Jackson County Central is back home for a Big South Conference Gold Division baseball game on Tuesday as the Huskies host Blue Earth Area in a 5:30 p.m. game at Wacker Field.

It’s the second of three straight scheduled home games for JCC, which ended a stretch of seven games away from Wacker Field with a 5-3 win over Redwood Valley on Friday.

Talan Holm went the distance on the mound and could not have faced another batter.

The maximum number of pitches a pitcher can throw in a game is 105, although they are allowed to finish the batter at the plate once they reach 105. Holm was at 104 heading into the final batter and finished the game with 108 pitches.

It’s his third complete game of the season, having also gone the distance vs. Windom and Pipestone.

Holm allowed three runs on six hits, walked one and struck out seven.

“I felt really good,” Holm said. “When it was a nice day I knew I was going to be throwing hard. “Everything was on. I was throwing everything with confidence. And when I would miss, I would come right back with it.”

They both throw with the other hand, but Holm has a lot of experience guiding him and the other Huskies’ pitchers this season in Tom Schuller and Ryan Rasche.

“Schu has taught me this really slow curveball,” said Holm. “He likes to call it ‘The Fish’ I’ve been throwing it. I had it down right away. Schu’s the one who taught me that.

Rasche is also a teammate with the Jackson Bulls amateur baseball team.

“It’s always good to have Rasche there,” Holm commented. “He’s awesome. He’s a great guy to watch. A great mentor.”

Ben Gallagher was on base four times out of his leadoff spot as he doubled and walked three times. Ryan Fricke had a two-run single.

Haiden Warmka, Isaac Hesebeck and Casey Storm had singles. Josh Thompson was playing in the B-squad game on the adjacent field but came over to the varsity game and singled up the middle.

Tuesday’s game vs. Blue Earth Area is the second meeting of the season between the teams. JCC won 21-0 five innings on April 7 at the Fairgrounds in Blue Earth.

The Huskies then have a home-and-home series with St. James Area, hosting the Saints on Thursday and playing at Veterans Field in St. James Area on Friday.

BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE

Baseball standings

Through April 26

Gold Division

• Windom 7-1

• Luverne 6-1

• St. James Area 4-2

• Jackson County Central 4-4

• Fairmont 2-2

• Pipestone 2-5

• Redwood Valley 1-4

• Blue Earth Area 0-7

Black Division

• New Ulm 5-2

• Belle Plaine 5-3

• Marshall 3-1

• St. Peter 4-3

• Tri-City United 3-3

• Waseca 1-4

• Worthington 1-6

JACKSON COUNTY CENTRAL

2026 baseball schedule

As of April 27

• Tuesday, March 31: Windom, W 3-2

• Tuesday, April 7: at Blue Earth Area, W 21-0 (5 innings)

• Friday, April 10: at Maple River, L 7-0

• Tuesday, April 14: at Luverne, L 16-6 (5 innings)

• Thursday, April 16: at Pipestone, W 4-3

• Thursday, April 16: at Pipestone, L 12-2 (5 innings)

• Tuesday, April 21: at Fairmont, L 10-0 (5 innings)

• Thursday, April 23: at Redwood Valley, L 16-0 (5 innings)

• Friday, April 24: Redwood Valley, W 5-3

• Tuesday, April 28: Blue Earth Area, 5:30 p.m.

• Thursday, April 30: St. James Area, 5:30 p.m.

• Friday, May 1: at St. James Area, 5:30 p.m.

• Tuesday, May 5: Luverne, 5:30 p.m.

• Thursday, May 7: at Windom, 5:30 p.m.

• Monday, May 11: Worthington, 5:30 p.m.

• Tuesday, May 12: Fairmont, 5:30 p.m.

About 25 percent of the way through its regular-season schedule, the Martin County West softball team has allowed the fewest runs per game of any of the state’s 115 Class A teams.

The fourth-ranked Mavericks have allowed only two runs as they’ve started the season with a 6-0 record, an average of 0.3 per game. MCW allowed two unearned runs in a 3-2 victory at Windom on April 10 to go along with five shutouts.

Two other teams are allowing less than one run per game:

• Fifth-ranked Swanville has allowed five runs in compiling a 10-0 record.

• Defending state champion and top-ranked United South Central has allowed seven runs in starting 7-1. The Rebels have five shutouts in addition to a 3-2 win over Cleveland and USC on Saturday, 5-1 to Class AA No. 5 Rockford.

Maddie Carlson and Sydney Clow have shared the pitching duty for Martin County West. Carlson has four complete games and Clow one. They split a four-inning no-hit win at Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons in the opener.

In 24 innings, Carlson has allowed two runs (zero earned) on nine hits, has not walked a batter, hit one and struck out 47 (just shy of two per inning).

Clow has gone six shutout innings in the circle, giving up two hits, no walks and fanning seven.

Fewest runs allowed

These are the top 15 (plus a tie) Class A teams in fewest runs allowed 2.0 per game though Saturday according to Minnesota-scores.net. Won-loss records are in parenthesis.

• Martin County West (6-0) 0.3

• Swanville (10-0) 0.5

• United South Central (7-1) 0.9

• Cromwell-Wright (5-0) 1.0

• Border West (5-0) 1.2

• Houston (11-0) 1.4

• Red Lake Falls (8-0) 1.6

• Cleveland (9-2) 1.8

• Yellow Medicine East (4-4) 2.0

• Kelliher/Northome (4-1) 2.2

• New Ulm Cathedral (7-2) 2.3

• Braham (5-2) 2.4

• BOLD (6-3) 3.1

• Southland (7-1) 3.1

• Parkers Prairie (7-1) 3.2

• Wabasso (9-2) 3.2

Most runs scored

• Parkers Prairie (7-1) 13.5

• Silver Bay (9-1) 13.4

• Gentry Academy (4-2) 13.3

• Sebeka (10-1) 13.1

• Hill City/Northland (7-0) 13.0

• Red Lake Falls (8-0) 13.0

• Cromwell-Wright (5-0) 12.4

• Mahnomen/Waubun (6-1) 12.1

• Mille Lacs (5-3) 12.1

• Sacred Heart (5-3) 12.1

• Border West (5-0) 11.8

• Houston (11-0) 11.5

• Sleepy Eye (10-2) 11.1

• Braham (5-2) 10.9

• Martin County West (6-0) 10.8

Class A unbeatens

There are seven undefeated Class A softball teams in the state through games played on April 25.

• Houston 11-0

• Swanville 10-0

• Red Lake Falls 8-0

• Hill City/Northland 7-0

• Martin County West 6-0

• Border West 5-0

• Cromwell-Wright 5-0

Standings

Cleveland and Martin County West are both undefeated in Valley Conference play in the Tomahawk-Valley Conference.

The Clippers and 5-0 and the Mavericks are 4-0. They’re scheduled to play doubleheader Thursday in Welcome.

New Ulm Cathedral is the Tomahawk leader with a 7-0 record with Sleepy Eye next at 7-1.

The Greyhounds beat the Indians 10-1 on April 21 in Sleepy Eye. They’re scheduled to play again on May 4 at Harman Park in New Ulm.

TOMAHAWK VALLEY CONFERENCE

Softball standings

Through April 25

Valley Conference

• Cleveland 5-0

• Martin County West 4-0

• Nicollet 4-3

• Madelia 2-5

• Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons 1-5

• MLGHECT 1-4

Tomahawk Conference

• New Ulm Cathedral 7-0

• Sleepy Eye 7-1

• Springfield 6-2

• Wabasso 5-2

• Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s 2-4

• Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop 2-6

• Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 0-6

• Lester Prairie 0-8

After Friday, nobody connected with the Martin County West baseball team should be concerned with a case of triskaidekaphobia.

The number 13 turned out to be lucky for the Mavericks as they drew 13 walks and stole 13 bases in a 10-6 Valley Conference win over Nicollet Friday at Fox Lake Area Sports Complex.

And, according to records listed on the Minnesota Baseball Coaches Association website, MCW’s 13 steals as a team is the 13^th-most all-time in state history.

Here are the dozen times that a team has stolen 14 or more bases in a game. Listed are the number, the team that accomplished and their opponent and the year:

18

• Concordia Academy vs. Bethany Academy, 2008

17

• Albert Lea vs. Mankato East, 2011

16

• Waseca vs. Red Lake, 1990

• Blooming Prairie vs. Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton, 2025

15

• Springfield vs. Cedar Mountain/Comfrey, 2016

• Waterville-Elysian-Morristown vs. Janesville-Waldorf-Pemberton, 2003

• Mankato Loyola vs. Lester Prairie, 2017

• Blooming Prairie vs. Triton, 2026

14

• Springfield vs. Wabasso, 2003

• Concordia Academy vs. New Life Academy,2007

• Deer River vs. Littlefork-Big Falls, 2012

• Fridley vs. Providence Academy, 2016

But wait, there’s more

Noah Meixell led MCW in steals Friday with six.

Again, according to the coaches website, that is tied for the second most steals in a game in state history.

And he’s on that list with a former Maverick who admittedly is better known for another sport.

