Eagan VFW Baseball Enjoying A Successful Summer

It has been quite a summer so far for the Eagan VFW baseball team as the Patriots head into the Independence Day weekend having won 18 of their last 19 games giving the squad to a 21-4-1 record with two weeks remaining in the regular season.

“We have been playing some good baseball,” head coach Niemioja said.In his sixth season at the helm of the Eagan VFW program, Niemioja noted that he figured he had some talented players on this season’s club, but that winning 18-straight contests did have him surprised.

“I knew we had a chance to be special, but no one expects a winning streak like that,” he said.

Eagan has two tournament titles in hand already this summer, having swept through both the Big Lake and Bloomington tournaments in June to claim the crown in each.

The win streak that began on June 11 after the team grew to full strength after the Eagan high school campaign ended came to a close on Thursday, June 30 in a 12-4 loss to league rival Eden Prairie on “one of those nights,” according to Patriots slugger Matt Fielder.

“It was one of those games that everything they hit seemed to fall in and while we were hitting the ball hard, it was right at them,” he said.

It was the first loss that many on the squad had suffered this summer, including Niemioja, who missed the first seven games of the campaign (a 3-3-1 stretch) while overseas. However, if there is such a thing as a “good loss,” Thursday’s setback was one, according to Fielder.

“It was an impressive streak, but there were games that we came out flat,” he said. “I think we had gotten so used to winning, a game like (Thursday’s) really levels our heads.”

Fielder has paced the Patriots offensively through June with team-highs in batting average (.561) and home runs (three) heading into the Eden Prairie game; he also leads the club in runs batted in and scored.

“I’m feeling real confident at the plate and am seeing the ball well,” he said, while complimenting his teammates. “The guys in front of me and around me are hitting the ball well, they’re getting on base and making things challenging for the pitchers so I get better pitches to hit.”

Echoing Fielder’s sentiments, Niemioja said that Eagan’s success this season has been a total team effort, both offensively and defensively.

“These guys are doing the little things right and they are willing to work hard; they take extra balls in the infield and outfield, they take extra batting practice,” he said. “They want to get better.”

The Patriots are hitting .373 as a team and committed only 25 errors over their first 25 games, while the pitching staff had posted a 2.88 earned run average before Thursday.

“Our depth of pitching is a big reason for our success,” Niemioja said. “We have nine guys we can start and know that they will do a good job.”

The summer season will come to a quick conclusion following a short break for the holiday with a two-week sprint to the playoffs. The Patriots have one regular-season tournament remaining and it is one the team hosts, as Woodbury, New Prague and Southwest Minneapolis VFW teams will come to play in the Eagan Tournament from July 8-10.

Prior to that tourney, Eagan is scheduled to host Mankato and Plymouth/Wayzata on July 6 and 7, respectively, at 6 p.m. The Patriots' final regular-season home game comes against Hopkins on Thursday, July 14 at 6 p.m., before the team closes out its pre-playoff schedule at Apple Valley on Minnetonka.

The sub-district playoffs begin on July 21 at South St. Paul, with the districts beginning on July 28 at Sleepy Eye and the state tournament opening on Aug. 11 in Bemidji.

“Overall, it has been a great season,” Fielder said. “We have been successful so far and we want to keep that going.”