Talent will be in abundance when these Lake Conference rivals clash on Friday, as seven D-I commits will be at Braemar Field — four for Minnetonka and three for Edina.
The Skippers (7-1, 2-0) have sizzled through the start of the season with strong pitching. Missouri commit Nick Lommen struck out 15 Champlin Park batters in 5 2/3 innings, setting up a 2-1 win on April 25.
Not to be outdone, David Roderick, Aaron Wukmir, Michael Sturik and Christian Cote combined to shut down league rivals Eden Prairie (5-2 on April 12) and Wayzata (4-1 on April 27), giving the Skippers an early conference lead.
The Hornets (5-1, 1-0) are capable of snatching the top spot away with their own strong pitching. Besides a 10-7 home loss to Bloomington Jefferson on April 26, Edina has allowed a total of nine runs in its other five games.
Army commit Will Ecklund has been especially impressive. In nine innings logged to the MN Baseball Hub, the senior has allowed two runs and struck out 10.