Jaxson Rohman had six steals in a 2021 game.

Rohman, who was a four-time qualifier for the NCAA Division II tournament, is now a school nurse at Martin County West.

Here are the times that a player has stolen six or more bases in a game. Listed are the number, the team that accomplished and their opponent and the year when available:

7

• Isaac Sundby East Grand Forks vs. Badger/Greenbush-Middle River 2023

6

• Mike Larson, Waseca vs. Wells-Easton 1983

• Brent Fredin, Windom vs. Murray County Central

• Steven Lyseng, Fosston vs. Win-E-Mac 2010

• Tyler Erzar, Deer River vs. Aitkin 2009

• Chaise Jokinen, Carlton vs. Pine City 2011

• Erik Heideman, Breckenridge vs. Ottertail Central

• Adam Burgess, Mora vs. New London-Spicer 2011

• Bryce Boyle-Hoban, Cannon Falls vs. Zumbrota-Mazeppa 2014

• Sheldon Price, Mankato Loyola vs. Lester Prairie

• Jaxson Rohman, Martin County West 2021

• Carsten Ingvalson, Blooming Prairie 2025

• Noah Meixell, Martin County West vs. Nicollet, 2026

After flying out to left field in the first inning, Meixell was hit by a pitch, stole second and third and scored on a wild pitch in the second; walked, stole second and third and scored on a passed ball in the third; and singled and stole second and third in the fifth inning.

Also on Friday, Colsan Andersen and Preston Cepress had two steals each for the Mavericks while Kade Fennern, Liam Pytleski and Talon Ebeling had one apiece.

Cepress tripled for Martin County West. Kaleb Kennedy had a two-run single in the sixth.

The Mavericks are 2-5 overall, 1-2 in conference play.

MCW is scheduled to host Martin Luther/Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman at 4:30 p.m. Monday in Welcome and have a return matchup with the Jaguars at 4 p.m. Friday in Truman. In between the Mavericks play Mankato Loyola at 4:30 p.m. Thursday on the turf at ISG Field in Mankato.

TOMAHAWK VALLEY CONFERENCE

Baseball standings

Through April 25

Valley Conference

• Madelia 3-0

• Mankato Loyola 3-1

• Martin County West 1-2

• Cleveland 1-2

• MLGHECT 1-2

• Nicollet 0-2

Tomahawk Conference

• Springfield 9-0

• Sleepy Eye 8-1

• Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s 3-2

• New Ulm Cathedral 2-1

• Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop 2-6

• Wabasso 1-5

• Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart 0-3

• Lester Prairie 0-2

MARTIN COUNTY WEST

2026 baseball schedule

As of April 26

• Thursday, March 26: at Adrian/Ellsworth, L 21-5

• Monday, March 30: Madelia, L 20-2

• Tuesday, March 31: Heron Lake-Okabena/Fulda, W 7-1

• Thursday, April 9: Mankato Loyola, L 11-0

• Thursday, April 17: at Windom, L 17-3

• Tuesday, April 21: at United South Central, L 13-3

• Friday, April 24: Nicollet, W 10-6

• Monday, April 27: MLGHECT, 4:30 p.m.

• Thursday, April 30: at Mankato Loyola, 4:30 p.m.

• Friday, May 1: at MLGHECT, 4 p.m.

• Tuesday, May 5: Cleveland (2), 3:30 p.m.

• Thursday, May 7: at Nicollet, 4:30 p.m.

• Friday, May 8: at St. James Area, 7 p.m.

• Saturday, May 9: United South Central at St. James, 2 p.m.

• Tuesday, May 12: at Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s, 4:30 p.m.

• Friday, May 15: Mountain Lake Area/Comfrey, 4:30 p.m.

• Monday, May 18: Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop, 4:30 p.m.

Home games played in Welcome

The Martin County West softball team has a busy week scheduled if the weather will allow it. Coach Darrell Ziegler’s team is slated to play six games, with the first four at Fox Lake Area Sports Complex.

MCW has a pair of single conference games scheduled at home to start the week, with Granada-Huntley-East Chain/Truman/Martin Luther on Monday and Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons on Tuesday. Both of those games are scheduled for 4:30 p.m. starts.

The Mavericks have a doubleheader at home vs. Cleveland at 4 p.m. Thursday and on the road vs. Adrian/Ellsworth at noon on Saturday.

Martin County West is 6-0 overall, 4-0 in the conference after two shutout wins behind two different pitchers in Nicollet on Thursday.

Maddie Carlson pitched the opener, allowing two hits, hitting one batter, not allowing a walk and striking out 13. Ziegler sent Sydney Clow to the pitcher’s circle for the second game and she also pitched a shutout, giving up two hits and fanning four.

Carlson aided her cause at the plate in the opener with three hits including two doubles and one stolen base. Courtney Anderson also had three hits with one double and had two steals. Ida Rohman had two hits and stole a base.

Bailey Larson and Emily Schettler each had a double, Emma Geldart had a hit and stole a base while Rowan Faber and Lillie Schultz had one hit apiece.

Anderson had three more hits in the second game including a double for six hits on the day while Addy Wohluter recorded two hits and was hit by a pitch.

Producing a double each were Carlson, Larson and Schettler. Schultz and Rohman also had hits.

GHECTML will bring a 1-7 overall record to Welcome on Monday, 1-4 in conference play. The Jaguars have lost five in a row since a 9-8 win over Madelia.

ACGE is 1-8 overall and 1-5 in the conference and is scheduled to play at Nicollet on Monday. MCW won the first meeting between the teams 15-0 in Alden on April 9.

The Mavericks host Cleveland in a doubleheader on Tuesday. The Clippers are 9-2 overall with losses to New Ulm Cathedral and United South Central. Cleveland hosts Madelia on Monday and Bethlehem Academy on Tuesday.

Martin County West plays at two at Adrian/Ellsworth on Saturday. The Dragons are 8-1 with their loss coming at Luverne.

Look for more on the Mavericks in a separate newsletter.

MARTIN COUNTY WEST

2026 softball schedule

As of April 24

• Thursday, April 9: at Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons, W 15-0

• Friday, April 10: at Windom, W 3-2

• Monday, April 13: Mountain Lake Area/Comfrey, W 15-0

• Thursday, April 16: Madelia, W 10-0

• Thursday, April 23: at Nicollet, W 12-0

• Thursday, April 23: at Nicollet, W 10-0

• Monday, April 27: GHECTML, 4:30 p.m.

• Tuesday, April 28: Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons, 4:30 p.m.

• Thursday, April 30: Cleveland (2), 4 p.m.

• Saturday, May 2: at Adrian/Ellsworth (2), 12 p.m.

• Monday, May 4: Minnesota Valley Lutheran, 5 p.m.

• Tuesday, May 5: at Sleepy Eye St. Mary’s, 5 p.m.

• Friday, May 8: at Madelia, 4:30 p.m.

• Saturday, May 9: at Westbrook-Walnut Grove tournament

• Monday, April 11: at United South Central, 4:30 p.m.

• Tuesday, May 12: at Sleepy Eye, 5 p.m.

• Thursday, May 14: Conference Showcase at Caswell Park

• Friday, May 15: Fairmont, 4:30 p.m.

Home games played in Welcome

Jackson County Central is among a dozen Class AA softball teams that allowed 2.0 or fewer runs per game thus far this season. The Huskies, 6-1, have allowed 14 runs in seven games.

The team allowing the fewest runs per game is a familiar one to JCC.

Section 3AA Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta has allowed 0.1 runs per game. The Tigers (8-0) have allowed only one run this season.

Roseau (3-0) is second on runs allowed at 0.3 per game and St. James Area (7-2) of the Big South Conference is third at 0.7. The Saints, who are in Section 2AA, have six shutouts in their nine games.

St. James senior Laney Bowers leads the state in strikeouts with 118 in seven games. On Friday she had 22 strikeouts in a 2-1, 10-inning loss to Cannon Falls.

The other loss for the Saints was to Fairmont (7-2). JCC and St. James Area are scheduled to play on back-to-back days May 4-5.

AA leaders

These are the Class AA teams that have allowed 2.0 runs per game or fewer though Friday. Won-loss records are in parenthesis.

• Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta (8-0) 0.1

• Roseau (3-0) 0.3

• St. James Area (7-2) 0.7

• St. Cloud Cathedral (8-0) 1.1

• Visitation (6-0) 1.5

• Caledonia (10-1) 1.7

• Randolph (9-3) 1.7

• Hawley (8-0) 1.8

• Cannon Falls (7-1) 1.9

• Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial (8-0) 1.9

• Greenway/Nashwauk-Keewatin (4-1) 2.0

• Kimball Area (11-0) 2.0

• Jackson County Central (6-1) 2.0

Scoring leaders

These are the Class AA teams that are scoring 10,0 runs per game or more though Friday. Won-loss records are in parenthesis. JCC is averaging 8.3 runs per game,

• Tri-City United (5-2) 14.9

• St. Croix Prep (6-3) 14.2

• Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta (8-0) 12.8

• St. Agnes (5-1) 12.0

• Visitation (6-0) 11.7

• Kimball Area (11-0) 11.4

• Thief River Falls (4-2) 10.8

• Hawley (8-0) 10.5

• St. Paul Washington (2-4) 10.3

• Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial (8-0) 10.2

• Aitkin (4-3) 10.0

• Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton (8-2) 10.0

• LeSuer-Henderson (8-1) 10,0

• St. Cloud Cathedral (8-0) 10.0

Big numbers

Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta has rolled up some big numbers thus far. The Tigers have outscored their opponents 102-1.

