By: John Sherman 
Sun Current Newspapers

Hopkins American Legion Baseball coach Todd Jahnke has a good thing going in his hometown.

A former Hopkins Legion player, Jahnke has found his niche coaching the Flyers. His program is a model of consistency with at least 20 wins in each of his first 10 seasons.

“Every year we have a great group of kids,” said Jahnke in a postseason interview. “We spend a lot of time teaching life lessons and talking about playing the game the right way.”

Jahnke’s theory is that a team that plays the right way will get its share of wins.

Although the Flyers had only a few Legion veterans at the outset of the 2015 season, they finished 22-13 overall and took third place in the Sub-State 4 Tournament at St. Louis Park. Wayzata defeated Excelsior 2-0 in the finals.

Hopkins lost one-run games to both teams – Wayzata 8-7 and Excelsior 3-2.

“If you would have told me on May 26 that we’d have 22 wins this summer, I would have taken it,” said Jahnke.

The Flyers managed that total even though they lost their ace pitcher, Robbie Palkert, July 11, when he was asked to report to the University of Nebraska. He has a scholarship to play for the Cornhuskers.

“It is what it is,” said Jahnke. “Robbie is a team guy and wishes he could have stayed.”

Even without Palkert, the Royals stayed competitive with good pitching from Aaron Jensen, Jon Koch and Shawn Williams. Jensen and Koch had Hopkins’ two victories in Sub-State play, as Koch beat Minneapolis Southwest and Jensen pitched a complete game to eliminate Chanhassen II.
Koch was named Hopkins’ team MVP at season’s end.

“Jon had a tremendous year,” said Jahnke. “He was 6-1 on the mound and batted .380. He is a legitimate two-way guy [pitcher and position player].”

When he was not on the mound, Koch anchored the outfield in center. Jensen was the starting right fielder.

Another leader on the team is third-year starting catcher Max Weesner.

“Max is a leader on and off the field,” said Jahnke. “He understands the things we need to do to be successful.”

Looking ahead to next season, only two Hopkins players, Williams and infielder Tommy Gleason, will be too old for Legion ball.

“Shawn and Tommy have been Flyers since their sophomore year, and they have represented Hopkins well,” said Jahnke.

The intriguing piece for next season is that Palkert is eligible to play again after his freshman year in college.

His availability may depend on what plans his college coach will have for him.

Jahnke said the toughest part of every season for him is the talk that follows the final game.

“Ending the season is always hard because you invest so much time and energy,” he explained. “This was a rewarding season for the coaches and the players. I feel we over achieved this year.”

In addition to placing third in the Sub-State tourney, the Flyers tied Edina and Eden Prairie for second place in the South Hennepin League standings. All three teams finished 6-2. Excelsior won the championship with a 7-1 record.

Contact John Sherman at john.sherman@ecm-inc.com. Follow him on Twitter @MNSunSports.