Giants close magical season with 4th place finish at state

The 2024 Le Sueur-Henderson baseball team began the year with high expectations and at every stage of the season, they met or exceeded the goals of the team along the way. With many people counting the Giants out in the opening round as they faced perennial powerhouse Perham, the defending state runner up, they rose to the occasion, earning a stunning first round victory before losses to Rockford and Esko cemented the Giants as the fourth-place finisher in the state.

“To play the number one, the number two and the number three teams in the state tournament and win one of them and compete in the other ones, I think that’s pretty dang good considering everyone counted us out when we were coming into this thing,” LS-H head coach Zac Weber said after the conclusion of the tournament.

With the fourth place finish at state, the best in Le Sueur-Henderson baseball history, this Giants team will go down in history as they posted a 20-7 record.

Game 1: Le Sueur-Henderson — 9, Perham — 1

The Giants earned a first-round matchup with the No. 3 seeded Perham Yellowjackets, a team that has competed in four of the last five MSHSL State Tournaments as well as finishing second last season. The pedigree of the Yellowjackets proved no match for the enthusiasm and hunger of LS-H which got the crowd, led by a large contingent of Giants fans, behind them on the way to a 9-1 victory.

Senior Logan Feeney started the game on the hill for LS-H and pitched six and two-thirds innings, allowing seven hits and one run while striking out nine batters and only walking three. Sophomore Peyton Tellijohn entered the game for the final out of the game.

After two scoreless innings that saw both teams work through the lineup, a pitch got away from the Perham pitcher to hit Ethan Hathaway, putting the leadoff hitter on base. Sam Gupton followed the HBP with a liner to left that found a gap, putting runners at first and second with no outs.

Feeney placed a sacrifice bunt along the first base line that advanced Gupton and Hathaway and with Tellijohn at the plate, a wild pitch got to the backstop that allowed Ethan to slide safely home, making the Yellowjackets pay for the HBP. Tellijohn then ripped a hit to the third baseman deep in the hole which scored Gupton and allowed Tellijohn to reach safely.

Junior Brody Berndt followed that up with a monster triple into the right centerfield gap that put the Giants up 3-0. In the top of the fourth inning, a signature of the Hathaway and Gupton pairing at the top of the lineup saw back-to-back doubles witch extended the LS-H lead before Feeney added another run with an RBI single.

In the top of the sixth inning, the Giants continued to add to their lead in a bizarre moment that saw a bases loaded infield fly score Talen Schwandt from third when the Perham shortstop failed to catch the ball. Because the runners are allowed to advance at their discretion on an infield fly, the gamble for all of them to go paid off after the ball got caught up in the wind.

The Yellowjackets scored their lone run of the day in the bottom of the sixth inning with a double and a two-out RBI single, but an RBI double from Gupton got the run back for LS-H in the seventh. In the bottom of the seventh, Perham was able to load the bases with two outs after a walk, but Tellijohn took to the mound and got the final out on a liner to right.

“Feeney threw an absolute gem today,” said Weber after the win. “It was just a matter of whose bats got hot, and we are hot right now.”

Gupton finished the game 4-5 from the plate with four RBI’s with seven of the remaining eight Giants starters each added one hit.

Game 2: Rockford — 7, Le Sueur-Henderson — 3

The following morning, LS-H returned to the diamond against the No. 2 seeded Rockford Rockets with the trip to the MSHSL State Championship game on the line. The Rockford bats struck early and often though, on the way to a 12-hit, seven run victory over the Giants.

The Rockets scored a pair of runs in the bottom of the first and one more in the top of the second to take an early 3-0 edge. In the top of the third inning, LS-H got a response with Hathaway reaching on an error at shortstop before Gupton ripped an RBI double to right.

Feeney drew a walk before Tellijohn hit a fielder’s choice that scored Gupton. With Feeney at third, a passed ball allowed him to tie the game at 3-3 after sliding under the tag at home.

Those would prove to be the only runs that the Giants would muster though and in the bottom of the fourth and bottom of the fifth, Rockford scored two runs in each to take and hold on for the 7-3 win. As a result, LS-H would play later in the day in the third-place game.

Game 3: Esko — 4, Le Sueur-Henderson — 1

In the third place matchup, the Giants found themselves against the No. 1 seed and defending state champion Esko. The LS-H bats struggled to get going while Esko built an early 4-0 lead through the first three innings.

The Giants did score a run in the bottom of the fourth inning when Berndt drove an RBI single to left that scored Feeney. That would prove to be the final run of the game though as the two teams combined for just 11 hits in the game and when the final out was recorded, LS-H would end its season as the fourth place team in the state.

The historic conclusion to the season is also the conclusion to the careers of nine seniors who will go down as pioneers of LS-H baseball. Gavin Schwarz, Ethan Hathaway, Sam Gupton, Talen Schwandt, Logan Feeney, Brogan McMillen, Connor Schultz, Braylon Hoffman and Ian Nelson will all go down as seniors on the first ever MSHSL State Tournament team for Le Sueur-Henderson.