In baseball news...
Payton VanBeck, B-B-E Class of 2019, has signed with the St. Cloud Rox semi-professional team (that's a couple weeks old by now)...local baseball fans have organized a COACH BUS from Bucky's Bar in Elrosa for his team's HOME game tomorrow, Thursday, July 6. As of this afternoon, a few spots are available at a cost of $10 per rider. FIRST pitch is at 6:35 p.m. in St. Cloud with the Rox facing the Duluth Huskies. The coach bus from Elrosa departs Bucky's at 4 p.m. sharp and heading straight to Joe Faber Field. They will return directly after the game. Please text AJ at 320-333-8818 to reserve your spot!
Here's a clip of Payton VanBeck in action during the Region 15C opener last August at Meire Grove:
VanBeck and the rest of the Elrosa Saints amateur baseball team are next in action on Friday this week on the home diamond when they host Meire Grove with first pitch at 8 p.m.
And a flashback video! Just over five years ago on May 31, 2018 at Chizek Field in Morris...
Then a junior, Payton VanBeck was the closer for the B-B-E Jaguars in their third playoff game of the Section 6A tournament in relief of starter (and sophomore) Jackson Peter. B-B-E defeated Border West 3-1 in a winner's bracket game to improve to 3-0 in the postseason. They later lost 11-4 and then 9-8 in their next two games, however, to fall out of state contention.
Some quick math and a look at recent baseball seasons...the Jaguars are 26-11 in the Section 6A baseball playoffs dating back to the 2016 season when they made their deepest postseason run in school history to that point and finished third. They finished as Section 6A runners-up in 2019 in Payton VanBeck's senior year. In his younger brother's senior year (2022), the Jaguars finished in third place in Section 6A. This spring, as you all should remember, the Jaguars had their first-ever perfect run through the section playoffs with a 5-0 record. A school record six straight playoff wins landed them a spot in the Class 1A state Final Four for the first time ever.
