Ely's 2015 American Legion baseball season will start a bit earlier than first anticipated.
Post 248 will host Moose Lake in a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. Friday at Veterans Memorial Field, launching another season of summer baseball in Ely.
The twinbill was finalized Tuesday after Moose Lake's scheduled trip to Taconite was postponed.
Ely, which went 20-12 and finished third in the Eighth District Division II playoffs a year ago, is counting on a mix of returning and new talent in a bid to contend in the district. College freshman Will Gustafson, the likely opening game starter, heads the pitching staff after winning four games and striking out a batter per inning last year.
Junior Patrick Huisman is also back after going 4-0 with a 2.03 earned run average last year and driving in a team-high 24 runs. Other top returning hitters include second baseman Elliot Omerza (.333), left fielder Cole Kellogg (.308), centerfielder Jeff Willis (.292) and outfielder/first baseman Spencer Gaulke (.290). Ely is also likely to get a boost in the middle of its lineup from freshman catcher Gage Merhar, who earned All-Arrowhead Conference status in high school and hit over .450 this spring.
The doubleheader kicks off a better than 25-game regular season schedule for Post 248, which includes two upcoming home tournaments, the eight-team DQ Grill and Chill Classic (June 19-21) and the 12-team Sir G's Midsummer Classic (July 10-12).
Friday's games also lead up to the first tournament of the year at the ballpark, the seven-team Taste of Ely VFW Classic. Ely takes on Thunder Bay at 8 p.m. Friday to open an event that runs through Sunday afternoon.
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