Mound-Westonka Baseball Has Ambitions for Big Improvement

MOUND-WESTONKA BASEBALL

Last year’s record: 9-13

Wright County Conference record: 7-9 (6th)

Section 5AA tournament: def. Minneapolis Henry 9-0, loses to Delano 10-0.

The Mound-Westonka baseball team had its ups and downs a year ago, as the White Hawks rallied off a six-game winning streak midway through the season only to follow it up with nine losses in its last 11 games. This year, coach Jeff Peterson is looking for more consistency, and he’ll lean on senior pitching to do it. Three of his returners threw more than 30 innings a year ago.

Key returners: 

Senior pitchers Mitch Dunaway, Dan Hoy and Patrick Regan, junior shortstop Mitch Kern and junior utility player David Angel.

Key losses: 

Catcher Aaron Davis, second baseman Kyle Brown and pitcher Nick Noble.

Conference outlook: 

The White Hawks look to improve upon last season’s disappointing sixth-place finish in the Wright County Conference with strong pitching performances from Dunaway, Hoy and Regan. The road won’t be easy, however, with Mound-Westonka lacking experience and depth—and with conference powerhouses Orono, Delano and Glencoe-Silver Lake standing in the way. 

Peterson is hoping for a top-four finish in 2011, which he expects to accomplish by avoiding sweeps and splitting key series with the conference’s top teams. The White Hawks face Delano in a home doubleheader on April 26, which may prove to be Mound-Westonka’s most pivotal series during conference play.

Section outlook: 

Most of Section 5AA is comprised of teams from the Wright County Conference, and Peterson expects Orono and Delano to be the Hawks’ top competition. Peterson said the key to performing well at sections is to win the first two games to reach the double-elimination round. In 2010, the third-seeded Hawks lost in the second round to Delano after defeating Minneapolis Patrick Henry in the section opener.