THE MONDAY HIVE: Loker Makes Most Of Short Time With Bees

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Bryce Loker’s time with the Burlington Bees will be brief.

But the right-hander from Omro, Wisconsin thinks the four starts he gets will be a good lesson for what he is going to be seeing next season at South Dakota State.

Loker, coming off a high school season in which he did not allow an earned run and struck out 62 in 33 ⅔ regular-season innings, has thrown 10 ⅔ innings in three starts with the Bees. He’ll make one more start this week before shutting down to prepare for his freshman season with the Jackrabbits.

Loker said his time with the Bees in the Prospect League has been an education.

“Obviously, being one of the younger guys on the team, I think it’s a great experience,” he said. “Just being around the older group of guys and preparing me for college are really the biggest reasons why I came here. Not only the physical part of the game, but also the mental part— learning how to deal with my own time, getting my lifting in, and then also just getting the schedule down of what it’s like in college and getting used to it, so I can help my team in as many ways as I possibly can.”

Loker has learned what it is like to face college hitters. He is 1-1 with a 5.91 earned run average and 13 strikeouts.

“I think the biggest thing is hitting my spots with my pitches, because when you miss here, they’ll do damage,” Loker said about the adjustments he has had to make facing college hitters. “In high school you can miss spots and you’ll be fine. And then another thing is just the pitch calling here has to be better than it is in high school, because in high school you can get away with mistakes. One through nine, every team we face here, they’re all dudes, and you’ve got to make pitches to every single batter if you want to get outs.”

Former Bees player Jaden Hackbarth, who played in the same travel-ball organization, Five Star Wisconsin, as Loker, recommended coming to Burlington for a summer experience.

“He reached out to me a while ago, and I was like, ‘Yeah, I’d love to do that, just get the experience,’” Loker said.

Loker said the South Dakota State coaching staff approved of the move as well.

 “I reached out to the South Dakota State pitching coach (Michael Newstrom), and he’s like, ‘Yeah, I think that would be great for you,’” Loker said. “They loved it, especially since it’s a big jump. I went to a small high school, so it’s a lot more challenging here than high school was. They loved that idea, and so did I.

“I wanted a challenge, and I wanted to play with guys that pushed me to be better around in the dugout, all that stuff, but yeah, they love the idea of it to get more innings, more good innings against quality teams.”

Loker pitched 1 ⅔ innings in his first start June 7 at Quincy. He pitched five innings in a 9-6 win at Illinois Valley on June 16, then threw four innings in Thursday’s home loss to Illinois Valley.

A big part of Loker’s time with the Bees is being around players who have already logged a season or more at the college level.

“It was almost a culture shock, because I’ve never been around a group of college baseball guys before,” he said. “It’s been awesome. I mean, all the guys have welcomed me— I’m one of them, and they treat me like that. And I think it’s been really helpful for me to see what it’s like and experience this before I go to college, so I know what it’s like. Being in the clubhouse is awesome. Spending a lot of time with the guys here is great.”

Loker knows what he wants to do with his final start.

“I’m just going to go in, same mentality that I always do — I just want to compete with guys.” he said. “I love competing, and I always want the ball in my hands. If I can do anything about it, I’m going to have that ball, throwing strikes and getting ahead of guys early, not making mistakes. I made a couple mistakes my last start with pitches, and they did damage. This next outing, I’m just looking to not make mistakes and have a good start.”

Photo: Bryce Loker delivers a pitch in his start for the Burlington Bees on Thursday against Illinois Valley. (Photo by Steve Cirinna)

LUMBERKINGS 8, BEES 5: Strong Start, Bad Finish

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

The Burlington Bees were getting hits and Tate Slagle was putting on a show.

Then came the sixth inning.

What started out was the kind of game that Bees manager Owen Oreskovich has been wanting to start the second half of the Prospect League looked like a lot of the ones over the last couple of weeks, as the Clinton LumberKings rallied for an 8-5 win on Sunday at Community Field.