Haley Kill and Nora Boyle have split the pitching duties for MACA.

Kill has not allowed a run in 29 innings in five games, allowing five hits, walking one and striking out 46.

In 14 innings in three games, Boyle has allowed one run on two hits, walked one and struck out 26.

Standings

Jackson County Central leads the Gold Division of the Big South Conference, while Belle Plaine leads the Black Division.

BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE

Softball standings

Through April 24

Gold Division

• Jackson County Central 3-0

• Fairmont 6-2

• St. James Area 3-1

• Pipestone 2-2

• Luverne 1-3

• Windom 1-4

• Redwood Valley 0-4

Black Division

• Belle Plaine 8-0

• St. Peter 5-1

• New Ulm 3-2

• Tri-City United 3-2

• Waseca 2-4

• Marshall 0-4

• Worthington 0-8

The Jackson County Central softball team is scheduled to be on the road for a pair of Big South Conference Gold Division doubleheaders next week, playing at Windom on Monday an Pipestone on Thursday. In each case, the first game is at 4 p.m.

JCC is 6-1 overall, 3-0 in conference play after a pair of home wins over Luverne in a rain-delayed twin bill on Thursday, winning 6-4 and 9-1.

Huskies’ pitchers struck out 26 batters in the two games.

In the opener, Hadley Wachal allowed four runs (three earned) on three hits, walked six and struck out 15. In the nightcap, Mady Wachal gave up one run on two hits, walked one and fanned 11.

CJ Pauling had two hits in the first game.

Miley VanDeVere had a double, while Kinley VanDeVere had a hit and four stolen bases. Also recording hits were Bailey Finck, Jerssica Dvorak and Bailey Holmes.

Finck had three more hits in the second game including two doubles.

Miley VanDeVere and Breille Tufvesson also doubled. Hadley Wachal and Mady Wachal each had a hit.

Windom is 4-5 overall, 1-4 in conference play heading into Monday’s games at Windom Recreation Area. The Eagles have lost two straight, falling 3-0 and 1-0 to St. James Area in single games Tuesday and Thursday.

The Arrows are 4-6 overall, 2-2 in the conference. Pipestone hosts Luverne in a single game Tuesday before playing JCC.

JACKSON COUNTY CENTRAL

2026 softball schedule

As of April 24

• Friday, April 10: at New Ulm Cathedral, W 5-3

• Friday, April 10: at New Ulm Cathedral, W 12-2 (6 innings)

• Tuesday, April 14: at Edgerton/Southwest Minnesota Christian, W 11-0 (5 innings)

• Thursday, April 16: Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial, L 1-0

• Tuesday, April 21: Fairmont, W 15-3 (5 innings)

• Thursday, April 23: Luverne, W 6-4

• Thursday, April 23: Luverne, W 9-1

• Monday, April 27: at Windom (2), 4 p.m.

• Thursday, April 30: at Pipestone (2), 4 p.m.

• Monday, May 4: St. James Area, 4:30 p.m.

• Tuesday, May 5: at St. James Area, 5:30 p.m.

• Thursday, May 7: Redwood Valley (2), 4 p.m.

• Saturday, May 9: JCC tournament

• Monday, May 11: at Mankato East, 5 p.m.

• Tuesday, May 12: at Fairmont, 5:30 p.m.

• Thursday, May 14: at Wabasso, 4:30 p.m.

Jackson County Central entries hold the lead in two events in the Section 2A Track and Field Honor Roll.

That’s according to results posted on athletic.net.

Junior Natalia Botello-Ramos had a time of 12.48 seconds at a meet in Redwood Falls Tuesday, which is the best time among the 25 teams in Section 2A.

She also ran the first leg of the Huskies’ 4x200-meter relay team that had a time of 1:48.13 Thursday at Worthington to lead section teams in that event. Running the other legs were junior Zoey Hall, sophomore Stevie Untiedt and eighth-grader Allison Luebben.

The Section 2A meet is Saturday, May 30 in Janesville. Prior to that, the sub-section meets are Thursday, May 21 with the South Sub-Section meet in LeSueur and the North Sub-Section in Arlington.

JCC has two meets scheduled each of the next two weeks.

The Huskies recently added the Bob Nangle Relays in Pipestone on Tuesday and are then scheduled to compete in the Sentinel Relays in Fairmont on Friday. JCC then has the Section 2A true team meet in Janesville on Tuesday, May 5 and the Big South Conference meet in Luverne on Thursday, May 7.

Martin County West/Butterfield-Odin’s track and field squads go to St. James for a meet on Tuesday and are at the Sentinel Relays on Friday. After that, the next meet currently on the schedule for the Mavericks is the Tomahawk-Valley Conference meet May 14 in Sleepy Eye.

Girls

Track events

• 100 meters: Natalia Botello-Ramos, Jackson County Central 12.48

• 200 meters: Nevaeh Weimert, JWP/WEM 26.76

• 400 meters: Ashlynn Wolff, JWP/WEM 1:02.21

• 800 meters: Sophia Stencel, Maple River 2:29.84

• 1600 meters: Valerie Quast, St. Clair/Immanuel Lutheran 5:14.18

• 3200 meters: Charlotte Meyer, Loyola/Cleveland 10:53.60

• 100 hurdles: Kamryn Davey, Minnesota Valley Lutheran 16.62

• 300 hurdles: Rachel Mielke, JWP/WEM 48.57

Relays

• 4x100: LeSueur-Henderson 52.31

• 4x200: Jackson County Central 1:48.13

• 4x400: JWP/WEM 4:10.91

• 4x800: St. Clair/Immanuel Lutheran 10:27.67

Field events

• Shot put: Annie Wersal, Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop 36-2.5

• Discus: Alabama Hoonhorst, HLO/Fulda 131-3

• High jump: Kate Daly, St. Clair/Immanuel Lutheran 5-2

• Pole vault: Kate Daly, St. Clair/Immanuel Lutheran 10-7

• Long jump: Addison Condon, JWP/WEM 17-0.5

• Triple jump: Kamryn Davey, Minnesota Valley Lutheran 36-2.5

Boys

Track events

• 100 meters: Oliver Schull, St. Clair/Immanuel Lutheran 11.06

• 200 meters: Gavin Atherton, JWP/WEM 22.33

• 400 meters: Gavin Atherton, JWP/WEM 50.99

• 800 meters: Braylen Lyons, Windom 2:04.18

• 1600 meters: Cooper Evers, Mountain Lake Area/Comfrey 4:39.38

• 3200 meters: Soren Kelly, Loyola/Cleveland 9:38.70

• 110 hurdles: Julius Schneider, Maple River 15.73

• 300 hurdles: Aidan Moeller, LCWM/Nicollet 41.32

Relays

• 4x100: Minnesota Valley Lutheran 44.59

• 4x200: Maple River 1:34.18

• 4x400: USC/Alden-Conger 3:40.81

• 4x800: Windom 8:39.02

Field events

• Shot put: Grady Grohman, JWP/WEM 55-2

• Discus: Auggie Yonkey, Maple River 179-8

• High jump: Lavon Jewison, NRHEG 6-6

• Pole vault: Julius Schneider, Maple River 14-7

• Long jump: Gabriel Shimanski, Mayer Lutheran 21-5.75

• Triple jump: Aidan McCue, Sibley East 44-1.75

Talan Holm pitched a complete game as the Jackson Count Central baseball team was a 5-3 winner over Redwood Valley in a Big South Conference Gold Division game Friday at Wacker Field. The Cardinals had defeated the Huskies 16-0 the previous day in Redwood Falls.

Holm allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits, walked one and struck out seven.

Ben Gallagher was on base four times out of leadoff spot as he doubled and walked three times.

Martin County West was a winner in Valley Conference baseball in Welcome Friday, beating Nicollet 10-6.

Preston Cepress tripled for the Mavericks. Colsan Andeson was the first of three MCW pitchers and recorded the win.

The Martin County West/Butterfield-Odin track and field teams both placed fourth in the team standings at a meet in Blue Earth.

Two Mavericks won titles in weight events in the girls meet as Mylee Larson won shot put (32-0) and Sophia Peterson won discus (92-0).

MCWBO’s best placings in the boys meet were three second-place finishes, Kane Wohlhuter in pole vault (9-0), Lixon Forsberg in long jump (18-3.5) and the 4x800-meter relay team of Elliot Reynolds, Braxton Faber, Marek Mulder and Brody Cook (9:55.32).

MCW’s golf teams played a dual vs. Alden-Conger at Oakview Golf Course in Freeborn.

