By Lexi MooreResidents in Hills may have noticed that the "Kevin’s Transmissions" sign was recently removed from the building on Main Street. Fortunately, it wasn’t long before it was replaced by a new sign that said "Scott’s Automatic."The new sign was the first indication that the business was changing.Scott Kruger worked with Kevin Van Veldhuizen at Kevin’s Transmissions for 4 1/2 years. Last winter Van Veldhuizen began talking about retiring from his five years in the transmissions business to focus on his hog farm.Kruger’s reaction to Van Veldhuizen’s retirement was to propose taking over the business."I enjoy working on transmissions. I’ve done so many different jobs, but I really like this one."He made an arrangement with Van Veldhuizen to lease the building and business for a short time while he gets used to running things. He has the option to purchase the building in the near future.Kruger enjoys delivering reliable and affordable transmission work to local residents."I believe vehicles leave the area when they need to be worked on. I would like to bring back that business."Now that the new sign is up and Scott feels comfortable in his position, he is ready to host an open house so that residents can meet him and learn about Scott’s Automatic.The open house will be from 1 to 5 p.m. Friday afternoon at the shop on Main Street in Hills. In addition to offering food and refreshments, Scott plans to give away several door prizes. He has arranged to give transmission work discounts, oil changes and promotional products.Scott’s Automatic offers the same services that Kevin’s Transmissions did for the past five years with new hours. Kruger plans to have the shop open most Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The shop offers general maintenance, oil changes, brake work and transmission repair.Kruger has a lengthy background working on vehicles. He grew up working on his father’s racing team, the Quick Silver Team, and helping scrap transmissions at Kruger Salvage, owned by his uncle Barney.

By Lexi MooreThis Saturday the ball diamonds in Steen will be transformed into a rock stage.The Steen Reformed Church Outreach and Youth Group is hosting a free outdoor Christian rock concert for area youths and adults.Brian Dengler, Steen Reformed Church youth pastor, played a big part in planning the show and is hoping for a good turnout."We hope to double the population in Steen on Saturday."The three-man group called Strong Men Stoop was formed in the spring of 1998. They have a semi-truck that transports their stage and equipment around the nation to concerts both large and small.Due to the band’s diverse musical influences, their sound tends to be labeled as punk-rock. Their Web site describes their music as follows:"With a driving punk beat, humorous song and stage antics and a message of Christ’s loving forgiveness, Strong Men Stoop has been captivating audiences at festivals and concerts all over the nation."Nick Danger plays the bass guitar for the band and stresses the influence Christ has in his life as well as on the band."Having our Lord as center in our lives, we try to be a Christian example on and off stage."James Little, lead guitar, agrees."If we don’t become millionaire rock stars, we’ll live. But if we don’t stand up for Christ and share the gospel in some way, what else matters?"Each member of the group has been involved in youth ministries at camps, schools, church youth groups and mission trips.The band will perform at 7 pm. Saturday at the ball diamonds in Steen. Dengler encourages families to stop by and enjoy the show. He recommends that visitors bring blankets or chairs, unless they plan to do some dancing.Concessions will be offered by the Steen Reformed Church. Any profits made from concessions will help pay for the event."We stand to lose money on this event, but feel it is important for the youth of Rock County to have something special to do this summer."

