Rapid City Post 22 is back on top, again. For some baseball fans from Rapid City and across the state watching the Hardhats win yet another title was excruciating to watch. Like any sport at any level, when the perennial powerhouse wins it leaves a bad taste in the mouth of everyone who was rooting for the underdog, and despite beating Post 22 on Friday Post 320 was still the underdog. Anytime you pair a program with 35 titles versus a program looking for their first that is the case.
For anyone who’s ever been involved or rooted for a team that wins year in and year out, you know winning is one thing that never gets old. No matter how many titles Post 22 has won, it is a new group of players each year that are trying to live up to the tradition of those that have come before. For this group of players it was especially sweet since Post 22 had not won a state title in two years.
People got so caught up in the Post 22 versus Post 320 saga that they forgot that this rivalry is like so many others. You want your team to win so badly that you almost come to despise those on the other side. This is a healthy part of sports (for the most part). There is nothing wrong with hating the Yankees if you’re a Red Sox fan. The only difference is that these are high school kids and it shouldn’t be taken quite as far. But once kids reach a certain age there are no more medals for participation, ultimately it comes down to winning or losing. If you aren’t prepared to face both don’t play or be involved with sports.
Like it or not this rivalry is here to stay and for those of us who love sports because of the drama rivalries provide it was a great week of baseball. From a local point of view it was fantastic to see to Rapid City teams in the championship game of the state tournament, it won’t be long and we’ll be watching East River teams battle it out for state titles in football and basketball while our mediocre programs struggle to be .500.
Congratulations to the Post 320 Stars on a great season in which they won 40 games and earned their first ever victory over Post 22. It was fun to watch you all year long.
Congratulations to Post 22 who overcame many challenges this year and earned their 36th state championship. This group of players has come a long ways in the last couple years. Good luck at the regional tournament and I hope to see you at the World Series.
-Jake-

In all my years watching sports I have never seen a game like last night when Mitchell pounding Post 320 34-5. I know I have never witnessed a team commit 14 errors in one game, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen a team score 34 runs. People can say it was a meaningless game for Post 320 because they were already in the championship, but any time you get beat that badly it is going to have a psychological impact. I just couldn’t believe this was the same team that beat Post 22 the night before. I have to say, that was quite possibly the ugliest played baseball game I have ever seen.
With that said, who knows what is going to happen on the final day of the tournament? Can Post 320 bounce back and win their first ever state title? Can Post 22 come back and win twice, and in the process get sweet revenge over Post 320? Can Mitchell, who’s come out of nowhere, ruin the tournament for both Rapid City teams?
It is going to be a very interesting final day of the state tournament. I can’t wait.
-Jake-

By Jake Nordbye

I had a unique perspective Friday night when Post 320 finally beat Post 22 the state tournament. After the game I quickly made my way through the huge crowd at Fitzgerald Stadium to interview the players and coaches. I went to the 320 dugout first because I always interview the winning coach first. I opened the gate and saw coach Jim Brandt huddled with players who were smiling from ear to ear.

I was the first to greet coach Brandt when he came out of the dugout, which was ironic since I am a former Post 22 player. Win or lose coach Brandt is almost always smiling, but Friday night he had a glimmer in his eye I have never seen before. I told the coach congratulations and I meant it. Post 320 has come a long ways in eleven years and he deserves a lot of credit. As always he was humble, and complemented Post 22 numerous times. At the same time, he knew just how big this win was for him and his players. I think he even had watery eyes, but who knows maybe he was just exhausted after one heck of a game.

I went on and talked to several Post 320 players who were as enthralled as any group I’ve seen after winning a game.
I left smiling, it’s always good to see sports at this level and the joy accomplishment brings. It’s not about money, or fame, it’s about the love of the game.

Walking across home plate at my old ballpark where I used to play catcher was a bit surreal. Here I was a former Post 22 player about to write the biggest story in Post 320 history and it happened at Fitzgerald Stadium. As I walked over to the Post 22 dugout I wanted to just turn around and run the other way. My smile was gone and now I was thinking about the heartbreak on the other side. Even though teams I played for won two state tournaments and went to a World Series, we also lost one, and I remember the sickening feeling. All you want to do as a Post 22 player is live up to the tradition and when you don’t it is crushing.

I saw coach Rich Downs and had no idea what to say, so I didn’t say anything. The players were visibly shaken. I talked to a couple of them and told them to about how I had lost a similar game when I played and that the only thing you can do is come out the next day and play your hearts out.

