A year ago, Zak Hernandez and Hunter Baldwin were pitching in the North Dakota Babe Ruth state baseball tournament. Another 15-year-old, Adam Mach, was splitting his time between Babe Ruth and American Legion baseball.
Last week, that trio of 16-year-olds was pitching Grafton to another berth in the North Dakota Class B American Legion state tournament.
Grafton went 3-1 in the Section 4 tournament, winning the title to qualify for the state tournament for the fourth straight season. Hernandez, Baldwin and Mach each got a mound win in the section.
"I don't think anybody else would have expected us 16-year-olds to do that well at the section tournament,'' Baldwin said. "Hopefully we can do it at state.''
Grafton begins its bid to repeat as Class B state champion today when it plays Enderlin at 1:45 p.m. in the first round of the tournament at Beulah.
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Grafton's reliance on such a young group of pitchers -- Tanner Fritz, another 16-year-old, is getting mound time, as was Jess Suda before suffering a season-ending knee injury -- was in part by design and in part out of necessity.
The team had pitching openings, as seven pitchers who had five or more decisions last season were in their final year of eligibility.
Staff ace Jaime Villarreal did return, but the 18-year-old right-hander hasn't pitched in three weeks because of an elbow injury. Another mound veteran, Christian Lunde, has missed two weeks due to all-star football game commitments.
That's left veteran Sam Heuchert and the 16-year-olds to pick up the slack. The 16-year-olds aren't total surprises; Baldwin was an all-region pick and Hernandez won a game at the state tournament during the spring high school season.
But, Grafton coach Chad Kliniske said, "I don't think we've ever had a group with this many 16-year-olds who can go to the mound and get outs.
"For us to win the section without Jaime pitching, with our young pitching staff, that's pretty goofy.''
Mach, who played last season with Midway-Minto, a team that folded this summer, leads Grafton in wins (5-0, 1.89 ERA). Hernandez (4-2, 1.25) and Baldwin (4-2, 2.97) are next in line for wins, while Suda went 2-1 and Fritz has won his only decision.
Villarreal (3-2), Heuchert (2-1) and Lunde (2-0) are the only other pitchers with more than one win.
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"Our team had a sub-2.00 ERA last year,'' said Kliniske, whose team is making its eighth appearance at the Legion state tournament in the past 10 seasons. "We're at 2.50 this year. That's pretty good, having a bunch of 16-year-olds coming close to what a bunch of good 18-year-old pitchers did last year.
"With this group, they've all had times where they've been slapped around a little bit. You're not always sure what you'll see from game to game. They can all be very, very good. But we've also seen the dark side of things. The youth has something to do with (the inconsistency).''
Mach is the hardest thrower amongst himself, Hernandez and Baldwin. But speed isn't what the trio relies on to succeed.
"They all throw at least three different pitches,'' Kliniske said. "They all have good control. And they all are the types who rely on their defense.
"I think we play a little better defense behind them. It isn't like when Jaime throws, when the guys know if they get him a run we'll probably win, he can dominate a game so much. The kids know we have to play defense behind these young guys to win; they know they'll get opportunities to make plays.''
The inexperienced pitchers have made a big difference for the 24-8 team. Kliniske said it isn't a typical Grafton team in that the team batting average, the power and the stolen bases are all down from past seasons.
Still, the team keeps winning.
"It's been pitching,'' Kliniske said, ''and tradition. And a lot of heart.''
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DeVillers reports on sports. Call him at (701) 780-1128; (800) 477-6572, ext. 1128; or send e-mail to gdevillers@gfherald.com .