The Bees built a 5-0 lead as Slagle kept the LumberKings hitless over five innings, but Clinton began rallying in the sixth. The LumberKings scored three runs in the sixth, then added three more in the seventh, two coming on Isaac Sobieszczyk’s home run to left field. Two more runs scored on Gavin Awbrey’s eighth-inning home run, and the Bees (11-16 overall, 0-2 second half) lost for the third consecutive time and the fifth time in the last seven games.

The Bees had a 3-0 lead after the first inning. Adam Kudronowicz’s sacrifice fly scored Jace Figuereo, then Tanner Reinartz hit a 423-foot two-run home run to left-center field.

Burlington added two runs in the third. Kudronowicz’s single scored Juan Fernandez, then Dalton Miller hit a sacrifice fly to score Lucas Krebs.

Slagle, a freshman from Iowa, dominated the LumberKings through the first five innings. He struck out six and walked one before running into trouble in the sixth. Jaylen Ziegler reached on an error, then Slagle hit Cole Lanclos with a pitch. Awbrey’s single to center field was the first hit of the game, and hit scored Ziegler. Karson Grout grounded into a fielder’s choice to bring in Lanclos, then Sobieszczyk walked to end Slagle’s day.

Jai Jensen (2-0) was the winning pitcher. Jake Weissenberger (0-3) was the losing pitcher. Andrew Theiss picked up his third save.

The Bees have Monday off before beginning a three-game series at Illinois Valley on Tuesday.

Photo: Tanner Reinartz watches his first-inning home run. (Photo by Steve Cirinna)

DANS 8, BEES 5: Rough Start To The Second Half

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

The second half of the Prospect League season is here for the Burlington Bees, but Saturday’s 8-5 loss to the Danville Dans at Community Field felt a lot like some of the Bees’ first-half defeats.

The Bees (11-15 overall) fell behind twice in the first three innings and chased the Dans (16-10) for the rest of the night, and that’s something that manager Owen Oreskovich said his team cannot do to be successful.

“It’s tough asking your offense to score runs when you’re down 4-0 or whatever after three innings,” Oreskovich said. “That’s a tough thing to do. If we have to do it, we have to be able to do it, but you know. it’s a tough thing to do.”

The Bees were down 2-0 in the bottom of the second inning before Rowen Bergeron’s two-run home run tied the game. Danville got two runs in the top of the third inning and never trailed after that.

“We’re got to be able to throw up zeros after scoring runs,” Oreskovich said. “We have all the momentum, and then you just give it away right back to them. That’s hard. It’s hard as hitters to be able to have to bring the momentum every single time. If we have to do it, we have to do it, but we didn’t do it tonight and didn’t get zeros when we needed.”

The big inning also has been eluding the Bees as of late. They got two quick runs in the seventh inning when Jase Figuereo walked, Juan Fernandez hit his second triple of the game to score Figuereo, then Lucas Krebs hit a sacrifice fly to score Fernandez. Adam Kudronowicz and Tanner Reinartz each walked, but Troy Peltz hit a fly out to center field and Bergeron popped out to end the inning.

Drew Ogden (3-0) was the winning pitcher. Riley Fuller (1-2) took the loss.

The Bees play host to the Clinton LumberKings in a 4 p.m. game on Sunday.

Photo: Bees shortstop Juan Fernandez fields a grounder in the first inning of Saturday’s game. (Photo by Steve Cirinna)

PISTOL SHRIMP 14, BEES 5: A Sloppy Night Leads To A Loss

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

The squandered early chances proved costly late in the Burlington Bees’ 14-5 loss to the Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp in Thursday’s Prospect League game at Community Field.

The Bees (11-14) had opportunities to score early and build a lead against the Pistol Shrimp (7-17), but didn’t take advantage. And then when the errors started to pile up on the Bees, the game got away.

Burlington committed five errors which led to four unearned runs.

The Bees twice tied the game in the first three innings, had chances to get more, and then squandered them.

Foti Rigopoulos’ solo home run in the first inning tied the game at 1, but the Bees left runners on first and third. They tied the game at 3 in the third on Adam Kudronowicz’s two-run single, but couldn’t get any more runs. And then in the sixth inning, they scored twice to get within 6-5, but left the bases loaded.

