Jul. 14—Tanner Shumski knew it would be tougher to pitch against a Northwoods League lineup than a local town-ball team, and there’s something a bit intimidating about standing on the mound with a couple thousand fans watching.
So Shumski, the Mankato West grad who now pitches at Minnesota State, had a rough debut with the Mankato MoonDogs last week, allowing two earned runs on four hits in 2 2/3 innings.
“There’s a lot more people, and it’s better competition,” Shumski said. “It had been a couple months since college ball.
“But it’s still just baseball. You still have to make good pitches and get people out. I’m glad I did better (the second time out).”
Shumski and Louis Magers, both Mankato West grads who just finished their true freshman season at Minnesota State, have joined the Mankato MoonDogs for the second half of the season.
MoonDogs manager Danny Kneeland said that the plan was to have both on the roster for the end of the season, knowing that players from further away will start leaving to return home before the games are finished.
“We brought 11 guys in at the halfway point, and (Shumski and Magers) have fit right in,” Kneeland said.
Shumski, a right-hander, bounced back with two scoreless innings in relief on Tuesday, allowing two of the first three batters to get a single before retiring the next five batters, two on strikeouts.
Shumski pitched 15 innings as a true freshman at Minnesota State, with a 1-1 record and 7.20 earned-run average. He pitched for the North Mankato Gators amateur team to get ready for the MoonDogs, where he hopes to make more strides to prepare, especially working on a slider, to return to Minnesota State in the fall.
“I’m trying to be more consistent,” Shumski said. “It’s helped to be here with (Kneeland) and (pitching coach Tanner Cunha); they have a lot of knowledge. And I’ve been able to pick up things from other guys. It’s a great experience.”
Magers, Shumski’s teammate at West and Minnesota State, had an even rougher debut with the MoonDogs, allowing five earned runs while getting just one out while taking the loss in a game last week.
“That was the first time I’ve pitched in 2 1/2 months,” Magers said. “It’s going to take a while to get in the flow and my body to feel right. The results weren’t what I wanted, but there will be more opportunities.”
Magers, who has been recovering from hip and ribs injuries suffered during college baseball, got 123 at-bats in his freshman season with the Mavericks on the spring, hitting .268 with two home runs and 26 RBIs. He only pitched 21 1/3 innings, with a 2-0 record and 2.11 ERA, and that will be his main focus during the rest of the Northwoods League season.
“If I had to pick, I’d say I like pitching more (than hitting),” Magers said. “You’re always competing against the batter. But I’m still going to be getting some at-bats.”
Since the MoonDogs can only have 16 position players, Magers will just pitch for now, although some of the players don’t have passports to get into Canada for this weekend’s games at Thunder Bay. Once players start leaving, Magers will pitch and hit.
Both Shumski and Magers have been to several MoonDogs games as they grew up, and it’s something of a dream come true to play with the MoonDogs.
“It’s really cool,” Shumski said. “Every game, there’s a lot of family and friends that come to watch. I hope to put on a good show for the kids, who see that Mankato kids can be part of this.”
Kneeland said he’s been happy with the way Shumski and Magers have worked and performed, and next season, those two could be around for the entire season.
“We’d like to have both of them back in the future,” Kneeland said. “Those guys are going to continue to get better. Hopefully, they will be MoonDogs for a couple more years.”
Follow Chad Courrier on Twitter @ChadCourrier.