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Sun Sailor
Legion baseball prospects gather for series
Bruce Barron, player personnel director of the American Legion Baseball Prospects Series, was impressed with the quality of competition last weekend at two local colleges — Bethel in Arden Hills and Northwestern of Roseville. One hundred and fifty of Minnesota’s best prospects played tournament games on two turf fields in front of hundreds of fans, plus college scouts. “You should have seen the first game here yesterday,” Barron said Saturday...
Picking up a new sport in her 30s
Erin Aulik was a cheerleader and a dancer during her high school years, but she wasn’t really into competitive sports. A teacher for the last 18 years, she waited until her late 30s to become a competitive athlete, but now that she is, there is no stopping her. Aulik first discovered body building at the age of 37 two years ago. At 39, she is a rising star in the...
Park Little League makes memories at Midwest Regional
It was a whirlwind week for St. Louis Park Little League and its 12-year-old baseball team, which wrapped up the season at the Little League Midwest regional tournament in Indiana. Orange and black-clad supporters represented well at the ballpark in Whitestown, Indiana, while numerous viewing parties around town helped channel support from afar. Park ended up finishing fourth among the eight-team field. South Dakota will represent the Midwest at the...
U of M Master Gardener application window is now open
The application period to become a University of Minnesota Extension Master Gardener volunteer is open now through Oct. 1. According to the University of Minnesota, extension master gardeners bring science-based horticulture knowledge and practices to Minnesota, promoting healthy landscapes and building communities through volunteer efforts. Core education for the program is online and spread out over 14 weeks. To become a master gardener, individuals commit to complete online training and...
Minnetonka 12AAA team takes the title
Todd Jahnke of Hopkins and Adam Goethke of Wayzata used to be rivals in South Hennepin American Legion Baseball League pennant races. Both men took teams to state. Goethke won a state championship with Wayzata is 2015. For the past four years, the former rivals have worked together, coaching traveling baseball in Minnetonka. Aug. 4, they completed a 42-7-2 season with the state 12-year-old AAA championship in a tournament sponsored by Minnesota Youth Athletic Services (MYAS). Three of the six wins Minnetonka scored were by...
Setter retiring, but still ready to contribute
Recently, Sandra Setter walked through the halls at Eagan High School for one of the final times as an employee. “Beautiful place to have a career,” she said. From 1990, when the school opened, to July 31, when she retired, Setter has been a presence at the school, serving in a variety of ways. First it was as a teacher and coach, and for the last 16 years it was...
Hennepin board will not get their 50% pay increase
Hennepin County Commissioners were considering giving themselves a raise of nearly 50%. They've decided to send this idea back to the drawing board. During a July 30 meeting, Commissioner Irene Fernando suggested the commissioners get a raise from $122,225 to $182,141. “Salaries are a reflection of and connected to the scope of responsibilities that accompanies a particular job,” Fernando had said. ...
Barry Manilow honors Hopkins grad at concert
Daniel Perelstein's love of teaching was recently recognized by pop icon Barry Manilow. Barry Manilow’s goodbye tour included an Aug. 2 stop at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, where he honored Perelstein, a Lakeville man and music teacher at Washington Technology Magnet High School in St. Paul, with $10,000. The honored educator was given $5,000 for his school and $5,000 for himself. Perelstein grew up in Golden Valley...
AC 10U team earns Monsta Nationals bronze championship
The Armstrong Cooper Girls Fastpitch Association 10U team wrote a chapter in association history recently, winning the 10U Bronze bracket championship at the Monsta Nationals tournament in Bloomington July 28. The team includes: Marlo Dobrin, Brooklynn Drew, Alanna Silva-Hammer, Stella Gilbert, Kaylee Loftus, Rylee Madson, Sydney Carson, Reagan Chismar, Rose Adelle Graham, Brynden Halupnick, Brynn Le, Charlene Wokson and Anna Frey. Armstrong Cooper, faced with difficulties with player availability, put...
Osanai among Gophers signs for 24-25 season
University of Minnesota director of track and field and cross country Matt Bingle is pleased to announce the signing class for the 2024-25 cross country and track and field teams who have all signed National Letters of Intent or Financial Aid Tenders with the Golden Gophers. The newest class of Gophers includes 22 talented additions coming from multiple levels from around the United States and the globe. One of those talented additions is Caitlyn Osanai of Plymouth who is a graduate of Robbinsdale Armstrong High...