Illinois Valley put the game away with two runs in the eighth and then six runs in the ninth inning.

Tyler Sabodor (2-1) was the winning pitcher. Sean O’Dowd (0-1) took the loss.

Burlington plays host to the Normal CornBelters in a 6:30 p.m. game on Friday.

Photo: Foti Rigopoulos watches his solo home run in the first inning. (Photo by Steve Cirinna)

BEES 2-12, QUINCY 3-2: Bergeron’s Home Run Show Leads To Doubleheader Split

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

His family drove 15 hours to watch him play, so Rowen Bergeron put on a show.

And, his family made sure to mention, there was gumbo waiting for him afterwards.

Bergeron hit a pair of two-run home runs to lead the Burlington Bees to a 12-2 win over the Quincy Doggy Paddlers in the second game of Tuesday’s Prospect League doubleheader at Community Field.

Quincy won the first game 3-2.

Bergeron, who is from Sunset, Louisiana, hit a 386-foot home run to left-center field in the second inning, then connected on a 347-foot homer in the fourth inning to start a five-run outburst that put the Bees (10-13) in control of the game.

“I guess I felt pretty good in there,” said Bergeron, who came into the game having homered in his last at-bat in Saturday’s 10-7 loss at Clinton. “My thing is I think I’m at my best when I don’t try to do too much up there. I’m just up there having fun playing. It’s a kids game, so I’m trying to have some fun and not put pressure on myself, and usually when that happens, good things happen.”

“He’s getting hot right now, which I love to see,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said.

Bergeron went 3 for 3 in the game to lift his batting average to .316 in his first season in a college summer league.

“He’s an extremely hard worker,” Oreskovich said. “I have these light foam balls that we use for training at Mount Mercy, and I brought them here for the guys to use. They ride, which is what you talk about with a fastball-induced vertical brake. He’s been in the cage doing those every single day, working hard, so it’s starting to pay off a little bit, and he’s getting into a little rhythm here, which is nice to see.”

“I’m just looking to improve my mental approach, really,” said Bergeron, who just finished his freshman season at LSU-Eunice. “I work really hard on the physical aspects of the game, and nobody talks about the mental aspects of the game, which is really 90% of the game. This game’s so hard, with a lot of failure, and you know, I think I’m getting better every day with, letting things go and moving on, and trusting my ability. And that’s really what the whole focus of the summer is, is to work on that mental approach.”

Johnnie Ankenbruck, who came into the game with just two hits in 22 at-bats for the season, also had a home run for the Bees, who had nine hits in the second game.

Spencer Spinks (1-0) was the winning pitcher for the Bees in relief of Mitchell Cox, who allowed three hits and two runs in three innings.

Quincy (14-10) won the first game by scoring in the top of the seventh inning. Ben Longoria’s single drove in Ignacio Gonzalez, who doubled with two outs off Bees reliever Talon Jennings (0-2).

The doubleheader started a seven-game homestand for the Bees that will end the first half of the season.

“We feel like it’s starting to come together now,” Oreskovich said. “It kind of feels eerily similar to last summer, and how that first half went and ended, and then we were trending in the right direction going into the second half, which is exactly what we’re trying to do right now.”

KUDRONOWICZ HONORED: Bees first baseman Adam Kudronowicz was named the Prospect League’s Hitter of the Week on Tuesday.

Kudronowicz hit .583 with a league-leading 6 doubles. He had seven hits, scored three runs, drove in six runs, and had a home run. He had a 1.976 OPS for the week.

Photo: Bees second baseman Rowen Bergeron (14) is greeted by Jace Figuereo (24) and the rest of his teammates after hitting one of his two two-run home runs in the second game of Tuesday’s doubleheader against the Quincy Doggy Paddlers. (Photo by Steve Cirinna)

THE MONDAY HIVE: Being In A Top Juco Program Has Helped Peltz Learn About Pressure

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Troy Peltz isn’t feeling any pressure this summer with the Burlington Bees.

