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Baseball Day Minnesota 2024: Game Summary, Key Moments, Committed & Uncommitted Standouts

May 16, 2024
Parker Hageman
Prep Baseball Minnesota

Minnetonka, Minnesota—For years, Minnesotans have cleared their calendars for the fishing opening. Judging from the turnout at the first Baseball Day Minnesota, the lakes might have a new annual spring event to compete with.

The over 2,000 attendees at Veterans Field received three well-played contests on a beautiful day that gave way to a gorgeous evening. Here's a rundown of how the day unfolded and the standout performances.

GAME SUMMARY

#1 WAYZATA 2   MINNETONKA 1

+ No. 1 ranked Wayzata outlasted Minnetonka in a tight contest between the Lake Conference programs. The Trojans would score first in the top of the fourth on an Adam Deselich line drive to center, scoring Gaard Swenson and putting Wayzata ahead 1-0.

+ In the fifth, the Skippers would tie it when Carter Storts would score on a passed ball.

+ The score would remain tied at 1-1 until the top of the seventh when Tyler Gullickson reached on an infield grounder that was knocked down by Skippers’ shortstop Will Koeppen, to score James Hansen and put the Trojans in the lead 2-1. 

Player of the Game: Riley Leatherman

Game one is presented by Metro Baseball League:

WOODBURY 3   #3 STILLWATER 1


+ The no. 3 ranked Stillwater Ponies would strike first in the third inning when Charley Rowan singled home Tyler Lamott to give Stillwater the 1-0 lead.

+ The score would hold until the bottom of the sixth when Woodbury’s Tommy Dittrich would single through the infield to score Ben Giliuson to tie the game at one.



+ After a Stillwater pitching change, Tommy Kroohn followed up Dittrich’s RBI single with a two-run double, scoring Will Haugen and Dittrich. The 3-1 score would hold when Royals’ closer George Bjellos would shut down the Ponies in the top of the seventh. 

Player of the Game: Jack Gessner

CRETIN-DERHAM HALL 6  #5 EAST RIDGE 2

+ No. 5 East Ridge started the scoring with an RBI double from Alabama commit Luke Ryerse, scoring Will Preimesberger. Ryerse would later score on a Jake Reigert ground out.

+ The Raptors held the 2-0 lead until the fourth when Cretin-Derham Hall’s Brady Stoeklen blasted a three-run shot, scoring Joe Fenlon and Paul Jones.

+ Cretin would break it open in the fifth with some small and big ball. Zander Coy would squeeze home John Mooney to put the Raiders ahead 4-2. With two outs, Jones would score Coy on a double to center. Stoeklen followed that with another double, scoring Jones from second, giving Cretin the 6-2 advantage. 

Player of the Game: Brady Stoeklen

KEY MOMENTS

+ Gullickson's Game-Winning Single

In the sixth inning, the Trojans had runners on the corners and two outs. Gullickson was down 0-2 in the count when he got an elevated fastball with ride. The lefty put a good swing on it and knocked it just to the left of second base. Will Koeppen made an all-out effort to make a play on the ball but could only keep it from going into the outfield. Hansen would score easily from third and give Wayzata the 2-1 lead. 

+ Dittrich's Game-Tying RBI Single 

With two outs in the sixth, Ben Guilison on second, and the Royals trailing by a run, Woodbury's Tommy Dittrich lined a single to left. Guilison is waved home for a full send while Stillwater left fielder Patrick Lundgren comes up firing to the plate. The ball and the runner arrive almost simultaneously at the Ponies' catcher, Owen Maslowski. Maslowski could not handle the throw as Guilison slid/rolled over home plate. Guilison is ruled safe, and the Royals tied it up.

+ Stoeklen's Go-Ahead Blast 

Brady Stoeklen showed premium juice with his go-ahead three-run blast in the fourth. Veterans Field in Minnetonka is a far cry from a bandbox, and putting one out takes some serious strength.  

