North Dakota Preps

What are everyone's thoughts on what the Class B baseball season will bring? Post your predictions in each region and any top players to watch in the upcoming season.

Two players out of Park River, Jackson Hankey (Jr.) and Will Zimmerman (Sr.) would be 2 to watch. Hankey is a very strong batter. His bat speed in the Under Armour Baseball Factory is probably in the top 5% in the country. It will be interesting to so how teams will pitch to him. Will Zimmerman is an outstanding SS and his speed on the bases is unbelieveable. Park River has a really good chance of making to the State Tournament this year with Grafton loosing some really good players to graduation. Hopefully Mother Nature will be nice to us and allow us to have a complete season.

Carrington, coming off two straight Legion Championships and a State High School Runner Up will be solid but young. However, just about the whole Legion team returns. The Babe Ruth team should be phenomenal.

The High School team will be led by Braxton Hewitt, Connor Wendel, Brett Lyman and Jadin Shipman and a whole host of Freshman and Sophomores. If track doesn't get in the way, Carrington's High School Baseball program will be great for at least four more years. Wendel along with several Freshman are track standouts as well. Will be interesting to see how they juggle both in the future.

I agree with both comments on Park River and Carrington. both teams were young last year and very talented. I think Hankey and Zimmerman are two of the best in the state but Park River will lack the pitching depth needed to win a title. I don't think either team has a Jayden Grover style ace but if the freshmen/sophomore kids can get some confidence early it will carry into the playoffs big time. You can never count out Grafton because of the way the coaching staff develops their youngster pitchers.

State picks:
Region 1: Northern Cass
Region 2: Thompson
Region 3: Carrington
Region 4: Grafton
Region 5: Harvey/WC
Region 6: Bishop Ryan
Region 7: Des-Lacs/Burlington
Region 8: Beulah

Does the state do a ranking system for baseball like they have for basketball and football?

scc wrote:

titan80 wrote:Does the state do a ranking system for baseball like they have for basketball and football?

Yes, baseball is seeded at the state tournament just like basketball and volleyball.

But is there a weekly poll = No. Coaches vote in the preseason but that is all for baseball I believe.

I keep hoping the state would run a Girls Volleyball weekly ranking...hard to do baseball with how our spring usually goes.

Bottineau is my pick to come out of region 5. they have 4 senoirs returning 3 of which are playing in college. as well as a very solid group of juniors. Parker englehardt is a great hitter and very solid defensively good pitcher as well. They also got Adam Stenson who transferred from enderlin. he is a top pitcher in the state heard from his coaches in enderlin that he is as good a pitcher as anyone in the state both classes just has ego issues and isnt a great teammate. region 1 pick for me is Northern Cass they return almost everyone and are lead by a great pitcher in brennan thompson. they will be a very solid team and with region 1 losing a lot of players the talent level will not be as great as previous years. should be a great year of baseball.

My Predictions for each region:
Region 1: Kindred
Region 2: Thompson
Region 3: Midkota-DP
Region 4: Grafton
Region 5: Harvey
Region 6: Bishop Ryan
Region 7: Lewis & Clark/Parshall
Region 8: Shiloh Christian

I think Grafton and their streak at winning region 4 is done. PRFL will finally win. Pembina county north could have a say in it though.

NDwriter wrote:Bottineau is my pick to come out of region 5. they have 4 senoirs returning 3 of which are playing in college. as well as a very solid group of juniors. Parker englehardt is a great hitter and very solid defensively good pitcher as well. They also got Adam Stenson who transferred from enderlin. he is a top pitcher in the state heard from his coaches in enderlin that he is as good a pitcher as anyone in the state both classes just has ego issues and isnt a great teammate. region 1 pick for me is Northern Cass they return almost everyone and are lead by a great pitcher in brennan thompson. they will be a very solid team and with region 1 losing a lot of players the talent level will not be as great as previous years. should be a great year of baseball.

Are you talking legion? With 3 back from college?

Park river should compete in region 4 but Park River high school team is not the legion team. Park river lost several players last year to graduation and they don't have Ben Phleps like they will in the legion season he pitches St.thomas/Drayton/Valley/Edingberg. I think Grafton should still have most depth of all the teams. Park River will compete, so will St. Thomas, and I think Langdon will be also contender or at least be able to beat a team if they can create some offense.