He’s already been through that in his career.

Peltz won two state titles at Lincoln (Neb.) East High School, and he spent his freshman season playing on an Iowa Western Community College team that won 47 games and was ranked seventh in NJCAA Division I.

It’s why he feels prepared for his time in the Prospect League.

“I think summer ball is a great opportunity,” Peltz said. “You want to come out and get as many at-bats as you can. But there’s no substitute for real games, real action.

“I think everyone on the team would say they’re competitive, that they want to win. But it’s so much more than reps being here. It’s meaningful — you go out there, you want to win. You’re looking eye-to-eye at the pitcher and you’re like, ‘OK, let’s go.’”

Peltz, an outfielder, is hitting .259 and has a .879 OPS, following up on his first year of junior-college baseball, when he hit .240 in 22 games for the Reivers, who reached the district tournament in the postseason before being eliminated.

Being surrounded by talent at Iowa Western, Peltz said, has helped him as a player.

“At a program like Iowa Western, you look to your left and you look to your right, and there’s a dude who’s going to Oregon, or wherever,” he said. “Being surrounded by those guys who are just as competitive as you are, and wanting to take their game to the next level, that’s the biggest difference between juco and high school.

“It’s a lot easier to put pressure on yourself when you have guys who are really good players. But that’s how it is, though, to be surrounded by tough competition. I think it’s a blessing to be at a program where it’s hard to get on the field. We’re good, and there’s so many good players. You can’t allow that to tense you up.”

Peltz has 15 hits in 18 games with the Bees, including five extra-base hits — three doubles, a triple and a home run.

Peltz was assigned to the Bees by Iowa Western coach Ryan Cougill.

“I was told to come here by my college coach, but I’m so glad he did that,” Peltz said. “I love it here in Burlington. Great town, great facility, great coaches. I didn’t know anything about it before I was assigned to come here for summer ball. But I’ve loved it so far.”

Peltz has embraced the summer routine.

‘It’s nice to be focused on baseball, but you also get to do other things as well,” he said. “It’s been fun getting to know these guys, signing autographs before games, things like that, things I’ve never really gotten to do. And I’ve enjoyed swinging the wood bat. It’s a little less forgiving. But I love swinging it. I love the crack of the bat.”

Peltz said the pressure to play in a league such as the Prospect League doesn’t bother him.

“It’s been a great opportunity to get a ton of at-bats,” Peltz said. “Just making sure to not put a ton of pressure on yourself with every at-bat. Trust in your abilities to go out there and do what you know you can. I feel like it’s so easy to get caught up in one bad game, one bad at-bat. But just keep a level head.”

Peltz wants to be ready to compete for an increased role with Iowa Western next season.

“I have so much respect for guys who can do it straight out of high school, guys who can go to a big program right away and play,” he said. “For me, going to a juco, you see how there are levels to it. I think juco is the way to go and work your tail off.”

It’s why he’s glad his coach told him to come to Burlington.

“There are a lot of good players in this league, a lot of good players on our team, Peltz said. “For him to tell me to go play here, work your tail off here, that means a lot.”

Photo: Troy Peltz has five extra-base hits and an .879 OPS with the Burlington Bees this season. (Photo by Steve Cirinna)

BEES 3, RIVER DRAGONS 1: Figuereo Strikes From The Top

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Burlington Bees manager Owen Oreskovich has had Jace Figuereo on his team for three seasons, so he knows what the outfielder brings from the top of the batting order.

So when Figuereo walked to open the bottom of the first inning for the Bees in Friday’s Prospect League game against the Alton River Dragons, Oreskovich figured Figuereo would have a good night. And he did.

Figuereo’s double in the fifth inning drove in the go-ahead runs in the 3-1 win at Community Field.

“I know exactly what we’re going to get out of him,” Oreskovich said. “Just the fact that more than likely on the first (at-bat) of the game, he’s going to give you a good one, it kind of sets the tone.”

The Bees (9-11) won for the fourth time in five games.

“We probably should have three or four more wins than we do, but there is progress,” Oreskovich said.

