It was certainly not a breathtaking record, but a season filled with hard work, chemistry building, and a lifetime’s worth of memorable games. The Men’s baseball team finished off the season with a record of 6-12 in the MIAC and 14-22 overall. The records do not measure the success of the team coming close to winning many of their games.

“It will be a little different next fall, when I’m expecting fall ball… I’ll have to do something to do in my spare time. My four years here I have immensely enjoyed. I wouldn’t trade for anything. The wins weren’t always there, but the guys made up for that. I’ve made a lot of memories that are going to stick around for a long time.”—Max Fidler

Senior Chris Kelly played his final game for his Gustavus baseball career last Saturday, deeming it his favorite game he’s played all season. The Men’s baseball fell to Saint John’s 6-5 the first game and took home a 9-8 victory the second game. Kelly earned the win for Gustavus after pitching the game’s final five innings. The game knocked the Johnnies from 2nd to 3rd in the MIAC.
“This season was a step up from my junior season. This season, I made the most out of everything. We lost a lot of close games—we were there talent wise, but we just couldn’t put it together. All the teams that are currently in the playoffs, we either beat them 1 out of the 2 games or the games we lost were really close. I think that was the toughest part, knowing we were so close and we could have been easily been up there with the other teams,” Kelly said.
8 of the 22 players will graduate this year, which is good news for the developing teammates. Yet, there are definitely going to be big shoes to fill for the starting center fielder and pitchers.
“The culture is definitely changing; it’s going to be a winning culture and I can definitely see that happening. Our senior class won’t really get the benefits for that, but it will be fun to see them in the next few years and see them become successful,” Captain Senior Max Fidler said.
Fidler is continuing baseball outside of Gustavus. He will be coaching a team this summer and playing for Trumball, an amateur team.
“It will be a little different next fall when I’m expecting Fall Ball…I’ll have to find something to do in my spare time. My four years here I have immensely enjoyed. I wouldn’t trade for anything. The wins weren’t always there, but the guys made up for that. I’ve made a lot of memories that are going to stick around for a long time,” Max Fidler said.
Still, the improvements made by the baseball team have been very impressive. The Men’s baseball team took advantage of the lifting program that were provided. The chemistry that the captains had hoped would flourish in the beginning of the school year successfully nourished the bonds within the team.
“I think they were the hardest working team that I had. And I have been here 19 years. We had great leadership. Our captains did an outstanding job, our young players stepped up and did a great job in the fall in the off season and were ready to play in February,” Coach Mike Carroll said.

“I think they were the hardest working team that I had. And I have been here 19 years. We had great leadership. Our captains did an outstanding job.”—Coach Mike Carroll

The statistics from last season shows how much the team has really grown. The upcoming season will have more veterans and incoming first-years. Although it doesn’t take numbers to prove talent, next season the boys will surely impress the Gustavus community.

-Jessica Yang