Head coach Bobby DeWitt of the Wayzata High baseball team is always looking for new ways to motivate his team, and he might have hit on the highest level of motivation this season.
The Trojans are 14-0 late in the season and the message before every game is: “We’re 0-0. Play this game like it’s the state championship game.”
That’s what it felt like when the Trojans traveled to Minnetonka May 11 for a Saturday morning Lake Conference showdown. The Trojans needed a win to earn at least a share of the Lake championship. It was mission accomplished in an hour and 49 minutes as Wayzata won a pitchers’ duel 2-1.
Senior righthander Riley Leatherman started on the mound for the Trojans and scattered six hits over six innings for the victory. Junior righthander Noah Filer finished with a scoreless inning in relief.
After the game, Leatherman said, “The first time we played Minnetonka, I threw about 60 percent sliders. Today I used my fastball more. Minnetonka is a very good team that has a lot of quality at-bats. It’s a lot easier for me to stay in it when it’s a close game. My adrenaline was going. Noah [Filer] is an incredible bullpen weapon, and I had a lot of confidence in him to finish the game.”
“The thing that makes Wayzata’s pitchers tough is that they get so many strikeouts,” Minnetonka head coach Paul Twenge said after the game. “Offensively, they have a lot of good two-strike hitters.”
Senior first baseman Brady Lash led Wayzata’s offense with two hits, one of them a bunt single down the third-base line.
It was a two-strike, two-out infield hit by third baseman Tyler Gullickson that produced the go-ahead run in the top of the seventh inning. Minnetonka shortstop Will Koeppen did well to flag down a hard grounder deep behind second base, but with Gullickson’s speed down the line, there was no point in making a throw.
“There wasn’t a moment in the game when we felt panicked,” coach DeWitt said. “Our success this season speaks to the family we have built. We have so many quality kids. Riley Leatherman and Brady Lash are three-year varsity players. Gaard Swenson, Sam Mohs, Matthew Berkland and Michael Reem are two-year starters.”
The Trojans might have lost some momentum when Mohs was forced to the sidelines two weeks ago, but others have stepped in to fill the void. James Hansen is the new starter at second base. Matthew Berkland has taken over Mohs’ role as starting shortstop.
“Our guys are seeing what they can be,” said DeWitt, whose team entered the current week with a 9-0 Lake Conference mark. The Trojans were scheduled to play Hopkins Wednesday, May 15. At 6:30 p.m. Friday, May 17, the Trojans host Eden Prairie in another conference game. The last game of the Lake schedule next week pits the Trojans against St. Michael-Albertville.
“Our coaches at the lower levels to a great job of preparing our players for varsity,” coach DeWitt said. “I never ask about the records of the lower-level teams. All I want to know is, are we making progress?”
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