Winners of six straight ready to make a run at state baseball
By Robert Williams – Editor

Head Coach Andrew Mekalson’s Frazee Hornet Baseball team completed an unlikely run to a section championship and a first state tournament berth in a quarter century Thursday night defeating Sebeka 10-4 to capture the Section 5A championship in Pierz. 

The Hornets are proof that the regular season is simply a precursor to the playoffs and what matters most in the postseason is who is playing their best ball. 

“What a fun ride,” Mekalson said. “Highs and lows, what a great time to catch fire.”

That was not the case fresh out of the gate this year as the Hornets suffered three losses by one run that led to a 2-4 start. Mekalson did not have a magic cure, more like a simple philosophy.

“Trust the process; we have a lot of high character boys that love the game of baseball and just play how we know how to play,” he said. 

The Hornets did catch fire and scorched opponents on a seven-game winning streak and a 9-4 mark through 13 games.

Halfway through the season the team’s motto was, ‘Be humble. Don’t get too high; don’t get too low.’

You’re a high school player,” Mekalson said. “One error happens and it can be a domino effect. Don’t get too high or low, just play the game of baseball.”

Then the wheels fell off. Frazee lost six straight games and were outscored 76-12 in those losses.

“Then you’re thinking one game at a time. We had a lot of lows at that point,” Mekalson said. “We had a couple horrible losses where we just made a lot of errors and we weren’t mentally in the game.”

The Hornet coaching staff had to come up with a plan to right the ship.

“What turned around the season was we had a 5:45 practice one morning,” said Mekalson. “It was a beautiful morning. We came out here and it changed. We just had to do something different. Maybe that’s what worked and switched gears and we got after it.”

A 2-1 road victory at Breckenridge allowed Frazee to enter the playoffs with a one-game winning streak and the No. 5 seed in the subsection – a very unlikely ranking to take the section championship. 

However, the playoffs give every team a fresh start and Mekalson had allowed his team to band together and bring their best ball to the diamond. Frazee earned five straight playoff victories to enter the state tournament on a six-game streak.

The Hornets also relished the underdog role they were given.

“We were fine with the fifth seed and we had the choice two days ago: do we want to be home or away and what dugout do we want for the finals?” said Mekalson. “I chose the dugout we won in against Ogilvie and then I asked the boys: we had a team meeting and we always meet by Staff Sergeant Greg Riewer scoreboard, what do you guys want? Do you want to be home or away? I’m always choosing home and most coaches are because you’re in the field first and you get last at-bats. All the boys, right away, said, ‘away! We’ve been underdogs all tournament and we’ve won that way.’”

Scoring first and solid pitching have been key to that success.

“We have the best arm in the section and possibly in the conference with Asher Blaine,” Mekalson said. 

Blaine has signed his intent on playing baseball at the University of Minnesota-Crookston next season.

“I know there are a lot of really good arms in Perham and D-G-F and Hawley,” said Mekalson. “Asher is an all-around good player, mind and everything. He’s a great kid and he’s our leader. He and our other two seniors Andrew Aho and Chandler Ullrich – we play for them.”

Two thirds of the lineup and the rest of the roster are underclassmen, which gives some credence to the ups and downs of the season and also bodes well for the immediate future of Hornet baseball.

“We’re a well-rounded team,” said Mekalson. “We got different ups from different kids throughout the whole season. We lost four one-run games and I’ll blame that on coaching. We have our 15 players, some young guys, some freshmen, some sophomores, a good group of juniors and our three seniors. It’s not just one guy. Every game someone shows up and we just have to give credit to the team on that one.”

The coaching staff knew they were getting good players after Frazee made two solid Babe Ruth playoff runs the past couple years.

“We knew we had good, young talent and then just put things together from there,” said Mekalson.

This year’s squad brings back memories of other successful Hornet teams that were close to reaching what the 2024-25 club has attained.

“I remember when I took over head coach in 2014 after Coach Geiser left for Mills, that year of 2014 we had the likes of Cory Wokasch, Grant Overland, Andrew Wendt – just that crew of great players and we were one game away from state when we lost to Mills,” said Mekalson.

The 2016-17 team led by Logan Wacker, Tanner Tappe and Tanner Schermerhorn made another deep section run but having moved up to Class AA that year the road came to an end at the hands of Dilworth-Glyndon-Felton.

