ABOVE: Fairmont Martins’ Nate Soelter gears up to bat against the Lakefield Horned Frogs during an amateur baseball game on Wednesday, July 9. Photo by Daniel Olson.

FAIRMONT – The old saying, “There is no place like home,” speaks for many.

But for former Fairmont High School baseball outfielders Eli Anderson and Nate Soelter, coming back to where their careers began means a little more.

After making major contributions to the high school team’s title run in 2022, both players have returned from their respective college programs to play for the Fairmont Martins club team, enjoying time in the city that shaped their careers today.

“I have always loved playing for the Martins,” Anderson said. “They have been great to me ever since I stepped foot on their field.”

The Fairmont Martins currently hold a league record of 8-1. Sitting at the top of the Minnesota Baseball Association Class B standings, the team is poised to make another run in the state tournament later this summer.

Returning to the city is bigger than baseball for all alumni of the high school program. Fairmont baseball head coach Don Waletich has constantly preached togetherness throughout his organization, a bond that simply can’t be broken once individuals finish their high school careers.

“I think it is really important to have a lot of the guys come back,” Soelter said. “It kind of shows you what the program has been about. People want to come back. They don’t want to stay away from it.”

Anderson and Soelter have used this mentality during their summer back home. On top of trying to bring an MBA championship to the Martins, the two have gone out of their way to show the ropes to Fairmont baseball’s next generation of talent.

Practicing with the high school team, umpiring for local summer league games, and ultimately giving back to the broader baseball community, the pair has focused on more than simply improving their individual talents.

“I remember when I was younger in high school, those were the guys you needed to look up to,” Anderson said. “If you don’t have those guys, you are never going to progress or become more mature, which is a big thing in baseball.”

Anderson and Soelter have each taken different paths since the memorable championship season.

Graduating in 2022, Anderson continued playing baseball at North Iowa Area Community College in Mason City. After one year, Anderson quickly realized he had what it takes to compete at a higher collegiate level.

He finished his freshman season with a batting average of .378, hitting 14 extra-base hits and stealing 25 bases.

Anderson continued the success in the summer season. He competed in the Dairyland and Northwoods collegiate baseball leagues, going toe to toe with Division I athletes for the first time in his career.

“I ended up winning the MVP of that[Dairyland] league,” Anderson said. “That was when I first realized that maybe I got a shot.”

Two days after completing his time in the Northwoods, Purdue University reached out to Anderson in hopes of securing his recruitment following his final season at NIACC.

Anderson took this opportunity immediately, announcing his commitment to the Boilermaker program in the fall of 2023.

After having one more successful season with the Trojans, Anderson fled to West Lafayette, Indiana, in hopes of taking his career to the next level.

The first season was one filled with ups and downs for Anderson. After starting the fall season consistently in the lineup, Anderson fell out after struggling at the plate later that year.

By the time the regular season rolled around, Anderson’s playing time became more and more scarce.

“In the first slate of Big Ten games, I didn’t really play at all,” Anderson said. “I was a pinch runner, maybe a pinch hitter in the ninth inning.”

Instead of checking out mentally, Anderson embraced the challenge. He patiently waited throughout the rest of the season, using this time off as motivation until another opportunity came his way.

Finally, over the last stretch of the season, Anderson got his call back into the lineup.

He started the remaining 13 contests for the Boilermakers, recording a hit in every game and ending the season on a high note.

“I think frustration is a good thing,” Anderson said. “I think it gives you a spark. It makes you a little angry and try a little harder. And I think that’s what it started with, I was frustrated.”

Soelter, on the other hand, recently finished his time in a Cardinal uniform. Leaving in the spring of 2024, he committed to Augustana University, a Division II baseball powerhouse located in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

With a mix of increased competition, rigorous practice schedules, and a harder academic workload, Soelter said he struggled to get settled during the initial fall season.

“It got to be a lot,” Soelter said. “Some of those days you are there for four or five hours, which is definitely different than high school.”

Despite this, Soelter did enough to make the spring season travel roster.

Although his playing time was limited, he made the most of every opportunity thrown his way.

Soelter started nine of the 34 games he appeared in during his first year at Augustana, batting .340 from the plate with 15 RBIs in 48 at bats.

Soelter says he is putting a high expectation on himself after having a successful first year. With a season under his belt, becoming a consistent piece in the starting lineup doesn’t seem too far-fetched a goal.

“For me, I would like to be an everyday guy,” Soelter said. “I know I can do it, and I have the tools. I think being an everyday guy would be awesome.”