Brian Sprout wanted to build a program that is a consistent winner. He is on the verge of accomplishing it at East Ridge.
"Every year there is a lot of talent in our community," Sprout said.
This season the talent is on his team. He has four Division I recruits at the top of his pitching rotation in senior righthander Trevor Lee (Wichita State), junior lefthander Max Arlich (Texas A&M), junior righthander Jake Reigert (Mississippi) and sophomore righthander Luke Ryerse. Lee, Reigert and Ryerse throw low-90s fastballs.
"We have five or six high-level varsity and college baseball arms," Sprout said. "We have as much arm talent as I have seen or know what to do with."
He will need it in the tough Suburban East Conference. Four teams from the conference — East Ridge, Cretin-Derham Hall, Mounds View and Stillwater — are in the top six in the state baseball preseason rankings.
"I think our conference is as good this year as it has been," Sprout said. "Every game is a big challenge competitively. You will learn quickly where your team is at. Our goal is to be playing our best baseball at the end of the year."
New coach seeks a flashback
Buzz Hannahan, in his first season guiding Cretin-Derham Hall after serving as an assistant coach for seven years, is a 1994 graduate of Cretin-Derham Hall. He was a member of the Raiders' 1992 state championship team back when there were only two classes.
This season offers reason to anticipate the Raiders' return to the prominence Hannahan experienced. Cretin-Derham Hall has three Division I players in senior Jack Taxdahl (Minnesota) and juniors P.J Jones (Maryland) and Jake Quinn (Minnesota).