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Chanhassen, MN - Wayzata coach Adam Goethke strolled by a number of applauding Wayzata fans on the walk from the field to the parking lot at Chanhassen Red Bird park.  In is left hand was his young son’s hand as they walked out of the park and there was nary a worry for either the Elder Goethke or his 3-year old son Stevie.  At least the skipper didn’t show it and he has good reason, his Wayzata team is playing incredible baseball and executing at all the right times and Saturday night was no exception after his team dispatched Austin by a score of 5-2. 

Wayzata erased a 2-0 first inning deficit to Austin and rallied for a 5-2 win.  It featured an incredible long relief stint by Jamin Hesby who worked 5 shutout innings while allowing just 2 hits, striking out 4 and walking just one batter.  Jake Marsh came on and completed the final 2 2/3 innings for the second day in a row and allowed the bats to go to work to the tune of 4 runs in the bottom of the 8th inning to pick up the win.  

Griffin Scheider had the hot hand at the plate and for the second day in a row delivered key hits for his tema.  Friday night, he went 2-4 with 3RBI including the game winning RBI.  As a team, Wayzata is hitting just .229 for the tournament but the story has been their defensive play, quality pitching, and clutch hitting.  They have a never-say-die attitude that now positions them for a chance to extend their season. 

A reporter caught up with Goethke and suggested that it was family time and instead, Goethke, said to bring it on. The impromptu interview that was a walk to the parking lot covered a number of topics about his baseball team that is now 30-14 on the season and one game away from earning a bid to the American Legion Regionals in Bismark North Dakota.  

Everyone knows tournaments like these are considered survival of the fittest when it comes to pitching depth. “The guy I brought in (Hesby) came into year saying he could pitch,” Goethke said.  “He pitched 13 innings for us on the year and gave up one run and that’s not a huge sample size but I thought, well whatever he’s going to have to log some innings here.”

Gothke expected the game to end up being a high scoring affair and was just hoping Hesby could go into damage control for his team and give them a chance in the later innings.  Instead, it stayed 2-0 in favor of Austin until the bottom of the sixth inning when Wayzata scored 2 and tied the game up. 

The big concern for Goethke was that Hesby had seven outings and working five innings was more than any work he had this season.  Goethke noted, “Because he had only pitched 13 in 7 outings he was stretched way out at 5 innings so when he came in I said be honest with me are you tired? He said, no. He went out and had to make the move to (Jake) Marsh and after he (Hesby) said, ‘You know, I am pretty tired,’ ‘ as a booming laugh came from the coach.  

When things matter the most, Jake Marsh who is the quarterback at Wayzata High School and a fierce competitor, it is easy to look to him to take control of a situation and not panic.  “Jake is just different player,” Goethke said of his reliever and all-around player.  “In pressure situations he is wired differently than most anyone I have coached.  The bigger the moment, the better he pitches.”  Marsh has earned 2 wins in relief over the course of Wayzata’s 3 tournament wins to date.  

There is a never quit approach his Wayzata team has and it has been a formula that is putting them in position to exceed.  The played deep in the Gopher Classic which is the largest American Legion tournament in the Country, won the difficult Sub State 4 by taking the highly regarded Excelsior team out with two wins against them, and are getting it done at the State Tournament.  

“I would like to just get runs early and cruise to the victory,” Goethke said.  “The one thing about falling behind and coming back, no matter the situation, we know that we can do that.  We’ve done that.  We did it in the Gopher Classic, we did it in Sub State and we are doing it this weekend.”

Still, there is a respect for Eden Prairie they face Sunday afternoon and the knowledge that they can jump on teams early, pile up some runs and create long days if teams open doors for them.  “They have won seven state titles in the last 12 years and have been second a couple of times,” Goethke noted.  Nobody in the history of baseball has had as much success as they have the last 10-15 years.”

A rival coach in the South Hennepin League suggested that the Wayzata team has a mojo that couldn’t be measured going into the playoffs.  He certainly may have something with that theory as they have proved it.