The Eden Prairie American Legion baseball team has surged out to a fast start with a 9-2 record.  They had a successful Burnsville Snakepit Classic tournament in posting a 3-1 record by defeating Rochester 16-0, Prior Lake 8-0, and Shakopee 15-0.  Their loss came at the hands of Chaska by a score of 4-2 in the tournament opener.  

Head coach Scott Hackett attributes the fast start to timely hitting, aggressive defense, and equally aggressive base running.  “The team is hitting well early and playing aggressively in the field on the bases,” Hackett noted of the start.  “We've been mixing and matching our lineups so far and many guys are stepping up when given opportunities.”

Depth on the pitching staff has been put to the test early this year with a number of injuries that have forced Hackett to use his whole staff.  It has been a team effort and something that doesn’t fall short on Hackett who said, “Our pitching is a little thin right now with injuries, but the guys who are healthy have been doing an awesome job throwing strikes and challenging the hitters.”

They hold a 2-1 record in the competitive South Hennepin American Legion play and opened this week with an impressive 15-0 win over Bloomington Blue.  Eden Prairie has two more league games this week and then head to he Rapid City, SD Firecracker tournament next Monday, June 29th.  It is a tournament that Eden Prairie returns to the tournament they played in from 2010-2013 after a one year absence.