Waseca High School 1990 State Championship Baseball Team. Front Row: Marshall Cawley, Dan Eliason, Tom Brown, Nate Strand, Mike Smith, Jeff Van Vyve, Lance Johnson, Andy O'Brien, Joey Wieczoreak. Back Row: Coach Tink Larson, Jeff Voshell, Steve Moeller, Quinn Hammond, Corey Holtz, Tom Holtz, Clark Christianson, Dave Moeller, Barry Dufault.

The 1990 Waseca Bluejays baseball team became the first Waseca High School athletic team to win a state championship since 1918.

It was an unbelievable run for this team, as they had not accomplished anything in their previous years that would indicate that they had a chance to accomplish something like winning a state championship.

Even halfway through that season it appeared as though they would have another average year, as they were 6-5 at that point.

However, the team got hot and won 15 of their final 16 games of the season, including eight consecutive tournament games, to win the conference, district, region and state.

The team relied on pitching and speed to accomplish their feat. They had a team batting average of just .223 for the season, but the pitching staff, led by lefthander Jeff Voshell with 16 wins, still a state record, picked up the slack. Voshell won all eight tournament games and in the process gave up just six runs with four shutouts.

The Bluejays utilized their team speed to steal 125 bases, as opposed to only 30 stolen bases for the opposition.

Another asset for the Bluejays was the leadership of the seniors, their outstanding attitude, and the team chemistry of the entire squad.

The starting lineup:

1. Pitcher Jeff Voshell was All-State and pitched every inning at the state tournament.
2. Catcher Mike Smith led the team in hitting for the season.
3. First baseman Clark Christianson was the vocal leader of the team and won five games.
4. Second baseman Andy O'Brien would be All-State the following year.
5. Shortstop Barry Dufault anchored a solid defense.
6. Designated hitter Tom Holtz drove in five runs in a semi-final win over Luverne.
7. Tom Brown went from student manager to starting right fielder.
8. Quinn Hammond in left field and Dave Moeller in center field both made diving, game-saving catches in earlier tournament games.
9. Third baseman Steve Moeller drew the bases loaded walk that scored Mike Smith with the winning run with two outs in the bottom of the final inning of a 4-3 win over Sleepy Eye in the championship game.

The remainder of the team, Lance Johnson, Nate Strand, Corey Holtz, Dan Eliason, Jeff Van Vyve, all contributed to the championship season.

Managers were Marshal Cawley, Joe Wieczoreak and Russ Frederick. Statisticians were Christine Schumacher and Beth Yuzer.

Tink Larson was the head coach assisted by Rick Jeddeloh and Jerry Brooks. 1990 was indeed a year to remember with the Waseca Bluejays baseball team winning a state championship.