COMMITTED STANDOUTS

+ Riley Leatherman | 2024 | University of North Carolina

The Tarheels commit showed very well in his six innings of work. Ranked 7th in Minnesota's 2024 and 421st overall, Leatherman struck out four, walked two, and allowed just the one unearned run. 

Firing from a lower three-quarters slot is an east-west worker. Leatherman ran his fastball up to 91 but sat 88-to-90. His slider was a plus pitch and very potent. The changeup, which has over 15 inches of horizontal movement, was very effective against Minnetonka's lefties. Listed at 6-foot-2, Leatherman has a very projectable frame that should have the potential to add once in the college program.  

+ Noah Filer | 2025 | Purdue University 

The Trojans turned to Filer in the seventh to lock down the win. The six-foot-three right-hander was 86-87 with plenty of life through the zone, and the breaking ball had a sharp bite. 

+ Paul Jones | 2024 | University of Maryland

Jones is heading to Maryland for his bat, but his arm plays, too. On the mound, the lefty went the distance against East Ridge, throwing seven strong with eight strikeouts, two walks, and two runs. He ran it up to 86 while sitting 84-85. He also went 2-for-3 at the plate with a double and drove in one.  

+ Nathan Wheeler | 2024 | Southwest Minnesota State

 Wheeler finished 3-for-3 at the plate and had a nice snag at third to start a double play for the Skippers.

+ Gaard Swenson | 2024 | Hillsdale College

The Trojan right fielder went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and run scored. 

+ Charley Rowan | 2024 | University of Wisconsin-La Crosse

Rowan finished 1-for-3 and drove in the lone Ponies run. He stole a pair of bags as well. 

+ Tommy Kroohn | 2024 | University of Wisconsin-River Falls 

Kroohn reached base twice in his three plate appearances, with his big at-bat coming in the sixth, driving an opposite-field two-run double to put the Royals in the lead for good.  

Luke Ryerse | 2025 | University of Alabama

Minnesota's no. 1 prospect in the class of 2024 went 2-for-3 for the Raptors, including an RBI double in the first. Ryerse would also come around to score on Jake Reigert's RBI ground out.

UNCOMMITTED STANDOUTS

+ Jack Gessner | 2025 | LHP | Woodbury  

Gessner would finish with eight strikeouts through 6 innings, sitting 83-85 with his fastball and throwing it on both sides of the plate. The second and most devastating pitch was the curveball. Throwing it at 69-72, he was able to land it in the zone early in counts, also putting hitters away with it. He spins the living daylights out of the pitch with a max spin rate of 2,712 RPM at the Minnesota Preseason All-State event in March. Using the outlier pitch to his advantage allowed the fastball to play up, getting hitters out.

+ Brady Stoeklen | 2025 | Cretin-Derham Hall

The Raiders' designated hitter impacted the game with a three-run home run and an RBI double. He finished 2-for-3 and drove in four of the six Cretin runs. 

+ Gus Berger | 2025 | 1B | Minnetonka 

Minnetonka's first baseman went 2-for-3 with a double. Berger has been impressive with the bat at each showing: high bat-to-ball tendencies and battles in the box.   

+ Davon Castro | 2025 | C | Cretin-Derham Hall

Castro went 2-for-3 at the plate and was one-for-one in throwing out runners from behind the plate.  

+ AJ Levy | 2025 | OF/RHP | Stillwater

Listed at five-foot-seven, Levy started in the outfield and came into work one inning of relief. The junior has an athletic frame, moves well, and attacks the zone with a fastball that was 84-85 with high carry.  

+ Jack Butterworth | 2025 | RHP | Minnetonka

Butterworth is a very projectable arm in the 2025 class. The six-foot-five righty possesses a high amount of east-west to his arsenal. The fastball, up to 88, has significant sink/run. The slider is tight at 75-76 with some late movement, and his changeup also has good fade. He should be a high follow this summer.

+ Adam Deselich | 2025 | LF | Wayzata

Deselich went 1-for-3 and started the scoring off for the Trojans with a line drive up the middle. Possesses a clean, simple swing that has some underlying juice. 

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