Lakeville North pitcher Wes Ahlers literally puts his body on the line for his team.

While on the mound in the fourth inning of the Panthers game against St. Thomas Academy, the senior was hit in the cheek after deflecting a line drive with his glove.

The right side of Ahlers’ face swelled to more than twice the size of his left side. He sat on the field with the trainer for several minutes, but never left the game and resuming pitching. 

Why?

“I’m a bulldog,” Ahlers said. “Once I get on that mound, there’s nothing that is stopping me. I’m willing to bust my butt and do whatever I can to get the team a win.”

Bruised but not beaten, Ahlers gave up just two hits in pitching six scoreless innings to propel third-seeded Lakeville North over seventh-seeded St. Thomas Academy 7-2 in the Class 3A, Section 3 quarterfinals Wednesday at Alimagnet Park in Burnsville. 

The Panthers (14-7), ranked No. 9 in Class 3A by Let's Play Baseball, faces second-seeded Eastview in the section semifinals at Alimagnet Park on Thursday at 4 p.m. The South Suburban Conference rivals split their regular-season series.

After two Lakeville North assistant coaches scouted St. Thomas Academy (11-10) against Bloomington Kennedy in a section play-in game on Friday, Panthers head coach Tony Market decided Ahlers provided his team with the perfect counter to the Cadets' lineup. The right-handed pitcher recorded 27 strikeouts, 18 walks and gave up 36 hits while posting a 2.65 ERA in 37 innings pitched.

“They told us that (the Cadets) are a free-swinging team that we needed to keep off balance,” Market said. “We have one pitcher who fits that mold, and we knew that was Wes.”

Ahlers, who finished the regular season with a 3-3 record after making seven starts, combines pitching prowess with physical toughness, a trait he displayed after being hit in the face. 

“He’s tough enough to be able to stay in there,” Market said. “Those kind of guys don’t come around all the time.”

Despite his toughness, Ahlers couldn't crack the starting rotation as a regular last year. He was used as a reliever and spot starter for a Lakeville North team boasting one of the state's deepest and most dangerous pitching staffs that included seniors Dalton Lehnen, Nick Dorfman and A.J. Sayer.

Lehnen pitched a significant number of innings this year for the University of Cincinnati, while Dorfman threw for University of Minnesota-Duluth and Sayer played for the University of St. Thomas.

As the only pitcher remaining from a Panthers team that finished third at the Class 3A state tournament last year, Ahlers had the task of transitioning in a new era of Lakeville North pitchers. 

“I was super excited to be able to take them under my wing and guide them along this season,” said Ahlers, who went 2-0 in making two starts and had a 1.89 ERA last season. He also had one save and recorded 25 strikeouts, seven walks and allowed 13 hits in 29 2/3 innings pitched. 

Market said Ahlers doesn’t have some of the same pitching tools as Lehnen and Dorfman, but makes up for a lack in physical attributes with his work ethic, which includes going the extra mile - both in the game and at practice. 

“He’s doing the extra sprints; he’s doing all of the extra stuff it takes in order to be able to be a pitcher,” Market said. “He spends an awful lot of time training.”

As a mentor to new varsity pitchers Brett Herber and Billy Riach, Ahlers has made sure they understand the type of drive and training it takes to be successful. 

“Through practice, I told them as a pitcher, they have to run,” Ahlers said. “They need to get their running in.”

But his guidance and instruction goes beyond physical preparation.

“I make sure their mechanics are great, telling them what they're doing wrong and encouraging them,” Ahlers said.

Ahlers also tries to impart the team-first mentality he showed by retaking the mound moments after being blasted in the face by the line drive.

“It’s the playoffs,” Ahlers said. “You’ve got to come back and help your team win.” 

Lakeville North senior pitcher Wes Ahlers allowed two hits and struck out three in six shutout innings to lead Lakeville North to a 7-2 victory over St. Thomas Academy on Wednesday in the Class 3A, Section 3 quarterfinals at Alimagnet Park in Burnsville.

Lakeville North, seeded third, faces No. 2 Eastview in the Class 3A, Section 3 semifinals at 4 p.m. on Thursday at Alimagnet Park. The Panthers and Lightning split their regular season series.

Lakeville North shortstop Angelo Altavilla hit a two-run home run and scored twice in his two at-bats. Altavilla’s home run was his first of the postseason and fourth of the season.

The afternoon game between the Panthers and Cadets began with a blazing sun and scorching heat, and Lakeville North’s offensive game followed suit. Altavilla smacked the ball over the right field fence in the first inning, providing his team with an early 2-0 lead. Drew Stewart and Grant Gunderson also drove in runs to make the score 4-0 at the end of the first inning. 

St. Thomas Academy (12-10) turned two double-plays during the next three innings as it held the Panthers (14-7) scoreless. 

Lakeville North mirrored the defensive play of St. Thomas Academy. The Cadets' J.T. Engeswick hit a hard line drive right back at Ahlers in the top of the fourth. Despite the senior pitcher deflecting the ball with his glove, it smacked him in the face. But, after a short period of sitting on the field, Ahlers stayed in the game.

Lakeville North finally broke the scoring drought in the fifth when Mitch Frederick and Brett Herber each drove in a run to give the Panthers a 7-0 lead. The Cadets made a late surge with Lakeville North pitcher Grant Gunderson closing in the seventh, but the two runs weren’t enough to get the victory. 

St. Thomas Academy pitcher Andrew Tri threw for five innings and gave up five runs, seven hits and one home run. Tri also struck out four.

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