All eyes are on Monticello baseball. After a 2-2 start to the 2024 campaign, the Magic shook off the dust and went on a seven-game winning streak. They are now 9-3 and 8-2 against Mississippi 8 opponents.
The eight conference wins have Monticello sitting on top of the Mississippi 8 as of Monday but they have more losses than the two teams directly behind them. Becker is 7-0 in conference play and Princeton is 7-1.
Both teams are on Monticello’s schedule this week. The Magic have a chance at revenge. Their only two conference losses were to the Bulldogs and Tigers, back in mid-April. This time, the Magic get to play host. Monticello played Princeton on Tuesday afternoon and weather permitting, the Magic host the Bulldogs at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday.
A big reason for the seven-game heater was clean defense and timely hitting, “early in the year, we were always trying to find out who can do what and we are getting closer to establishing roles,” said Coach Cole Deibele. “Also, we started hitting and (after Big Lake) the most runs we gave up in a game was two behind solid pitching and defense. That’s a good recipe for success.”
Offense was never the question with this team, it was the unknown depth of the pitching staff after all the innings they lost to graduation last year. 2024 Monticello High School graduates Cal Ulven (51 innings pitched) and Tyler Bitz (37 innings) led the staff in innings and ERA in 2023.
Stepping up to cover the losses of Ulven and Bitz have been freshman Carson Deibele (2.00 ERA) and junior Tim Marcus (2.67 ERA). They lead the Magic with 21 innings pitched are tied with senior Nick Anderson for a team-high two wins.
Junior Koen Schlangen has recently returned from injury and has provided the Magic with a pitching boost. In seven innings, Schlangen has allowed just one earned run. Seniors Trevor Dahlke and Keegan Ellis have also pitched multiple innings.
On Tuesday, April 30, Monticello beat Buffalo 5-1. The next day they dominated Zimmerman 13-1. On Friday, May 3, Monticello won their seventh straight game after taking down St. Francis 10-1.
Senior Tyson Visness was 1-for-3 with a double, a walk and three RBI against the Bison. Junior Brock Holthaus was 2-for-4 with a run scored. Anderson (W) went the distance on the mound. He allowed just four hits and one unearned run. He walked one and struck out two on 83 pitches.
Monticello only needed five innings to beat Zimmerman thanks to the 10-run rule on Wednesday, May 1. After a three-run first, the Magic scored five runs each in the second and third innings to send the Thunder home sad.
Brock Holthaus legged out two triples and scored twice. Junior Easton Peters went 2-for-2 with a triple, three RBI and two runs. Visness, Schlangen, Marcus and Anderson all recorded a double. Freshman Cale Holthaus (2-for-3) tied Peters for a game-high three RBI. Senior Caden King didn’t record an official at-bat thanks to a keen eye at the plate. He drew three walks and scored twice.
Schlangen (W) didn’t allow a run in three innings on 41 pitches. He struck out four. Ellis allowed one run in two innings to pair with two Ks on just 22 pitches.
The Saints didn’t put up much of a fight against the Magic on Friday, May 3. Deibele (W) struck out two in five innings of work and only allowed one unearned run. Marcus struck out three batters in two innings out of the bullpen.
Monticello trailed 1-0 entering the bottom of the fifth against St. Francis and put up the most crooked of numbers. The Magic hung all 10 runs in one inning.
Peters rounded the bases with a two-run homer. Visness, Brock Holthaus and Cale Holthaus recorded triples. Marcus had a game-high three RBIs thanks to two doubles. King drew three more walks, stole a base and scored a run. Leadoff man Anderson was 3-for-3 with a double, a walk and a run.
The fun came to an abrupt end when the Magic lost 6-4 to Orono on Monday. Monticello committed three errors that led to four unearned runs. Schlangen (L) allowed four runs (one earned) in four innings. Dahlke allowed two runs (one earned) in two innings. They combined for a 5:3 walk-to-strikeout ratio.
However, that just means Monticello gets to start another winning streak. It would come at no better time with some big Mississippi 8 matchups this week.
After the Becker game on Thursday, Monticello has four consecutive road games. On Friday, they play Benilde-St. Margaret’s. On Tuesday, May 14, the Magic travel to Chisago Lakes and two days later they have a date with Totino-Grace. On Friday, May 17, the road trip comes to an end at St. Cloud Tech High School.
If Monticello is to win the Mississippi 8 crown for the second straight year, it is paramount that they handle business this week. Last season, the Magic won the conference by two games over Princeton. The year before, the Tigers took the M8 by one game over Monticello.
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