The Brandon-Evansville baseball team has seven guys back from its 2019 team, but just one returning starter in Kyle Schaffran as the Chargers look to reload this spring.
Schaffran joins Xavier Grussing as the two seniors for B-E who bring back some level of varsity experience. Juniors Titus Fuller, Jayden Hoidahl and Tyler Bitzan and sophomores Brady Perleberg and Dezmond White also fit that description as guys with some experience who will likely be asked to take on bigger roles.
“We are always excited to begin a new season, but this year everything is elevated to a new level due to the loss of the 2020 spring season,” head coach Brian Perleberg said. “We are thoroughly happy with the attitudes and efforts we have seen from the players thus far and feel it’s a very coachable group of athletes.”
Perleberg said it’s difficult to gauge early in the spring what expectations should be for this group with so many younger faces asked to step in. It’s a cohesive group, he said, filled with athletes who are willing to go above and beyond personally and make sacrifices for the betterment of the team.
“We have five or six kids who are fighting for innings on the mound, so we have a fair amount of depth at the pitcher position,” Perleberg said. “We are also putting a lot of effort into becoming better defensively, hoping that by the end of the season, we’ll be able to be consistent at making the routine plays.”
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Many pitchers will make their varsity debuts, so handling adversity at that level and the grind of playing six doubleheaders will be keys to their success.
“Offensively, we will have many new faces seeing their first full season of varsity pitching and will have to adapt to the speed of the game,” Perleberg said. “With many unproven bats in our lineup, we’ll have to work hard in the cages to overcome our lack of experience. We may be leaning on several freshmen and sophomores to help bolster our lineup and that’s always a gamble when playing teams who are more experienced. But these guys are working hard and it will be fun to see how quickly they can adjust.”
Perleberg sees Ashby and Hancock, two of the best Class A teams this past basketball season, as also being two of the top teams in the Pheasant Conference in baseball. New York Mills, Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa, Kerkhoven-Murdock-Sunburg and Upsala-Swanville Area join them as projected top teams in the section.
2021 BRANDON-EVANSVILLE BASEBALL
ROSTER - SENIORS - Xavier Grussing, Kyle Schaffran, Brian Lauthen; JUNIORS - Tyler Bitzan, Titus Fuller, Hunter Koep, Riley Bitzan, Jayden Hoidahl, Brayden Englund, John Roers; SOPHOMORES - Brady Perleberg, Dezmond White, Kian Gackle, Aaron Gillespie; FRESHMEN - Gracin Klimek, Lucas Fuller, Hunter Grothen, Carter White, Stephen Hamilton, Rex Huisman, Ben Seifert, Riley Perleberg, Tyler Siira, Kyler Sletto
COACHES - Head coach - Brian Perleberg - 12th season, 144-121; Assistant coaches - Trent Hintermeister (JV), James Huisman (Junior High), Jeff Martinson
BRANDON-EVANSVILLE BASEBALL SCHEDULE
April 9 at St. John’s Prep, 5 p.m.
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April 13 vs. Border West (DH), 4 p.m.
April 15 vs. New York Mills, 4:45 p.m.
April 19 at Barnesville, 5 p.m.
April 20 vs. Ortonville (DH), 4 p.m.
April 23 at Hillcrest Lutheran (DH), 4 p.m.
April 26 at Browerville, TBD
April 30 vs. OTC, 6:30 p.m.
May 4 at Ashby (DH), 4 p.m.
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May 7 vs. Pelican Rapids, 6:30 p.m.
May 13 vs. Hancock (DH), 4 p.m.
May 14 at Hancock, 4 p.m.
May 17 vs. LPGE, 4:30 p.m.
May 24 at Parkers Prairie, 5 p.m.
May 27 at WCA (DH), 4 p.m.
