Prairie League

1995, 1996 and 1997

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1997 Season

"We are going to be good" - Mitch Zwolensky

As spring approached Minot's baseball enthusiasts started thinking about the upcoming season. Mike Littler, the Corbett Field groundskeeper, felt anxious about getting the field ready in time and Minot Mallard Manager Mitch Zwolensky was tempted to  predict another Championship for the Mallards. He openly predicted a championship for the 1996 season and "delivered" on that. Mitch proclaimed "I'm about one bat away from telling everybody how good we are going to be". The team had just signed third baseman Darryl Robinson who joined the Mallards near the end of the 1996 season batted .276 in eight games. Also signed was first baseman Jay Reid, who batted .281 in 1996 and was second in the league in home runs with 24. Others signed were outfielders Todd Vanek and Gary Collum, infielder Derek "Doc" Smith, catcher Cory Reeder, and  pitchers Bill Bragg, Collin Kerley and Kenny Osterkamp from the 1996 Championship team.

The 1997 Mallard ownership group included Jim Rostad, Walt Smith, Ken Keller, Don Hiller, Roger Brabandt, Jim Lervik and Darrel Loftesnes. Rostad served as President. The team was incorporated as the Minot Hardball Company. The team sold 520 season tickets (not including corporate sponsorships) compared to around 80 for the 1996 season. The ownership group looked forward to another successful season for the club. At this point they probably didn't anticipate the challenges that lay ahead.

The Mallards opened camp on June 2 and began preparing for the June 13 season opener. Camp did not include any pre-season exhibition games.

Opening Day Roster

                            * Returning players from 1996 Championship Team are listed in bold type

In addition to the opening day roster players, the following players were considered for the team prior to the season opener:

1. Mark Voisard - pitcher from the 1996 team.

2. Kim Voisard - Mark's wife was offered a roster spot as an outfielder but instead remained with the Colorado Silver Bullets, an all-women's team that barn-stormed around the country playing mostly men's teams. If she and her husband would have signed it would give the Mallards the first husband/wife duo to play professional baseball on the same team.

3. Shawn Tipton - released before the season because of a sore pitching arm. Pitched for Brainerd and Bismarck in 1996.

4. Joe Scollo- only player selected from an open tryout held on June 2. Did not make the team

5. Shane Ziegler - ruled to be property of  Brandon Grey Owls.

6. Mark Jamie - utility player from the Mexican League that was with the team for a tryout during the spring camp.

7. Ray Young - three seasons in the Japanese League

8. Joe Petkve - one of five players from the Matt Lake trade to the Frontier League.

9. Don Couples - one of five players from the Matt Lake trade to the Frontier League.

10. Jim Abbott - one of five players from the Matt Lake trade to the Frontier League.

Off to a slow start

Colin Kerley who had a 13 - 4 record with a 2.88 ERA in 1996 was the Mallards 1997 opening day pitcher.

The Mallards started their 72 game season at home against the Austin Southern Minny Stars at Corbett Field before a crowd of 1,416 fans. Although the Mallards led the game 4 - 0 into the fifth inning, the Stars came back and nipped them 7 - 6. There were some bright spots though as Doc Smith, Darryl  Robinson and  Todd Vanek had home runs for the Mallards. Also, the Stars took the lead after a controversial call that would have ended the game in the 9th inning.

Austin also won the second game of the series 6 - 2. The game had a three hour rain delay. The Mallards finally got their first win 9 - 7 to wrap up the series. Rookie right fielder Marshall Bennett hit three home runs to lead the Mallard attack. Mitch Zwolensky got his first ejection of the season for arguing a call at first base. Zwolensky later complained that the ejection was "premeditated" and that the umpire crew was out to get him.

Centerfielder Gary Collum crosses home plate in the Mallards opening game at Corbett field.  Catcher Cory Reeder tags out Grand Forks player James Wambach in Minot's 3 - 1 loss on  June 18.

The Mallards hosted the Grand Forks Varmints for the second series of the season. Grand Forks won all three games by scores of 16 - 11, 3 - 1 and 5 - 4. After the sweep. Mallard manager Mitch Zwolensky complained that the umpires were out to get the Mallards and were making calls against the team.

The Mallards did better at Grand Forks, winning two of three games in their first "away" series.  Their record stood at three wins and six losses as they moved on to Austin for a series. Mitch Zwolensky was ejected (second of the season) in the first game at Grand Forks. Todd Vanek tried to call time out  but home plate umpire Kevin Sweeney wouldn't agree. Zwolensky got tossed when he stepped out of the third base coaching box to protest. The Mallards released pitcher Harry Ogden during the series to make a roster spot for Ray Young.

