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2025 Minnesota High School Team Previews, Volume XII

March 23, 2025
Andy Judkins
State Director, Prep Baseball Minnesota

Prep Baseball Minnesota strives to be the most comprehensive source of player information across the state. Prep Baseball is the number one resource for high school baseball in each state that we cover through various events, boots-on-the-ground scouting staff, daily coverage, and multimedia platforms. Our multimedia platforms and events work together, creating each state's most potent high school baseball promotion source. While other organizations take a national approach, our goal is to become the authoritative voice on the ground level of each state.

As we prepare for the upcoming 2025 high school season, we will be taking a preseason glimpse at programs from around the state.

SPRING LAKE PARK PANTHERS

Head Coach: Codey Miller (2 seasons, 24-25)

Class: 4A
Conference: Northwest Suburban
2024 Record: 14-10
X: @SLPPantherBase

Impact Players:

Key Underclass Players:

Coach's Comment:
"Our team enters this season with a lot of promise, built around a young but talented roster. While we have some unknowns at the plate, we are confident in the foundation we've built on pitching and defense. Our pitching staff is deep and should give us a competitive edge in every game, while our defense has the potential to be one of the team's strengths, providing the stability we need to stay in ballgames."

NRHEG PANTHERS

Head Coach: Shawn Larson (1 season, 7-13)

Class: 2A
Conference: Gopher
2024 Record: 7-13
X: @NrhegBaseball1

Impact Players:

Key Underclass Players:

  • Brooks Gilliland
  • Chase Johannsen
  • Ryan Schlaak

Coach's Comment:
"We made huge improvements in our mental game last season. We will be looking to play solid this season with almost the same team as last season."

LAKE OF THE WOODS BEARS

Head Coach: TJ Frericks (1 season, 13-7)

Class: 1A
Conference: Northland
2024 Record: 13-7
X: None

Impact Players:

  • Zack Brouse
  • Jonah McDougall
  • Grady Ivall

Key Underclass Players:

  • Lucas Holen

Coach's Comment:
"The Bears will be young, and energetic. Their team should be built on sound defense, and strike throwers on the mound."

BELGRADE BROOTEN ELROSA JAGUARS

Head Coach: Ben Klaphake (2 seasons, 30-22)

Class: 1A
Conference: Central Minnesota
2024 Record: 16-9, Section Runner-Up
X: @BBEbaseball

Impact Players:

Key Underclass Players:

  • Lance Radermacher

Coach's Comment:
"We are excited as a coaching staff for this upcoming 2025 season. We return a key group of starters who have been vital to our success for the past 2 years starting as sophomores. If we can stay healthy, I foresee us to have a strong pitching staff, good defense, and an offense that can make things happen. We are excited to see our team's growth as the season progresses and work toward a deep playoff run!"

MINNEHAHA ACADEMY REDHAWKS

Head Coach: Scott Glenn (15 seasons, 253-103)

Class: 2A
Conference: IMAC
2024 Record: 13-9
X: @Redhawks_BB

Impact Players:

Key Underclass Players:

Coach's Comment:
"We will try to build off our success last year. We will once again be a very young team, but we are getting deeper and have some good young talent. We are excited to compete."

ROCHESTER CENTURY PANTHERS

Head Coach: Todd Stellmaker (5 seasons, 39-51)

Class: 4A
Conference: Big 9
2024 Record: 8-11
X: @CenturyHardball

Impact Players:

Key Underclass Players:

  • Cade Goergen, 2027

Coach's Comment:
"With 3 year starter and ace of the staff, Mike Ruff, we can win anytime he takes the mound.  Aidan Nesham missed his junior season with an injury is a strike-throwing machine. He will be a great addition to the rotation. Bullpen has a couple power arms in Owen Kelly and Brady Buchmann. Defense is solid but will need to find a shortstop. With graduating last year's Post Bulletin offensive player of the year (Josh Fletcher, 5 home runs), our offense will be work in progress. Have some nice depth offensively.  Pitching, Defense, Offense in that order wins games and we feel really good about the first two. Offense will come as we have talent through out the order."

CHERRY TIGERS

Head Coach: Brian Kemp (12 seasons, 131-85)

Class: 1A
Conference: Arrowhead
2024 Record: 24-4, Class 1A State 4th Place
X: @Baseballchs2014

Impact Players:

Key Underclass Players:

  • Isaiah Asuma
  • Kalub Brown
  • Jack Michels 

Coach's Comment:
"Goal is to repeat as section champs and make another run towards a state championship."

OGILVIE LIONS

Head Coach: Benji Besser (9 seasons, 62-86)

Class: 1A
Conference: Great River
2024 Record: 11-9, Section Runner-Up
X: None

Impact Players:

  • Isaiah Voss, RHP/C
  • Kaden Felde, RHP/SS
  • Carter Magaard, RHP/3B
  • Deegan Birkaker, RHP/3B

Key Underclass Players:

  • Matthew Fradette, RHP/C

Coach's Comment:
"We will be a relatively young team that will need some younger arms and bats to step up and fill in the gabs left after graduating four starters from last years team. Arm health will determine how far we go this year. Our top three starting pitchers give us a chance to win any game, we just need them to stay healthy!"

ANNANDALE CARDINALS

Head Coach: Dennis Wittrock (1st season)

Class: 2A
Conference: Wright County 
2024 Record: 6-14
X: None

Impact Players:

Key Underclass Players:

Coach's Comment:
"We have a lot of seniors coming back, it will be an experience team looking to build on the good baseball we started playing towards the end of last season."

WEST LUTHERAN WARRIORS

Head Coach: Stephen Gurgel (4 seasons)

Class: 2A
Conference: MCAA 
2024 Record: 5-14
X: None

Impact Players:

Coach's Comment:
"West Lutheran is in Year 3 of a complete program rebuild after splitting apart from Maranatha Christian. Because of this, our team is still primarily underclassmen, but still much more experienced than previous seasons. The team lost it's two most impactful pitchers, but has several underclassmen with a lot of promise who now have opportunities to take leadership roles on the team."

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