B-oldtimer wrote:Park river should compete in region 4 but Park River high school team is not the legion team. Park river lost several players last year to graduation and they don't have Ben Phleps like they will in the legion season he pitches St.thomas/Drayton/Valley/Edingberg. I think Grafton should still have most depth of all the teams. Park River will compete, so will St. Thomas, and I think Langdon will be also contender or at least be able to beat a team if they can create some offense.

You forgot Pembina county north. They ended up the 2 seed at the end of the year and they return everyone or almost everyone.

I didn't forget them but I don't think they will be a factor they had number 2 seed last year but lost right away at tournament time. Also there kids don't play summer ball and I believe not one of them play on any other team in the summer. It limits how much they improve through the season compared to other schools its just hard to make up the playing time and experience of playing the game. Midway Minto also will be factor I think but they will be young .

madseason wrote: Are you talking legion? With 3 back from college?

I think he meant they will be playing in college.

Grafton lost 7 players and all their good pitching from last years team... I wouldn't consider them deep. I think unless they can really put runs on the board they will have a tuff time with PR. PR on the other had lost 3 really talented kids and have arms but not many pitchers. Park River also has a TON of speed. Grafton has always put quality pitchers on the hill and developed over the winter some how. They also have the upper hand with veteran coaching and in spring baseball that is big. I have yet to see grafton play but did get a small dose of the minto/pc and PR/PC games and I think PR's jv would beat minto and PC varsity team.

hook wrote:Grafton lost 7 players and all their good pitching from last years team... I wouldn't consider them deep. I think unless they can really put runs on the board they will have a tuff time with PR. PR on the other had lost 3 really talented kids and have arms but not many pitchers. Park River also has a TON of speed. Grafton has always put quality pitchers on the hill and developed over the winter some how. They also have the upper hand with veteran coaching and in spring baseball that is big. I have yet to see grafton play but did get a small dose of the minto/pc and PR/PC games and I think PR's jv would beat minto and PC varsity team.

Saw Jackson Hankey throw a no hitter against Pembina County last night.

Rivershark wrote:

hook wrote:Grafton lost 7 players and all their good pitching from last years team... I wouldn't consider them deep. I think unless they can really put runs on the board they will have a tuff time with PR. PR on the other had lost 3 really talented kids and have arms but not many pitchers. Park River also has a TON of speed. Grafton has always put quality pitchers on the hill and developed over the winter some how. They also have the upper hand with veteran coaching and in spring baseball that is big. I have yet to see grafton play but did get a small dose of the minto/pc and PR/PC games and I think PR's jv would beat minto and PC varsity team.

Saw Jackson Hankey throw a no hitter against Pembina County last night.

He did a great job. And I believe only one walk, which is so important in HS baseball.

hook wrote:Grafton lost 7 players and all their good pitching from last years team... I wouldn't consider them deep. I think unless they can really put runs on the board they will have a tuff time with PR. PR on the other had lost 3 really talented kids and have arms but not many pitchers. Park River also has a TON of speed. Grafton has always put quality pitchers on the hill and developed over the winter some how. They also have the upper hand with veteran coaching and in spring baseball that is big. I have yet to see grafton play but did get a small dose of the minto/pc and PR/PC games and I think PR's jv would beat minto and PC varsity team.

I was a little worried about PRFL pitching depth with Ethan Peterson not playing. But after watching Hankey on the mound my worries have lessened. And if Will Zimmerman can hit the strike zone which he has to this point,(no one can hit him). I'm picking PRFL in the region.

My Predictions for each region:
Region 1: Northern Cass
Region 2: Thompson
Region 3: Midkota-DP
Region 4: Grafton
Region 5: Bottineau
Region 6: Bishop Ryan
Region 7: Lewis & Clark/Parshall
Region 8: Shiloh Christian

Any chance we could get the standings out of each region? It would be fun to know what teams there are out there and how they stack up.

Rivershark wrote:Any chance we could get the standings out of each region? It would be fun to know what teams there are out there and how they stack up.

you can see what we got on northdakota-scores.net but getting scores is like pulling teeth...so we may be missing a few.