The Knights won the boys dual 177-222. MCW’s Knox Larson was medalist with a 41.

Alden-Conger’s girls shot 221 while the Mavericks were incomplete. Mya Smith was low for Martin County West with 58.

Also Friday, MCW graduate Katie Lange wrapped up a fourth-place finish at 62 kg (136 pounds) in the Senior Women’s portion of the U.S. Open Wrestling Championships in Las Vegas. She went 4-2 in the tournament.

Look for more newsletters throughout the weekend.

A couple of special tributes will be held in advance of Friday’s Big South Conference Gold Division baseball game at Wacker Field. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m.

First, we need to thank Ed Gallagher, who helped to coordinate the pregame events.

JCC teacher and Mike Wierson will be recognized for his 11 seasons as head coach of the Huskies’ baseball team. His teams won 98 games.

Wierson resigned from that position this spring to spend more time with his family, which will include joining the softball program and watching his daughter play.

After some dicey weather on Thursday, the forecast looks great to get out to watch a baseball game on Friday.

With that, everyone should remember that time at the ballpark sometimes is just a distraction from the realities of life.

These realities have struck the local baseball and JCC community this spring in separate tragedies this spring.

On Feb. 12, the Iowa Lakes Community College baseball team’s bus crashed on its way to a game, claiming the life of one Laker player.

There were 33 survivors in that accident, including two members of the Jackson Bulls amateur baseball team (Blake Evans and Javen Baumgarn), who play their home games at Wacker Field.

Also, an accident on March 20 took the lives of four people close to the baseball and community’s hearts.

One of the survivors of that accident is Brett Rossow, who wore uniform number 33 for the Huskies. He was a three-year starter for the Huskies and is among JCC’s career leaders in several hitting and pitching categories.

Brett and several members of the Johnson, Ambrose, Hargus and Hanson families will be in attendance.

Mike and Brett will each throw a ceremonial first pitch, which will be followed by a 33-second moment of silence.

As far as the game that will follow, JCC will try to rebound from losing to the same Cardinals team 16-0 on Thursday in Redwood Falls.

Jackson County Central is 3-5 overall, 3-4 in conference play. Redwood Valley is 3-3 overall, 1-3 in the conference.

A pulled pork sandwich meal sponsored by New Fashion Pork will be served. The game sponsor is Bull Market Realty.

JACKSON COUNTY CENTRAL

2026 baseball schedule

As of April 22

• Tuesday, March 31: Windom, W 3-2

• Tuesday, April 7: at Blue Earth Area, W 21-0 (5 innings)

• Friday, April 10: at Maple River, L 7-0

• Tuesday, April 14: at Luverne, L 16-6 (5 innings)

• Thursday, April 16: at Pipestone, W 4-3

• Thursday, April 16: at Pipestone, L 12-2 (5 innings)

• Tuesday, April 21: at Fairmont, L 10-0 (5 innings)

• Thursday, April 23: at Redwood Valley, L 16-0 (5 innings)

• Friday, April 24: Redwood Valley, 5 p.m.

• Tuesday, April 28: Blue Earth Area, 5:30 p.m.

• Thursday, April 30: St. James Area, 5:30 p.m.

• Friday, May 1: at St. James Area, 5:30 p.m.

• Tuesday, May 5: Luverne, 5:30 p.m.

• Thursday, May 7: at Windom, 5:30 p.m.

• Monday, May 11: Worthington, 5:30 p.m.

• Tuesday, May 12: Fairmont, 5:30 p.m.

Jackson County Central and Martin County West are ranked fourth in their respective class in the latest ratings released today (Thursday) by the Minnesota Fastpitch Coaches Association.

The Huskies slipped from second to fourth in the Class AA ratings after a 1-0 loss to Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial, which went from fourth to second.

JCC is 5-1 after a 6-4 win over Luverne in the first game of doubleheader this evening. The twin bill was delayed by the weather. The second game was expected to start at about 8 p.m.

St. Cloud Cathedral remains first in AA.

MCW is 6-0 after sweeping Nicollet in a Wednesday doubleheader, winning 10-0 and 12-0. The Mavericks were fifth last week.

United South Central is again first in Class A. MCW and USC had a scheduled meeting last week postponed and rescheduled for May 11 in Wells.

Mankato East went from third to first in Class AAA. JCC had been scheduled to play at East last week, but that was postponed and also rescheduled for May 11.

Forest Lake remains first in Class AAAA.

Following are the complete ratings. Listed are rank, team, last week’s ranking and poll points in parenthesis.

Class A

• 1. United South Central 1 (60)

• 2. Houston 2 (55)

• 3. Red Lake Falls 4 (44)

• 4. Martin County West 5 (38)

• 5. Swanville t7 (33)

• 6. New Ulm Cathedral t7 (27)

• 7. West Lutheran 10 (20)

• 8. BOLD 9 (19)

• (tie) Border West NR (19

• 10. Badger/Greenbush-Middle River 2 (12)

• (tie) Barnum NR (12)

Class AA

• 1. St. Cloud Cathedral 1 (56)

• 2. Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial 4 (54)

• 3. Caledonia 7 (47)

• 4. Jackson County Central 2 (31)

• 5. Rockford 9 (28)

• 6. Spectrum 3 (25)

• 7. Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta 10 (23)

• 8. Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton 9 (22)

• 9. LeSueur-Henderson NR (21

• 10. Kimball Area NR (20)

Class AAA

• 1. Mankato East 3 (55)

• 2. Byron 1 (47)

• 3. Northfield 7 (41)

• 4. Sartell 5 (37)

• 5. Kasson-Mantorville 8 (31)

• 6. Simley 2 (30)

• 7. St. Peter 4 (29)

• 8. Orono 8 (27)

• 9. St. Francis NR (14)

• 10. North Branch Area 6 (13)

Class AAAA

• 1. Forest Lake 1 (81)

• 2. Farmington 3 (75)

• 3. Bloomington Jefferson 2 (72)

• 4. Rogers 4 (66)

• 5. White Bear Lake Area 5 (51)

• 6. Centennial 6 (47)

• 7. Stillwater Area 9 (37)

• 8. Park 10 (34)

• 9. Edina NR (24)

• 10. Maple Grove 6 (20)

Jackson County Central and Redwood Valley have Big South Conference Gold Division baseball games scheduled on consecutive days.

The Huskies and Cardinals are slated to play at Memorial Field in Redwood Falls on Thursday and Wacker Field in Jackson on Friday. Both games are scheduled to start at 5 p.m.

JCC is 3-4 overall, 3-3 in conference play after a 10-0 road loss in five innings to Fairmont at Herb Wolf Field on Tuesday.

The Huskies had two hits, a double by Carson Kolander and a single by Jace Jorgensen. Talan Holm, Levi Thompson, Kolander and Carson Doescher pitched for JCC.

Joey Crissinger had three hits for Fairmont with a triple, home run six runs batted in. Jensen Livesay also had three hits.

Mason Bicknase went four innings on the mound and Nolyn Gorndt pitched the fifth.

Redwood Valley is 2-3 overall, 0-3 in conference play with wins over Worthington and Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop and losses to Pipestone, St. James Area and Windom.

At Friday’s game in Jackson, a pulled pork sandwich meal sponsored by New Fashion Pork will be served. The game sponsor is Bull Market Realty.

BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE

Baseball standings

Through April 21

Gold Division

• Luverne 5-1

• Windom 5-1

• Fairmont 2-1

• Jackson County Central 3-3

• St. James Area 2-2

• Pipestone 2-3

• Redwood Valley 0-3

• Blue Earth Area 0-5

Black Division

• New Ulm 4-1

• Marshall 3-1

• Tri-City United 3-2

• St. Peter 3-3

• Belle Plaine 3-3

• Waseca 1-4

• Worthington 1-4

JACKSON COUNTY CENTRAL

2026 baseball schedule

As of April 22

• Tuesday, March 31: Windom, W 3-2

• Tuesday, April 7: at Blue Earth Area, W 21-0 (5 innings)

• Friday, April 10: at Maple River, L 7-0

• Tuesday, April 14: at Luverne, L 16-6 (5 innings)

• Thursday, April 16: at Pipestone, W 4-3

• Thursday, April 16: at Pipestone, L 12-2 (5 innings)

• Tuesday, April 21: at Fairmont, L 10-0 (5 innings)

• Thursday, April 23: at Redwood Valley, 5 p.m.

• Friday, April 24: Redwood Valley, 5 p.m.

• Tuesday, April 28: Blue Earth Area, 5:30 p.m.

• Thursday, April 30: St. James Area, 5:30 p.m.

• Friday, May 1: at St. James Area, 5:30 p.m.

• Tuesday, May 5: Luverne, 5:30 p.m.

• Thursday, May 7: at Windom, 5:30 p.m.

• Monday, May 11: Worthington, 5:30 p.m.

• Tuesday, May 12: Fairmont, 5:30 p.m.

Jackson County Central continues its Big South Conference Gold Division softball schedule Thursday with a home doubleheader vs. Luverne. The first game starts at 4 p.m.

