Beulah-Hazen Miners

2007:3-22; ninth in West Region; 0-1 in West Region tournament, did not qualify for state.

Coach: Bob Koch, third season.

Coaches' poll: 17 points, ninth place (coaches do not vote for their own teams).

Roster: Seniors - MichaelClarys, SS-P (.294, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 5 SB). Ethan Fritel, 1B-P (.342, 0 HR, 5 RBIs; 0-5, 14.40 ERA, 13.2IP, 17 BB, 13 SO). Dane Johansen,OF (.210, 0 HR, 0 RBIs). Ryan Koch, IF-C-P (.295, 0 HR, 0RBIs; 0-2, 12.87 ERA, 13.2 IP). Jacob Oster, 3B-OF-C (.289, 0 HR, 2 RBIs; 0-4, 13.53 ERA). Juniors - Levi Lawson, OF-P (.264, 0 HR, 1 RBI). Sophomore - Tanner Borlaug (.240, 0 HR, 1 RBI).

Fast fact: Beulah and Hazen combined are the second-smallest entry in WestRegion baseball with about 508 students in the top four grades. St. Mary's totals about 344 in grades 9-12.

Notes: Walks were a killer for the Miners last season. Beulah-Hazen pitchers issued an average of 7.2 batters per seven innings.

Coach Koch's comments:"We need to throw strikes more consistently. … We will need the upperclassmen to provide leadership both on the field and off. They will also have to lead offensively. … The area that we will need to improve the most … is on defense. We had way too many errors that extended innings."

Bismarck Demons

2007:22-13; third in West Region; 1-2 in inWest Region tournament, did not qualify for state.

Coach: Troy Olson, 15th season.

Coaches' poll: 59 points, third place (coaches do not vote for their own teams).

Roster: Seniors - Erik Christianson, OF-P(.229, 0 HR, 5 RBIs; 1-1, 1.20 ERA). JonHausauer, P-C-IF-OF (.338, 0HR, 11 RBIs, 15 SB; 6-2, 1.33 ERA, 52.2 IP, 6 CG). Jacob Hruby,OF-P (.237, 0 HR, 10 RBIs; 2-0, 1.62 ERA). Tyler Johnson, C-P-OF(.333, 0 HR, 17 RBIs; 2-2, 0.65 ERA). Andrew Seeberg, 3B-P (.310, 0 HR, 13 RBIs; 2-0, 1.40 ERA). Juniors -Jared Hochhalter, 1B-P(.245, 0 HR, 14 RBIs; 1-2, 1.87 ERA, 5 BB, 25 SO). Tyler Peterson, OF-P (.316, 0 HR, 14 RBIs, 26 R, 12 SB; 2-0, 1.67 ERA, 6 BB, 24 SO). Sophomore - Alex Deyle, SS-C-P(.196, 0 HR, 4 RBIs; 2-0, 2.74 ERA).

Fast fact: Bismarck has won a minimum of 20 games five of the last seven springs.

Notes: Hausauer was named to the coaches' all-state and all-region teams. … Johnson and Peterson were all-region selections. … Olson was chosen regional coach of the year.

Coach Olson's comments:"Just like everyone else, we're hoping to be able to throw strikes and play defense. Our strength this year is balance. We will rely on everyone in our lineup to produce, not just three or four guys."

Century Patriots

2007:18-14; fifth in West Region; 1-2 in West Region tournament, did not qualify for state.

Coaches: Mike Gustavsson, fifth season, and Kent Schweigert, first season.

Coaches' poll: 47 points, fourth place (coaches do not vote for their own teams).

Roster: Seniors - Taylor Isakson,C(.219, 0 HR, 12 RBIs). Luke Jesperson, 1B(.160, 0 HR, 1 RBI). Evan Kendall,ss (. 143, 0 HR, 2 RBIs). Nate Schlosser, OF (.362, 1 HR, 13 RBIs). ZachWentz, 3B-P(.354, 0 HR, 12 RBIs, 16 R, 11 SB; 1-2, 1.87 ERA, 30.0 IP, 11 BB, 37 SO). Brady Wolf, 2B-P (.240, 0 HR, 2 RBIs; 0-1, 1.05 ERA). Juniors -Hunter Johnson, 3B-P (.238, 0 HR, 5 RBIs; 3-2, 1.97 ERA). Matt Stoehr, P-OF(1-1, 4.74 ERA).

Fast fact: Century has never won a state or regional tournament title in baseball. The Patriots were state runners-up in 1995 and 1998.

Notes: Wentz was named to the all-state and all-region teams. … Schweigert coached St. Mary's for 15 seasons before moving to Century. He led St. Mary's to state championships in 1995 and 1997.

Coach Gustavsson's comments:"Our strong point this year will be our pitching. Two of our top three pitchers are back from last year. We have a legitimate top two, no doubt about it. Zach (Wentz) throws close to 90 (mph) and Hunter Johnson throws 87. … Hitting-wise we've got a good core. I believe we've got our No. 2, No. 3, No. 5 and No. 6 batters back. … Our infield will be really, really strong (on defense) and we have a three-year starting catcher back."

