Three area baseball teams saddled up their top pitchers and rode them through the postseason, earning All-Area Player of the Year honors for a prolific trio of right-handed hurlers.

Seniors Kyle Rizzi of Austin, Nels Nelson of Lyle/Pacelli and Steve Seykora from Blooming Prairie proved to be key reasons their teams moved through section tournaments -- primarily the latter of the three. The Blossoms didn't even try to hide the fact that Seykora was the driving force of their club.

"He pretty much carried us down the stretch," said BPHS coach Chris Staloch.

Seykora earned All-Gopher Conference and All-Sub-Section honors with eight regular-season wins and three more in the postseason. The sidewinding righty struck out 90 in 71 1/3 innings pitched, digging deep into his bag of breaking balls.

Opposing hitters never saw the same arm angle on consecutive pitches from Seykora, making him as elusive as he was reliable. He finished the 2003 spring season with a 1.47 earned run average.

Seykora even won a head-to-head dual in the postseason against Nelson and Lyle/Pacelli. Both pitchers went complete games in a 2-1 Blossom victory in the Sub-Section 1A bracket.

Nelson struck out as many as 16 in a single seven-inning game this season, sparking Lyle/Pacelli's uprising with an 11-3 record and 138 strikeouts in just 86 innings. His ERA, which ended the regular season at a sparking 0.98 mark, finished the playoffs at 1.38 runs per seven innings pitched. He tossed a no-hitter against LeRoy-Ostrander/Grand Meadow en route to a Southeast Conference championship.

"We were fortunate to get by him," Staloch added.

Nelson pitched all but seven innings during the sub-sections and sections, including a streak of four straight complete games. The All-Southeast Conference pick will have a legitimate shot to be a starter as a freshman when he joins Waldorf College next year in Forest City. His fastball touches into the low 80s with a curveball and knuckeball to complement.

Nelson takes with him the tools to play second base as well, hitting at a .364 clip with two home runs and seven doubles. He reached base 67 percent of the time.

Austin's Rizzi was a do-it-all performer as well for the much-improved Packers. He was honored with an All-Big Nine Conference selection and a place in the Lions All-Star Series despite a 3-6 overall record.

Rizzi pitched one-third of Austin's innings this season, allowing an ERA of 2.63. He walked only seven and struck out 53 in 56 innings, all while leading the team in hitting with a .306 average, 17 RBIs and six doubles.

Rizzi is joined by Packer teammate Andy Swank on the 2003 All-Area First Team. The junior third baseman, catcher and pitcher was a strong second hurler to Rizzi and a steady bat in the AHS order. Swank earned All-Big Nine honors with a 2.04 ERA in 44 2/3 innings pitched, striking out 25 and walking just eight. He added a .247 batting average with 11 RBIs, three doubles, two triples and a home run.

Bundle of Blossoms

Blooming Prairie senior second baseman David Kramer emerged as the top hitter in the Austin area, ending the year with a .483 batting average, five home runs and 28 RBIs. He had 42 hits -- more than any player in or around Mower County -- and dabbled into pitching with a 4-0 record. He was named All-Gopher Conference, All-Sub-Section 1A and All-State as the Blossoms advanced to within one win of the Class A state tournament.

BPHS junior Kraig Olson and sophomore Tom Farr provided a stable presence on the field for the Blossoms, earning All-Area mention because of it. Olson was 4-4 as a pitcher, striking out 70 in 55 1/3 innings, and added a .385 batting average. The lanky righthander had 23 RBIs and 35 hits while bouncing back and forth between shortstop and the pitcher's mound.

Farr defended the dish as the Blooming catcher this season, showing incredible poise while handling an almost unhittable pitching crew. His experience seeing some of the top pitchers in the area only aided his second varsity season at the plate, hitting .375 with a home run, 18 RBIs and 32 runs scored. Farr struck out only twice in 88 at-bats.

"He's very good at blocking the plate and calling a game, one of the best in my opinion," Coach Staloch said.

Korfhage clobbers ’em

Pete Korfhage exploded into the Southeast Conference with an incredible season, striking up a .451 batting average and All-SEC notoriety along the way. The junior third baseman led the team with 23 hits, two triples and 13 RBI, reaching base better than 50 percent of the time.

Dustin Thorson led LOGM into contention for the SEC title, but not even an area-high .555 batting average was enough. Thorson, a senior outfielder, shared duties pitching with All-Area teammate Jacob Rowe, who doubled as a first baseman. Rowe hit .411 for the Bulldogs, and both were All-SEC first teamers for the second straight year.

Former Southeast Conference cast members -- Southland -- placed three players on the All-Area First Team. Senior outfielder Steve Snyder led the Rebels with a .387 batting average, four home runs, 24 runs scored and six doubles. Classmate Zach Stratton, who played shortstop and second base when not pitching, followed up with a .363 average. Stratton led the Rebels with 17 stolen bases and was 3-8 on the mound with a 2.48 ERA.

Both Sndyer and Stratton received All-Three Rivers Conference selection, and both are destined for Riverland Community College in the fall. They leave behind All-TRC honorable mention pick Greg Retterath, a junior with the ability to be one of the top players in the conference next spring. Retterath hit .329 with a .537 on-base percentage, hitting one home run with 12 RBIs. He also struck out 57 opposing batters in 56 1/3 innings en route to a 2.61 ERA and a 4-4 record.

Cody Hegna was a .300 hitter for a struggling Hayfield squad, leading the team with one home run and seven stolen bases. In 50 at-bats, Hegna knocked out 15 hits, scored 12 runs and had nine RBIs, and was eventually named All-Hiawatha Valley League.