DEFENDING STATE CHAMPIONS — Members of the defending Class AA state champion Fairmont Cardinals baseball lineup opening the season by traveling to Luverne on Monday include, front row (l-r): Joseph Hackett, Nolan Anderson, Micah Vaughn, Tyler Kurt and Trevor Maakestad. Middle row: Cooper Steuber, Lincoln Becker, Braden Koch, Cameron Schmidtke, Levi Pooley and Nate Soelter. Back row: Skyler Aukes, Carson Pomerenke, Landen Meyerdirk, Parker Mathiason, Ben Moeller, Jack Kosbab, Brendan Schmidtke, Cole Wiemers and manager Hudson Laven. Not pictured: Manager Sawyer Laven. (Photo by Greg Abel)

FAIRMONT — Minnesota State High School League Class AA state baseball champions.

After guiding Fairmont to a school-record 27-3 overall mark and engineering the Cardinal diamond program’s first-ever state crown in 2022, one question remains to be answered.

“What do Fairmont head coach Don Waletich & company do for an encore performance this spring?”

“We (coaching staff) are approaching this season like every one in the past — one drill, one practice and one game at a time,” Waletich said in reference to varsity assistant Levi Becker and B-squad/varsity pitching coach Matt Lytle. “One of the important keys I’ve learned from coaching is don’t look ahead or look behind — focus on moving forward.

“It’ll take a little while to figure out our lineup and where everyone fits into the mix, and we hope to be playing some of our best baseball in May as we head toward the playoffs.”

While the Cardinals graduated the three pitchers who each fired complete-game victories during the state tournament, opposing coaches will not be sympathetic as Fairmont returns seven full-time and/or part-time starters including two pitchers who combined for a 7-0 record in a total of 48 2/3 innings of work.

“Soelty will likely be our No. 1 (pitcher) going into the season,” Waletich said in reference to junior right-hander Nate Soelter, who compiled a 4-0 record, a 2.02 ERA and 25 strikeouts in 27 2/3 innings pitched last spring. “He trained hard during the offseason and is looking good in practice.”

Waletich also will turn to the senior tandem of Landen Meyerdirk and Brendan Schmidtke to log quality innings on the mound after both right-handers contributed solid outings in 2022.

“Landen and Brendan will be right behind Soelty in our rotation, while we’re also looking at Ben Moeller, Lincoln Becker and possibly Carson Pomerenke to give us some innings here and there,” said Waletich.

Meyerdirk generated a 3-0 record and 2.67 ERA on the strength of 21 strikeouts in 21 innings pitched, while Schmidtke absorbed one loss in five appearances and 11 2/3 innings of work.

While Waletich will wait to see how effective his pitching staff will be against opposing hitters, the defensive alignment behind the mound nearly returns completely intact.

Senior Jack Kosbab, who earned a spot on the Class AA all-state tournament team, will anchor first base after producing the Cardinals’ third-best RBI total of 23 last season.

The all-Big South Conference and Sentinel All-Area selection hit .303 with 27 runs scored and a .450 on-base percentage in 2022.

Becker — who netted all-Big South Conference accolades — brings a solid glove, a .292 batting clip, 18 RBIs and 28 runs scored back to second base.

When he’s not pitching, the slick-fielding Soelter will handle the defensive duties at shortstop. The all-Section 3AA, all-BSC and Sentinel All-Area choice also returns stellar offensive skills via a .322 batting average, 32 runs scored and 20 RBIs from a year ago.

Schmidtke, who served as a valuable jack-of-all-trades player in 2022, will settle in at third base and returns a .270 batting average and 13 RBIs.

Meyerdirk will anchor the Cardinals’ outfield when he’s not hurling deliveries and brings back instant offense from the batter’s box.

The all-BSC and Sentinel All-Area choice generated Fairmont’s No. 2 team totals in batting average (.350), on-base percentage (.472) and stolen bases (19), while topping the team in an unusual statistic — hit by pitch (8). Meyerdirk also crossed the plate 31 times, belted one home run and collected 21 RBIs.

Senior Cooper Steuber and junior Levi Pooley will round out the Cardinals’ outfield after logging innings there last season.

Freshman Joseph Hackett, who was a reserve on last year’s state championship team, will open the season as the Cardinals’ starting catcher. Pooley and Schmidtke also will filter into the signal-calling mix when needed.

Parker Mathiason, Cole Wiemers and Skyler Aukes will figure into the outfield mix, while Cameron Schmidtke, Braden Koch, Nolan Anderson, Trevor Maakestad, Tyler Kurt and Micah Vaughn will vie for playing time in the infield.

So, after having to defeat Paynesville in back-to-back games, 6-0 and 9-1, on June 9 in Marshall to capture the sectional championship, which teams represent the biggest challenge to Fairmont in this spring’s playoff bracket?

“We have one of the toughest sections in the state, so it’ll be a challenge to win it again, but that’s why we play,” said Waletich. “Paynesville returns everybody and we know how good they are. Luverne returns outstanding pitching, while Jackson (County Central) and Morris Area are fundamentally sound throughout their lineups.

“We got a taste of what it’s like to be a state champion, so we’ll make it a goal to experience that again this season.”

Fairmont is scheduled to open the season by traveling to Luverne on Monday for a 5:30 p.m. contest. Fairmont then plays its home opener against Blue Earth Area on Thursday, April 13, at 5:30 p.m. at Herb Wolf Field.