A Year of Rebuilding and, Perhaps, Another Trip to State

The Kalispell Lakers needed an extra arm in the pitching rotation, so they snagged Ben Sansaver from shortstop. Sansaver warmed up, stepped onto the mound and threw a no-hitter. In the Lakers’ next game, his teammate Joe Pistorese threw another no-hitter.

Pat Hergesheimer, who attends the University of Montana but is finishing out his final summer of American Legion Baseball eligibility, has been around baseball his whole life and feels fortunate to have been part of back-to-back no-hitters.

“I would say it’s pretty rare,” Hergesheimer.

Thanks in large part to the pitching efforts of Sansaver, Pistorese and the rest of the staff, the Kalispell Lakers have jumped out to a 17-7 (5-2 conference) record – as of last Friday – despite having lost seven players from last year’s roster. Among the departed is another pitching star, Tyler Reichhoff, who is now playing at Miles City Community College and was named all-state his final season.

Head coach Ryan Malmin wouldn’t mind seeing more consistency in the batter’s box, but he doesn’t have much to complain about with his young team’s performance thus far. Hergesheimer, who just completed his freshman year at UM and is transferring to UM-Western to play football in the fall, has also been pleasantly surprised by the team’s success.

Hergesheimer believes the team is capable of repeating last year’s run to the state tournament, where the Lakers came up just short of making it to the final four. It was the furthest the Lakers have gone at state since Malmin took over four years ago.

“I think we have what it takes to get back to state,” Hergesheimer said. “I’m excited.”

Sansaver, a recent Glacier High School graduate, has signed to play shortstop at Miles City Community College next year. Until then, he’ll continue to enjoy his dual role as the heart of the defense at shortstop and a reliable pitcher on the mound. Sansaver is 3-2 with a 2.92 ERA.

Pistorese is 5-1 on the season with a miniscule 0.41 ERA. He has also thrown a one-hitter. Rounding out the heart of the pitching rotation is Mario Venturini, who is 6-0 with a 3.16 ERA. Matt O’Brien, Greg Seaman, Mike O’Connell and Toby Liechti have also started games for the Lakers. O’Connell leads the team in hitting with a .427 average, three home runs and 26 RBIs. Hergesheimer is right behind him at .409, three home runs and 21 RBIs, to go along with a team-high 12 doubles.

The Lakers have been to the American Legion AA state tournament two out of the last three seasons and nearly made it to the final round last year. They finished 34-25 overall and 15-9 in the conference, their best mark in more than a decade. The Lakers haven’t won a title since their lone state championship in 1978. But they’re a confident, even if slightly inexperienced, group this year. The fast start has only strengthened that confidence.

Malmin said there is great parity in the conference this year with no clear frontrunner. The Missoula Mavericks, however, are at the top of the heap once again, despite being forced to retool in the off-season after losing a number of starters. The Mavs have jumped out to an undefeated 8-0 conference record. Aside from Missoula, the Great Falls Stallions and Medicine Hat Monarchs have also been playing well in the Western AA division.

Sansaver believes the Lakers can hang with any team in the state if they play their game and limit their mistakes. If they get to state, Sansaver said the Lakers have the potential to do damage. The top four teams from the seven-team conference make it to the state tournament, which will be held in Miles City on July 25-29.

“The conference is up for the taking,” Sansaver said. “If we make it to state, anything can happen.”