The Bees trailed 1-0 in the fifth when Adam Kudronowicz sliced a double down the left-field line to open the inning. P.J. Hamel’s single scored Kudronowicz to tie the game.

Alton starting pitcher Landon Albers (0-2) struck out Foti Rigopoulos and got Johnnie Ankenbruck to line out, but then walked Matthew Simmons.

The left-handed hitting Figuereo then lined a double down the left-field line to score Hamel and Simmons.

“It’s really good to see Kudro and Figgy go the other way on their hits,” Oreskovich said. “We’ve been trying to get guys to do that.”

The Bees were able to keep the River Dragons (2-19) from mounting any offense. Starting pitcher Riley Fuller (1-1) gave up four hits in six innings. Ty Mikkelsen got double plays in the seventh and eighth innings to get out of trouble, then Zach Troxel pitched a scoreless ninth inning to get his first save.

“Mikkelsen worked out of some tough stuff, ” Oreskovich said. “He might not have had his best stuff, but he worked through it. Trox did his thing in the ninth inning. Fuller worked through some tough stuff as well and gave us six innings.”

The Bees play a two-game weekend series at Clinton starting Saturday.

Photo: Jace Figuereo watches his two-run double in the fifth inning. (Photo by Steve Cirinna)

THE MONDAY HIVE: Versatile Krebs Finds A Home In Bees’ Lineup

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Lucas Krebs redshirted this season as a freshman at Illinois, which meant his summer in the Prospect League with the Burlington Bees was going to be important.

He might not be out of the lineup very much the rest of the season.

Krebs has played in 16 of the Bees’ 17 games this season, hitting .308 with two home runs and 14 runs batted in. He has scored 13 runs, and ranks fourth in the league with 12 stolen bases.

“He’s an all-around baseball player,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “He can do it all — hit for power, fight in two-strike counts, get his base hits. His ability to run the bases is incredible, his feel for it is incredible. He’s a great fielder. He’s got a lot of tools, and it’s beautiful.”

Krebs was placed with the Bees by Illinois coach Dan Hartleb, and he was ready for the opportunity.

“I mean, honestly, I just needed as much reps as possible,” Krebs said. “So, when he told me I needed to play summer ball, I completely agreed, because I just needed to get as much reps as I could, just to get the pace of the game and the pace of the college level.”

Krebs hit just .200 in his first 11 games, although he did show some flashes of what he could do when he drove in six runs in an 18-12 win at Johnstown on May 29.

Since then, he’s hitting .529 over the last five games.

“At first, my timing was really off, because I haven’t seen live pitching just from redshirting,” Krebs said. “I’ve been getting my timing back, and I’ve been feeling really well the past week, so it’s been really good. That’s a big confidence booster.”

Krebs hit third in the Bees’ lineup in Sunday’s 6-1 win over Decatur, reaching base in his first four plate appearances.

“I feel like I can hit him anywhere in the order,” Oreskovich said. “His ability to not let things affect him is another thing. He didn’t get a hit (in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader at Danville) and struck out twice. I told him, ‘You’re getting three hits,’ in the next game, and he just smiled. Then he went out and got a couple of hits.”

Krebs, a three-year varsity player at Edwardsville (Ill.) High School, took advantage of his redshirt season with the Illini.

“Obviously sitting the bench isn’t the best experience, but I still had a lot of fun,” he said. “It honestly was a great experience for me, just to get the pace of the game, and everything. I just got to watch the people in front of me, so I took a lot of mental notes that have really been paying off, and I think it was beneficial in the long run.”

Krebs was ranked ninth among high school shortstops in Illinois in the 2025 class by Perfect Game, but he has played second base and third base as well with the Bees.

“Obviously, shortstop is my No. 1 spot — I’ve played there my whole life,” Krebs said. “But it’s really good just getting reps at second and third throughout the season. As many spots as you can play, it’s the best way you can make the field, so it’s been good. Being a utility player is very useful for a team when it comes to winning.”

