08/12/2025
Check out this week's paper for coverage of the Brave's season finale and much more!
A long drive home
Braves fall one win short of state: defeat Blue Earth 3-2, lose qualifier 7-5 to Cannon Falls
By ELI LUTGENS
Publisher/Editor
Oh so close.
The best amateur baseball team to come out of Waseca in nearly a decade–described by coach Tink Larson before the season began as one of the “best teams we ever had coming in”--nearly qualified for the state tournament for the first time since 2016.
“It will take a while before I get over this one,” Larson said after the team’s final game. “We were so close to making it to the state tournament. Had we not made a few costly errors and eliminated a couple base running mistakes, we might have made it.”
The Waseca Braves’ season came to an end one win from the state tournament after splitting two games on the final day of their season, Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025 in Waterville.
After an exciting 3-2 victory over Blue Earth, the Braves fell 7-5 to Cannon Falls.
Cannon Falls joined Waterville and Pine Island representing Region 5C at the state tournament. The Braves finished their 2025 campaign with a final record of 13-14. Pitcher Tyson Reger was selected by Waterville to play in the state tournament and pitcher Ryan Hanson by Pine Island. In Braves history, the team has qualified for the State tournament 17 times: 1957, ‘67, ‘69, ‘74, ‘76, ‘77, ‘78, ‘85, ‘86, ‘87, ‘96, ‘2001, ‘02, ‘03, ‘13, ‘14, and ‘16.
Prior to Saturday’s games, the Braves started their playoff run by defeating Minnesota Lake 2-1 before losing to Waterville 9-4.
Braves 3, Pirates 2
In their first match Saturday, Braves’ pitcher Tyson Regar went the distance, earning the win and avenging the teams two regular season losses of 12-2 and 11-0 to the 3-seed Blue Earth Pirates.
Jimmy Loonan knocked in all three runs for the Braves, putting them on the board first in the second inning. After a Chris Glynn single and Payton Garza sacrifice bunt, a Loonan single put the Braves up 1-0.
The Pirates answered with two of their own in the third. A two-out walk was followed by four straight singles.
Leading off the fourth, a 35-year-old veteran Kelvin Nelson single was followed by another single from Glynn. A one-out double to the deepest part of the park, center field, from Loonan, put the Braves ahead for good.
Regar put the Pirates down 1-2-3 in the fourth. Over the final four frames, the Pirates managed to put runners in scoring position three times.
The most controversial moment of the game came after the leadoff man was hit in the k**b of the bat/hand during the bottom (Pirates) half of the ninth inning. After taking his base, the runner was bunted to second.
As this was happening, managers Blake Nelson and Tink Larson discussed whether the three-hole hitter, Brandon Olsen, who had three hits, should be intentionally walked following the bunt.
“The law of averages,” Blake Nelson said after Olsen grounded out sharply to the pitcher, “indicates that he shouldn’t get a fourth hit.”
The final batter of the game grounded out to shortstop.
The Pirates stranded runners on third in each of the last two innings.
“An excellent pitched game by Reger,” Larson said. “Loonan came up big. We played well defensively. They beat us twice during the season, but Tyson didn’t pitch in either game. We have a lot of confidence when he pitches.”
Statistically for the Braves against Blue Earth:
Regar, 1-4; Keato Roeker 2-4, 1 stolen base; Nelson 1-4, 1 run scored; Glynn 2-4, 2 runs scored; Garza 0-3, 1 sacrifice; Ryan Hanson 0-3, 1 walk; Loonan 2-4, 1 double, 3 RBI; Kyle Waugh 1-4; Zach Hoeh 0-4. Defensively, Sabastian Teague played right field.
Regar earned the win and pitched all nine innings for the Braves, striking out 10, walking 3, allowing 8 hits and 2 earned runs. Hodges pitched all nine innings for the Pirates, allowing 3 earned runs, 8 hits, walking 1 and striking out 3.
Bears 7, Braves 5
The final bout of the day to determine the last entrant to the state tournament did not disappoint.
