | Graceville | Senior |
Chad | Benham | Deer River High School | Senior |
Taylor | Bunting | Red Rock Central | Senior |
Josh | Casavan | Red Lake County | Senior |
Adam | Durfee | Canby Public Schools | Senior |
Adam | Fjerstad | Hayfield High School | Senior |
Branden | Flock | Springfield | Senior |
Evan | Gray | Carlton High School | Senior |
Seth | Halvorsen | Heritage Christian Academy | Junior |
Kobe | Holtz | Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City | Junior |
Ethan | Hurn | Martin Luther High School | Senior |
Andrew | Johnson | Parkers Prairie | Senior |
Kasey | Kuck | New Ulm Cathedral | Senior |
Devan | Liebl | Wabasso | Senior |
Alex | Loosbrock | Adrian High School | Senior |
Ethan | Mocchi | Legacy Christian Academy | Senior |
Lucas | Nelson | Legacy Christian Academy | Senior |
Cole | Pankonin | Red Rock Central | Senior |
Josh | Peterson | Legacy Christian Academy | Senior |
Derek | Shoen | truman high school | Junior |
Reed | Stadther | BOLD | Senior |
Brad | Staska | Blooming Prairie High School | Junior |
Jaxson | Willis | Deer River High School | Senior |
The All-State teams are organized by a committee coaches around the state that determine the list based upon players' regular season performance.