Mark Frost has had an exceptional spring.
The Hope-Page baseball coach was named Class B Region 1 coach of the year. His team won a second consecutive region championship and has a perfect 28-0 record heading into the Class B state tournament, which starts today in Mandan.
The school district even named the baseball diamond in Hope after Frost, calling it Frost Field.
"This is kind of like a dream season," Frost said, in his 11th season. "It doesn't happen every year."
The field-naming ceremony was held between games at the Wolverines' final home doubleheader of the regular season.
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It surprised Frost. He had no idea.
"Usually in a small town, the gossip gets around," Frost said. "The whole town knew except me. That caught me completely off guard. Everyone did a good job keeping it a secret."
The Wolverines hope to continue their magical season at state, facing Munich at 6:45 p.m. today in the first round.
"We never expected going into the season to go undefeated," Frost said. "We just seemed to keep finding ways to win. This group of kids just grabs their gloves and plays ball."
Junior right-hander Brady Burchill has led the way with a 6-0 record, five saves and a 0.32 ERA. He leads the team with a .531 batting average and 31 RBI from his lead-off spot, and has scored 41 runs.
Senior shortstop Joel Mitchell also has been a standout. He's batting .489 with 19 RBI. Senior outfielder Cody Leadbetter and junior third baseman Matt Powell have been solid contributors. Juniors Brandon Krueger (.368 BA, 28 RBI) and Jeff Hashbarger (.397 BA, 16 RBI) have been pleasant surprises, according to Frost. Junior No. 9 hitter Ben Parkman is batting .386.
"Everyone I have put in there has performed," Frost said.
May-Port-C-G strong on diamond
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May-Port-C-G has become more than just a basketball school.
The football program had one of its best seasons in recent years last fall and the boys golf program has been one of the best in the state the last few seasons. Baseball has joined the list of programs on the rise.
"It's kind of neat how all the teams are feeding off each other," said
May-Port-C-G baseball coach Eric Nygaard, who was named Region 2 coach of the year. "It's kind of a testament to a lot of the hard work and dedication the kids have put in."
The Patriots (16-4) are scheduled to play Cavalier at noon today in the first round of the Class B state tournament in Mandan.
Region 2 senior player of the year Andy Ziegler has been a key player for May-Port-C-G, batting .509 with eight doubles, eight home runs and 37 RBI. He also has a 2-1 record on the mound with a 1.88 ERA.
"He's got very quick hands," Nygaard said. "He's very focused and he's easy to get along with."
Two starters off the two-time defending Class B state champion basketball team have also helped the Patriots. Lefty Matt Stasch and Troy Fyre are two of the teams top pitchers. Stasch is 4-2 with a 1.86 ERA. Fyre is 3-0 with a 2.68 ERA and four saves. Junior Jeff Kyllo leads the team in wins with a 5-1 record and has a 4.70 ERA.
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Ziegler, Stasch and Fyre played on the Patriots' 2001 team, which finished third at the state baseball tournament.
"They kind of know what state competition is like," Nygaard said.
Shanley names Metcalf
Fargo Shanley has hired Barb Metcalf to be the school's new head girls basketball coach. She replaces Barry Anderson.
Metcalf has eight years of experience coaching girls basketball. She assisted Anderson last season. Metcalf was a standout athlete at the University of Mary and was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame for women's basketball.
Readers can reach Eric Peterson at (701) 241-5513 or epeterson@forumcomm.com
