Bemidji's baseball scene on display as Centaurs gear up to host Sub-State 12 Tournament

Jul. 17—BEMIDJI — Two summers ago, the Bemidji American Legion baseball team was set to host the Sub-State 12 Tournament.

The double-elimination event sends one Senior Legion team from the northern region of Minnesota to state. However, Bemidji didn't host in 2024.

Amid changing leadership, Otto Grimm was entering his first year as head coach. Hosting a postseason tournament while learning the Legion coaching ropes was too big an undertaking.

"It was a lot to handle in my first summer, so we pushed it back a year," Grimm said after

Wednesday's doubleheader sweep over Fergus Falls

to position Post 14 with the top seed. "It lined us up with Junior Legion, and then both of us got pushed back another year."

The June 2025 storm threw a wrench into the Junior and Senior Legion plans last summer. But after a year-long recovery effort to restore local athletics facilities, the BSU Baseball Field is ready to host back-to-back double-elimination tournaments.

"It's been a little bit of a roller coaster," Grimm said with a laugh. "We jumped through all of the hoops last summer to host it. But with the storm, the field was unplayable. We went through all the work once, so I kind of knew what I needed to do this summer.

"It's lining up umpires, communicating with teams in the district, communicating with parents and the families of players. There's just a lot of odds-and-ends things that, during the first time around, it's a lot to handle. After you do it two years in a row, it's a little easier."

It's uncommon for one town to host both junior and senior Legion postseason tournaments in the same year, and the effort from Bemidji's baseball community to make it happen is apparent.

"I think it's awesome," Grimm said. "I think it's great for kids in town to have some young men to look up to. We take a lot of pride in building a good culture in the spring and summer. Even the kids that don't play baseball can show up and see how to be a good teammate. I remember being a little kid and watching the varsity and Legion baseball teams and looking up to them. I think it'll be great for the community to have exciting, competitive baseball for two weeks in a row."

Hosting the Legion playoffs also comes with the perks of no travel and players and coaches sleeping in their own beds. But that's where the advantages end in a tournament that features teams from Bemidji, Fergus Falls, Alexandria, East Grand Forks, Moorhead, Brainerd, Perham and Detroit Lakes.

Top-seeded Post 14 will begin its run at 6:30 p.m. on July 22 against No. 8 Detroit Lakes.

"Baseball is such a cool game — any team can win on any day," Grimm said. "You get a hot pitcher, tough luck because you're not going to beat him. Sleeping in your own bed and not having to drive definitely helps you stay in a routine, but at the end of the day, the pitcher has to throw it over the plate and the batter has to put the bat on the ball."

For players like Jack Zellmann, the Sub-State 12 Tournament is simultaneously familiar and foreign, as he just played in the Section 8-4A Tournament less than two months ago.

"It's a first for me," Zellmann said. "It's my first year with this (Senior Legion) team and my first year with playoffs at home. I think it'll be fun, especially at home. Being able to play at BSU will be great. We haven't had a lot of home games this summer, so we're looking forward to it."

During the high school season, the Lumberjacks were bounced after three games. It was a growing experience for a team that carried most of its players over to the Legion season.

"I learned not to put so much pressure on myself and just have fun," Zellmann said. "The game is best played when you're having fun and trying your best. If something goes wrong, you have to shake it off and get to the next play."

Grimm has seen the physical and mental development this spring and summer firsthand. Not only is he Post 14's head coach, but he also serves as an assistant at BHS under his dad, Jim Grimm.

"I think they learned how to handle some adversity," he said of the Jacks' 8-4A Tournament exit. "It's learning how to lose. Baseball is a game of failure. You're going to win, you're going to lose, you're going to strike out, you're going to get hits. Learning how to deal with the adversity and still being a good teammate — pick your friends up, make a play on defense. Any chance we get to face adversity and learn from it makes them better players and better young men in general."