Legion Baseball serves as a changeup for Canes

Often times when somebody refers to the game of baseball, it’s considered to be a grind for the players involved. While that reference usually refers to the 162-game Major League Baseball schedule, it also holds true for high school athletes that are looking to refine their game year-round.

In the Kasson-Mantorville area, the Canes represent a good chance to play the game while getting some great experience before heading into next spring.

“It’s a little more laid back than the high school season,” Canes coach Matt Franke stated. “Guys are coming in ready to play, but they have a little more fun with it. We don’t have too many practices either, so it’s mainly just game reps.”

The Canes play in the Upper Division, which allows them to play against bigger towns than the ones they would normally see on the K-M baseball schedule. That creates a big opportunity for players as they face the likes of Rochester Century, Rochester Mayo and Owatonna while mixing in familiar foes such as Byron and Stewartville.

“We’re playing some pretty solid teams,” Franke confirmed. “When you play the Rochester schools and Owatonna, you’re facing some pretty good lineups one through nine. It’s great for us to go up against that.”

The biggest opportunity may come for incoming seniors that may not have spent as much time pitching at the varsity level. Guys like Keenan Wentzel, Jacob Gruber and Sam Dvorak have taken the opportunity to get innings against quality competition and thrived in those situations.

“I’ve been really impressed with the guys that didn’t get too many innings during the year,” Franke admitted. “They’ve been stepping in some situations and getting some big outs for us while working through jams and getting experience at the varsity level.”

There have also been other standouts such as Brendan Knoll, who will be relied upon to be an ace for the KoMets next spring, but has been playing well at the plate inclduing a game-winning three-run home run against Austin last week.

With the Canes posting a 5-4 record on the season, Franke is seeing the progress that one