“He’s a great fielder,” Oreskovich said. “He’s got a lot of tools, and he works well anywhere in the infield.”

Krebs’ goal is to get 200 at-bats this summer, and given his versatility and his hitting ability, that shouldn’t be a problem. That, he hopes, sets him up for a big season next year with the Illini.

“That’s my No. 1 goal, is to be a big contributor to (Illinois) next year, so I’m going to do anything it takes,” Krebs said. “I’m going to try my best to get in that lineup every day, and coming here is going to be a great chance for me to do that, because just getting reps in every day and trying to get as many ABs as possible will help me feel more comfortable and confident when it comes to the fall and next spring.”

BACK HOME

The Bees play Tuesday and Wednesday at Illinois Valley, then play nine of their next 11 at Community Field.

Sunday’s win was only the team’s sixth game of the season at home. 

“It’s nice to be at home,” Oreskovich said after the game. “We like it here, we want to play here in front of our fans. It’s nice to not be on a bus trip.”

Rainouts on two of their long trips haven’t helped either — the Bees played a doubleheader at Danville on Saturday night and didn’t get back to Community Field until 3:30 a.m., a little more than 12 hours before they would have to play again.

“We’ve got two games on the road this week, and after that we’re at home quite a bit, which is very nice,” Oreskovich said. “Guys can get into a routine. These guys want to win. I want to win. We’ve just got to keep playing solid baseball.”

100 FOR 0

Oreskovich’s 100th win as the manager of the Bees came last Tuesday in an 8-6 triumph at Alton.

It was a milestone that Oreskovich, in his fifth season as manager and sixth with the organization overall, appreciated.

“That’s a giant number,” he said. “I’m very fortunate to have been here as long as I have been. It means a lot to me to be able to do it for Burlington and this organization — they mean the world to me. I’ve spent the last five or six summers down here. It’s like home in the summer.

It’s truly special. It’s obviously a cool accomplishment in my life, but it’s special to do it here.”

Photo: Lucas Krebs has shown his versatility in the Burlington Bees’ infield this season. (Photo by Steve Cirinna)

BEES 6, BEAN BALLERS 1: A Fast First Leads To A Good Day For Wilfong

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Ten pitches in the first inning is an economical way to start the game.

The three-up, three-down beginning of the day for Burlington Bees starter Quinn Wilfong in Sunday’s Prospect League game against the Decatur Bean Ballers set a tone for him, and his team, in the 6-1 win at Community Field.

Wilfong (2-0) allowed two hits and one unearned run in 5 ⅔ innings for the Bees (7-10), who were playing at home for the first time in eight days.

It started in the first inning for Wilfong, a right-hander who pitched at Florida State College at Jacksonville this season. He retired Misael Maldonado, who popped out on the first pitch of the game, then struck out Matthew Novominsky and got Oneill Feliz on a fly out to end the inning.

“I feel like that always sets you off on the right foot,” Wilfong said. “Keeping your pitch count down, and getting ahead early, really helps.”

Wilfong gave up a run in the second inning when his two-out error allowed Jackson Miller to score, then retired the side in order in the third and fourth innings. He struck out four of the last seven hitters he faced, and his day ended at 86 pitches when he walked Feliz with two outs in the sixth inning.

“When he gets ahead, and he’s really good, he keeps that pitch count down,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “When he can do that, he can go deeper into the game. Even when he did fall behind, he was making quality pitches to get back into the count.”

Wilfong threw just 15 ⅓ innings at FSCJ this season, posting a 19.96 ERA in 11 appearances. He has a 3.27 ERA in three appearances with the Bees.

Wilfong said he has learned a lot so far this summer.

“These first few appearances, I’ve learned getting ahead with strikes is the most important thing,” he said. “With the start of this game, I wanted to be heavy fastball early, work with change-ups, and once they see me and hit me, start working backwards on them. I need off-speed to land for strikes, and for my fastball to be direct and aggressive.”

The Bees put pressure on the Bean Ballers (7-10) in the middle innings.