DickinsonMidgets

2007:26-8; second in West Region; first in West Region tournament; state champions.

Coach: Pete Dobitz, eighth season.

Coaches' poll: 64 points, second place (coaches do not vote for their own teams).

Roster: Seniors - Dan Berg, C (.250, 0 HR, 5 RBIs). TyrelGion,IF-OF(.450, 0 HR, 6 RBIs; 3-0, 2.84 ERA). BenHerauf, IF(.279, 2 HR, 11 RBIs). Jeff Kaiser, OF (.282, 9 HR, 9RBIs). Zach Keller, OF (.278, 0 HR, 12 RBIs). Grant Kovacs, 1B-P(.147, 0 HR, 2 RBIs; 2-0, 0.68 ERA). Tyler Steffan,CF(.306, 0HR, 14 RBIs, 22 R, 9 SB). Andy Tomanek, 3B (.207, 0 HR, 3 RBIs). JacksonWandler, P-OF(2-0, 1.85 ERA). Juniors -Cole Frenzel, SS (.426, 4 HR, 26 RBIs, 26 R, 8 doubles, 9SB). MichaelSteve, C-IF-P(1-0, 0.75 ERA).Sophomore - Stephen Laylock, P-IF(6-1, 0.63 ERA, 28.2 IP, 13 BB, 26 SO).

Fast fact: Dickinson has played in five state championship games in the last eight seasons, winning titles in 2001, 2004 and 2007.

Notes: Frenzel was named to the all-state and all-region teams. … Steffan was an all-region pick.

Coach Dobitz's comments:"With 14 returning letterwinners … the Midgets … will need to fill only a few holes in the lineup and pitching corps. … Hitting should be a strength with returning sluggers Cole Frenzel,Ben Herauf, Tyler Steffan, Dan Berg and Grant Kovacs. … The Midgets will need to fill some holes offensively, but a really strong sophomore class should help with that task."

Jamestown Blue Jays

2007:15-16; sixth in West Region; fourth in West Region tournament, seventh in state.

Coach: AndyFitzgerald, fourth season.

Coaches' poll: 37 points, sixth place (coaches do not vote for their own teams).

Roster: Seniors - Ross Hogan, 3B-P (.290, 0 HR, 8 RBIs; 2-3, 4.25 ERA, 31.1 IP). Zec Tahran, 2B (.326, 0 HR, 11 RBIs, 23 R, 9 SB). NickWalden,IF-P (,288, 0 HR, 10 RBIs; 0-2, 8.08 ERA). Juniors-Levi Gaunska,IF-P (.280, 0 HR, 3 RBIs; 3-1, 3.25 ERA, 9 BB, 30 SO). Kyle Walden, C(.345, 0 HR, 10 RBIs). BenWalker, (7-1, 2.39 ERA. 7 BB, 31 SO).

Fast fact: The Blue Jays have played in seven state tournaments, but last year's appearance was their first since 2004.

Notes: Jamestown outhit its opponents 217-203 last spring. … Zec Tahran and Ross Hogan were all-state football players last fall.

Coach Fitzgerald's comments:"The Blue Jays have some key players returning who contributed to their run toward state. These players include Ross Hogan, BenWalker, Kyle Walden, Nick Walden, Zec Tahran and Levi Gaunska. …Experience on the mound and team speed will be the strengths for the Blue Jays and they have many good athletes who can play multiple positions."

Mandan Braves

2007:9-27; eighth in West Region; 1-2 in inWest Region tournament, did not qualify for state.

Coach: Dewitt Mack, fourth season.

Coaches' poll: 33 points, seventh place (coaches do not vote for their own teams).

Roster: Seniors - BrandonDriessen, IF(.296, 0 HR, 4 RBIs). Tony Fleck, OF(.271, 0 HR, 5 RBIs). Matt Keller, 2B(.233, 0 HR, 6 RBIs). BrandonLeingang, 1B-P (.282, 0 HR, 9 RBIs, 15 R; 1-1, 61.5 ERA). JasonMellmer, C (.278, 0 HR, 2 RBIs). Jared Muth, OF(.200, 0 HR, 1 RBI, 16 SB). Jared Quast, 3B-P(.313, 0 HR, 4 RBIs; 1-3, 5.85 ERA, 16 BB, 24 SO). Jeff Werner, IF-OR-P(.255, 0 HR, 5 RBIs; 1-3, 7.48 ERA, 26 BB, 23 SO). Juniors -Sam Salveson, IF(.206, 0 HR, 8 RBIs). Taylor Volk, OF-P(.083, 0 HR, 1 RBI; 1-3, 4.71 ERA). Sophomores - Reid Jungling, 1B-OF-P(.121, 0 HR, 0 RBIs; 3-2, 3.37 ERA, 27.0 IP). Steve Serr, IF-OF(.241, 0HR, 3 RBIs).

Fast fact: The Braves started only two seniors in last year's West Region tournament.

Notes: Quast was named to the all-region team. … Shortstop Steve Pletan, an all-region choice in 2006, returns after sitting out the 2007 season due to wrist surgery. … Jungling, a left-hander, led the staff in wins last spring as a freshman.

