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The complete package

By Amelia Rayno, Star Tribune, 04/26/11, 8:43PM CDT

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St. Anthony Village has the arms, bats and defense to go all the way


Ryan Ferkinhoff hits a pitch. Submitted photo

There’s a lot of teasing going on among the St. Anthony baseball pitching rotation these days. 

It’s just friendly fire — the players, along with most of the rest of the varsity squad, have mostly played together since elementary school. But even with years of background as fuel, the guys are having a hard time finding fodder.

That’s because through the first three games of the season, there has been little on the mound to scrutinize. The Huskies’ 4-0 start featured three consecutive shutouts and only one walk, which is not bad for a team that claims it gets off to “slow starts.”

“I was expecting us to start a little slower,” lefthander Stephen Couillard said. “Usually it takes me a couple of starts just to get my accuracy back. But we’ve just stepped right in and thrown a lot of strikes. ... Knowing that your teammates did a really good job the game before — you just want to come out and match that.”

Of course, even if the quick and wide-ranging success is unexpected — the Huskies have also scored 34 runs in their four games — there was never a doubt St. Anthony had a strong group this season. The roster consists of 13 seniors from a team that made the state tournament a year ago.

The Huskies have only one junior — righty Jordan Wiggins, who is one of three strong returning pitchers (captains Nicho Roessler and Couillard are the others). To go along with those pitchers, they have a handful of offensive threats, including Roessler, who will likely own most of St. Anthony’s all-time pitching and hitting records by the end of the year, and outfielder Trevor Weber, who hit .412 last year.

“This could be one of the best St. Anthony Village teams in years,” coach Troy Urdahl said, which means a lot given that the team is typically a threat.

But even with the lofty aspirations, the Huskies have found ways to impress their coach. The middle infield consists of shortstop Darren Lawson and second baseman Robbie O’Connell, two players who didn’t have major roles last season but are finding major chemistry up the middle.

“They could end up being a big part of our success,” Urdahl said of the pair, which turned three double plays in their 10-0 victory over Irondale.

Of the team, he said: “They have the complete game — they’re strong in all areas: pitching, hitting, and defense. I think that’s what separates the very good teams from the top teams.”

Part of that all-field success is because players can push each other in the ways that are most meaningful, and back them up where they need.

“We’re all best friends, we all trust each other, and we feed off each other’s energy,” Roessler said. “The best feeling is just being on the mound and knowing I’ve got a great defense to back me up.”

That sentiment explains why the teasing — laced with compliment — is just that. Despite a stellar start that puts a bigger target on their backs, the Huskies are nothing but loose, they say.

“We don’t feel any pressure,” captain Ryan Ferkinhoff said. “It’s a special thing. And we knew that, and knew we could go far. But if we do all the things we can do, we’ll win games. We’ve just got to go out every day and play ball.”

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