I then made my way to talk to my old coach, coach Ploof. Since Post 22 took a little longer coming out of the dugout I was also the first one to greet him, not exactly a position I wanted to be in.

I sat down with Ploof and like always I didn’t have to ask a question he just started talking. He said, what I thought he would say, that in baseball there is always a tomorrow. Ploof is not the kind of guy that will feel sorry for himself or make excuses. Instead, he just moves forward and so will the players for Post 22.

I know a lot of people out there take personal satisfaction in seeing Ploof lose, especially to 320. I remember losing to Sioux Falls in the state tournament, and people screaming at him from the bleachers. He just kept walking and didn’t say a word. When extremely successful people fail, there will always be someone there to revel in it. But there are probably more people that have tremendous respect for the man and everything he’s done for baseball in this town.

Good luck to both teams the rest of the way. It would be great to see an all Rapid City championship.
-Jake-

After 11 years and 16 consecutive losses Post 320 has finally beaten Post 22. In a game that didn’t lack drama, the two teams tied each other or exchanged leads five times until Brandon Kiewel gave the Stars the lead for good with a 3-run inside the park homerun in the eighth.

So what does this mean for the two programs? Obviously, for Post 320 it is the biggest win in the history of the program and lifts a huge weight off their backs, but unless they go on to win the state championship that is all it will be. The biggest mistake the Stars could make is being satisfied with this win. With that said, congratulations to the players for Post 320, just like coach Brandt said, “This is a game they’ll remember forever.”

I have to say from a sports fans point of view it was one of the best local sports games I’ve ever seen. I would bet that most fans in the stadium, including myself had no idea who was going to win the game until the ninth inning.

For Post 22, if they comeback and win the state tournament against Post 320 this game will ultimately mean very little. Although that is a huge ‘if.’ As tough as the loss is for Post 22 players and coaches, they have to comeback and play today. If I know Dave Ploof and the Post 22 players like I think I do, losing at home to Post 320 will only motivate them.

There is still a lot of tournament left and this could be only the beginning.

-Jake-

This week marks the beginning of the South Dakota Legion state baseball tournament and it’s in our own backyard. The tournament will be held at Post 22’s Fitzgerald Stadium starting Wednesday. There are some very intriguing first round matchups- Spearfish vs. Watertown, Rapid City Post 320 vs. Brookings, and Rapid City Post 22 vs. Sioux Falls West.
The games start at 10 a.m. on Wednesday and I plan to be there for as many as possible, partly because it is my job, but mostly because it is going to be a great tournament. As opposed to many sports I cover throughout the year, I really enjoy legion baseball because West River teams are just as good, if not better, than East River teams. Unlike, football and basketball, Rapid City owns the majority of the state titles and this year not only does Post 22 have a good chance to win it, but so does Post 320 and Spearfish.
See you out there,
-Jake-

If you talk to coaches that come into Rapid City from throughout the country they often talk about how many good hitters have come out of Rapid City. From college coaches looking for talent to those who come here and play, they consistently remark that something must be in the water that produces good hitters. I agree, and Rapid City will continue to produce good hitters.
But something I’ve noticed this year is how many solid pitchers are in Rapid City. For both legion programs I would argue their biggest strength this summer is the pitching.
For Post 22 they of course have Kolton Emery, who despite throwing against the best teams on their schedule still has an ERA just over 2.00. The Hardhats have a number of other arms as well. Tanner Chleborad is only 16-years old, and in his last 22 innings has only allowed one earned run. Jarrett Jensen and Jon Hass are both 3-1 with ERA’s under 3.00.
For Post 320, their ace Brandon Rainford, who just returned this season from Tommy John surgery, is 4-0 this season and in 21 innings pitched has allowed only one earned run with an ERA of 0.42. Brad Winkelman leads the team in wins with a 7-2 record and an ERA of 1.76. Spencer Braun is 4-2 with an ERA of 1.43, and Aaron Anderson is 3-1 with an ERA of 2.25.
If pitching and defense win championships both of these programs have at least one part of the equation and don’t be surprised if their arms take them deep into the state tournament.
-Jake-

