Photo by Jake Olson: Front L to R - Nolyn Goerndt, Brock Rodning, Mason Bicknase, Louis Grensteiner, Archer Pomerenke, Wyatt Survis, Troy Petersen, Joe Long, Merritt Pomerenke, Isaac Stone, Back Row L to R — Sawyer Laven, Kellen Fritz, Caiden Wickert, Andrew Struck, Mac Larson, Brayden Williamson, Noah Heckman, Owen Terfehr, Joey Crissinger, Preston Geerdes, Vincent Schultz, Joseph Hackett

FAIRMONT – Returning talent is essential to success in high school athletics.

Fairmont went 18-5 the year prior with wins over New Ulm, St. James Area and Luverne (twice). Despite securing the program’s best win percentage since its 3rd place finish in the 2023 Class AA State Baseball Tournament, the Cardinals’ season came up short in the Section 3AA playoffs with losses to Windom Area.

This year, Fairmont baseball head coach Don Waletich and the Cardinals are poised to bring back a group of upperclassmen who’ve seen their fair share of time in the varsity lineup, including a handful of All-Conference talent that should propel the program to another strong campaign.

“We’ve got just about everyone back from last year, so we are excited as far as what we return,” Waletich said. “These guys got another year of experience, and a lot of these juniors and seniors have been underclassmen for the past couple of seasons on varsity. So the game will slow down for them.”

Joe Long is poised to catapult the pitching staff after his dynamic season in 2025. Tallying nearly 20 innings of work, Long saw a 2.53 earned run average that accumulated 17 strikeouts. Joining Long in the rotation will be a handful of sophomore arms Waletich says will step up into bigger roles this season – Noah Heckman, Mason Bicknase and Preston Geerdes.

“Those three are going to come into the rotation behind Joe Long,” Waletich said. “If those guys can step up and throw strikes for us, we will be solid. They’ve grown and I know they have put their time in.”

Long, a senior, also brings back an impressive bat at the plate. When not on the mound, Waletich expects him to play outfield while building off his .422 batting average and 15 RBI output from last year.

Infielder Joey Crissinger and catcher Joseph Hackett add impressive talents in the batting order. Crissinger wrapped up his sophomore year as an explosive out for opposing pitchers, hitting .382 on the season with 10 doubles and 24 RBIs. On top of throwing out opposing runners at a clip of 61%, Hackett provided the Cardinals offense with a .329 batting average and 14 RBIs.

Waletich also says Jensen Livesay will be back as a full-time hitter this season, but still can’t pitch. Owen Terfehr, Isaac Stone, Nolyn Goerndt and Vincent Schultz will be pieces fans can expect to see highlight the outfield.

“Our batting order is going to be very similar to last year. They know what to expect from us and we know what we are getting from them,” Waletich said. “It’s just a matter of putting in the time and to keep getting better. It’s a short season, so we have to get after it right away.”

Waletich isn’t worried about his team reflecting on last year’s early playoff departure. While his upperclassmen might have some extra incentives, he knows that a focused effort on their skills every day will lead to the results Fairmont expects. The results that have made this program the force they are in the southern Minnesota area.

“We really don’t dwell on that,” Waletich said. “I think for the seniors it can [give motivation] a little bit, but we try not to focus on anything but the next day of practice and not look too far ahead. Just enjoy each other and have a fun season.”