Grand Rapids Baseball Gears Up for Record-Setting 22nd State Tournament

Grand Rapids will take on Mankato East at 10 AM on Thursday in Chaska.

GRAND RAPIDS, Minn.- The Grand Rapids baseball team achieved history even before they play their first game at state on Thursday.

And that’s make the tourney a MSHSL record 22nd time.

In recent years, the team has had some success on the big stage. Under head coach Bill Kinnunen, the Thunderhawks have gone 6-1 in 1st round games.

Rapids also played in the 2021 Class AAA Title game.

Kinnunen says it’s like looking in the mirror when preparing for their first round opponent, Mankato East.

“We know they’re young but they have some tournament experience. Because this group of kids won the state VFW tournament last summer. We know they have good pitching because their team ERA is like a 1.35. And their top three guys are left handers so we’re planning on facing a left hander and we know they have a lot of speed at the top. The number two hitter is going to South Dakota State next year and he’s a really speedy guy. They’ll bunt and play small ball just like us. They don’t overpower you on the mound with those left handers, they just throw strikes and change speeds and throw all three pitches for strikes,” said Kinnunen.

Rapids is captained by three seniors who say they’ll rely on what’s been working all season long.

“Our defense has really turned it up in the last few games. A bunch of kids started to believe and weren’t pretending. We have good pitching,” said senior shortstop Kyler Miller.

“Just trusting our glove hand and play the small ball and just not make the easy errors. Just be an overall good team. Just have fun and trust each other,” added senior pitcher Easton Sjostrand.

“We all have stuck together this whole time and it’s just really fun to be playing with the same guys. It’s really special to have one more chance at it,” said senior outfielder Nolan Svatos.

First pitch is at 10 AM in Chaska on Thursday.