The Huskies opened their conference schedule Tuesday with a 15-3 win in five innings over Fairmont. JCC is 4-1 overall.

All nine starters had at least one hit with Brielle Tufvesson collecting three including a home run.

Hadley Wachal had two hits including a home run and walked; Bailey Finck had two hits including a double and Miley VanDeVere also had two hits.

Kinley VanDeVere had a double and walked, Kelcie Sillman had a hit and walked and Mady Wachal doubled. Also recording hits were Braelyn Boogerd and Alexa Hanson.

Mady Wachal was the winning pitcher, allowing three runs, four hits, walking two and striking out nine.

Luverne will come to town 4-2 overall, 1-1 in conference play. The Cardinals split a Big South doubleheader with Windom.

Out of the conference, Luverne has wins over Edgerton/Southwest Minnesota Christian, Adrian/Ellsworth and Minneota/Canby and a loss to Esko.

BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE

Softball standings

Through April 22

Gold Division

• Jackson County Central 1-0

• Fairmont 4-2

• St. James Area 2-1

• Pipestone 2-2

• Luverne 1-1

• Windom 1-3

• Redwood Valley 0-2

Black Division

• Belle Plaine 6-0

• St. Peter 5-1

• New Ulm 3-2

• Tri-City United 3-2

• Waseca 2-4

• Marshall 0-4

• Worthington 0-6

JACKSON COUNTY CENTRAL

2026 softball schedule

As of April 22

• Friday, April 10: at New Ulm Cathedral, W 5-3

• Friday, April 10: at New Ulm Cathedral, W 12-2 (6 innings)

• Tuesday, April 14: at Edgerton/Southwest Minnesota Christian, W 11-0 (5 innings)

• Thursday, April 16: Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial, L 1-0

• Tuesday, April 21: Fairmont, W 15-3 (5 innings)

• Thursday, April 23: Luverne (2), 4 p.m.

• Monday, April 27: at Windom (2), 4 p.m.

• Thursday, April 30: at Pipestone (2), 4 p.m.

• Monday, May 4: St. James Area, 4:30 p.m.

• Tuesday, May 5: at St. James Area, 5:30 p.m.

• Thursday, May 7: Redwood Valley (2), 4 p.m.

• Saturday, May 9: JCC tournament

• Monday, May 11: at Mankato East, 5 p.m.

• Tuesday, May 12: at Fairmont, 5:30 p.m.

• Thursday, May 14: at Wabasso, 4:30 p.m.

If anyone should have been in attendance to watch a local graduate make his first major league start in his home state it would be that school’s current baseball team, wouldn’t it?

It took some doing, but coach Jon Traetow and members of the 2026 Martin County West baseball team were at Target Field on Friday to watch 2016 MCW grad Brandon Williamson pitch for the Cincinnati Reds against the home state Minnesota Twins.

There were some hurdles to clear, but they were cleared, and it all came together for a day that nobody will soon forget.

It started with rescheduling a game the Mavericks had been scheduled for the same day.

“We’re super thankful to the Windom Eagles for moving our game,” Traetow said on a chilly Friday night with the temperature in the low 40s, about 40 degrees cooler than the previous day. “And it was a much nicer day to play. They were flexible with it.”

With that solved, it was time to figure out how to get everyone there.

“We’re also really appreciative of the administrative staff at Martin County West for allowing us to take a school bus to come up,” said Traetow, an MCW graduate himself who is in his second season as head baseball coach. “They were super supportive of it.”

Once everyone got to the ballpark in downtown Minneapolis it was time to sit down and watch one of their own record his seventh major league victory.

“It’s just so surreal to see a guy that you know and his whole family history and you get to watch him pitch at Target Field is not something that everyone gets to say in their lifetime.” Traetow said after Williamson had pitched 5.1 innings, leaving the game with his team ahead 2-1.

“I don’t have words to describe it, that’s how special it is,” Traetow commented. “We’re blessed to be able to watch him. He pitched a tremendous game. That was fun to watch.”

Being together as a team to watch the game at its highest level was an eye opener for his players.

“We’re all in the understanding that this something that happen every day,” he said. “Getting to take advantage of the opportunity is pretty special.

“The guys that were sitting here are saying things like, ‘he threw that pitch how fast? These guys are how big? It really puts things into perspective for them.”

Williamson did get the win on Friday but he had to work through some situations where the game could have gotten away from him.

“Brandon had some walks that put him in opportunities that really could have bit him,” Traetow said. “But when he faced adversity, he got through it.

“There are a lot of lessons that we’re taking right now with this particular group. We’re trying to grow and we’re trying to learn from our mistakes. Hopefully this is some good medicine for us to take from this.”

This year’s MCW team is 1-5 after a loss at United South Central on Tuesday.

“I wish our record looked better, but I think everyone would say that if they could,” he said. “We’ve played some tremendously talented teams. We started with Adrian and they’re a bunch of studs. We played Madelia at home and they’re one of the better teams in our section. Loyola is another real solid team in our section. Windom can hit the baseball. United South Central is undefeated.

“We’re taking our lumps, but we’re learning a lot along the way,” he continued “We’ve got a youthful group though. I’m looking forward to the experience that they’re getting Now we have to learn the lesson that with failure; we can take some of our greatest lessons. Sometimes it’s kind of hard to swallow that pill if you’re not getting the instant success. It can be hard to see the positive side of it. We’re trying to create a little levity as a coaching staff. It’s kind of how baseball is designed. It is a game of failure, but it’s what you take out of it that can make you the good player that you can be.”

Traetow had some success himself as a baseball player and can add his experiences to the mix.

Following his high school career with the Mavericks that concluded with him playing in the coaches all-star series, he went on to play at St. Cloud State and later at St. Cloud Technical and Community College. His 21 doubles for the Cyclones in 2011 is still the school record.

He spent some time with the Alexandria Beetles in the Northwoods League and also played amateur baseball for several years. Traetow played for the 2020 state Class C champion Fairmont Martins.

But he’s humble enough to point out that it’s difficult to compare his success with where his fellow MCW graduate is right now.

“I have no comparison to what he does,” commented Traetow. “This game is super hard. I feel like I was okay at it, but the level he’s playing at is something that I could never imagine, These guys are so good.”

NOTE: I still have one (and possibly two) items to post about last week’s incredible night for Martin County at Target Field.

Brandon Williamson will start against the 20^th different team and in the 16^th different ballpark on Wednesday when the Cincinnati Reds face the Tampa Bay Rays. First pitch is at 12:10 p.m. Minnesota time at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Williamson won his last start as he allowed one run in 5.1 innings in the Reds’ 2-1 win over the Minnesota Twins at Target Field. It was the first time the Martin County West graduate pitched in home state since September of 2022 when he faced the St. Paul Saints at CHS Field when he was with Cincinnati’s Triple A team, the Louisville Bats.

The win over the Twins moved the left-hander over the .500 mark for both the season and his big-league career. He’s 2-1 this season and 7-6 in his career.

Cincinnati won its fifth straight tonight (Tuesday) as the Reds had their highest run output of the season in a 12-6 win over the Rays.

Entering Tuesday, the 2026 Reds were just the second Cincinnati team since 1898 to win 15 of its first 23 games while scoring 84 or fewer games. The 1924 Reds started 15-8 and scored only 79 runs in its first 23 games.

Cincinnati is 16-8 and leads the National League Central by 1.5 games over St. Louis. The Rays are 12-11, a half-game behind the Yankees in the American League East.

Tampa Bay is scheduled to send right-hander Nick Martinez to the mound. He’s 0-1 with a 2.45 earned run average.

Season high

In his last start in Florida, Williamson pitched 6.2 innings for the third time in his career at Miami.

That shares the team lead for most innings pitched for the Reds this season.

Rhett Lowder went 6.2 vs. San Francisco on April 10.

Career vs. Rays

Brandon Williamson has never faced Tampa, but he has faced four current Rays players in the past.

Only one has a hit. Richie Palacios, then with St. Louis, hit a two-run homer to account for all of the Cardinals’ scoring in a 19-2 Cincinnati win at Busch Stadium.

Here are the players Williamson has faced:

• Richie Palacios 1-2

• Cedric Mullins 0-1

• Nick Fortes 0-2

• Jonny DeLuca 0-2 (1 walk)

Next up

Williamson’s next scheduled start is currently set for Wednesday, April 29 at home vs. Colorado.

He’s made two career starts vs. the Rockies but does not have a decision.

Ballparks pitched in

The number of starts for Brandon Williamson at each major league park that he’s pitched in. As of 04-21-26.

• Cincinnati, Great American Ball Park: 14

• Chicago Cubs, Wrigley Field: 2

• New York Mets, Citi Field: 2

• St. Louis, Busch Stadium: 2

• Arizona, Chase Field: 1

• Baltimore, Oriole Park at Camden Yards: 1

• Colorado, Coors Field: 1

• Detroit, Comerica Park: 1

• Kansas City, Kauffman Stadium: 1

• Los Angeles, Dodger Stadium: 1

• Miami, loanDepot Park: 1

• Minnesota, Target Field: 1

• Pittsburgh, PNC Park: 1

• San Francisco, Oracle Park: 1

• Washington, Nationals Park: 1

Won-loss records

Brandon Williamson’s career won-loss record vs. each major league team he has faced.

