Braham Snappers have good mix of experienced players

Despite the early season struggles, the Braham Snappers Town Ball team has some notable young talent, while also owning a good mix of experienced players.

That is a combination that can lead to success, according to assistant coach Andy Beckstrom.

Beckstrom said Ty Stepp has been “integral” toward what Beckstrom and his staff are building for the future.

“He’s very flexible, he can play just about wherever. He’s a solid pitcher, a great catcher, he’s played about five different positions probably so far this season,” Beckstrom said.

A pair of twins from Rush City, Noah and Nathan Pace, are “good kids to have around, and like playing baseball and being involved in the dugout,” Beckstrom said. “They’re good ball players on top of that.”

The Snappers recently gained a valuable addition in Caleb Schusted, one who just graduated from Braham Area High School last year.

“He’s a pitcher, he pitches [in a junior college] down in Oklahoma, he had a little bit of an injury bug that derailed him a bit, but he’s been playing very well for us and we are looking forward to him being able to throw a little bit more for us,” Beckstrom said.

Beckstrom notes that the ability of his players to play multiple positions is a core strength of the team, while also having a blend of veterans who have been around since the Snappers’ inception nine years ago.

“We’re starting to have some of the local Braham kids give it more of a shot and have them latch on, so we’re sort of in the midst of turning the roster over in hopefully a positive and constructive way,” Beckstrom said. “It’s a good mix of young and old, and it always makes for a fun day at the ballpark.”

With the Snappers sitting at the bottom of the Eastern Minny North standings with an 0-7 record as of July 27, Beckstrom detailed his expectations prior to the start of the season, and explains how those expectations have changed over the course of the summer.

“Going into the season, we felt like we had finished off last season pretty good. We got a couple of wins late in the season and a few wins in the tournament to make a little bit of a run there. If we win just one more game, we’re in the top half of the league in the postseason,” Beckstrom said.

“We don’t always have the pieces every week, which is probably what our record reflects. But when we have all of our guys in there competing, well, we’re kind of a team to be reckoned with. So some of the concerns would be the depth in the pitching group and inconsistency in guys being present,” Beckstrom said.

“We have some guys that can throw, but not everyone can either. When everyone isn’t there, it makes it a challenge and we go out there and do the best we can. You have to score runs, and you have to pitch well in order to win some games.

“But as far as expectations go, we were hoping to be competitive in most of the games that we play in, the biggest thing is we want to have fun and to have a good time and be competitive where we can. But the goal is to also win some games along the way.”