“We came back down to single A and pick your poison – there are good teams in every section,” Mekalson said. 

“Throughout the years we’re comparable to those guys,” said Mekalson. “It’s just another group of guys that gets it and love to play the game. You need to have the horses to play this game and we do.”

Frazee has used those horses on the mound.

Blaine has been absolutely outstanding for the tournament and the season. He started three of the first four playoff games earning early victories to get the Hornets off to a strong start.

Karson Krause has been dealing with medical issues relating to fatigue but has solidified himself in the No. 2 starting role.

“Once in a while you’ll see me go out there and pull him at some of the craziest times and that’s because he gives me a signal that he can’t go anymore,” Mekalson said.

Krause fanned 10 batters and gave up only one earned run to down Sebeka in the subsection playoffs and was huge in the section championship game by getting out of a pair of early bases-loaded situations to keep his team in the lead.

“A couple early innings where they had bases loaded and one out and you think either timely hitting or timely pitching and we had the timely pitching,” said Mekalson.

Krause’s earlier start versus Sebeka in the third round allowed him and the staff to figure out the Trojans liked to sit on fastballs. Krause used an array of offspeed pitches to keep Trojan batters at bay.

Frazee’s third starter is Mekalson’s son Noah, a freshman, who has also been solid on the mound and a future leader of the team.

“My one son is playing and my other son Drew is a volunteer coach for us and a lot of credit goes to our coaching staff too,” Mekalson said.

He noted the efforts of assistants Brandon Olson and Jason Bauer and both volunteers Drew Mekalson and Scott Seim, another former Hornet.

“This year we brought a little younger life to our staff with those two coming back and helping out,” Mekalson said. “It’s always great to have contact from all these ex-players.”

Seim brings collegiate experience after a successful run in the bullpen for the Bismarck State Mystics. He recently recorded a no-hitter pitching for the Midway Snurdbirds.

“He’s learned a lot throughout the years and it’s fun to have him with us and we have to give credit to him too,” Mekalson said.

Mekalson also acknowledged the community support behind the Hornets and the staff and players felt the support in the stands in Pierz for the section playoff games.

“The amount of fans that were there and a fan bus came – the atmosphere was awesome,” said Mekalson.

Besides Anderson Bus bringing a load of fans decked out in green, an anonymous donor allowed those traveling to the games to attend at no cost. 

“Tyler Blaine, that’s who donated and I told him I was going to tell everyone,” Mekalson laughed. “Asher’s dad and the company he runs. It’s huge for the community and for our families. I’m a parent of three-sport athletes and you know how hard the kids work and how the parents have to sacrifice things in order for the kids to play a varsity sport. You’re busy all the time.”

The wave of green and the strength of their voices was pivotal in helping the Hornets maintain momentum and more importantly get out of the championship with a first game win, avoiding the pressure of a winner-take-all second game in the double elimination format.

“We had a lot of confidence going in; we did,” said Mekalson. “I had a lot of nervous energy going on, as did all our kids and coaches. We did not want to go to game two and give them momentum.”

The team also got to visit with those fans and thank them for coming after receiving their section championship trophy and medals.

“It’s a gift we have to play baseball. Not everyone can play it and it’s what we’ve been going through all year long. It’s a gift,” Mekalson said.

The Hornets also relished a thrilling ride home on the team bus.

“It was wonderful; even the ride there it seemed everyone was relaxed and focused, but it was fun on the way back. There was a lot of energy on the bus and Chief Trieglaff texted so he could meet us coming into town,” said Mekalson.

For the next five days, it is back to business as usual in preparation for the state tournament that begins Wednesday, June 11, at Joe Faber Field in St. Cloud.

“Stay humble. This is fun. Enjoy it right now,” said Mekalson. “We’re going to get back to practice and we still have work to do. That was our message on the bus. Don’t get too high or low. Just go out there and get better.”

Should Frazee advance out of St. Cloud and make the state title game it will bring the season full circle for the Hornet coaches. They attend a coaches clinic at Target Field every January.

“Just a great place to be and get the energy started for the season,” he said. “I know Coach Denny out of Parkers Prairie and Coach Geiser out of Mills, both of them have been to that championship game. I really respect all the coaches around the league. I remember little things they did so I’m putting that all together and trying to be the best baseball coach I can be.”