With the state tournament only two weeks away the Hardhats are getting hot at exactly the right time. Post 22 had an eight game winning streak early this season, but I think this latest stretch is the best they’ve played all season long.
The pitching has been relatively consistent all season, and has no doubt been the strength of the team. But what has been most impressive as of late is their offense. Rapid City is averaging 12 runs per game during their winning streak and is getting production up and down the lineup.
There was a point in the season where one just had to wonder where the offense was going to come from with this team. The bottom of the order was really struggling and the hitting with runners in scoring position or with two outs was sketchy to say the least. But suddenly the bats have come alive.
Parker Sullivan, who has been hitting all year, and just had his 17-game hitting streak come to an end, is leading the team with a .437 batting average. However, others are really starting to step up. Dana Hill has raised his average about 50 points in the last few weeks, and is now hitting .403. Kolton Emery is hitting rockets all over the yard as of late and is hitting .395 and leading the team in RBI with 40. Jordan Carlson has been the biggest surprise at .386 with 11 doubles and five triples.
But production has to come from others as well if Post 22 is going to continue this success. Donte Bledsoe, Brock Thomas, and Jarrett Jensen will also be key contributors in the coming weeks.
-Jake-

It seems like a different season that Post 320 started with a 4-8 record. A few of those early losses came to regional opponents and it seemed very much up in the air whether the Stars would go back to the state tournament.
But that has all changed. Post 320 has gone 25-5 since, and this week swept all three of their regional opponents. I still believe the regional tournament is wide open, only I think it is wide open for the second spot. I believe Post 320 is the best of the four teams, and I feel very confident that they’ll make their fourth state tournament appearance in five years. I would even go as far as to say this year’s team is a better all-around team than last year’s team which went 46-16.
As good as last year’s team was with players like Kyle Starkey, Chris Lindemann, and Nate Jacobson, they were mainly an offensive power. This year’s team can still hit, has way more pitching, and plays better defense.
The Stars are so good defensively because they’re solid up the middle. Zach Cimburek in centerfield can run down fly balls with the best of them, and their trio of catchers all play solid defense. But the main reason Post 320 is so solid defensively is the play of Brandon Kiewel at shortstop. Kiewel is without a doubt the best defensive middle infielder in the region, and we’ll see how he measures up against the rest of the state come tournament time.
As far as the other teams in the region go, having seen all of them play a number of times, it is going to be an absolute dogfight between Pierre, Sturgis, and Spearfish for the final spot.
-Jake-

Last night I watched Spearfish and Sturgis split a double-header. Both teams played good baseball and most impressive was the pitching for both clubs. The split again proved to me that the race for state is going to be wide open. The four teams in the region continue to beat each other.
Post 320 is the one team that has been beating the other three as of late. Though the Stars dropped games earlier this year to regional teams, they swept Spearfish and Pierre this week, and have a chance to make it a clean sweep today against Sturgis.
The regional tournament is just over a week away and I don’t know about everyone else, but I think it is going to be a great tournament, and any two of the four teams could be going to state.
-Jake-

First of all I must say that I’m happy to see people are actually visiting this blog. In Tuesday’s online edition of the Rapid City Journal there were a number of comments posted about the Post 320 versus Dickinson game. Several comments referred to something I wrote about Dickinson on this blog early this season when I called them, “fundamentally sound.” Some fans used my statement to say Dickinson was a quality opponent. Others said I wasn’t the ‘ultimate judge of young baseball talent.’ I say, thanks for reading. Ultimately, I believe, it is just another opportunity people take to debate which team is better- Post 320 or Post 22.

I have never weighed in on this debate. Not because I’m on the fence when it comes to this issue, but because as a journalist it is my job to remain balanced. I have to deal with people in both programs on a daily basis, and ultimately my opinion on which team is better is subjective and irrelevant.
I will say this, I know a lot of people want to see the two teams play during the regular season, and I very seriously doubt this will happen anytime in the near future. Who is the better team this season will be decided at only one place- Fitzgerald Stadium during the state tournament, assuming the two teams actually meet. I’ve always believed that talk is cheap, and all that matters is what happens between the lines.

I must also say that one of the perks of this job is interacting with players in both programs. I would say to people in Rapid City, these are kids, great kids, on both sides, who just want to play baseball, and yes, want to beat each other badly. But they also respect each other. I have witnessed numerous times players from the two programs interact and they have been nothing but respectful of each other. Often times they go to school together or play other sports together. The only people that undermine these efforts are a few parents and fans. I would urge these people to avoid singling out individual players, as I have often seen on Rapid Reply. If you want to criticize the coaches, so be it, they get paid, and they’re adults. (Though I don’t agree with personal attacks) It is great to see passion about baseball in Rapid City, but these aren’t professionals making millions of dollars, so don’t criticize kids who just want to play the game.

-Jake-