Page 9 www . CRVLbaseball . com CrowRiverReview
Hedtke turns in stellar season for Plato
PHOTOBYKIPKOVAR
Plato ’ sDrewHedtkepostedaleague-bestERAof0.60in60inningsofworkforthe Bluejays this past season .
WINSTOCK 2
0
June 14 & 15 Winsted MN 30 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
2024
2 4
H U R R Y ! E a r l y B i r d P r i c i n g E n d s MARCH 15
Join Jason Aldean , Cole Swindell & MORE Purchase Tickets & Camping Passes WinstockFestival . com • 320.485.4287
fromCRVLAWARDS , Page8
Alex Heimerl ( Winsted ) The Winsted Wildcats went as Alex Heimerl did . Heimerl carried the load on the mound for the Wildcats all season long .
He tossed 66 innings this year posting an ERA of 4.91 . He earned all five of Winsted ’ s wins this season and racked up 36 strikeouts .
On the year , Heimerl had three complete games for Winsted all of which came in wins for the Wildcats .
Derek Bratsch ( Glencoe )
After bursting onto the scene in 2022 , Glencoe ’ s Derek Bratsch once again turned in a stellar season for the Brewers . He was once again the workhorse for Glencoe on the mound racking up 56 innings on the mound in league play .
Bratsch finished the season with an ERA of 4.47 but came through in big spots all season long for Glencoe . He had four of the seven wins for the Brewers in the regular season finishing with 36 strikeouts . Bailey Melz ( Carver ) He ’ s no secret on the mound anymore . After carrying the load on the mound for Carver last year , Bailey Melz followed that up with another stellar season for the Black Sox in 2024 .
While the regular season was filled with ups and downs , Melz and the Black Sox found their groove in the postseason . As the No . 7 seed out of Region 7C , Melz led Carver to another state tournament appearance including a complete game on the mound against Mayer in a state qualifier / elimination game .
For the season , Melz posted an ERA of 2.44 in 55.1 innings of work . He allowed just 18 runs and 44 hits in league play all year long . Ryan Grams ( Brownton ) It just keeps getting better with age . That ’ s the truth when it comes to Brownton ’ s Ryan Grams .
Age is just a number when it comes to Grams as he once again led the league in innings pitched with 73.2 .
Grams once again had his best when the Bruins needed it by leading them back to the Region 7C Tournament . For the season , he posted an ERA of 3.05 and fourth in the league in strikeouts with 79 . Hayden Molva ( Hamburg ) One of the most consistent pitchers in the league , Hamburg ’ s Hayden Molva had another big season for the Hawks . He was once again a workhorse on the mound racking up 53.2 innings this past season .
He finished with an ERA of 4.86 and a 3-4 record . He also had 51 strikeouts which was 110th most in the league . Aaron Wukmir ( Waconia ) It was business as usual for the Waconia Lakers as they had another big season in 2023 . Although the success for the Lakers as a whole wasn ' t ’ a surprise , where it came from might have been .
Ace pitcher Kodey Simon was limited on the mound this past season and that gave Aaron Wukmir a chance to step up . He did just that . Wukmir finished the season with an ERA of 1.62 in 39 innings of work as he became Waconia ’ s ace .
Wukmir had a no-hitter broken up in the bottom of the ninth this season against Winsted as well . Mitchell Steen ( New Germany ) The New Germany Dutchmen took a big step forward this season as a team . The emergence of Mitchell Steen on the mound was a big reason why .
Stein was the ace for the Dutchmen all season long picking up three of their seven wins . He posted an ERA of 3.86 in 51.1 innings of work . Nick Hayes ( St . Boni ) The go-to man on the mound for the St . Boni Saints this season was Nick Hayes . A tall pitcher with some good action , Hayes turned in a solid season for the Saints as they showed they can compete in the CRVL .
Hayes finished the season with a 4-3 record to go along with an ERA of 3.66 in 59 innings of work . He also had 55 strikeouts compared to just 15 walks . David Solfeit ( Cologne ) The Cologne Hollanders had a new look to them this season . David Solfeit was one of those new faces .
Early on , Solfeit became one of the top arms for the Hollanders on the mound . He posted a 3-0 record on the season to go along with an ERA of 1.41 in 32 innings of work in his first season in town ball . Drew Hedtke ( Plato ) Pitching was a big strength for the Plato Bluejays all season long and Drew Hedtke was a big reason why . Hedtke nearly led the league in every statistical category and also tossed a no-hitter this season for the Bluejays against Cologne .
For the season , Hedtke had an ERA of 0.60 in 60.1 innings of work . His ERA was the best in the league while he also finished in a tie for first in strikeouts with 87 .
Hedtke also led Plato to the second round of the Class C state tournament with an impressive outing against Sartell-St . Stephen in the opening round .
seeCRVLAWARDS , Page10