Braves punch ticket to state after decade absence

On to state.

The third-seeded Waseca Braves upset the second-seeded Waterville Indians 5-1 at Waterville in the Region 5C championship game Friday night, earning the team's first trip to state since 2016. 

The Braves have taken steps over the past four seasons, improving each year, falling one game short of state a year ago. 

“I know that some of our veteran players were still thinking about that as we started this season,” coach Tink Larson said. “This was very satisfying to them and for me.” 

For Larson, this is a remarkable seventh consecutive decade playing or coaching in the state amateur baseball tournament.

Two veterans and one young “superstar” played a large role in both a successful season and the victory at the region tournament. 

“The most obvious difference this year was the emergence of Tyson Reger,” Larson shared. “Both on the mound and with the bat, he has had a sensational season.” 

The 13-60 League Player of the Year pitched a complete game for the Braves Friday, striking out 11, walking one, and allowed only one unearned run. 

Reger escaped a bases-loaded jam in the first inning. Indian runners were in place thanks to an infield single, a hit batter and a walk. It was a tense moment of the game before the final out was recorded on a ground ball to short. 

The Braves exhaled after scoring three runs in the top of the third. After a lead-off walk, Reger hit what many thought was a home run, but was called foul. An infield single got him on base a bit later. A throwing error on a Keato Roeker bunt scored the first run before a throwing error secured the second. Kelvin Nelson delivered a line-drive single to right field to plate the third run of the inning. 

“Kelvin is the glue of our team,” Larson told the Pioneer. 

“It’s crazy to think it has been 10 years since the Braves have been to state,” Nelson said after the game. “It’s a whole new group. I am excited to continue playing some ball.”

Nelson, a Waseca native and 19-year veteran ballplayer, started with the Braves in 2008. After his Bluejay career, Nelson went on to play Division II baseball at Grand Canyon University before playing at Willmar Community College and Bellevue University in Nebraska. Nelson’s dad, Blake, is the Brave’s manager. 

The other veteran Larson highlighted was Kyle Waugh. 

A Brave for 10 years, Waugh has never played in a state tournament. 

After striking out three times, all on outside pitches, Waugh stepped to the plate in the 8th inning, trying to deliver some insurance runs for the Braves. 

Singles from Payton Garza and Ryan Hanson set up runners on the corners with two outs. Down to his final strike, Waugh stretched out his at-bat, put the ball in play and plated two runs via an infield single, followed by a throwing error, one of five fielding miscues for the Indians.

The Indians' lone run came in the bottom of the 8th after runners reached via error and a single off Reger’s leg. A single off the top of the wall in center caused confusion for the Indian runners, who only plated one on the play. Reger struck out the final two batters to end the threat. 

On the night, Reger only allowed four Waterville hits, all singles. 

At the plate, recording one hit each for the Braves were Reger, Kelvin Nelson, Garza, Hanson, Waugh, and Ryan Wangen. 

“There is no better feeling than getting to extend the baseball season a couple more weeks,” Kelvin Nelson said after the game. “This is an awesome feeling. Making the state tournament means a lot, especially being one of the older guys on the team now (37). I am excited for the younger guys who haven’t been there to get to experience playing in the state tournament.”

After the game, Coach Larson thanked the players for doing their part to get through the region tournament.

“I think Blake Nelson did a good job throughout the season emphasizing that we had a lot of good players with the makings of being a good team, but that we needed to keep working on improving our fundamentals if we wanted to be successful,” Larson said. “Cody Huiras was a nice addition to the team. He was a solid player both offensively and defensively and was a good teammate.”

Larson said moving young players into more prominent positions played an important role.

“Probably the biggest of those moves was moving (high school junior) Kellen Klinger into the catching position as his VFW and American Legion seasons were starting to wind down. He did a great job defensively for us," explained Larson. “Owen Honstad became the starter in center field towards the end of the season and did a good job defensively. Logan Reger was another youngster who was with us all year and he had a couple good outings on the mound and was a solid defensive player when he played in the field. Keato Roeker and Payton Garza are a couple young players who had very good years for us with the bat, and Kyle Waugh and Kelvin Nelson had good years. Ryan Hanson improved as the season progressed.”

Up next for the Braves will be the single-elimination Class C state tournament against the Brownton Bruins, beginning at 7:30 p.m. Friday in Jordan. 

This will be the Braves' 18th appearance in the state tournament. They won the state championship in 1957.

On the season, the Braves' record improved to 14-8.