• Miami Marlins 2-0

• Arizona Diamondbacks 1-0

• Kansas City Royals: 1-0

• Los Angeles Dodgers 1-0

• Minnesota Twins 1-0

• St. Louis Cardinals 1-0

• Baltimore Orioles 0-1

• New York Mets: 0-1

• Pittsburgh Pirates: 0-1

• San Diego Padres 0-1

• San Francisco Giants: 0-1

• Toronto Blue Jays 0-1

Career starts

The number of starts for Brandon Williamson vs. each major league team he has faced. As of 04-21-26.

• Pittsburgh Pirates: 3

• St. Louis Cardinals: 3

• Arizona Diamondbacks: 2

• Chicago Cubs: 2

• Colorado Rockies: 2

• Los Angeles Dodgers: 2

• Miami Marlins: 2

• Milwaukee Brewers: 2

• New York Mets: 2

• San Francisco Giants: 2

• Atlanta Braves: 1

• Baltimore Orioles: 1

• Detroit Tigers: 1

• Kansas City Royals: 1

• Los Angeles Angels: 1

• Minnesota Twins: 1

• San Diego Padres: 1

• Toronto Blue Jays: 1

• Washington Nationals: 1

Three Big South Conference teams are listed in the state golf team ratings.

Two are in the Class AA boys, where St. Peter is second and Marshall third behind top-ranked Totino-Grace.

Also, Marshall is seventh in the AA girls ratings.

Here are the complete team ratings

Class A girls

• 1. Dawson-Boyd

• 2. Heritage Christian Academy

• 3. Community Christian

• 4. Lac qui Parle Valley

• 5. Benson

• 6. Murray County Central

• 7. Park Christian

• 8. Mayer Lutheran

• 9. Russell-Tyler-Ruthton

• 10. Springfield

Class AA girls

• 1. Detroit Lakes

• 2. Totino-Grace

• 3. Holy Family Catholic

• 4. Hill-Murray

• 5. Lake City

• 6. Minnewaska Area

• 7. Marshall

• 8. Glencoe-Silver Lake

• 9. Pine Island/Zumbrota-Mazeppa

• 10. Red Wing

Class AAA girls

• 1. Minnetonka

• 2. Edina

• 3. Maple Grove

• 4. Wayzata

• 5. East Ridge

• 6. Lakeville North

• 7. Alexandria Area

• 8. Owatonna

• 9. Mahtomedi

• 10. Farmington

Class A boys

• 1. Heritage Christian Academy

• 2. Central Minnesota Christian

• 3. Gentry Academy

• 4. Sleepy Eye United

• 5. Rushford-Peterson

• 6. Minneota

• 7. Dawson-Boyd

• 8. Lac qui Parle Valley

• 9. Blooming Prairie

• 10. New Life Academy of Woodbury

Class AA boys

• 1. Totino-Grace

• 2. St. Peter

• 3. Marshall

• 4. Academy of Holy Angels

• 5. Minnewaska Area

• 6. Albany

• 7. Stewartville

• 8. Hill-Murray

• 9. Detroit Lakes

• 10. Legacy Christian Academy

Class AAA boys

• 1. Lakeville South

• 2. Prior Lake

• 3. Elk River

• 4. Orono

• 5. St. Thomas Academy

• 6. Rosemount

• 7. Benilde-St. Margaret’s

• 8. Brainerd

• 9. Northfield

• 10. Maple Grove

Jackson County Central is second in Class AA and Martin County West sixth in Class A in the latest ratings by the Minnesota Fastpitch Coaches Association. The ratings were compiled on Thursday, before JCC’s game vs. Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial, which is fourth in AA.

The Huskies, 3-1, are one of two Big South Conference teams ranked. St. Peter (5-0) is fourth in Class AA. JCC’s next game is at home at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday vs. Fairmont (5-1).

St. Cloud Cathedral (5-0) is the Class AA leader.

Meanwhile, MCW (4-0) are one of five Tomahawk-Valley Conference teams that are ranked in Class A.

Fellow Valley Conference member Nicollet (6-2) is tied for 10^th. The Mavericks and Raiders play a doubleheader Tuesday in Nicollet.

Three Tomahawk Conference teams are rated, with Wabasso (4-2) tied for fourth, New Ulm Cathedral (6-2) seventh and Sleepy Eye (5-1) tied for 10^th.

United South Central (4-0) is ranked first in Class A. MCW’s game with the Rebels scheduled for Friday was postponed and rescheduled for May 11 in Wells.

Other top-ranked teams are Byron (7-1) in Class AAA and Forest Lake (9-0) in AAAA.

Following are the complete ratings. Listed are rank, team, last week’s ranking and poll points in parenthesis.

Class A

• 1. United South Central 1 (45)

• 2. Badger/Greenbush-Middle River 2 (42)

• (tie) Houston 3 (42)

• 4. Red Lake Falls 5 (25)

• (tie) Wabasso 9 (25)

• 6. Martin County West NR (18)

• 7. New Ulm Cathedral 6 (16)

• (tie) Swanville NR (16)

• 9. BOLD NR (15)

• 10. Nicollet NR (12)

• (tie) Sleepy Eye NR (12)

• (tie) West Lutheran NR (12)

Class AA

• 1. St. Cloud Cathedral 1 (36)

• 2. Jackson County Central 5 (31)

• 3. Spectrum 2 (30)

• 4. Lake Crystal Wellcome Memorial 6 (28)

• 5. Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton t3 (22)

• 6. Hawley t3 (21)

• 7. Caledonia 7 (19)

• 8. St. Agnes 8 (13)

• 9. Rockford 9 (9)

• 10. Morris Area/Chokio-Alberta NR (7)

Class AAA

• 1. Byron 4 (44)

• 2. Simley NR (36)

• 3. Mankato East 5 (34)

• 4. St. Peter NR (26)

• 5. Sartell NR (22)

• 6. North Branch Area NR (20)

• 7. Northfield 10 (19)

• 8. Delano NR (15)

• (tie) Hermantown NR (15)

• (tie) Kasson-Mantorville NR (15)

• (tie) Orono (S6)-(15)

Class AAAA

• 1. Forest Lake 2 (67)

• 2. Bloomington Jefferson 1 (66)

• 3. Farmington 3 (61)

• 4. Rogers 4 (57)

• 5. White Bear Lake Area 5 (45)

• 6. Centennial 6 (28)

• (tie) Maple Grove 7 (28)

• 8. Rosemount 8 (22)

• 9. Stillwater Area NR (20)

• 10. Park NR (19)

On Sunday morning while skipping church (maybe I should have left that part out) I contacted Tod Williamson in an effort to pin down when his son, Brandon, last pitched in Minnesota prior to Friday at Target Field.

He figured it was in 2017 when he played for the Thunder Bay Border Cats of the Northwoods League, based in Thunder Bay, Ontario. The Northwoods League is a summer league with teams in six states, including Minnesota. Thunder Bay is the lone team from Canada.

So I set about searching numerous websites from the U.S. and Canada to no avail trying pin down the exact date but came up empty. That was fine, I sent out a story saying that his last previous game in Minnesota was sometime in 2017.

Well, Tod said a couple of his kids were quick to contact him to tell him that he was wrong. Brandon had pitched in St. Paul in 2022.

That is something I could have found on my own if only I had checked my own website,

Actually, Brandon pitched at CHS Field against the St. Paul Saints twice that season and I didn’t make jt to either game.

He pitched on July 8, when I imagine I was in Lake Mills, Iowa, with the Nelson family for July Jubilee. The second was on Sept. 16, a high school football Friday night. By the way, JCC and MCW both won that night.

I’d forgotten that my wife, Maren, had gone to a Bats-Saints game the Sunday after he pitched on Friday.

I had poutine:

The Sept. 16 start was his first start in almost three weeks as he had been on paternity leave after his wife, Eivey, gave birth to their first daughter, Pollie.

Williamson pitched two innings for the Bats, the Triple-A affiliate of the Reds. He allowed two runs on two hits, walked four and struck out two.

Last high school game

As mentioned previously, Williamson’s last high school game was at Wacker Field in Jackson on May 31, 2016 in the first round of the Section 3AA tournament.

Top-seeded Jackson County Central edged eighth-seeded Martin County West 1-0 in ejght innings in probably the scariest first-round game ever for a number one seed.

The game was originally scheduled for Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, but rain forced a postponement and it wasn’t played until Tuesday.

The Huskies did have some fun while they tried to make the field playable:

The pitching matchup for the single-elimination first-round game had Williamson on the mound for the Mavericks while the Huskies countered with a tough lefthander of their own, Ryan Christopher.

Easton Bahr was the JCC shortstop then and now is in his first season as head coach.

“Brandon and Ryan were way good,” Bahr said. “Mid 80s (pitch speed) left-handed. Both teams struggled to even put the ball in play.