By John RittenhouseClear skies allowed area drivers to compete at a number of different speedways over the weekend.Wins were hard to obtain for the local talent, but they did notch one feature victory and three heat wins for their efforts.Ellsworth’s Greg Roemen collected a feature victory at Rapid Speedway Friday.Competing in the sportsmen class at the Iowa track, Roemen passed the eventual runner-up on the ninth lap and went on to win the 12-lap feature race.Roemen placed third in the first heat race that night.Adrian’s Mark DeBoer won the first heat race in the late model street stock class at Rapid Speedway.Luverne’s Chad Overgaard and former Rock County resident Darrin Korthals won street stock heat races at different tracks.Overgaard took the checkered flag in the third heat race at Lake County Speedway in Madison, S.D., Saturday. Korthals won the first heat race at Huset’s Speedway near Brandon, S.D., Sunday.Here is a look at the results turned in by area drivers over the weekend.Huset’s SpeedwayBrandon, S.D.Sunday’s resultsStreet stock: Korthals, Rock Rapids, first in first heat and second in A feature; Jesse Akkerman, Luverne, second in first heat and fifth in A feature; Colter Deutsch, Kanaranzi, fifth in third heat and 16th in A feature.Hobby Stock: Greg Brandt, Luverne, fourth in second heat and 11th in A feature.Rapid SpeedwayRock Rapids, IowaFriday’s resultsStreet stock: DeBoer, first in first heat and fourth in A feature; Chad Overgaard, Luverne, second in first heat and sixth in A feature; Scott Overgaard, Luverne, fourth in first heat and fifth in A feature; Korthals, second in second heat and third in A feature; Deutsch, fifth in second heat and ninth in A feature.Sportsmen: Roemen, third in first heat and first in A feature.Hobby stock: Nick VanBelle, Luverne, fifth in first heat and eighth in A feature; Amanda Deutsch, Kanaranzi, seventh in first heat and 10th in A feature.Factory stock: Adam Jenniges, Ellsworth, second in first heat and third in A feature; Ron McClure, Luverne, fourth in first heat and fourth in A feature.Lake County SpeedwayMadison, S.D.Saturday’s resultsStreet stock: S.Overgaard, second in first heat and third in A feature; Akkerman, fifth in first heat and 12th in A feature; C.Overgaard, first in third heat and 10th in A feature; C.Deutsch, fourth in third heat and 15th in A feature.Sportsmen: Roemen, sixth in second heat and sixth in A feature.Hobby stock: Brandt, fifth in third heat and 12th in A feature.Factory stock: Jenniges, sixth in second heat and 10th in A feature.Nobles County SpeedwayWorthingtonSaturday’s resultsA modified: Josh Klay, Magnolia, sixth in first heat and second in A feature.Jackson SpeedwayJacksonSaturday’s resultsA modified: Marlin Kracht, Luverne, fifth in A feature.Murray County SpeedwaySlaytonFriday’s resultsA modified: Josh Reisch, Luverne, third in A feature.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne Redbirds recorded consecutive wins for the first time this season during a pair of home outings.Luverne defeated Worthington by 11 runs at Redbird Field Wednesday, June 15. The local amateurs nipped Fairmont by one run Sunday.The 4-5 Redbirds play at the Fairmont Tournament this weekend, beginning with a game against Winthrop on Saturday.Luverne 8, Fairmont 7Mike Boen’s fielder’s choice in the home half of the seventh proved to be the difference during Sunday’s home win over Fairmont.With the score tied at seven, Luverne’s Tony Sandbulte singled before scoring on Boen’s fielder’s choice.Fairmont scored the first four runs of the game before Luverne moved in front by one with a five-run rally in the third inning. The rally featured a three-run homer from James Fisher. Mike Wenninger singled home a run and Adam Kurtz added a sacrifice fly during the inning.Fairmont regained the lead at 7-5 before the Redbirds knotted the score by scoring two runs in the sixth. Wenninger singled home a run before Jared Pick drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game.Kyle Kruen tossed five and one-third innings of seven run ball (five were earned) in the starting role for Luverne. Jesse Kuhlman picked up the win in relief, pitching three and one-third innings of shutout ball. Kuhlman walked two batters and surrendered one hit.Box score AB R H BIStuder 3 0 0 0T.Boen 1 0 0 0Wysong 4 2 4 0M.Boen 4 2 2 1Wenninger 5 1 4 2Kurtz 5 0 1 1Pick 4 0 0 1Reisch 2 1 0 0Fodness 1 0 0 0Fisher 5 1 2 3Sandbulte 5 1 2 0Luverne 11, Worthington 1Jake Studer and Rob Fodness combined efforts to pitch eight innings of one-run ball to lead the Redbirds to a 10-run victory over the Cubs June 15.Studer picked up the win after blanking Worthington and fanning five batters in five innings. Fodness worked the final three frames, surrendering