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When the Hayfield baseball team wrapped up its Section 1A title in Seltz Field last week, there was just one thing missing.

Hayfield head coach Kasey Krekling’s parents were not in attendance. Sandy and Jeff were longtime coaches and current supporters of Hayfield sports, but they had a bigger event to attend that was taking place about 3,500 miles northwest of Austin. They were up in Kenai, Alaska watching their other son Tyler Krekling coach the Homer Mariners in the Division II State Tournament.

Jeff and Sandy were able to follow the Hayfield Vikings on the radio, and when it was all said and done, they had two sons coaching in a state baseball tournament, half a world away. Jeff and Sandy will be back in Minnesota this week, as they plan to watch Kasey coach the Vikings in St. Cloud on Wednesday.

“How often do you get the chance to watch both of your sons coaching teams at the state tournament in different states in the same year?” Jeff said. “It’s been fun watching Tyler’s teams get better and Kasey’s been involved with everything from youth on up since he graduated from college.”

Kasey has led the Hayfield baseball team to four state tournaments and one state title and he’s also coached the Hayfield girls basketball team to two state tournament appearances. This is the first state tournament for Tyler, who just became a head coach at Homer last year, after being highly involved in officiating in Alaska.

“I’ve taught these kids in school and they’re a good crew; we knew we had a shot of going to state this year,” Tyler said.  “When I started coaching, it was my turn to do what’s best for the kids.”

Tyler played baseball at Riverland Community College and Division II St. Paul-Concordia and Kasey played baseball at Waldorf College. It was inevitable that the boys would get into sports as they grew up playing a lot of catch, and hitting in their back yard.

Sandy, who was the first female head girls basketball coach in Hayfield, also coached with the volleyball and track and field programs in Hayfield. The Krekling’s three-acre home is complete with a pitching machine and a batting cage. Sandy also had access to the gym when her children were young.

“They were definitely gym rats because of me,” Sandy said. “I had access to the gym and just because I didn’t have a baby sitter, they would always come and Jeff would always bring the kids to the game. Tyler and Kasey were always good about going outside and playing catch with each other in our yard. Baseball’s in their blood, that’s for sure, and we’re just along for the ride now. It’s a long ride to Homer, but that’s OK too.”

Jeff was also a coach for many of Kasey and Tyler’s teams growing up and the apple did not fall from the tree. Kasey was the head coach of the Hayfield baseball team as soon as he finished college at Waldorf and he has not looked back, staying involved in youth programs in the summer, while also juggling two varsity programs. Kasey was even named Citizen of the Year in Hayfield recently.

“It’s probably no surprise that my brother and I have followed in our parents footsteps and gone into coaching,” Kasey said. “We both saw our parents do it while growing up, so it was a natural fit for us. Tyler’s teams have shown great improvement over a short window.”

Jeff and Sandy have maintained the baseball field at Hayfield and they even donated a riding lawnmower and bought a striping kit for the field.

In March, Sandy and Jeff were down south cooking meals for the Hayfield baseball team on its trip to Arizona. Jeff and Sandy were also able to watch their daughter Jordyn play in the Class AA basketball state tournament for Hayfield in 2008 and she went on to play at Minnesota State University in Mankato.

“We’re so proud of the way all three of our kids have turned out,” Jeff said. “They’ve given back to the communities that they’re in and (Kasey and Tyler) have a great rapport with their players. You can see the respect that the kids have for Tyler and in Hayfield, you’ve seen so many people play baseball.”

While Kasey has seen the baseball program in Hayfield grow to new heights, Tyler has a much different scene up in Homer, Alaska, which is the Halibut Fishing Capital of Alaska. Many of his players are on a fishing boat as soon as high school baseball season ends, and the nearest summer team is an hour and a half drive away.

The Mariners, who finished tied for fourth at state, weren’t able to play in the final game at state, because the game was delayed and their opponent had a 1 a.m. flight scheduled back home. Good weather games are few and far between and with road trips that include nine-hour ferry rides.  Games are often played in tough conditions.

“It’s really wet up here, and there are a lot of times we’ve played, where we could not have played back home in Minnesota,” Tyler said. “(As far as talent), we have some good players up here, but there’s just not a lot of teams. It’s very similar to Class A ball.”

While resources are limited, Tyler said he’s trying to model his program after his big brother’s program in Hayfield.

“I see what Kasey does in Hayfield,” Tyler said. “He puts in a lot of work and people in town know that he does a lot. But I don’t think they know exactly how much work he puts in.”

Sandy still has memories of Tyler and Kasey playing little league and high school baseball together and she’s watched them grow into strong leaders of future generations.

“They’re kind of similar. They’re pretty calm, but they demand a lot,” she said. “But I think the athletes respect that too. They do it with a pretty level, common sense approach.”