Article

Back from the Dead

In 2003, one of the state's premier summer league teams did not even compete. Now, with the help of a hometown boy and some fellow Maverick teammates, the Mankato Twins are alive and well.
by Buckentine, Tyler
Issue date: 9/14/06 Section: Mens Sports

For some baseball players, their talent lands them a spot on a minor league roster when their collegiate career ends.

Then there are those players who find a career in something other than baseball that still find a way to play the game.

Players like Jay Nessler.

Nessler, a 2004 graduate of Minnesota State didn't play in the minor leagues after college. Instead, he revived an amateur baseball team, the Mankato Twins, who were dormant in 2003.

While at Mankato West High School, Nessler played in his first seasons with the Twins and stayed with the team through 2002.

The following year he played for the Mankato Moondogs. Soon, other players left the team and the Twins folded.

"A bunch of guys left the team or lost interest," said Twins player/manager Nessler. "So I talked to a bunch of my old teammates and we decided to get [the team] up and running again."

Since its first season back in 2004, the Twins have made three-straight state tournament appearances, finishing as champions in 2005 and as runners up this past August.

"It helped having a lot of guys back from last year," said Nessler, the 2004 North Central Conference MVP. "We lost a few pitchers, but the guys who threw, threw good."

The three trips to the state tournament are clear evidence that Nessler's age hasn't affected his managing skills, but at 24 years old, it can be difficult.

"Sometimes it can be challenging," Nessler said. "You have to know the situations of a game like what plays to call in certain situations.

"It's also kind of challenging coaching guys that you're friends with and have fun with." There are a few players older than Nessler on the Twins, including ace pitcher Chris Rupert.

MSU ROOTS

The Mankato Twins could just as well be called the MSU alumni team.

Of 17 players on the roster, 14 are either on MSU's current roster or graduated players. Ten of them were on the Mavericks' roster in 2006.

Whether they're playing in a Maverick uniform at the MSU Baseball Complex or a Twins' jersey at Franlkin Rogers Park, they seem to be enjoying the same success.

"It makes me more proud to see them still playing together more than winning," MSU associate head coach Matt Magers said. "Because that's one thing we try to teach here is for guys to have fun.

"It's a lifelong thing that they're picking up. They can play it their whole life."

Magers played for Gaylord's amateur team through high school until 1996. One year later he was drafted in the 16th round by the Chicago Cubs and went on to play single-A ball in Williamsport, Pa., and in 1998 he played in Rockford, IL.

"It's still fun to watch them playing and having fun," Magers said. "That's the way the game is meant to be played.

"I love amateur baseball because you're getting guys out there with a passion to play baseball. It's more of a relaxed atmosphere; where pro baseball is a business."

Magers said he'd love to play for the Mankato Twins, but NCAA rules prohibit coaches from playing on the same team as their own players. "Plus you have to be in shape," he added.

Nessler gives some of the credit for the Twins' success to the MSU program.

"All of us (MSU players) kind of played in the same system," Nessler said. "The coaching staff was solid and you're always around good players.

"The system they have in place is really great."

Chemistry is an important element to any team's success and the Twins have just that.

"They play together so well that they know each other's strengths and weaknesses," Magers said. "During the game they have a good time and after the game they hang out. They're all good friends.

"But at the same time, they know how to criticize each other in a maturely, without bringing each other down."

How does the MSU program effect current Mavericks players on the Twins team?

"It made me a better ballplayer and a better person, too. The work ethic helps you out," said senior Adam Sudbeck, who made the All-State Tournament team for the Twins in 2005. "Last spring, we won 43 games and that success carried over to the summer."

Maybe it's the chemistry or the work ethic that they picked up at MSU, or maybe it's the love of the game that propels the Twins. Either way, the Twins are dominating the state every summer and having a blast doing it.