The Austin Greyhounds, the city's Class B Minnesota Amateur Baseball team, won the respect it felt it deserved all along by bringing home the state championship to end the summer.

The Greyhounds went 38-17, ending the state tournament's three-weekend series at Cold Spring and St. Cloud on Sept. 2 by rocking Chaska 14-3 in seven innings. Austin advanced to the state tournament for its second consecutive year and fifth time in the program's short history. The 'Hounds won the title with an undefeated run to the top.

Pitcher Dave Meyer was voted the Class B tournament's Most Valuable Player after allowing only two earned runs in 16 2/3 innings pitched. Ryan Hanson hit a first-inning grand slam that helped the Greyhounds to an insurmountable 8-0 lead.

"I'm very proud of the way the guys played," said Austin manager Joe Serratore. "This is a huge tradition in town, but people have forgotten about it."

The 'Hounds' title run hopefully helped put baseball in Austin back on the map.