To quote Alice Cooper, "School's out for Summer," the unofficial start to the summer baseball season begins when the Athletics host the Loretto Larks on Saturday evening at Delano Municipal Baseball Park on "Kid's Night.”  It's only fitting that these two teams meet, a pair of town teams who share the same school district.

This will mark the first of two regular season meetings between fellow North Star League rivals. Last season the Larks took the season series with a pair of wins, 3-1 and 4-3. The Larks are currently 3-3 in league play on the season and the Athletics are 2-0. The Larks are led offensively by Tyler Maher and have a veteran team with big game experience. The Athletics have a young team, growing up quickly with a state tournament appearance in 2014. Early in the 2015 season, the Athletics have been led offensively by Adam Schleper and Jesse Berg.  On the hill, the Athletics have utilized a handful of pitchers, led by Matt Arens, the staff ace in 2014 with a 2.21 ERA in league play.

Todd Traen will be inducted to the North Star League Hall of Fame, prior to the start of the game. Traen’s town team baseball career began in 1978 and spanned 21 seasons, 15 of which were with the Delano Athletics, a year with St. Michael, and a final stop in Loretto for 5 seasons from 1995-1999. Traen was a member of the 1988 Class C State Championship team for the Athletics and was also a North Star League MVP award winner in 1990.  For Loretto in 1997, Traen was the league’s batting champion with a .469 batting average and he finished his career with a .368 batting average, along with 260 RBIs and 44 home runs. Traen will be the third member of his family to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, which includes his brother Tom and his late father Dick “R.T” Traen.

Saturday evening come out to the ballpark, celebrate the end of the school year and congratulate Todd Traen for his induction into the North Star League Hall of Fame as a Delano Athletic.  All Kids who attend the game with a paying adult will get in for free, which includes admission to a postgame movie in the park, The Sandlot. Fans are advised to arrive early, all seating is general admission.

The Todd Traen File:

Delano Athletics, 1978-1982 and 1994
St. Michael, 1983
Loretto, 1995-1999

Did you know?

In 1978, Traen’s first year of town team baseball, the average gas price in the U.S was 68 cents per gallon.