The Maple Lake Lakers begin their 2006 amateur baseball season this weekend under the leadership of new manager Keith Jerpseth, who replaces the retiring Joe Hofman. Friday night the Class A Robbinsdale Birdtown come to Irish Stadium for the 7:30 opener, and Sunday Maple Lake hosts the Howard Lake Orphans at 2 p.m. A big rival for the Lakers, Howard Lake led the league in pitching stats in 2005 but came in last in batting. Jerpseth, who will be a playing manager, is optimistic about Laker offensive potential but says pitching is problematic. Ryan Klingelhofer, who finished 8-0 in league action with a 2.12 era and was named Central Division Most Valuable Pitcher in 2005, is recovering from shoulder surgery and will see little action this season. Bob Fobbe’s arm is also a question mark. Though he will play in the outfield, Todd Fuller will see little or no mound action due to surgery. Lots of excitement is being generated about the signing of hard-throwing right hander Craig Fobbe, who can also play the outfield, hits with power and runs well. Fobbe set the NAIA national passing record as a four-year quarterback for Morningside College, however, and could receive an NFL offer. That leaves ageless Todd DeMarais, John Anderson, Chad Raiche, Tyler Decker, Marcus Zahn and Tony Smith, the only staff lefty, for mound duty. The infield will be led by shortstop Chad Raiche, North Star League Central Division Most Valuable Player in 2005, who led the division with a .437 average and 27 rbi’s. His keystone partner at second base, Nate Johnson, batted .329 last year and was an outstanding leadoff hitter with base stealing potential. Marcus Zahn and Tyler Decker will see action at third, and Marty Johnson will start at first. Tony Smith will play some first and Eric Wurm will fill a utility role. Darrin, Tyler and Cody Decker, Fuller, Bob and Craig Fobbe will fill the outfield spots. Player-coach Tony Wurm will get some outfield time. Bill Porter will be available on a part- time basis. Darrin and Cody Decker are both playing at Fergus Falls Community College and will not be available until the end of their season. Manager Jerpseth plans to do most of the catching but Cody Decker will see some action behind the plate. Lost from the 2005 Laker squad are Dan Vandehey, who has signed with the Hamel Hawks, where he played years ago before joining Maple Lake, and Pete Goodfellow, who has retired. Several Annandale and Maple Lake high school players may be added to the team when their seasons are completed. Looking ahead to the season, Jerpseth says if the pitching staff can hold opponents to five runs or less each game, the Lakers should have enough firepower to win most of their games. The strategy in the first few games will be to use an assortment of pitchers for 3-plus innings to get as many arms in shape as possible. Once again the Lakers play a strong schedule, taking on each of the other Class B North Star League Central Division teams twice – D-C, Delano, St. Michael and Hutchinson – and playing each of the Class C league teams once. D-C and Delano were the 2005 B playoff No. 1 and 2 teams and State Tournament entries. Maple Plain was the only North Star C team to go to State. Laker opponents who also played in last year’s Class C tourney are Holdingford, 2005 state Class C champion, Midway, St. Joseph and St. Cloud Orthopedic. Maple Lake finished 12-5 in Central Division play, taking first place on tie-breaking points, but lost out in the playoffs. – Follow the Lakers on their web site: www.maplelakelakers.com. – Keep up on league action: www.northstarleague.org. – If you have questions, e-mail Jerpseth at kjerpseth@annabank.com.