Nelson started on the mound for the Braves, against the 2-seeded Cannon Falls Bears, making only his second start of the year due to shoulder problems.
A back-and-forth affair, the Braves scored two runs in the second.
Singles from Glynn, Garza and Hanson loaded the bases with no one out. After a strikeout, Waugh and Hoehn both recorded RBI singles. A pair of fielder’s choices ended the inning and the threat, leaving Braves players wanting more.
The Bears answered with two runs of their own in the bottom of the second.
An infield single was followed up by a one-out double to put two runners in scoring position for the Bears. A routine grounder to Regar at shortstop was thrown out of play, plating two runs on the error for the Bears.
After getting out of the inning, Nelson found himself in trouble in the fourth.
With the bases loaded and one out, the Bears dared to try a su***de squeeze; Nelson made what was arguably the play of the day. All in one swift motion, sprinting and scooping the ball with his glove, he tossed the ball to the catcher for the force play at the plate. A ground ball to short ended the inning.
Nelson’s day was done after his first pitch of the fifth inning was hit for a single.
Teague came on in relief, pitching a scoreless inning.
A two-out rally was started with a double from Waugh in the sixth. Hoehn reached via error to put two runners on.
A Reger single and Roeker double plated two runs as Reger was thrown out at the plate on a near-perfect relay throw trying to score the third run of the inning.
Two singles, a walk and a double plated three runs for the Bears in their half of the sixth.
After a single and a walk, Glynn scored on a Loonan single to tie the game at 5-5 in the seventh.
Hanson pitched a scoreless seventh in relief of Teague.
In the eighth, things fell apart for Hanson and the Braves.
A leadoff single was followed by two Hanson fielding errors. The ball was thrown away twice leading to two unearned runs.
That was the ball game.
The Braves put runners on base in every inning and registered 15 hits.
“Had we not made a few costly errors and eliminated a couple base running mistakes, we might have made it [to the state tournament],” Larson said. “It will take awhile to get over this one.”
“This is what competition is about,” Blake Nelson told players after the game. “You try to win and we came up short… It hurts, but it’s a good hurt. Thanks for playing hard all summer.”
Statistically for the Waseca Braves against Cannon Falls:
Reger 1-4, 1 walk, 1 RBI; Roeker 3-5, 1 double, 1 RBI; Nelson 2-5, Glynn 2-5, 2 runs scored, Garza 1-4, 1 run, 1 walk; Hanson 1-5, 3 errors, Loonan 1-5, 1 RBI; Waugh 3-4, 1 run, 1 RBI; Hoehn 1-4, 1 run, 1 RBI.
Nelson pitched 4 innings, struck out 3, walked 1, allowed 7 hits, 2 runs, 1 earned.
Teague pitched 2 innings, struck out 2, walked 2, allowed 3 hits, 3 earned runs.
Hanson pitched 2 innings, struck out 3, hit 1 batter, allowed 2-unearned runs.
2025 season
On the season, the Braves had four hitters finish with averages over .300: Roeker at .400; Reger and Kelvin Nelson at .364; and Payton Garza at .305.
On the mound, Reger finished the year with an 8-3 record, eight complete games, and 104 strikeouts in 80 innings. He allowed only 63 hits and 19 walks.
The Braves are coached by Blake Nelson, 30 seasons and assisted by Larson, 58 seasons.
Blake Nelson’s career record is 174-169 and Larson’s 903-543.
The following players comprised the 2025 roster for the Braves: Tyson Reger, Chris Glynn, Logan Reger, Sabastian Teague, Oliver O’Brien, Tink Larson, Ben Schoenrock, Keato Roeker, Kodi Cunningham, Payton Garza, Jimmy Loonan, Ryan Wangen, Griffin Krautkremer, Danny Cromer, Zach Hoehn, Ryan Hanson, Carter McQuery, Kelvin Nelson, Eric Maas, Kyle Waugh, Jason Reger and Blake Nelson.