one run in the seventh inning.Studer opened the scoring by reaching base on an error and scoring on an error in the bottom of the first.Luverne proceeded to score four runs in the second inning and two in the fifth to open a 7-0 lead.Zach Wysong singled home two runs, Tim Boen picked up an RBI for a fielder’s choice and Kurtz forced home a run when he was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the fourth. RBI singles from Studer and Wysong gave the Redbirds a seven-run advantage in the fifth.After Worthington plated a run in the seventh, Luverne ended the game by scoring four runs in the eighth to prevail by the 10-run rule.Kurtz singled home two runs and scored the final run of the game on an error. Sandbulte added an RBI single during the inning.Box score AB R H BIStuder 4 1 1 1Wysong 4 2 3 2M.Boen 3 0 0 0Kuhlman 0 1 0 0Reisch 3 0 0 1Fisher 1 1 0 0Kurtz 4 1 1 2Pick 1 2 0 0Sandbulte 5 1 2 1Fodness 4 1 2 0T.Boen 2 1 0 0Remme 1 0 0 0

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne American Legion baseball team split games during the second week of the 2005 season.The Cardinals dropped a one-run decision in Okabena Friday before posting a 10-run victory in Edgerton Tuesday.Luverne, 3-1 overall, plays in Fulda tonight before competing at the Jackson Tournament Saturday and Sunday. The Cards host Okabena Tuesday.Luverne 12, Edgerton 2Luverne bounced back from its first loss of the campaign by recording a 10-run, five-inning win in Edgerton Tuesday.J.T. Bruynes pitched a complete game and emerged as one of Luverne’s top offensive performers during the contest by driving in two runs with two hits.Bruynes fanned nine batters without issuing a walk during his five-inning stint on the hill. He limited the hosts to three hits and one earned run.Luverne scored two runs in each of the first three innings to open a 6-1 lead.Ben Nath recorded a sacrifice fly and Steve Schepel doubled home a run in the top of the first.After Edgerton plated one unearned run in the bottom of the first, Craig Oeding singled and scored on a wild pitch and Jared Pick slapped an RBI single to make it a 4-1 game in the second.Schepel tripled home a run and scored on Brett Lundgren’s double in the third, giving Luverne a 6-1 advantage.Edgerton scored its second run in the fourth, but the Cards scored six runs in the fifth to settle the issue. Bruynes singled home a pair of runs to highlight the fifth inning for Luverne.Box score AB R H BIPick 2 2 1 2Bruynes 4 2 2 2Boelman 4 1 0 0Nath 3 1 1 1Schepel 3 1 2 2Lundgren 4 0 1 1Oeding 3 2 2 0Petersen 2 2 0 0Goembel 2 1 0 0Okabena 10, Luverne 9The Cardinals dropped their first game of the summer season when they traveled to Okabena Friday.Luverne pitchers limited Okabena to four hits in the game, but 10 walks issued by the hurlers came back to haunt the Cards.Marc Boelman gave Luverne a 1-0 lead with an RBI single in the first inning before Okabena countered with a four-run rally in the bottom of the frame to open a three-run advantage.Luverne battled back to knot the score at four with single runs in the second (an RBI single from J.T. Bruynes), third (an RBI double by Steve Schepel) and fourth innings (a squeeze bunt by Boelman).Boelman capped a five-RBI effort with a three-run homer in the top of the sixth, and Kelsey Petersen added an RBI single in the same inning to give the Cards an 8-4 lead.Okabena tied the game at eight in the bottom of the sixth only to fall behind 9-8 when Luverne’s Petersen singled home his second run in the game in the top of the seventh.The hosts settled the issue with two runs in the bottom of the seventh.Ben Nath pitched the first four innings and didn’t gain a decision. He yielded four runs, three hits and six walks. Jared Pick took the loss after surrendering six runs and four walks in two-plus innings of relief.Box score AB R H BIPick 5 3 2 0J.Bruynes 4 1 1 1Boelman 4 2 2 5Nath 4 1 0 0Lundgren 4 1 1 0Petersen 5 0 2 2Schepel 2 0 1 1C.Bruynes 3 0 1 0Goembel 3 1 0 0Boomgaarden 3 0 0 0

By John RittenhouseThe Adrian Dragons captured their second consolation championship in four years at the Minnesota State High School Class A Baseball Tournament in Jordan and Chaska Thursday and Friday.Chisholm topped AHS by four runs in the tournament opener for both teams in Jordan Thursday.Adrian bounced back to beat Upsala-Swanville by two runs during a consolation game played in Jordan Thursday before placing fifth with a three-run victory over Menahga in Chaska Friday.The Dragons, who won their first consolation title in state tournament competition in 2002, end the year with a 17-11 record."We beat two nice teams, so we’ll take it," said Dragon coach Kevin Nowotny about the tournament experience."Any time you go to state and win