Photo by Joyce Hustad: The 2024 Dawson-Boyd baseball team includes (front row, left to right) Holland Schacherer, Eli Olson, Nathan Hansen, Blake Thompson, Kameron Sather, Kyan Moseng. Back row: head coach Daren Swenson, Tygan Long, Beau Johnson, Grayson Olson, Colten Bothun, Jaxson Hastad, Ashton Swendra, Aedyn Dahl, Collin Olson, assistant coach Josh Staab.

DAWSON — The Dawson-Boyd boys baseball team will have their home opener against Minneota on Friday. So far, the Blackjacks are 2-1, all results coming from road games.

The Blackjacks have loads of key players that can take them far this season. With players like Junior Grayson Olson leading the team with nine RBIs, and adding a home run into the mix the year prior, it will be interesting to see what he can do for the Blackjacks.

Alongside him, sophomore Nathan Hansen led the team in batting average last year, posting a .412. With a promising future for these two, you can expect a show when they step onto the plate. When it comes to pitching, Hansen led the team in strikeouts, with 30, in the past season. As someone who can play both sides of the ball well, Hansen could come in clutch for the Blackjacks.

Another player who could turn heads this year is Junior Tygan Long. Long was right behind Hansen in strikeouts with 28 but gave the Blackjacks three of their eight wins last year. Long also posted a 3.33 ERA and 1.72 WHIP last season. A breakout year could be in the making for Long. If Long can keep up his stats from next year, him and Hansen could be a great pair for the Blackjacks.

Sophomore Kameron Sather just got off a hot freshman year and is ready to go. Being a dual threat at both hitting and pitching, he will be one to keep an eye on this season. Sather had one home run and 2 triples last year. He also led the team in on-base percentage with .500. Batting .364 and having a 2.897 ERA, who knows what he can cook up.

Dawson-Boyd has lots of talent hidden in their roster. Whether it be pitching or hitting, they can play the ball on each side. With both Sather and Hansen being dual threats on both sides of the ball, those two can help the Blackjacks out in tough situations. Whether it be closing an inning, or getting a clutch hit, keep your eyes peeled for those two.

The Blackjacks went 8-8 last season, earning the No. 3 seed in the Section 3A North tournament. The Blackjacks defeated MACCRAY in their tournament opener before falling 11-10 against No. 2N Central Minnesota Christian.

No. 5N Lakeview ended Dawson-Boyd’s season with an 8-7 loss in the elimination bracket.

Practice makes perfect and that’s what Dawson-Boyd wants to see. There is a lot of hidden talent in the Blackjack roster, so expect an exciting game. Game time is 4:30 at Dawson-Boyd High School.