The Mallards moved on to Austin and won two out of three games. In the first game against the Stars, Ashanti McDonald and Cory Reeder each had grand slam home runs to lead the Mallards to a 11 - 5 win. Colin Kerley pitched the complete game. In the second game Reeder had a three-run double to lead the attack.

Mallard statistics through that game were:

The Mallards finished their series at Austin with a 9 -5 loss and moved onto Saskatoon for a three game series with the Stallions. They lost the first game 6 - 4, but won the next two games. The team's record at the completion of the Saskatoon series was 7 wins and 8 losses.

Wet Laundry in Regina

After the Saskatoon series the Mallards moved onto Regina for a series with the Regina Cyclones. The first game scheduled for June 30 was rained out so a double header was played on July 1. The Mallards won the first game by the score of 9 - 6. Mitch Zwolensky was ejected for the third time during the first game. Regina "murdered" the Mallards 25 - 6 in the second game. On July 2 the famous wet laundry incident took place. Normal practice  was that the home team arranged for laundry services for the visiting team. About 15 minutes prior to the scheduled start of the game, the Mallards' laundry arrived at the ballpark. And it was still damp! Manager Mitch Zwolensky was furious. The umpires pushed back the start of the game by 15 minutes but Zwolensky demanded addition time for the players to warm up. When they refused, he told the umpires he was protesting the game. They said he could  not. The argument resulted in Zwolensky's fourth ejection of the season. Zwolensky then ordered his players onto the team bus refusing to play the game. Regina co-owner Dave Ferguson telephoned Mallard President Jim Rostad and Rostad  over-ruled Zwolensky and got the Mallards back onto the playing field. A seven inning game was then played with the Mallards winning 2 - 1. Five days later, on July 7, league officials announced that game would be counted as a forfeit by Minot since the Mallards refused to take the field within five minutes when the umpires wanted to start the game. By that time Zwolensky had been suspended by the league and fired by the Mallards.

Zwolensky Fired

     After the Regina series the Mallards returned home for a July 4, 5 and 6 series against the Saskatoon Stallions. Thursday July 3 was an off-day for the team and the owners announced that "controversial manager" Mitch Zwolensky had been fired. The owners said that they were not happy with the direction of their team and that the firing had nothing to do with wins and losses (8 wins, 10 losses after the July 2 win was changed to a Mallard forfeit) but rather the image that the team - specifically Zwolensky - was portraying. Alan Riffle, a former minor league pitcher with several organizations, was announced as the new manager. Riffle was at the announcement meeting, so obviously arrangements for him to manage the club were made prior to the July 2 "wet laundry" incident in Regina.

Photo: Jim Rostad, Alan Riffle and Ken Keller

Alan Riffle manages 14 games

Alan Riffle's tenure as manager lasted only from July 4 through July 18. Under Riffle the Mallards won seven and lost seven games. They lost to the Saskatoon Stallions 5 - 2 in Riffle's debut at Corbett Field. The Mallards won the next two games against the Stallions. In those two games catcher Cory Reeder had two home runs in each game and had six straight extra base hits (4 home runs and 2 doubles).

During the series with the Stallions the Mallards made the following roster changed:

        Released pitcher Bill Bragg and infielder/outfielder Ed Campaniello

         Added pitcher Ivan Zwieg and outfielder James Hemphill (Hemphill was released a few days later due to illness).

        Signed pitcher Josh Oliver and placed pitcher Ray Young on the disabled list.

        Marc Albarado was released.

On July 7 and 8 the Mallards hosted Southern Division leading Aberdeen Pheasants. Aberdeen won the first game 4 - 3 but centerfielder Gary Collum threw out a Pheasant base runner at home plate to end the second game and give the Mallards a  5 - 4 win.

The team traveled to Grand Forks for a pair of games with the Varmints. Grand Forks beat the Mallards by one run in each of the games.

Statistics published on July 9 showed Daryl Robinson leading the Mallards with a .426 batting average. Cory Reeder .341 and Ashanti McDonald .304 were second and third.  Damon Newman lead the pitching staff with 3 wins. Gary Collum was tied for the league lead with 14 stolen bases.

Mallard second baseman Louie Napolean at Corbett Field

The Southern Minny Stars visited Minot for a series beginning July 11. The Mallards won the first game by a 2 - 0 shutout but lost the second game 4 - 3. The Sunday July 13 game was rained out. The Mallards 2 - 0 win was in a rain shortened game when Gary Collum hit an inside-the-park homerun just before the game was called due to lightning.

