Season of the Deacons: Shanley Baseball Determined To Win it All

Shanley Looks to Add One More to the 2023 Trophy Case With State Baseball Championship

FARGO, N.D. — The Shanley Deacons have high expectations this spring as they come into the season as the number one team the EDC preseason polls.

“It’s kind of nice. I know it’s built on the success that we’ve had the last couple of seasons and a lot of our guys, a lot of key players have been sophomores and now juniors, and you got to figure you’re gonna have a target on your back when you’ve been up in the title game the last couple years, haven’t been able to come away with it but its new season,” said head coach, Lucas Rustad.

The Deacons finished 8-2 in the EDC and 16-7 overall last season. Shanley then carried their momentum into the post season where they made it to the state championship game falling to the Sheyenne Mustangs for the second consecutive season.

“Back to back years of second place doesn’t really sit well so obviously, it’s every day, up in my room, I got my second place plaque, I got both of them. sitting in my room so every day I get to see second place and a really big inspiration for me because I don’t like coming in second especially when you got a twin brother you’re used to competing and everything, but I’ve been working all off-season trying to get that first place,” said junior pitcher and outfielder, Jordan Leininger.

“You gotta get to that mentality where you get better than your opponent and we we really did that, we did that good this off-season,” said firs basemen and catcher, Adam Leineger.

But this year’s Deacons team brings championship experience with players who won state hockey and state football earlier in the school year.

Second place two years in a row, don’t want it to happen a third time.. so that’s a big motivator for the guys who have been around and then having the new guys around that are seniors, that would be pretty cool for them to do something as well after football season and hockey season,” said junior shortstop, Tommy Simon.

“We’re just gonna go out there and try to win as many as we can, head into the state tournament and.. we have experience coming into the state tournament, especially losing the last two years and our goal is to just go win it all this year,” said junior pitcher and utility player, Landon Meier.