Aberdeen Smittys take 13-10 record into Dakota Classic tournament in Sioux Falls region

The Aberdeen Smittys will be one of 33 American Legion baseball teams headed to Sioux Falls area this weekend to take part in the Dakota Classic.

Six states will be represented at the tournament, including South Dakota, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

The Smittys (13-10) will play in Lennox Pool, joining Lennox, Sioux Falls Post 15, Lincoln North Star from Nebraska and Crookston, Minn. In total, there are seven pools.

There will be a championship bracket composed of eight teams, including the seven pool winners and a wild card team. The quarterfinals are scheduled to start on Sunday night. The tournament runs today through Monday.

Smittys rebound from 1-4 start

After dropping four of their first five games of the season, the Smittys have responded with two four-game winning streaks and, more recently, a three-game winning streak after a sweep of Groton Area and a 6-5 win over Jamestown, N.D.

But they are currently on a three-game losing streak, with their latest defeat being a 12-2 loss at Redfield on Monday.

Aberdeen coach Brandon Kusler is happy with the results he's gotten from his team thus far.

"I think we've gotten off to a pretty good start so far ... It's always good to be above .500. So we're really happy about that. But just the way that we've been playing and the way that the kids are coming to the yard every single day I've really been impressed with, and it's something that I think has looked a lot different than some teams in years past," Kusler said.

Pitching depth is a strength

There are 14 players on the Aberdeen roster, and Kusler said he's comfortable with all but a few of them pitching.

"I'm confident putting almost anybody on the mound, and that's gonna be big for us the rest of the season," he said.

Casey Vining has thrown the most innings for the Smittys with 31.2, starting in five of his seven appearances. He owns a 2-3 record along with an earned run average of 2.55, punching out 25 of the 142 batters he's faced.

Brian Holmstrom has started four games for the Smittys and owns a 1-2 record with an ERA of 3.85. Brock Martin has made six starts with a 3-3 record with a 3.15 ERA.

"They've been really consistent for us so far all year, and there's a reason that those three lead our team in innings pitched because every single time that they're out there, they're giving us the chance to win and they're mixing pitches really well and getting ahead in the counts," Kusler said. "(I'm) really confident when any of them are out there."

Drew Salfrank has started four games, striking out 18 batters with a 6.63 ERA. Josh Steinwandt has made five starts and has a 3.78 ERA.

Jaiden Smith, Nickolas Clemens, Phillip Zens, Andrew Woehl and Will Heinert are among the others players who have pitched in a game this season for the Smittys.

'I think we've been swinging our bats pretty well'

Offensively, the Smittys have been generally effective, getting shut out just twice. But in their last three games, they have scored just five runs while giving up 27.

"I think (the offense) is a little bit different game in and game out. For the most part this year, I feel like we've done a pretty good job offensively. The last three games, we've kind of taken a couple of steps back," Kusler said. "I think for the most part of this season, as a collective unit, I think we've been swinging our bats pretty well and scoring quite a bit of runs in multiple different ways. It's not just one, two or three guys doing it, it's our entire lineup."

Salfrank has been a strong leadoff hitter for Aberdeen.

He leads the team in batting average at .463, and has the second-highest on-base percentage (.532) and the second-best on-base plus slugging percentage (.488). He also leads the team in stolen bases with 12 on 16 attempts.

"It's really great because he gets on base quite a bit and he's one of the fastest guys in the world, and when he gets on base, a lot of times he's taking second base, so that's been big for us," Kusler said.

Vining leads the team in on-base plus slugging percentage at 1.124 to go along with the second-best batting average at .388. He's has been a staple in the Smittys' lineup in the three spot and leads the team in runs batted in with 13.

"He is a guy that can supply some power, and I think he's got quite a few extra-base hits ... but he's been pretty consistent to this point just putting balls in play and finding a way on base," Kusler said.

Zens (.392), Steinwandt (.311) and Heinert (.300) are among the other Smittys players hitting well. Steinwandt, and Clemens, both have 12 runs batted in.

Kusler said that while nobody really stands out offensively, the team has been solid.

"I think, top to bottom, it's been really consistent for us this year. I think a few guys have done a really good job ... Not always just getting hits, but just finding ways to get on base whether that's by walks or just putting balls in play," he said.

This is the sixth hear of the Dakota Classic tournament.

"It's a big tournament that draws a lot of teams, and we're gonna see some competition for sure, so we're all excited for it," Kusler said.

Aberdeen plays Sioux Falls Post 16 at 1:30 this afternoon and then plays Lennox at 4 p.m. Both games are in Lennox.

This article originally appeared on Aberdeen News: Aberdeen Smittys to play at Legion Dakota Classic Tournament