The Malcolm Seniors know the work they put in now will pay off later. Facing a regular season schedule that would scare off most Class C teams, the three-time defending state champs fear no opponent.
“We’ve given our guys a look at all kinds of baseball,” Malcolm head coach Tanner Soderberg said. “The speed of Rapid City, the small ball of Wakefield, the power of Pius and Norris, the arms of Lincoln Southwest, the baseball IQ and tradition of Elkhorn North. Our seniors have played a lot of talented teams.
“The idea is to let them face the best and put them in difficult situations so they’re prepared for the postseason.”
Malcolm picked up three wins last week, starting with a 7-2 victory over a stacked Wayne team on July 7.
“Wayne brought in two transfers from Class A Norfolk and brought back two ‘Legion babies,’ one of whom played at Wayne State this spring,” Soderberg said. “They’re 18-2. We started four senior-only players and five guys who can swing up from juniors. Our younger players are big-time contributors.”
The next night, Malcolm upset perennial Class A power Union Bank & Trust from Lincoln Pius X. A Carson Frank double in the bottom of the seventh tied the game, and Preston Kucera delivered the game-winning RBI in the bottom of the ninth for a 5-4 win.
“That team just won the National Slumpbuster Tournament,” Soderberg said. “They’ve got college-level talent up and down the lineup. We’ve had a mental hurdle against teams from bigger schools. It was fun watching the guys compete and find a way.”
Malcolm had a once-in-a-lifetime experience on July 10 when the New Zealand Triple Stars national team visited the village. The 19U team, touring Nebraska this summer, opened the game with a traditional Māori Haka dance. Malcolm walked off the game with an 8-7 win.
“We didn’t want to miss the opportunity to make some memories,” Soderberg said. “I hope, 10 years from now, our guys still remember that day.
“It was the last time for the Wisnieski brothers to all play together in Malcolm uniforms, so we started all three on the infield. Tregan Frank pitched to his older brother Carson. The McGill twins both started. We got 18 guys into the game. Experiencing a different culture like that made it extra special.”
The Malcolm Juniors kept rolling, opening the C3 Area Tournament in Wilber with an 8-0 run-rule win over Adams on July 12 before defeating Tecumseh 9-1 in Sunday’s winner’s bracket final. The juniors improved to 26-1 on the year.
Malcolm beat the Chick-Fil-A juniors 9-1 July 14 and won the championship game July 15 over Tecumseh 12-0.
Regardless of the tournament outcome, as the host, Malcolm is guaranteed a spot in the Class C Juniors State Tournament, which opens Saturday morning, July 19.
“There will be good teams at state,” Soderberg said. “DCB, Pender, and Hartington will all bring talent.”
The Malcolm seniors (15-5) host Ashland on Wednesday, July 16, before heading to Elmwood-Murdock on Sunday, July 20.
The Malcolm reserves wrapped up their season with a 5-4 loss to Elkhorn in the Class B Reserves State Tournament play-in round, finishing the season 2-18.