two games, you’ve got to be happy."Adrian 8, Menahga 5An outstanding offensive performance by senior Levi Bullerman and a courageous pitching effort by Will Lutmer carried the Dragons to a three-run victory over the Braves in Chaska Friday.Bullerman finished the game one single short of a cycle during a 3-4 effort at the plate. Bullerman doubled, tripled and belted a grand-slam home run in his final high school game, driving in four of his team’s eight runs on the contest.Lutmer, who pitched five innings during Thursday’s games, tossed a complete game in the consolation championship. He pitched five scoreless innings between the second and sixth innings, and picked up his second win of the tournament.Adrian gained an early lead when Bullerman slapped a two-out double before scoring on a single by Brandon Diekmann in the top of the first, but Menahga moved in front 2-1 with sacrifice flies by Kyle Dormanen and Chris Torma in the bottom of the first.A six-run second inning, featuring Bullerman’s round-tripper, put the Dragons in the driver’s seat.Alex Suedkamp, Cody Kontz and Nick Weidert drew one-out walks to load the bases in the second. Bullerman followed with his homer to right field, giving the Dragons a 5-2 advantage."That was the big hit," Nowotny said. "It kind of popped Menahga’s balloon."The rally continued in the second as Diekmann and Glen Kruger singled after Bullerman’s blast. Diekmann scored on an error later in the frame. Kruger scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-2.Adrian recorded its final run in the fifth inning. Lutmer doubled before giving way to pinch-runner Clint Metz, who gave the Dragons an 8-2 cushion when he scored on Kontz’s sacrifice fly to left field.Lutmer was even more valuable to his team as a pitcher. He yielded five earned runs, eight hits and three walks during a seven-inning effort on the hill."He was tired, and I could tell he was weary in the dugout between innings," Nowotny said."But he didn’t want to come out of the game. I asked him if he was ready (to leave the game) a couple of times. He said, ‘Don’t take me out of this game.’ That’s what you want to hear as a coach."Lutmer did surrender RBI singles to Andrew Pederson, Brandon Roiko and Torma in the bottom of the seventh before bouncing back to complete the game."He was struggling, but he was still throwing strikes," Nowotny said.Box score AB R H BIKontz 2 1 0 1Weidert 3 1 0 0Bullerman 4 2 3 4B.Diekmann 3 1 2 1Kruger 3 1 1 0Tjepkes 3 0 1 0Hoffman 3 0 0 0Lutmer 4 0 1 0Metz 0 1 0 0Suedkamp 2 1 0 0A.Diekmann 0 0 0 0Archer 0 0 0 0Adrian 7, U-S 5Timing is an important part of baseball, and Adrian senior Brent Tjepkes couldn’t have picked a better time to collect his first hit of the state tournament during Thursday’s consolation game against Upsala-Swanville in Jordan.With the game tied at five in the top half of the seventh inning, the AHS center fielder ended what was a 0-7 day at the plate with a two-run double that gave the Dragons a 7-5 victory."Now we live to play another day," said Tjepkes, moments after his clutch hit gave the Dragons their margin of victory."It was a fastball away. I was looking for a fastball, and I just wanted to get a hit because I was slumping all day. It turned a bad day into a good one."The hit was a big one for AHS, which needed a boost after being blanked for four consecutive innings by the Patriots.With two outs in the top of the seventh, Adrian’s Brandon Diekmann was hit by a pitch and Glen Kruger capped a three-hit game with a single. The runners moved to second and third with a wild pitch, giving Tjepkes an opportunity he took advantage of by drilling a pitch that sailed over the right fielder’s head."I hit it well, and it was tailing (from left to right)," Tjepkes said.Tjepkes’ double capped Adrian’s third rally of the game that started with two outs in the inning.After the first two batters were retired in the top of the first, Adrian’s Levi Bullerman and Diekmann reached base after being plunked by pitches. Kruger then delivered a run-scoring double to give the Dragons a 1-0 lead.U-S tied the game with one unearned run in the bottom of the first, but the Dragons countered with a four-run rally in the second to gain a 5-1 advantage.Alex Suedkamp and Cody Kontz ignited the two-out rally in the second by drawing a walk and singling respectively. Nick Weidert doubled home one run, Bullerman singled home another and the final two runs scored on wild pitches.The Patriots trimmed the difference to one run (5-4) when John Fuchs cracked a two-run homer and Matt Swanson doubled home another run in the bottom of the second. U-S’s Brandon De Foe tied the game at five with a solo homer in the fourth.Along with Tjepkes, Adrian’s Will Lutmer gained