The Two Harbors baseball season may have been stunted in the playoffs, but the team has shown significant growth over the season and is poised for a major growth spurt in the near future.
“We got a lot of youth, but as we keep going and growing, we got a lot more numbers that are coming up and a lot more talent coming,” said Adam Labat, head coach of the Two Harbors Agates baseball team.
This season, three seniors have graduated, and the team has a small number of juniors. However, nearly ten sophomores have been playing well, and almost twenty 7th and 8th graders are coming up.
The influx of talent into the varsity teams is, according to Coach Labat, “really a testament to our youth program that we’ve kind of revitalized in town the last handful of years.”
“We grew a lot this year. I thought our sportsmanship was good, as well,” said Coach Labat. “Unfortunately, it was a tough season from a wins and losses standpoint, but I thought we did get better over the course of the year.”
The coach is committed to enhancing all phases of the game, including pitching, defense, and hitting. The coaching team will also focus on becoming more detail-oriented to set the players up for success.
This year, numerous rainouts and rescheduling disrupted the team’s rhythm. Missing the opportunity to play at Pine City was also disappointing. Despite these challenges, the seniors stood out as key players and the team powered through.
Thor Tokvam was a leader on the team during and before he was in his last high school year. “He led us in hitting and really was a good pitcher for us, as well,” said Coach Labat. “He will be missed. Not just the things on the scoresheet but some of the things from a leadership standpoint will certainly be missed.”
Coach Labat will also miss Chase Anderson and his humor in the dugout. “He never fails to come up with a line or two that you kind of shake your head and laugh about,” the coach said.
The team will also feel Kip Jones’ absence. Kip is a transplant to Two Harbors, he moved to the area about a year ago from North Dakota and took on both hockey and baseball as a senior. “This is his first year in the program,” Coach Labat said, who told me he believes that Kip hadn’t played for a handful of years before moving. “So, he picked it back up and did a really good job hitting for us this year.”
The coach enjoyed his first year of coaching and plans to continue. “We just got a great group of kids, and part of what made the season great for me was being able to spend time with these kids.”
The team showed excellent sportsmanship, and some players even volunteered to umpire youth games. Labat expressed gratitude for the supportive parents and their patience during the weather disruptions. “It wasn’t easy this year with all the reschedules. We had a little bit more of a situation than we’ve had in a while because, normally, we practice solely at the arena when we couldn’t practice outside but we don’t have a batting cage there anymore. We had a lot of understanding parents,” he said. “Especially in my first year. I certainly made mistakes and did my best to try to communicate the best that I could. I think the parents deserve some credit there.”
The dedication of both the players and parents made the season’s challenges manageable.
The players have some opportunities over the summer to hone their skills, with options to play legion baseball and participate in junior high leagues. Some student athletes also play for Duluth travel teams, too.
Coach Labat hopes to see the program continue to grow and improve in the years to come. He believes that sports and competition build resilience and help overcome challenges. “It’s provided me with some of the core memories that I remember from my childhood, some of those relationships and those moments you never forget,” he said of his experience.
Congratulations to the Agates baseball team for showing much growth this season, and to their parents and fans for all the support they show by taking their families out to the ball game to cheer on their favorite players!