The Grand Forks Varmints moved in next. The Mallards won the first game 10 - 7 on 15 hits. Marshall Bennett had two home runs and two doubles. Daryl Robinson went 4 for 5 and Cory Reeder drove in threee runs, hitting his eighth home run of the season. Ray Young, just re-activated, pitched the final two innings. Pitcher Colin Kerley was placed on the disabled list during this series.

The Mallards split a two game series at Aberdeen and then beat The Varmints  8 - 3 in Grand Forks. The second game of the series was rained out on July 19.

Alan Rifle was replaced as manager after the 8 - 3 win at Grand Forks. Jay Reid was appointed acting manager until Jason Felice arrived to manage the team for the second half. Under Reid, the Mallards won both games against the Varmints on July 20 but lost to West Manitoba on July 21 to end the first half in last place with a 17 - 18 record..

New manager for second half

Jason Felice guided the Regina Cyclones to the Prairie League Championship in 1995. After that season he managed Thunder Bay of the Northern League. Felice had the reputation of a motivator. Mallard owner Jim Rostad reported that the club was happy with Alan Riffle's demeanor and the way he acted during the ball games but thought the team would have a better chance for the second half with a more experienced manager.

The Mallards won their first nine games under Felice whose takeover coincided with the start of the second half. The first game was a 7 - 1 win over the Western Manitoba Wranglers at Brandon on Tuesday evening July 22. The next night the Mallards won 5 - 3 before moving on to Moose Jaw where they swept the Diamond Dogs by scores of 4 - 3, 6 - 5, and 10 - 5.

The Team returned home for a three game series against Regina. In the first game, which was Felice's home game debut as the new Mallard manager, the Mallards soundly defeated the Cyclones 13 - 4 before 819 fans. Minot's second half turnaround was attributed to much better pitching.

The Moose Jaw Diamond Dogs withdrew from the League on July 28 citing financial problems. Among other concerns, the Mallards wondered what would be done about three home games scheduled with the Diamond Dogs during the upcoming Mallard reunion. That was resolved when Regina agreed to stay over for a fourth game and Aberdeen came to play a game on August 2. Unfortunately, the Pheasants ended the Mallards 9 game win streak. Minot played Grand Forks at Grand Forks on August 3 and won 5 - 1.

The above statistics, published in the Minot Daily News, are through August 3, 1997

Southern Minny swept the Mallards by scores of 5 - 4 and 6 - 2 in away games on August 5 and 6 and then totally embarrassed the Mallards by a score of 20 - 2 at Minot. The Mallards finally beat the stars 9 - 7 in the second game at Minot. Cory Reeder had a three-run home run and Todd Vanek hit two home runs in that game.

Aberdeen lost two out of three to the Mallards at Minot. After that series the Mallards second half record stood at 13 - 5. The Mallards signed shortstop Jose Mateo and released utility player Steve Schmitz during this series.

Reid Released

Ray Young pitched 6 2/3 innings on August 12 in an away game at Aberdeen as the Mallards handed the Pheasants a 10 - 5 setback. The win was the third straight for the Mallards, who remained in first place in the Southern Division second-half standings with a 14 - 5 record. The next day the Mallards again beat Aberdeen by a score of 5 - 3. Aberdeen beat the Mallards in the third game of the series to prevent a sweep.

The next series at Austin was tough for the Mallards as the Southern Minny Stars won two out of three games to pull within a half game in the standings. In the first game the Stars handed the Mallards a 10 - 4 loss. Minot won the second game but dropped the third game by a score of 12 - 2.

The Western Manitoba Wranglers visited Minot for a series beginning August 18. The day prior to the fist game, the Wranglers had just 13 players. The others had quit the team because the team had not been paid . By game time, the team had 19 players but would not play until Minot Team President Jim Rostad agreed to advance $1800. The Wranglers gave the Mallards a run for their money but committed two errors, gave up two walks and hit a batter to yield 3 unearned runs in the bottom of the 11th inning to hand the Mallards a 6 - 5 win. The Mallards swept the series by scores of 3 - 2 and 8 - 4. All through this series it was rumored that the Wrangles were adding players from the Minot air force base but evidently they did not.

During this series, the Mallards released first baseman/designated hitter and coach Jay Reid. Reid was batting .283 with 13 home runs and 45 RBI's but there were problems between him and manager Jason Felice. So Reid had to go. Reid was second on the team in both home runs and RBI's. Bryan Hall was added to the roster as a replacement.

