MFL MarMac baseball will benefit from experienced lineup, pitching depth
Members of the MFL MarMac baseball team include (front, left to right) Brent Roe, Dustin Larson, Jaron Wille, Wes Corlett, Jaxon Millage, Koda Warrington; (middle) Jacob Schellhorn, Kyler Nuehring, Carter Lightfoot, Parker Kuehl, Elias Hatt, Nick Krambeer, Carver Blietz-Bentien, Bryce Radloff, Brady Welsh, Brayden Gordon, Kade Humble; (back) head coach Paul Gordon, assistant coach Lary Walter, Ben Krambeer, Brodyn Blietz and Carsten Pester. (Photo by Audrey Posten)
Pinch runner Koda Warrington races for home plate in MFL MarMac's loss to Midland.
Brayden Gordon connects with a pitch in the May 22 game versus the Eagles.
Ben Krambeer tags a Midland runner headed for third base.
Parker Kuehl slides into home for one of the Bulldogs' runs against the Eagles.
By Audrey Posten, Times-Register
The MFL MarMac baseball team boasts an experienced lineup and pitching depth that head coach Paul Gordon said will make his job easier this season.
“We have a lot of good hitters. Top to bottom, I feel like our lineup is really strong,” Gordon said.
This includes returning leadoff hitter, junior Parker Kuehl, as well as junior Ben Krambeer, a first team all-conference selection last year, in the cleanup role. Second teamers Jacob Schellhorn and Jaxon Millage, both juniors, are back, as is honorable mention pick Bryce Radloff. The senior suffered a bad calf injury during football season and it was unsure whether he would be able to play baseball.
“That’s huge. It shows how hard of a worker he is,” Gordon said. “He’s fully recovered and hasn’t missed a step. One of the senior leaders on the team.”
Other returning starters are outfielders Elias Hatt and Brayden Gordon and first baseman Dustin Larson. A key addition, noted Gordon, will be Carver Blietz-Bentien in the three-hole. The senior missed most of last season due to injury and will be a welcome bat in the lineup as well as the Bulldogs’ catcher.
MFL MarMac will put eight to 10 pitchers on the mound, and possibly more by the end of the season, according to Gordon. The list includes Schellhorn, Kuehl, Ben Krambeer and Nick Krambeer.
This depth will help replace the over 50 innings thrown by workhorse Austin Evanson a year ago.
“You’re not just going to have one guy come in and replace that. We have a group of pitchers to eat up those innings,” Gordon said. “It will be nice to be able to mix it up on the mound. We can go righty, lefty, back and forth, different speeds. It will be key keeping their arms fresh too, making sure everybody is playing their best at the end of the season when we need them the most.”
The Bulldogs had one of their most successful seasons in recent history in 2023, just four outs away from the state tournament. That’s fueled the team’s current goals.
“The boys set the bar pretty high last year. If we want to improve on that, that’s the next step: going to the state tournament and hopefully winning a conference title. It’s been awhile for that too, and we were close last year,” Gordon stated.
Gordon said perennial Upper Iowa Conference favorites Kee High and South Winneshiek, as well as North Fayette Valley, will be strong tests. For the Bulldogs to reach their goals, “The biggest thing is chemistry,” he stressed. “We’ve got to stick together as a team and pick each other up.”
Bulldogs off to 3-1 start
The MFL MarMac baseball team is off to a 3-1 start, capped off by a championship performance in the Bucks Fever Classic.
The Bulldogs scored five late runs to edge Oelwein 7-5 in the May 20 opener. They compiled just six hits to the Huskies’ 10, but walked eight times and stole three bases.
Carver Blietz-Bentien singled and doubled and drove in three runs, while Elias Hatt was 2-3 with a walk and RBI.
A quartet of Bulldogs—Parker Kuehl, Jacob Schellhorn, Jaron Wille and Bryce Radloff—pitched seven innings, allowing a combined 10 hits, five walks, two hit batters and three earned runs. They struck out 11 Huskies.
On May 22, MFL MarMac couldn’t complete a late-game comeback in a 7-6 loss to Midland. The Eagles capitalized on 10 free passes and six stolen bases in the victory.
The Bulldogs put up six hits of their own, including an early double by Radloff, who also had a sacrifice and knocked in two runs. Kuehl singled, walked twice and scored two times, and Jaxon Millage was 1-3 with a walk, stolen base and RBI.
MFL MarMac wrapped up the week by winning the Bucks Fever Classic at Waterloo Riverfront Stadium on May 24.
A six-run second inning propelled the team to an 11-3 victory over Marquette Catholic in the first game. The Bulldogs racked up 10 hits, led by Hatt’s three. The senior stole a base and scored three runs. Brayden Gordon doubled, walked and stole a pair of bags, in addition to two RBIs. Kuehl was on base three times—including a single, walk and hit by pitch—and earned three steals, an RBI and run scored.
Schellhorn tossed five strong innings, holding the Defenders to six hits, two walks and one earned run. He struck out six batters. Radloff surrendered only one hit, two walks, a hit batter and two earned runs over two innings, while fanning four Defenders.
The Bulldogs clinched the tournament title with a 10-0, two-hit shutout of Glidden-Ralston. Kuehl earned the win after striking out six batters over three innings. Wille earned two other Ks in two innings of work.
MFL MarMac made the most of five hits and seven walks, and swiped nine bases. Blietz-Bentien singled and doubled, drove in a run and scored twice. Gordon added two runs after reaching base three times on a hit, walk and hit by pitch. Schellhorn walked and scored twice and picked up two RBIs, while Ben Krambeer tallied an RBI and two runs.
The Bulldogs have six games on the schedule this week, starting with a home doubleheader versus Turkey Valley on May 28. They head to Alburnett May 29, then host Postville for two games May 30, before ending the week at Wapsie Valley May 31.