Burlington took a 2-1 lead in the third inning when Troy Peltz singled home Lucas Krebs. Juan Fernandez’s two-run double extended the lead in the fourth, then Peltz hit a 392-foot home run off the scoreboard in right-center field in the first for a 5-1 margin. Dalton Miller’s sacrifice fly in the sixth scored Fernandez with the final run.

Talon Jennings closed the game for the Bees with 3 ⅓ scoreless innings, striking out four, to record his first save of the season.

“I couldn’t ask for anything more,” Wilfong said. “It was perfect today.”

“We’re starting to string together hits and coming through with guys on base,” Oreskovich said. “And I think our pitching has been really good for the most part — when we’ve struggled, it’s been early in the game, but guys settle in. It’s starting to click a little bit for us.”

Photo: Bees starting pitcher Quinn Wilfong allowed just two hits in 5 2/3 innings in Sunday’s win over Decatur. (Photo by Steve Cirinna)

THE MONDAY HIVE: Slagle Getting Summer Opportunities With Bees

By JOHN BOHNENKAMP

Tate Slagle got some opportunities for Iowa as a freshman this season.

The summer with the Burlington Bees is a chance for Slagle to build on that.

It’s why getting the Opening Day start for the Bees in the May 26 opener against the Normal CornBelters was a big deal for the right-hander from Algona.

“Coming off the college season, where I struggled a little bit, it was good to come in here, bounce back,” Slagle said.

Slagle has made two starts for the Bees, throwing two innings in the season opener, then three in last Tuesday’s win over the Clinton LumberKings. He has struck out six while not allowing an earned run in his starts, and his time on the mound is going to grow. He threw 42 pitches in his first start, 53 in his second.

“I think we’re going to start not worrying about the pitch count, just pitch as much as I can,” Slagle said. “I think the big thing for me is to build up confidence, whether it goes good or bad out there, just keep finding the zone, keep throwing strikes.”

“He’s efficient with throwing strikes, and if he does walk guys, he’s really good at making pitches and getting out of innings,” Bees manager Owen Oreskovich said. “He’s a competitor. He’s a guy I want on the mound.”

Slagle was 1-0 with 6.94 earned run average in 15 appearances for the Hawkeyes this season, striking out 16 in 11 ⅔ innings. He threw a scoreless inning of relief against Kansas State, striking out two, in his first college outing on February 13.

Tate Slagle struck out 16 in 11 2/3 innings at Iowa this season. (Photo by Steve Cirinna)

“You have to take advantage of your opportunities,” Slagle said. “As a freshman at the Division I level, you’re not going to get as many opportunities as you want. So you have to take advantage of those opportunities when you can get them. It’s the best thing you can do.”

Slagle had an impressive three-sport career at Algona High School. He was a four-time all-district selection in football and qualified for the state wrestling tournament four times.

Slagle’s father, Chad, is Algona’s baseball coach and helped introduce his son to the sport.

“I’ve been doing it my whole life,” Slagle said. “My dad brought the game to me. I’ve always enjoyed it, and he’s always worked with me.”

Slagle hit .505 and had a 1.03 ERA as a senior at Algona. He is the program’s all-time leader in runs batted in with 136, and holds the single-season RBI record with 46.

Being on the wrestling team, though, has also played a big role in Slagle’s career.

“It brought me a lot of toughness, a lot of mental toughness,” he said.

Slagle isn’t just a pitcher for the Bees. He has played seven games in the infield, batting .176, although he went 2-for-3 in Sunday’s loss at Quincy.

“I really want to get as many at-bats as possible,” Slagle said.

“It’s good to have guys who can play different spots,” Oreskovich said. “It’s better when you can pitch, and pitch well.”

That’s Slagle’s goal this summer, facing hitters in the wood-bat Prospect League.

“On the pitching side, you don’t have to change anything. Just attack hitters,” he said. “You have to command the (strike) zone. It doesn’t matter if you throw hard if you’re not hitting your spots. That’s what I want to do.”

Top photo: Tate Slagle has made two starts for the Burlington Bees, including getting the call as the pitcher for the season opener. (Photo by Steve Cirinna)