It’s been a long back to the mound for Drew Copley, but he is making up for lost time time this summer with the Austin Post 91 Legion baseball team.

Copley, who tore his ACL and his meniscus while playing football for Grand Meadow High School this past fall, was able to play in just one game as a designated hitter for the GMLOK Bulldogs in the spring, but he made his fourth mound start and he picked up his fourth win for Austin as Post 91 beat the Las Vegas Aces 3-0 in four innings in Seltz Field Wednesday.

Copley struck allowed three hits, zero walks and he struck out one.

“I’ve been working hard to get back on the field for the love of the game. I felt really good today. I’ve just got to keep my mind. I can’t really think about it, because it is healed now. I’ve just got to get used to running, throwing and batting again.” Copley said. “My family and friends have been so supportive in helping me though this battle and I couldn’t thank them enough.”

Copley began playing in Austin in the All-Stars program when he made the 11U team as a 10-year old. He won a state championship with the All-Stars 12-year old team and he’s kept tabs on his teammates in Austin ever since.

“I see these guys doing well over in Austin and in Grand Meadow, we’ve been doing better than we had been,” Copley said.

Austin head coach Joe Kroc said that Copley gives the team another quality starter in the rotation and he can also step up at the plate as he was in the team’s No. 2 spot in the order against Las Vegas.

“Drew’s been pretty unbelievable offensively and pitching for him to come back this year,” Kroc said. “He’s moved a little gingerly at times, but he’s a heck of player and he’s a nice kid too.”

Copley injured his knee on the 10th play of the second game of the season for the Superlarks this past fall and it’s been a lot of hard work for him in rehab since that point.

“When it first happened, I knew something in my knee was wrong,” Copley said. “I laid there for awhile and I tried to run up the field and it didn’t go so well. I ended up tearing my ACL and meniscus really bad. I had surgery the next week and I was back out there working. I wanted to get back for spring, but that didn’t work. Now I’m having fun being back this summer.”

Austin (10-5 overall) took a 2-0 lead on the Aces in the second inning when Phillip Zynda singed in a run and another run scored when Hunter Johnson grounded into a double play. Jack Dankert singled in with no outs in the fourth inning when the game was put to an end due to rain.

Kroc was pleased with how his team played against a Las Vegas team that will play well over 100 games this summer after going 30-5 overall in its high school season.

“It seems like some guys have just played better in the summer and that’s a good thing,” Kroc said. “Today we faced a really good Las Vegas team and I was really, really pleased with how we played offensively. When we’re focused and locked in we’re tough to beat, when we’re not, we’re easy outs sometimes.”

LV 0 0 0  0  —  0  3  1

Austin 0 2 0  1  —  3  6  1

Austin pitching: Drew Copley (W) 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 K

Austin hitting: Jack Dankert, 1-for-3, RBI; Copley, 1-for-3; Hunter Guyette, 0-for-1, BB; Josi Bothun, 1-for-2, R; Hunter Johnson, 0-for-1, R, BB; Phillip Zynda, 1-for-2, RBI; AJ Mueller, 0-for-1, BB; Riley Retterath, 2-for-2; Pete Conner, 2 BBs; Bryce Strouf, R

Northfield 2, Austin 0 (Tuesday)

Austin pitching: Josi Bothun (L) 6 IP, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 ER, 5 K

Austin hitting: Hunter Guyette, 1-for-4; Jack Dankert, 2-for-3; Bothun, 0-for-3; Hunter Johnson, 1-for-3; AJ Mueller, 0-for-2; Pete Conner, 0-for-3; Nate Murphy, 1-for-3, double; Andrew Schumacher, 1-for-1, BB; Ross Young, 0-for-2; Kadin Kneeskern, 0-for-1; Bryce Strouf, 0-for-1