Though it was not a winning season, 12 wins in 35 games, 2012 was a vast improvement from the previous two years when the team produced less than double-digit victories.

“You are never happy with a losing record, but this past season we pushed the opposition — many of the top-flight teams — to the limit,” said head coach Tom Yelle. “We knew our talent pool, our depth, was short coming into 2012, and when it got down to getting over the last bump in many games we did not have quite enough. The positive difference between winning and losing — by making an above average play in the field or by getting a key hit with runners in scoring position — was not there.”

Consequently, building depth is the chief goal going into 2013 for the coach so the team can take the next step and go from a position of “threat” to that of “serious challenger.”

Freshman catcher Kelby Beste (Brookings, S.D.) was the lone Anoka Ramsey player to earn post-season honors. One, who ranked among the top 15 hitters in the country (NJCAA Division III baseball) before a late-season slump, Beste finished as Anoka Ramsey’s top hitter in 2012 with 36 hits in 101 at bats for a .356 average. He also had 20 RBI, four less than freshman team-leader Luke McKay (Columbia Heights), who finished with 24 and a .353 average.

Going into the 2013 season, which begins during fall semester, Anoka Ramsey will:

• Start the fall season Tuesday, Sept. 4. (It will continue into the final week of September followed by a sophomore showcase Oct. 6 in Spicer). Also, the fall season may include up to four scrimmage opportunities against outside competition.

• Play in the annual MCAC pre-season cross over tournament in Riverland (Austin, Mn), April 6 and 7  in a pool that also includes Hibbing CC and Western Technical of LaCrosse.

• Play a longer regular season with the first round of playoffs scheduled to start Mother’s Day weekend and the Region 13 tournament scheduled to begin in St. Cloud May 16. (It is hoped two additional playing dates will be added to the schedule).

In addition to these items, Anoka Ramsey, as well as all teams in the MCAC, may be allowed to play divisional doubleheaders that include one nine-inning game in 2013. It would be patterned after the NSIC, which mandates a seven-inning game to open a doubleheader followed by a nine-inning game. If the first game goes into extra innings — even just one — then the second game automatically becomes a seven-inning game.

The extra two regular-season playing dates, the fall scrimmages and the seven/nine doubleheaders won’t become official unless approved by the MCAC’s executive committee during its mid-June meeting.

— Jery Aldeany, baseball contributing writer

The loss was Anoka Ramsey’s second straight — after a 6-3 opening defeat May 4 — to Mn State CTC in the best two-of-three Southern Division playoff series of the MCAC. It also left Anoka Ramsey with a 12-23 final record for 2012.

Sipola, who is leaving the Anoka Ramsey team after one season to accept a scholarship offer from Jamestown College and the Jimmies baseball program, gave up just five hits while striking out six. He finished the season with a team-best 49 strikeouts and 2.42 earned run average over 52 innings he pitched.

The right-hander matched Mn State CTC’s undefeated Venass through two scoreless innings before he was tagged for a run in the third. Sipola then kept Anoka Ramsey within the one-run deficit until a couple of errors and four runs put the game out reach.

Meantime, sophomore Sam Blevins (St. Paul) finished his Anoka Ramsey career with two hits in his final game. In all, Anoka Ramsey had six hits against Venass, who leads Mn State CTC into the Region 13 tournament next week (May 10) with an 8-0 pitching record. Anoka Ramsey never really threatened to solve Venass, who worked quickly and at one point in the game retired 13 straight batters.

When the fifth was over — after what could have been an inning-ending double play ball was misplayed — Anoka Ramsey had the game-deciding four runs to Minnesota State CTC in a 6-3 loss.

The misplay was followed by a two-run triple, then back-to-back run-scoring doubles and a single. It took away from a solid pitching performance provided by freshman right-hander Luke McKay (Columbia Heights), who masterfully worked out of jams during the second, third and fourth innings in keeping Minnesota State CTC at bay.

Anoka Ramsey took a 1-0 lead in the top of the third on an infield out. After falling behind 2-1 in the last of the third, Anoka Ramsey retook the lead in the top of the fifth thanks to RBI singles by Nick Wong (Roseville Area) and McKay. But that was it for offense and after the fifth, the opportunity had passed for an upset victory over the Southern Division’s third-seeded Minnesota State CTC team.

To stay alive in 2012, Anoka Ramsey will need to win back-to-back games May 5 in this best-of-three series.

The first game will begin at 3 p.m. The second game is scheduled the next day (Saturday) at 1:30 p.m. with a third game to follow if needed. All games will be played on the campus field of Minnesota State CTC.

During the regular season, Anoka Ramsey lost a doubleheader to Minnesota State CTC and also an early April single game during the cross over series at Wintercrest West. The winner of this series will be one of four Southern Division teams that will advance to St. Cloud for the Region 13 tournament at the MAC, Putz and Faber Fields.

Despite a strong pitching performance by Sam Blevins (Roseville Area), Anoka Ramsey could not hold a 1-0 lead and wound up losing 7-1. Jack Kiesner (St. Michael-Albertville) drove in the lone Anoka Ramsey run with a second-inning single.

In the second game, freshman right-hander Luke McKay (Columbia Heights) took to the mound and pitched a three-hitter. Unfortunately, McKay was tagged for a third-inning run, then an unearned fourth-inning run in a 2-1 Anoka Ramsey loss. McKay also drove in Anoka Ramsey’s lone run with a first-inning single.

The losses left Anoka Ramey with a 12-21 regular-season final record and a 4-10 record in the Southern Division, which as of April 29 appeared to be good for sixth place. If so, Anoka Ramsey will open the first-round of the Southern Division playoffs May 4 on the road against the third-place finishing team in a best two-out-of-three series.

Riverland College of Austin appeared to be the team prepared to claim that third-place spot.

Sipola (Coon Rapids), also gave up just three walk in posting his fourth win of the spring season. He was supported at the plate by a two-run, first-inning homer off the left field scoreboard by catcher Kelby Beste (Brookings). Anoka Ramsey and run-scoring hits by both Dallas Edeburn (Blaine) in the fifth and Happy Jack Kiesner (St. Michael-Albertville) in the seventh.

Anoka Ramsey did not have the same success on the mound and at the plate in game two, which it lost 12-1 to Itasca.

After opening this string of doubleheaders Sunday, April 22 with a split at Minnesota West, then a sweep of Central Lakes College Monday, April 23, Anoka Ramsey had nothing left in tank for Ridgewater. The first game slipped away early, while the second game was close — 4-2 going into the seventh inning — before getting away late, but in reality was never within grasp.

Starting second-game starter Luke McKay (Columbia Heights) battled to keep it close on the moun despite pitching with a torn up knee suffered in a slide at home plate during the first game.  Indeed, McKay relied on pure guile to limit Ridgewater to just four runs through six innings, but gave up a season high 10 hits and was always pitching out of a jam. Ridgewater put the game away with a five-run seventh off Anoka Ramsey’s relief pitching.

Catcher Kelby Beste (Brookings), who had been struggling at the plate recently, came through with four hits in the doubleheader to raise his team-leading batting average to .416. Also collecting four hits were Tyler “T: Ball (North Branch) and Brady Driste (Coon Rapids).

In addition to the injury sustained by McKay, one that ultimately required stitches, Anoka Ramsey lost first baseman Andrew Wilmot (Rogers) to a hamstring injury. It came into the game with two players on its 16-member roster already sidelined by injuries, sophomore pitcher Jordan Wallmow (Coon Rapids) and freshman outfielder Jerome Andrews (Columbia Heights).