Mallards Win Second Half

The Mallards traveled to Aberdeen for a series and won their forth straight game in the opener. In the second game, the Pheasants won 3 - 2. Daryl Robinson had three hits and drove in five runs in the third game to give the Mallards a 10 - 3 win. Mallard pitcher Ray Young left the team during this series.

After the Aberdeen series the Mallards returned home for the final regular season homestand. Six games remained on the schedule: three against Aberdeen followed by three against Grand Forks. The team won 5 of these six games to win the Southern Division second-half and qualify for the playoffs.

In the first game against Aberdeen, pitcher John Kelly went seven innings in a 11 - 3 win. Kelly pitched six strikeouts to move him into the Prairie League lead with 103. Gary Collum, Cory Reeder, Marshall Bennett and Louie Napoleon had home runs.

Although the Mallards lost the second game 2 - 1, they clinched a play off spot by virtue of Southern Minny's win over Grand Forks.

The third game ended up the final game for Aberdeen. After losing 4 - 3, the Pheasants disbanded and forfeited their final three games to Brandon.

In the Grand Forks series Gary Collum led the Mallards attack in game 1 with a home run, a bases loaded double and five RBI's. Minot won 6 - 3. Chris Shanahan struck out ten Varmints in a 7 - 2 win in game 2. Gary Collum and Ashanti McDonald each went 4 for 5 in the final regular season game won by a score of 4 - 5. Collum's hits included his fourth home run in the last six games. He only had seven home runs all season.

Mallards Repeat as Prairie League Champions

The Mallards Southern divisional playoff series against the Southern Minny Stars was a best-of-three series that opened in Minot On August 31. Southern Minny had beaten the Mallards in six of eight second half games. The Mallards jumped ahead in the series with an 8 - 3 win. The red-hot Mallards had now won 11 of their last 13 games. Catcher Cory Reeder batted 4 for 4 with two singles, a double and a 400 foot home run over the centerfield fence. Damon Newman pitched a complete game giving up only four hits while striking out nine.

The series moved to Austin and the Stars won game 2 by a score of 8 - 0. Ex-Minnesota Twins pitcher, Juan Berenguer, pitched a complete game five hitter.

Colin Kerley took the mound for the Mallards in the "winner-takes-all" third game. Kerley threw a complete game win of 5 - 1 to give the Mallards the Southern Division pennant and a chance to repeat as Prairie League Champions. Kerley gave up eight hits, one earned run and struck out six. Todd Vanek had a fourth inning home run.

Meanwhile, in the Northern divisional playoff series, the Regina Cyclones bested the Saskatoon Stallions in three games to advance to the Championship series against the Mallards.

The Championship series series was a best-of-five game series. Both Regina and Minot were looking for their second Prairie League crown. Regina won the 1995 crown and Minot won the 1996 crown. To make things even more interesting, Mallard manager, Jason Felice was the player/manager of the 1995 Cyclone team. In addition, the Mallards had not played in Regina since the famous "wet laundry" incident on July 2 but had beaten the Cyclones all four second half games in Minot.

Games 1 & 2 were scheduled to be played in Regina and games 3,4 & 5 in Minot as needed.

The Mallards took game 1 by a score of 9 - 7. Mallards starter Ray Young, pitching for the first time since he left the team August 23 in Aberdeen, worked eight innings to get the win. Bryan Hall had a three-run homer.

Mallard catcher Cory Reeder's grand slam in the top of the tenth inning led Minot to a game 2 victory. The final score was 14 - 13.

In game 3 at Minot, the Mallards completed the three game sweep and won their second Prairie League Championship. Darryl Robinson lead the attack with two home runs, a double and eight RBI's in the 9 - 3 win. John Kelly, Chris Parker and Chris Shananhan pitched for the Mallards.

Prairie League Disbands

The Prairie League disbanded after the 1997 season. Minot was invited to join a new league: The North American League of Professional Baseball for the 1998 season. But Minot owners felt that the new league was starting out with many of the same problems that killed the Prairie League. Jim Rostad and Ken Keller pulled out leaving Walt Smith as the majority owner.  Smith was not comfortable with the financial set-up of the league and opted to wait until the first season was over before deciding whether to join. Rostad estimated that the Mallards lost $100,000 in 1997 but that the club was debt free in the Minot community.

Marshall Bennett, Ashanti McDonald, Darryl Robinson

Darryl Robinson, Chris Shanahan, Colin Kerley

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Any additional information on the Prairie League Mallards, personal reflections, corrections and/or comments will be greatly appreciated. Send to Bill Guenthner by e-mail at bguenthner@comcast.net