some redemption during the course of the game against U-S.After being tagged with the loss during the first game of the day against Chisholm, Lutmer threw four innings of scoreless relief against the Patriots to get the win. He fanned two batters and surrendered three hits without walking a batter.Lutmer pitched in relief of Kontz, who yielded five earned runs in three-plus innings of work as the starting pitcher.Box scorre AB R H BIKontz 4 1 1 0Weidert 4 1 1 1Bullerman 3 2 2 1B.Diekmann 1 1 0 0Kruger 4 1 3 1Tjepkes 4 0 1 2Archer 4 0 0 0Lutmer 4 0 0 0Suedkamp 2 1 0 0A.Diekmann 0 0 0 0Chisholm 8, Adrian 4After experiencing a 57-year absence from state tournament play, the Blue Streaks seemed to be determined to make up for lost time when they squared off against the Dragons during Thursday’s quarterfinals in Jordan.Chisholm, playing in its first state tournament since 1948, exploded for eight runs in the first two innings to open an 8-1 lead that Adrian was unable to overcome the rest of the way."We knew they haven’t been here in a while," said AHS sophomore, Brandon Diekmann. "When they came out, their bats were loud and their pitcher was throwing smoke. They scored eight runs early, and we couldn’t come back."Adrian, a team which has played in three of the last four state tournaments, played like it was a confident club when it gained a 1-0 lead in the top of the first. Cody Kontz reached base on an error before Levi Bullerman and Diekman drew one-out walks to load the bases. Glen Kruger sent a sharp single to center field to chase home Kontz.Bullerman tried to score from second on Kruger’s single, but he was gunned down at the plate by center fielder Alex Gornick, giving the Blue Streaks a boost of momentum heading into the bottom of the first.Chisholm’s Nick Kochevar tied the game at one with an RBI single before Joe Foley, who went the distance on the mound, clubbed a three-run homer to give the Blue Streaks a 4-1 lead.Chisholm added four more runs in the second with help from the Dragons. The first counter scored on an error, and two more runners crossed the plate on wild pitches. Kochevar capped the rally with an RBI single.Diekmann replaced starting pitcher Will Lutmer on the mound after the second inning and proceeded to toss four innings of shutout relief."I was pretty much focusing on throwing strikes," Diekmann said. "I had good velocity on my fastball, and the curve was working."Diekmann gave the Dragons a chance to stage a comeback in the late innings, but AHS couldn’t take advantage of its opportunities. Adrian did score two runs in the fourth inning and one in the seventh. The Dragons, however, stranded a total of 13 runners on base during the contest.Nick Weidert doubled home a run and Diekmann picked up a sacrifice fly in the fourth for AHS. Kontz, who led the Dragons with three hits, slapped an RBI single in the seventh.Chisholm’s Foley yielded four runs (one was earned), seven hits and nine walks in the game. He fanned eight batters.Lutmer took the loss, surrendering eight runs (four were earned), five hits and four walks in two innings. Diekmann fanned three batters, walked one and surrendered one hit in four innings.Box score AB R H BIKontz 5 2 3 1Weidert 5 0 1 1Bullerman 2 0 0 0B.Diekmann 2 0 1 1Kruger 2 0 2 1Lutmer 3 0 0 0Tjepkes 3 0 0 0Hoffman 1 0 0 0A.Diekmann 2 0 0 0Suedkamp 3 1 0 0Archer 0 0 0 0

10 years ago (1995)
Rick White is the park manager for both Blue Mound State Park and Split Rock Creek State Park.
Farmers near Beaver Creek have to replant up to 5,000 acres of beans after a hailstorm.
The Luverne baseball team won a state quarterfinal-round game against St. Cloud Cathedral to advance in the tournament semifinals.25 years ago (1980)
Rock County Commissioners have voted to issue an order dissolving the Magnolia School District. The decision was reached following a hearing. Dennis Roning, Bill Brakke, Stan Soutar and James Herman were in favor of the dissolution and Milo Fodness abstained.
The Rock County Rural Water System hosted a special dedication ceremony.50 years ago (1955)
Death claimed Luverne’s oldest resident, Mrs. C.N. Remme. She was 101 years old and had lived in the county since 1876 when she and her husband settled on a homestead in Battle Plain Township.
A poultry building will be added at the Rock County fairgrounds and the grandstand will have a major overhaul when funds become available next year, announced George Golla, fair board chairman.75 years ago (1930)
Mary Jane Brown, younger daughter of Mayor and Mrs. E. W. Brown, succumbed to general peritonitis shortly before noon Friday, following a pronounced illness of nearly five days’ duration, caused by a ruptured appendix. Mary Jane would have been 12, had she lived until July 7.
