The Spring of 2022 ushers in Spring Grove High School baseball with much more experience and twice as many seniors – that means two seniors instead of one. Eight of nine letter winners return, all with starting experience. That does not include a pair of outfielders who started the few times when they were not injured. Starters are back at catcher and every infield position.
Photo by Lee Epps
That is in sharp contrast to last year when there was only one Lion who had ever played in a varsity game. That lack of experience would soon be challenged by injuries. Late in the season, there were three eighth graders in the starting lineup, neither of whom – with their seventh-grade season having been canceled by the pandemic – had ever even played in a junior high game, much less a high school contest. The 2021 Lions finished at 10-12, which included an 8-7 record in conference play – a fourth straight winning SEC season. Spring Grove hosted and won their first section play-off game.
Not counting the canceled 2020 campaign, it will be the sixth season for Chris Strinmoen, who has been the only head coach since Spring Grove reinstated baseball in 2016. The 1996 Lion Athlete of the Year and Wartburg College baseball player, begins with good numbers – 23 candidates in grades nine through 12. Strinmoen will again be assisted by 1993 Lion All-Conference Phil Griffin while 2013 Lion Athlete of the Year and college athlete Blaine Storlie returns to coach the junior high boys.
Baseball success begins with pitching. Two hurlers return with significant time on the mound, but graduation claimed the strikeout standout. Isaac Griffin had a superb senior season; his 123-strikeout total was the third most in 72 years of Lion baseball. However, the team earned run average (ERA) was 5.079, not as good as the opponents’ 3.705. There are nine pitchers on the roster, some with considerable promise. How soon will the most dependable hurlers emerge?
The other big question involves batting after only two Lions had .300-plus batting averages last spring. The team batted .256 and the opponents better at .271. The Lions averaged 2.6 errors and the opponents better with 2.3 per game.
Junior Caleb Griffin had a 3.566 earned run average, second only to his brother, Isaac. Caleb had a team-high .344 batting average and went on to bat .361 during the summer American Legion campaign. He led the Lions in three categories, including stolen bases (17) and sharing the lead with 15 runs batted in (RBI). Griffin is a triple threat defender, the only candidate listed as a pitcher/infielder/outfielder. Despite battling through injury during his sophomore season, he was voted the 2021 Rookie of the Year by his Lion teammates and received Honorable Mention on the coaches’ all-conference team.
Sophomore Jaxon Strinmoen had some quality minutes on the mound, especially late in his freshman season, and won the Golden Glove award for his fielding prowess at first base. After batting .221 during the spring, he batted .400 during the summer. When Strinmoen was pitching, now junior Ty Cleven played first base.
Senior Jonah Udstuen was the starting second baseman (.221, 13 runs, 10 stolen bases) while freshman Brandon Jahnke (.296) started at third base all season, a rare achievement by an eighth grader. Junior Nathan Solberg was a fixture at shortstop and batted .323 while driving in 11 runs and scoring 18 times himself. He ranked second in stolen bases with 12.
Behind the plate, the roster lists only two catchers. Ezra Griffin started the last half of the season as an eighth grader. Junior Logan Brumm batted .291 and shared the RBI lead with 15 while playing behind the plate, in the outfield and at third base. Cleven may be an option at catcher as well.
Last year, greatly due to injury, there was not a fixed lineup in the outfield. That means several do return with valuable, albeit limited starting experience. All-SEC outfielder Isaac Griffin graduated, but freshman Zach Brumm made some dazzling grabs after earning late-season starts in left field as an eighth grader. Caleb Griffin is another experienced outfielder. Much was and is expected from now sophomore outfielders Jacob Olerud and Elijah Solum, who both missed most of their promising freshman seasons on the injured list. Another pair of sophomores, Braedon Solie and Caleb Ranzenberger, have some starting experience. Senior outfielder Matthew Doering also made valuable appearances as a pinch runner, scoring eight times and stealing five bases.
Back to baseball for the first time since junior high are athletic juniors Tysen Grinde (OF/P) and Dane Edgington (1B/OF). In his first high school baseball season, junior outfielder Hunter Holland will split time with the track team where he has bona-fide credentials as a sprinter.
Five freshmen bring junior high and some B-team experience to the high school diamond: Asher Liptack (OF), Bryce Berns (OF), Emmet Engeldinger (IF/OF), Ben Udstuen (IF/P) and Isaac Vick (OF). Freshman Isaac Nerstad (OF/IF) joins his classmates on the diamond.
Last year’s Lions were the most inexperienced in program history. They are still young, but their talent, experience and potential heighten expectations for 2022. Hitting and fielding should be improved; but how much and how soon? April weather permitting, the season begins with four conference matchups.
Spring Grove must replace an all-conference pitcher, who logged about half of the team’s innings on the hill. In addition to Caleb Griffin and Strinmoen, other pitching candidates are Cleven, Solberg, Jahnke, Jonah Udstuen, Grinde, Ezra Griffin and Ben Udstuen.
There is competitive opportunity. Spring Grove finished fourth in the 2021 nine-team conference race. Champion Randolph is no longer in the SEC, and second-place Lyle/Pacelli and third-place Southland each graduated four all-conference selections. Six teams team bring back an All-SEC player, but none return more than one. The Lions were not able to defeat either Randolph, L/P or Southland, but they split with GMLOK and Mabel-Canton and swept both SEC games against Schaeffer Academy, Houston and Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons. Spring Grove won the sub-section championship in 2019, but it has been 32 years since the last of 15 conference crowns, a co-championship in 1989.
In addition to 14 SEC games, there are non-conference contests with Wabasha-Kellogg, Martin County West, Fillmore Central/Lanesboro and Class AA Cotter/Hope Lutheran plus two games at a Saturday tournament at Rushford-Peterson.
the Last 6 seasons – SG Baseball
2021 10-12 (7-6 SEC, 4th of 9)
2020 season canceled, pandemic
2019 16-8 (9-5 SEC, 3rd of 8) 2019 sub-section champions
2018 10-5 (9-3 SEC, 2nd of 7)
2017 8-10 (7-5 SEC, 3rd of 7)
2016 7-11 (no conference)
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shared program with Caledonia 2010 – 2015
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7 postseason titles (SG only teams):
district – 1952, ‘60, ‘61, ‘69, ‘78, ‘79
sub-section – 2019
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Spring Grove Varsity Baseball 2022
(4:30 p.m. first pitch unless noted) * SEC game
Fri. 04-01 GMLOK*
Tues. 04-05 at Mabel-Canton*
Fri. 04-08 Lyle/Pacelli*
Tues. 04-12 at Houston*
Mon. 04-18 Cotter/Hope Lutheran
Fri. 04-22 Schaeffer Academy*
Mon. 04-25 Wabasha-Kellogg 5 p.m.
Tues. 04-26 at Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons*
Fri. 04-29 at GMLOK* (at Spring Valley)
Mon. 05-02 at Southland* (at Adams)
Tues. 05-03 Mabel-Canton*
Fri. 05-06 at Lyle/Pacelli* (at Austin)
Mon. -05-09 Martin County West 5 p.m. (at Austin, Riverland College)
Tues. 05-10 Houston*
Fri. 05-13 Southland*
Sat. 05-14 at Rushford-Peterson Tourney, 10 a.m. or 12:30 p.m.
Sat. 05-14 at Rushford-Peterson Tourney, approx. 3 p.m. or 5:30 p.m.
Tues. 05-17 at Schaeffer Academy (Rochester)*
Thur. 05-19 Alden-Conger/Glenville-Emmons*
Fri. 05-20 at Fillmore Central/Lanesboro (at Preston)