After the first 11 games this season, the Minnesota Valley Lutheran baseball team had a 3-8 record, including five-inning loss to Buffalo Lake-Hector-Stewart, a team the Chargers had defeated 7-1 earlier in the season.

But after that five-inning loss to the Mustangs, something changed.

Since that loss, the Chargers have rolled off six straight wins, the longest active winning streak of any team in Section 2A.

MVL head coach John Gunderson said that one of the keys to establishing that winning streak has been the play of his team’s defense.

“We struggled through the early part of the season with our defense,” he said on Saturday. “We did not make the plays that we knew that we could and that got into our heads. But finally something clicked.”

One of the things that Gunderson did was make some personnel changes defensively.

“We moved Leyton Brau from the outfield to second base and we switched Derek Weisensel from the infield to the outfield,” he said. “It turned out to be a natural move for both of them. They both have been playing exceptionally well at their new positions.”

Another factor in the winning streak came after the loss to BLHS when the Chargers had a players-only meeting.

“I let the captains [Teddy Giefer and Mason Cox] speak first to get some things off of their chests and I let the players talk to each other,” Gunderson said. “We coaches just stood behind them and supported what they wanted to express. We let the players express their feelings and frustrations. That was just a natural part of the venting process. It gave a chance for each player to see the role on the team and to come together.”

Since those two events, the Chargers’ baseball team has had solid defense which has turned into better pitching. And the offense has improved.

Offensively, Gunderson moved catcher Mason Cox to the No. 2 spot in the batting order from the No. 4 spot and then moved Giefer to the No. 4 batter.

“We are pushing the ball into places we were not before and are getting that two-out key hit,” Gunderson said.

Gunderson thinks that if his team continues to play like it has been in the last six games, the Chargers are going to be a tough team to beat in Section 2A.

MVL more than likely will be at home for its first playoff game starting Thursday.

GREYHOUNDS SEE THREE TO SIX SEED: Despite a disappointing 5-1 loss to BLHS Friday in the first game of a doubleheader, New Ulm Cathedral head baseball coach Bob Weier sees his team as a No. 3 through No. 6 seed in the Section 2A tournament. He said he was disappointed in his team’s effort in the 5-1 loss but rebounded nicely for a 15-0 win in Game 2.

“We were not ready to play in that first game,” Weier said. “Their hearts were not in that first game.”

Weier said for the most part, his team has played consistent baseball all season.

“Our pitching has improved but one of the areas we are concerned about is our defense,” he said. “We commit quite a few errors and that gets our pitchers in trouble. I wish we can clear that up.”

Going into the Section 2A tournament, BOLD and Springfield are the clear cut top two teams. But can anyone knock them off?

“With Tuesday’s performance against Springfield (a 3-2 Cathedral win) we proved that we can play with them,” Weier said. “But we have to play a good ballgame. We cannot make critical mistakes and we need key hits. That is how you win playoff games.”

Cathedral lost a close 7-5 game to BOLD in the second game of the year.

Weier said that he is a little concerned about his team’s depth going into playoffs with only 11 players on the roster.

“It is a concern when you only have 11 players because you do not have any options,” he said. “You can only make one or two moves during the game and it you have a situation where if a batter is coming up and he is not a proficient batter you want to go to the bench for a better bunter. Defensively you may want to make a change or you have a kid who can run. With a short roster a lot of those options are not available.”

With the win Friday, Weier now has 422 career wins, 13th most in Minnesota State High School League history.

Weier thinks that Monday’s game at Cleveland is a big one for his team.

“It is big for the section but it is bigger in that we play a good game and our kids know that they can play a good game and then carry that confidence into the playoffs.”

EAGLES NEED TO BE NEAR PERFECT: If you look at some of New Ulm High School’s baseball games, you will see a team that has played well at times and at times has not.

The Eagles, who end their regular season Monday when they host Owatonna in a doubleheader at Johnson Park, are their own worst enemy with errors at the wrong time and then seem to compound themselves.

New Ulm can beat any team in Section in 2AAA but it can just as easily see its season end fast. The Eagles need to avoid slow starts and errors that seem to snowball in a game.