A new departure in the way of entertainment will be presented at the Palace Theatre tomorrow night when a midnight preview of "The King of Jazz" will be shown.100 years ago (1905)
The work on Dr. A. E. Spalding’s new hospital has been progressing rapidly during the past two weeks and is now well advanced.
Sunday was a red letter day in the history of the Luverne First Methodist Church and as such will long be remembered both by the members of the church and by the large number of visitors who were present. The rededication of the church followed the extensive improvements.

10 years ago (1995)
Rick White is the park manager for both Blue Mound State Park and Split Rock Creek State Park.
Farmers near Beaver Creek have to replant up to 5,000 acres of beans after a hailstorm.
The Luverne baseball team won a state quarterfinal-round game against St. Cloud Cathedral to advance in the tournament semifinals.25 years ago (1980)
Rock County Commissioners have voted to issue an order dissolving the Magnolia School District. The decision was reached following a hearing. Dennis Roning, Bill Brakke, Stan Soutar and James Herman were in favor of the dissolution and Milo Fodness abstained.
The Rock County Rural Water System hosted a special dedication ceremony.50 years ago (1955)
Death claimed Luverne’s oldest resident, Mrs. C.N. Remme. She was 101 years old and had lived in the county since 1876 when she and her husband settled on a homestead in Battle Plain Township.
A poultry building will be added at the Rock County fairgrounds and the grandstand will have a major overhaul when funds become available next year, announced George Golla, fair board chairman.75 years ago (1930)
Mary Jane Brown, younger daughter of Mayor and Mrs. E. W. Brown, succumbed to general peritonitis shortly before noon Friday, following a pronounced illness of nearly five days’ duration, caused by a ruptured appendix. Mary Jane would have been 12, had she lived until July 7.
A new departure in the way of entertainment will be presented at the Palace Theatre tomorrow night when a midnight preview of "The King of Jazz" will be shown.100 years ago (1905)
The work on Dr. A. E. Spalding’s new hospital has been progressing rapidly during the past two weeks and is now well advanced.
Sunday was a red letter day in the history of the Luverne First Methodist Church and as such will long be remembered both by the members of the church and by the large number of visitors who were present. The rededication of the church followed the extensive improvements.

When it comes to great baseball, Southwest Minnesota takes a back seat to no one.Since I moved to this corner of the state from west central Minnesota in 1986, I’ve always been impressed with the way area teams perform on the field.Teams from the southern part of the state seem to play a higher level of ball than other areas of the state, and I’m armed with some information that supports my assumption.Since 2001, members of the Southwest Conference have placed first or second in the Minnesota State Class AA Tournament in three of the past five seasons.Luverne started the run by placing second in 2001, a year after Jackson County Central placed third at the event.JCC broke through and won the Class AA championship in 2004, and Pipestone went 2-1 and placed second at last week’s tournament in St. Cloud.Smaller schools from the area have been equally competitive in recent years.Adrian advanced to the Class A tournament in three of the last four years, and they captured their second consolation title (the first came in 2002) at the event on Friday.Murray County Central, a team that competes against Adrian in the Red Rock Conference, won the Class A consolation title in 2001.That means AHS and MCC have won three of the last five consolation titles in Class A competition.The results of my findings are easy to understand — you can find some of the state’s best baseball teams in less than a one-hour drive from Luverne’s city limits.Only one question remains: Why is southwest Minnesota a baseball hotbed?For the answer to that question, I solicited information from the only two baseball experts I know, Luverne head coach Mike Wenninger and AHS mentor Kevin Nowotny.Both had similar responses to my question."It seems like the teams from the south do the little things well," Wenninger said."They hit the ball, they field the ball and they always have a couple of pitchers who can throw the ball well."Nowotny said there are a number of quality teams right in this area, and that makes for a competitive field."Right now the strength of our schedule is helping us," the AHS coach said."There are a lot of good teams down here. We all have to play each other, and that makes us better."Wenninger and Nowotny also supported one of the reasons I thought made baseball great in this part of the state. For the most part, weather in this part of the state is more conducive for the sport in the spring."Weather does influence things," Wenninger offered."We didn’t have a great spring this year. We’re practicing inside, then we were outside, then we were back inside again earlier this year. I think the northern teams probably have to deal with that more than we do," he said.So, if the citizens from the northern part of the state want to be considered the hardiest of Minnesotans because they have to deal with colder temperatures and have to wait longer for the snow to melt, let them have that distinction.I’d rather live here, where the landscape greens up in early April, which is right at about the same time they start playing a better brand of high school baseball.