“We knew we just had to find a way to scratch a run across as we were confident in Ryan throwing and striking everyone out. But still a scary 8 seed with Brandon pitching.”

Christopher scored the only run of the game on an error in the eighth inning for the win.

Easton, also a long-time fixture at shortstop for the Jackson Bulls amateur baseball team, can lay claim to something not many other players in the First Nite League can as he got a hit off a future major leaguer. He had an infield single in that game.

Following high school, Williamson attended NIACC in Mason City. The Trojans only played in Minnesota once in his time there, a doubleheader at Dakota County Technical College, and Williamson did not pitch.

He also played some amateur baseball with the Blue Earth Pirates of the 13/60 League:

After not being listed in the preseason rankings, three Big South Conference teams are listed in the latest polls released by the Minnesota Baseball Coaches Association.

Luverne went from out of the Top 10 all the way to fourth in Class AA. The Cardinals start the week with a 6-0 record, averaging 11.6 runs per game.

Two more BSC teams are ranked in Class AAA, with Marshall (6-0) seventh and New Ulm (5-1) 10^th. The Eagles’ loss was to unranked conference opponent Belle Plaine (4-2), which took both of its losses to Marshall.

In Class A, four of the top 10 teams are from the Tomahawk-Valley Conference.

Out of the Tomahawk, Springfield (6-0) is first and New Ulm Cathedral (3-1) sixth. From the Valley, Madelia (6-0) is third and Mankato Loyola (5-2) 10^th.

Other leaders are Perham (AA), Delano (AAA) and Chaska (AAAA).

Here are the complete ratings. Listed are rank, team and preseason ranking.

Class A

• 1. Springfield 5

• 2. Red Lake County 4

• 3. Madelia NR

• 4. Lyle/Pacelli 8

• 5. South Ridge 2

• 6. New Ulm Cathedral 1

• 7. Parkers Prairie 3

• 8. Hayfield NR

• 9. Ogilivie NR

• 10. Mankato Loyola NR

Class AA

• 1. Perham 1

• 2. St. Cloud Cathedral 4

• 3. Montevideo 5

• 4. Luverne NR

• 5. Zumbrota-Mazeppa 9

• 6. Caledonia NR

• 7. Staples-Motley NR

• 8. Duluth Marshall 6

• 9. Litchfield NR

• 10. Glencoe-Silver Lake 2

Class AAA

• 1. Delano 3

• 2. Totino-Grace 4

• 3. Mankato East 2

• 4. Orono NR

• 5. Mankato West 6

• 6. Mahtomedi 1

• 7. Marshall NR

• 8. Benilde-St. Margaret’s 7

• 9. St. Thomas Academy 9

• 10. New Ulm NR

Class AAAA

• 1. Chaska 5

• 2. Cretin-Derham Hall 1

• 3. Maple Grove 7

• 4. Minnetonka 2

• 5. Mounds View 8

• 6. Wayzata 4

• 7. Farmington 6

• 8. Andover 9

• 9. Woodbury NR

• 10. Edina NR

Federated Rural Electric in Jackson will sponsor a clean-up day at Kilen Woods State Park, north of Lakefield.

The spring clean-up day is set for Saturday, May 2, when electric cooperative employees, customers and the general public will hold a work day in various parks throughout the state. Volunteers will clean picnic shelters, fix existing structures, pick up branches and litter on the trails.

Locally, everyone is invited to Kilen Woods State Park from 9 a.m.-noon. All ages are welcome. Volunteers will be served hot dogs, chips and cookies for lunch.

On that morning, volunteers will:

• Paint amphitheater seats & sign posts

• Pick up litter on hiking trails and trim branches

• Clean picnic shelter, bathroom & office building

• Scoop out campfire pits

• Pick up fallen branches

• Rake tent sites and campground area

• Replace picnic tabletops

For 25 years Federated, as a Touchstone Energy Cooperative, has sponsored the GreenTouch clean-up day.

“Kilen Woods staff always looks forward to GreenTouch day,” said Jason Honkomp, a technician with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. “We appreciate the many volunteers that help get the park spruced up for the summer camping and hiking season.”

You do not need to be a Federated member to volunteer, but you do need to RSVP by noon on April 30 so enough hot dogs are purchased.

Call Federated at 847-3520 or 1-800-321-3520 (press extension 2224 for Andrea) or email info@federatedrea.coop. Volunteers receive free access to the park on this day.

In case of rainy/snowy weather, check Federated’s Facebook page.

“GreenTouch is one way Touchstone Energy Cooperatives demonstrate their commitment to the community,” Scott Reimer, Federated’s general manager commented. “We’re proud of the way our members and employees have shown their cooperative spirit by volunteering to spruce up our state parks, but we’re not surprised by their generosity. It comes naturally to them.”

Federated is a rural electric cooperative serving 5,300 members in Jackson and Martin Counties.

As Brandon Williamson himself described it, Friday was “Bring All of my Close Friends and Family to Work Day.”

Estimates on the number of folks that made their way to Target Field from Martin County (and a few from Jackson County) vary depending on who you talk with. There were about 250 in Section 116, about another dozen next door in Section 115 and there were quite a few more were down the third base line in Section 124.

The Martin County West baseball team was able to rearrange its schedule thanks to the cooperation of Windom High School and by midday Friday postponements for the softball and track teams allowed a few more people to scramble and make the trip to the Cities at the last minute.

If we’re being honest, everyone would have come away happy no matter the result, but the way the night’s events unfolded made the late night/early morning 2.5-hour trip home seem more like 2.5 minutes.

In his first start in Minnesota as a major leaguer and his first time pitching in the state since 2017, the Martin County West graduate went 5.1 innings and was the winning pitcher as he moved over the .500 mark for both the season and his big-league career.

Friday’s game time temperature was 43 degrees, but it stayed dry despite a forecast that called for an 80 percent chance of rain and little wind could be felt inside the confines of Target Field.

That made for a relatively comfortable night in contrast with his outings in the open spaces of Welcome’s Fox Lake Area Sports Complex or other fields around southwest Minnesota.

That includes Wacker Field in Jackson.

As I’m based in Jackson, I have an obligation to my Jackson County Central followers to report that Williamson’s final high school game was a 1-0, eight-inning loss to the Huskies in Jackson in a first-round 2016 Section 3AA tournament game.

With an assist from Easton Bahr, I’ll have more on that in a future newsletter.

The exact date of the last time Brandon pitched on Minnesota soil is elusive, but his dad, Tod, said it was sometime in the summer of 2017 when he was playing with the Thunder Bay Border Cats of the Northwoods League.

In between he played with the Blue Earth Pirates townball team in the 13-60 League.

Again, I’ll have more on that later as we transition from an All-Roman Voss All the Time format to All Brandon Williamson All the Time until this fall.

For now, back to Friday’s game.

Williamson retired the first six batters he faced. He would get out of trouble and leave the bases loaded in the third.

After hitting a batter to start the inning he retired the next two hitters on fly balls to the outfield. A single and a walk loaded the bases.

Williamson got out of the inning by retiring Luke Keaschall on a called third strike that was confirmed after Keaschall challenged.

“I could have kissed whoever was running the ABS,” Williamson joked later.

The Reds gave Williamson a 2-0 lead in the top of the fourth when they recorded two of three hits they got off Twins starter Joe Ryan in his six innings.

Elly De La Cruz and Eugenio Suárez both doubled for Cincinnati, sandwiched around a throwing error by third baseman Ryan Kreidler. Suárez’s hit drove in the runs.

Williamson allowed a one-out single in the fourth, but that was it.

He put himself in a bad spot in the fifth but was able to minimize the damage and keep the Reds in front.

Williamson walked the No. 8, 9 and 1 batters to load the bases with nobody out.

Austin Martin’s blooping liner to the right-center gap was caught by a sliding Will Benson, with a run scoring.

Williamson then got Luke Keaschall to hit into an inning-ending, 5-4-3 double play that brought his supporters to their feet.

In the Minnesota sixth, Ryan Jeffers popped out to shortstop and then Josh Bell singled to bring an end to Williamson’s night.

Connor Phillps got the final two outs in the sixth, with Graham Ashcraft, Tony Santillan and Emilio Pagan each going one inning.

Williamson threw 93 pitches, 50 for strikes.

Following the game, Williamson was asked about pitching in colder conditions.

“Oh, yeah,” he said. “Way colder. And in not as nice a stadium.”

The left hander enjoyed his surroundings at a ballpark he had been to a number of times as a spectator.

“It was awesome,” Williamson said of the night. “I really like how the stadium feels on the mound. Everything is really close. The dugouts are close. Everything is close. It was everything I thought it would be.”

He said he didn’t spend much time during the game thinking about his supporters even though the majority were not far from the Reds dugout.

“I looked up there as I walked out,” he said. “I’ll go out there now. They’ll get some love.”

After he met with the media, Reds and stadium personnel worked together to facilitate a visit on the field from a lot of his supporters.

Cincinnati manager Terry Francona was happy with Williamson’s outing.