Coach Mack's comments:"We are looking for good things from the (nine) seniors in terms of experience and leadership. We are short on veteran pitching and will look to Jared Quast and Reid Jungling to fill the void … and pitch the brunt of our games. We struggled with hitting last year and have been placing a lot of emphasis on that."

Minot Magicians

2007:29-8; first in West Region; second in West Region tournament; second in state tournament.

Coach: Pete Stenberg, 13th season.

Coaches' poll: 70 points, first place (coaches do not vote for their own teams).

Roster: Seniors - Creighton Bachmeier,OF(.266, 0 HR, 12 RBIs). Zac Elgie, 1B-P(.400, 3 HR, 40 RBIs; 4-2, 2.13 ERA, 13 BB, 33 SO). Ryne Hornecker, SS(.337, 0 HR, 20 RBIs). Ethan Sundheim, P-OF(2-1, 0.67 ERA, 31.1 IP, 12 BB, 39 SO). Dane Towery, C-P(.370, 0 HR, 19 RBIs). Juniors -Ryan Bollinger, OF-P(.433, 2 HR, 31 RBIs; 3-2, 1.69 ERA, 11 BB, 36 SO).

Fast fact: The Magicians have appeared in 12 straight state tournaments, winning titles in 1999 and 2005.

Notes: Elgie and Bollinger were both all-state and all-regions selections last spring.

Coach Stenberg's comments:"Zac Elgie and Ryne Hornecker are both returning three-year letterwinners. Dane Towery and Ryan Bollinger are returning two-year letterwinners. Creighton Bachmeier is a one-year letterwinner. The other players that could break the lineup … are infielder Jordan Rubbelke, infielder Josh Oothoudt, first baseman Kalvin Larson and third baseman Derek Somerville. … Pitching depth should be another strong point. … Twelve players have plenty of mound time at the varsity or JVlevel."

St. Mary's Saints

2007:11-17; seventh in West Region; 1-2 in West Region tournament, did not qualify for state.

Coach: Ben Schafer, first season.

Coaches' poll: 24 points, eighth place (coaches do not vote for their own teams).

Roster: Seniors - Drew Eichele, C-P-3B(.226, 0 HR, 11 RBIs; 1-3, 2.28 ERA. 30.2 IP). Mitch Feist, OF-P(.417, 0 HR, 0 RBIs). Jon Herold, IF-OF-P(.230, 0 HR, 7 RBIs; 0-3, 3-13 ERA). D.J.Schmitz, 1B-P(.212, 0 HR, 6 RBIs). Juniors - NickBury, IF-C-P(.286, 0 HR, 4 RBIs). James Carroll, IF-OF-P (.130, 0 HR, 1 RBI) Matt Chuppe, SS-P(.214, 0 HR, 14 RBIs; 1-4, 3.06 ERA).

Fast fact: The Saints have played in five state tournaments and have reached the finals four times, winning twice.

Notes: St. Mary's last reached the state tourney in 1999.

Coach Schafer's comments:"On a team that graduation hit hard, we will be looking for career years out of our senior leaders. … Minimizing the amount of small mistakes and doing the little things correctly will be our keys to an improvement over last season."

Turtle MountainBraves

2007:0-18 West Region; 10th in West Region; 0-1 in West Region tournament, did not qualify for state.

Coach: Dave DeCoteau, fifth season.

Coaches' poll: 8 points, 10th place (coaches do not vote for their own teams).

Roster: Unavailable.

Williston Coyotes

2007:19-11; fourth in West Region; third in West Region tournament, fourth in state.

Coach: Brad Westphal, 11th season.

Coaches' poll: 45 points, fifth place (coaches do not vote for their own teams).

Roster: Seniors - Jordan Braun,SS-P(.213, 0 HR, 6 RBIs). QuinnDevlin,OF-P(.216, 1 HR, 6 RBIs). James LaQua, OF(.297, 0 HR, 5 RBIs, 19 R). Doug Richter, C-P(.329, 0 HR, 8 RBIs; 2-1, 4.50 ERA). Trevor Sorenson, P-OF-1B(.224, 0 HR, 3 RBIs; 6-0, 1.08 ERA, 45.1 IP, 23 BB, 45 SO). NathanWingerter, 2B-P (.318, 0 HR, 4 RBIs; 0-0, 7.46 ERA). Juniors -ShawnEgge, IF-P(,397, 0 HR, 4 RBIs, 8 SB; 1-2, 5.28 ERA). Jeff Skadeland,OF-P(.289, 0 HR, 1 RBI). Sophomore - Alex Hanson, IF-P(0-1, 2.40 ERA).

Fast fact: Williston has appeared in the last six state tournaments and seven overall. The Coyotes have never played in a state championship game.

Notes: Sorenson, a lefty with a 6-0 record, did not play in last year's state tournament due to a training rule violation.

Coach Westphal's comments:"We are returning a good nucleus of players. … We will have to find some consistency in our starting pitchers. … We lost three quality hitters to graduation. … The returning starters will have to pick up the hitting for us to compete in the WDA."

- Compiled by Steve Thomas