A SpamTown throwdown; Austin Greyhounds to host annual tournament this weekend
Published 11:09 pm Monday, June 22, 2015
Austin’s Gabe Kasak slides into second base against the Owtatonna Aces last summer. Herald File Photos
The Austin Greyhounds are ready for one of their biggest events of the summer as they will host the SpamTown Challenge Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Marcusen Park and Riverland Community College.
The Hounds enter this year’s tournament with a 5-2 record and they have a roster — which includes some young position players and pitches with a lot of experience — that gives them a lot more versatility.
“It’s really exciting,” Hounds manager Matt Cano said. “It’s a different type of baseball and we’ve actually got guys that run this year.”
The Hounds have gotten solid play from Albert Lea native Henry Fleek, who played college baseball at Ellsworth Junior College in Iowa this past Spring, and several players from the Austin Post 91 Legion baseball team have stepped up as well.
“They’re getting their feet wet,” Cano said. “They’re seeing good caliber pitching which is really helping them. They’re solid defensively and they’re good on the base paths. We’ve had the opportunity to make sure the kids we brought up are ready to contribute.”
The Hounds have a pitching staff that includes Nels Nelson and Joe Huffman, and all of the Hounds pitchers are off to a solid start.
“This is the best I’ve seen Joe Huffman throw in the last 10 years and Nels Nelson is throwing well,” Cano said. “Zach Schara is throwing well, and Alex Kasak and Grant Oldenburg have given us some solid innings.”
The Hounds are hoping to make it to Sunday’s round of play and have a chance to win the tournament, but they’ll have to go through the Joliet Dirtbags, Chaksa Cubs and Tri City Shark in pool play. The Hounds must also balance the task of running the tournament.
“We’re absolutely going to try and win it. It’s always a challenge to run it and play. All four of the pools are challenging and ours isn’t any different,” Cano said. “Our goal is to be a good host and show off what the town has to offer, along with our two baseball fields that we believe are second to none in the state.”
The Austin Blue Sox will also play in the SpamTown Challenge and they will face off against Westmont, Illinois, the Minneapolis Cobras and the Rochester Royals.
