HAYFIELD — Whenever spring rolls around, Zach Nelson of Hayfield has his mind set on two things — baseball and his father.

Baseball is the game that Zach has always loved and spring is when the Vikings take to the field that sits behind Hayfield High School and begin their annual pursuit of the schools’ first ever state tournament. Spring also holds a harsher memory for Zach and his family as it was in the spring of 2012 when his father Jon passed away after a bout with cancer. Zach, who graduated from HHS Friday night, was in sixth grade and he was forced into the toughest challenge of his life. 

Luckily for him, Zach had a supportive community, and a solid family, including his three younger brothers.

“I was kind of thrown into the deep end and I had to figure it out how to learn to be a leader,” Zach said. “I have great people that have helped me along the way. My mom was really supportive with helping us in things like teaching us to play catch, fish or ride a bike. The community has been really supportive. I get people coming up to me all the time who I don’t know, but they know me and they want to talk to me. We’ve got 1,340 people in this town and it feels like I’ve got 1,340 family members.”

Zach’s younger brother Brady, a sophomore, is also on the Hayfield baseball team and the other two Nelson boys are in elementary school. Brady remembers learning about baseball from his dad in the back yard and he’s also learned a lot about baseball from Zach.

“I remember playing a lot of catch in the back yard with Zach and my dad. Dad taught us how to hit, throw curve balls, and just how to play baseball,” Brady said. “I’ve learned a lot from Zach too. He’s helped me since I was young. He’s taught me little tips every day and during the games. I’m trying to soak up everything he tells me and bring it into my game. I’m trying to pass it on to the younger kids as well. We’re trying to go to state, that’s always the goal. Every year I get to play with Zach is a blessing.”

Hayfield head coach Kasey Krekling, a Hayfield grad himself, helped coach Zach’s team when Jon began his health struggles in 2012. Krekling has seen Zach and Brady grow over the years and he’s been impressed with how they’ve handled the entire matter.

“They’ve always taken it in stride,” Krekling said. “It’s been rough for them and it’s never been easy, but they’ve never asked ‘why us?’ They’ve always had a great attitude towards it. A lot of people can learn from that. You can’t always control what life deals you, but you can control your attitude towards the situation and they’ve controlled their attitudes very well, probably better than most would’ve in the situation.”

The Vikings will begin their pursuit of the state tournament at the Section 1A West tournament in Seltz Field Saturday. Hayfield opens things up with a game against USC at 10 a.m. and if it wins, it will play in the subsection title game at 12:30 p.m.

Hayfield (14-6 overall) lost four of its first five games of the season, but it has hit its stride over the last month. Krekling said a lot of credit goes to Zach, the team’s lone senior, who kept a young Hayfield squad loose early on by joking around in the dugout and keeping everyone calm. 

While they sometimes fight like brothers in the dugout and on the field, Zach and Brady have both earned Krekling’s trust on the field.

“Mentally, Zach and Brady know the game as well as anybody,” Krekling said. “They watch a lot of baseball and they go to a lot of [Minnesota] Twins’ season openers as a family. That’s a nice family tradition to have. It’s nice to have a another pair of coaches out there on the field.”

Zach stepped up big time for Hayfield last spring as a pitcher as Hayfield ended up in the Section 1A title game as underdogs. This year, the Vikings are coming in as the top seed and Zach knows exactly where he’ll turn if he finds himself in a jam.

“Every once in awhile when things are going wrong I still remember things that my dad told me in the back yard when I was little. That helps me get back on course,” Zach said. “A lot of times I write his name in the back of the mound or in the sand if I’m not pitching. I wear my hat backwards a lot because that’s how he wore it on the boat when we were fishing.”

Krekling said he has also seen Jon’s impact on game days for the Vikings.

“I know that they think about him and they talk to him on the baseball field,” Krekling said. “They know that their dad has the best seat in the house every game.”