“I thought he handled himself really good,” he said. “He looked like he was having fun pitching. I know he didn’t like walking the bases loaded. But he looked like he was enjoying himself out there. I like that when guys are enjoying competing; then we’re okay.”

For the season, Williamson is 2-1 with a 4.35 earned run average. For his career he’s 7-6 with a 4.38 ERA.

His next scheduled start is Wednesday at Tampa Bay. It will be his first career start vs. the Rays.

Again, look for more on Friday’s game in future newsletters.

Williamson watch

A summary of career starts for Brandon Williamson.

2023

May 16 (at Colorado Rockies)

• In his first major league start in Denver vs. the Colorado Rockies, Williamson allowed one run on two hits, walking two and striking out six in 5.2 innings. He threw 72 pitches, 47 for strikes. Williamson received a no-decision in Cincinnati’s 3-1 win.

May 22 (vs. St. Louis Cardinals)

• Making his first start at Great American Ballpark, Williamson game up four runs on four hits, walking four and striking out three in 4.1 innings pitched. He threw 84 pitches, 48 for strikes. The Reds won 6-5 in 10 innings with Williamson receiving a no-decision.

May 27 (at Chicago Cubs)

• Williamson started for the Reds at Wrigley Field in the nationally televised Fox Game of the Week. He allowed four runs on six hits, walking three and fanning three in 4.1 innings. He threw 81 pitches, 52 for strikes. Williamson had another no-decision as Cincinnati won 8-5.

June 2 (vs. Milwaukee Brewers)

• Pitching against the team that originally drafted him in the 36th round in 2018, Williamson had career highs of six strikeouts and 6.2 innings. He allowed three runs on five hits. He threw 90 pitches, 59 for strikes. It was another no-decision for Williamson as the Reds lost 5-4 in 11 innings.

June 7 (vs. Los Angeles Dodgers)

• Williamson gave up six runs on eight hits (including three home runs), walking two and striking out three in 5.2 innings. He threw a career-high 96 pitches, 58 for strikes. The Reds won 8-6 in 10 innings with Williamson receiving a no-decision.

June 13 (at Kansas City)

• The Martin County West graduate recorded his first MLB win as he allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits, not walking a batter and striking out one in five innings. He threw 78 pitches, 51 for strikes. The Reds won 5-4.

June 19 (vs. Colorado)

• Another no decision for Williamson, although the first place Reds win 5-4 to improve to 6-1 in games he starts. The left hander went five-plus innings, allowing three runs on six hits, not walking a batter and striking out five. He threw 86 pitches, 59 for strikes.

June 26 (at Baltimore)

• A lengthy rain delay resulted in the shortest outing of Williamson’s career as he was replaced in the third inning. He went two innings, allowing three runs on two hits, walking four and striking out two as he took his first big league loss. Williamson threw 67 pitches, 39 for strikes. The Orioles won 10-3.

July 1 (vs. San Diego)

• Williamson pitched well but did take his second big league loss. The score was tied 1-1 when he left the game, and he was responsible for a runner on first who did score and the Padres went to win 12-5. Williamson went five-plus innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits, one walk and five strikeouts. He threw 86 pitches, 51 for strikes.

July 6 (at Washington)

• Rain again played a role in a short outing. There was a delay of 1 hour and 43 minutes after the first inning. Williamson took a bit of the load off the bullpen by making it through three innings. He didn’t allow a run on one hit, walked one and struck out four and the Reds eventually won 5-4 in 10 innings.

July 19 (vs. San Francisco)

• A quality start (the third pitcher in five games to do so for the Reds) and a no-decision. Williamson pitched six innings, allowing two runs on four hits, walking three and striking out three. He threw a career-high 98 pitches, 61 for strikes.

July 22 (vs. Arizona)

• In arguably the best start of his career to date, Williamson picks up his second career win as he goes six innings, allowing one run on three hits, walking one and striking out five as the Reds beat the Diamondbacks 4-2. He threw 80 pitches, 55 for strikes.

July 28 (at Los Angeles)

• Williamson claims his second straight win, allowing two runs in 5.2 innings in the Reds’ 6-5 win. He allowed 12 baserunners on eight hits and four walks but induced the Dodgers to hit into three double plays. The lefty threw 77 pitches, 44 for strikes.

Aug. 2 (at Chicago Cubs)

• The MCW grad had a career-high seven strikeouts in 4.1 innings in his second career start in the friendly confines of Chicago’s Wrigley Field. He allowed five runs on four hits and walked two. Williamson threw 77 pitches, 50 for strikes as he took a no-decision.

Aug. 7 (vs. Miami)

• Williamson said of his effort vs. the Marlins: “It’s probably the best start of my life, honestly,” He tied a career best by going 6.2 innings and set a career high in strikeout with nine. He threw 89 pitches, 63 for strikes.

Aug. 13 (at Pittsburgh)

• Starting in his eighth different MLB park, Williamson left the game with a 2-1 lead but wound up with a no decision as the Pirates rallied to win 4-2. The MCW grad went 5.2 innings, allowing one run on two hits, walking two and striking out six. He threw 88 pitches, 55 for strikes.

Aug. 19 (vs. Toronto)

• Williamson threw a career-high 101 pitches in taking the loss at home vs. Toronto as the Blue Jays won 4-3. He threw 66 strikes. In 5.2 innings Williamson allowed four runs on nine hits, walking one and striking out six.

Aug. 24 (at Arizona)

• In his longest stretch of shutout innings in a start, Williamson went six scoreless frames and wound up with a no decision in a game the Diamondbacks won 3-2. He allowed six hits, walked one and struck out six. The left hander threw 98 pitches, 64 for strikes.

Aug. 29 (at San Francisco)

• The left-hander set another career high for pitches as he threw 105 in six innings as he took a loss to the Giants to drop to 4-4. He allowed five runs (three earned) on six hits, didn’t walk a batter and struck out five.

Sept. 12 (at Detroit)

• In his first start coming off 10 days on the COVID-19 injured list, Williamson went four-plus innings and took a no-decision in a game the Reds won 6-5 in 10 innings. He allowed five runs on seven hits, walked two and struck out four.

Sept. 17 (at New York Mets)

• Williamson made it a dozen major league parks he had started a game in as he went four innings and took the loss as the Reds fell to the Mets 8-4 in the Big Apple. He allowed three runs on six hits, walked one and struck out two.

Sept. 24 (vs. Pittsburgh)

• The left hander went 4 1/3 innings and was not involved in the decision in a 4-2 Reds win over the Pirates. He allowed two runs on four hits, walked one and struck out three.

Sept. 29 (at St. Louis)

• In the final start of his rookie season, Williamson was the winning pitcher to finish with a 5-5 record, He went six innings, allowing two runs on five hits, walking two and fanning two as Cincinnati rolled to a 19-2 win over the Cardinals.

2024

Sept. 1 (vs. Milwaukee)

• Williamson made his 2024 debut vs. Milwaukee, striking out five batters as he hit the 100 mark for his career. Activated from the 60-day injured list following a shoulder strain, he went 3.1 innings, allowing two runs (one earned) while giving up three hits and not walking a batter. The Reds won 4-3 in 11 innings.

Sept. 6 (at New York Mets)

• The MCW graduate went 4.2 innings at Citi Field, allowing one run on one hit, walking one, hitting two batters and striking out one.

Sept. 11 (at St. Louis)

• Williamson made it through five innings and was not involved in the decision in an eventual 2-1 Cardinals’ win. He gave up one run on three hits, walking two and striking out five.

Sept. 17 (vs. Atlanta)

• In what turned out to be his final appearance for 560 days, Williamson left his start against Atlanta with a left elbow injury after throwing only 44 pitches. The injury was later revealed to be a complete tear of his ulnar collateral ligament, resulting in Tommy John surgery, and marked his final appearance before a long rehabilitation process. In 1.1 innings he gave up three runs on three hits, walking two and striking out one.

2025

Brandon Williamson missed the entire 2025 season following Tommy John surgery.

2026

March 31 (vs. Pittsburgh)

• Making his return to the mound, Williamson gave up five runs in the second inning but worked through that to go 4.2 innings vs. the Pirates. He allowed six runs on six hits, walked two and struck out three, taking the loss as Pittsburgh won 8-3.

April 6 (at Miami)

• Facing the Marlins, Williamson went 6.2 innings for the third time in his career. The other two were both in 2023, one vs. Marlins and the other was against the Brewers. He didn’t give up a run while allowing three hits, walking one and striking out four. He threw 93 pitches, 59 for strikes. Williamson was the winning pitcher as the Reds won 2-0.

April 11 (vs. Los Angeles Angels)

• Williamson didn’t have his best stuff but limited the damage and left the game after four innings with the Reds leading. He allowed three hits, walked a career-high six and also hit a batter. Cincinnati led 5-3 when the left-hander was replaced and the Reds eventually won 7-3.

April 17 (at Minnesota)

• Pitching before several hundred family members and friends among the crowd of 31,202 at Target Field, Williamson went 5.1 innings, allowing one run on three hits, striking out two and walking four vs. the Twins. He threw 93 pitches, 50 for strikes. Cincinnati won 2-1.