Hitdawgs lose first game in playoff series
With the No. 3 seed in the Minnesota Baseball Association Section 6B playoffs, the Plymouth Hitdawgs lost its first game in a best-of-three series against the Minnetonka Monarchs (fourth seed) last week. The Hitdawgs traveled to Veteran’s Field for game one, falling 11-1 to the Monarchs. The loss came despite some good performances for Plymouth, which had eight hits against Minnetonka. Tom Lyman and Ryan Masui had two each. The Hitdawgs sole run came in the top of the third after Minnetonka already led 3-0,...
Excelsior Legion trio has a great year
The end of Excelsior’s American Legion baseball season July 27 was bitter-sweet for three of the star players - Will Koeppen, Max Nelson and Nate Wheeler. The Fire Club had one of its best records in recent years with a 26-7 mark, however, the last day of the season didn’t go well as Excelsior lost to Eden Prairie twice, 7-4 and 2-0. Since only one team from the Sub-State 4 Tournament moved on to state, Excelsior put the gear away for another season. ...
Greenway keeps audience engaged at banquet
During his 11 seasons as a linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings, Chad Greenway provided highlights that kept Purple & Gold fans engaged. Whether he was covering a tight end, rushing the passer or doing what he did best - stopping the run - Greenway’s extra effort made him a fan favorite. Thursday, Aug. 1, he was a fan favorite again, but in a different way. ...
The Hlavacek sports dynasty continues
Not long after he learned to walk, Parker Hlavacek was at the park watching his father Brad play slowpitch softball. While he was a three-sport athlete at Wayzata High in football, basketball and baseball, Parker found time to play slowpitch in the summer at Edina’s Van Valkenburg Park. He played alongside his dad for Edina Hall-of-Fame pitcher Alex Karos. With Karos retiring and moving to Florida after the 2022 season,...
Park Little League wins state, heads to Indy for Midwest Regionals
St. Louis Park Little League turned in an impressive showing at the Minnesota State Little League Final Four in Coon Rapids. Park had three state champions in age groups including 10-under, 11-under and 12-under in the tournament, which was July 24-28. The Park All-Star team comprised of players 12 years old not only won the state title but advanced to the eight-team Midwest Regional in Whitestown, Indiana with a chance...
West suburban coach wins national honor
Jim Peck, who began coaching youth baseball in Minnetonka in 1964, was surprised with a national award during a banquet July 31 in Osseo. The huge plaque he received that night came from the national level of American Legion Baseball. The plaque mainly recognized Peck’s service to the American Legion, but his footprint in the state baseball landscape extends to other organizations and programs. Peck, who owned Deephaven Drug and...
Eden Prairie Legion season ends at state
A promising start in the 2024 State American Legion Division I Tournament for Eden Prairie faded with unexpected losses in the next two rounds last week. With the split, coach Mike O’Brien’s Eagles finished the season 30-8 overall. Earlier this year, Eden Prairie was the No. 1-ranked team in Scheels’ Statewide Legion poll, and it looked promising when the Eagles outlasted Excelsior in the Sub-State 4 Tournament to earn a state berth, but it wasn’t to be. ...
Swenson is among Wayzata’s all-time greats
When the dust settled on a hot ball diamond July 28, Wayzata was on the short end of an 11-10 score against Sub-State 10 American Legion baseball champion Osseo. Their were no tears for Wayzata. The Wizards gave it their best shot. Following a 15-minute team huddle after the game, Wayzata’s star outfielder and pitcher Gaard Swenson shared his thoughts on the season. “We have a brotherhood to ball back...
Hopkins Legion moves ‘in right direction’
The Hopkins Flyers American Legion baseball team came close to the .500 mark in a rebuilding year this summer. Returning only five players from the 2023 squad, coach Tyler Brodersen’s club finished 12-14 overall. The highlight of the season was a four-game winning streak during the 96-team Gopher Classic, the Midwest’s largest Legion baseball tournament. In the Sub-State 3 playoffs, the Flyers had a 1-2 record to finish in fourth...
Legion Baseball Prospects Series explodes
The fourth-annual American Legion Baseball Prospects Series will be bigger than ever in 2024, according to director of player selection Bruce Barron, the former Edina Legion coach. “Interest in the series has exploded,” Barron said last week. “We had 328 nominations representing 76 different communities.” The series will be played at two sites Friday, Aug. 9, through Sunday, Aug. 11. Senior Division All-Stars will play at Northwestern University in Roseville...
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Sun Sailor serves the Eden Prairie, Excelsior, Hopkins, Minnetonka, Plymouth, St. Louis Park and Wayzata communities. Published Thursdays by APG of East Central Minnesota dating back to 1970. 24/7 local coverage found online at sailor.mnsun.com
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