File photo by Travis Rosenau Leavenworth’s Mark Anderson (12) greets teammate Jackson Ludewig (4) during a Region 2C Amateur Baseball Tournament game agaist Milroy on Aug. 8 at Sleepy Eye Ballpark.

LEAVENWORTH — After a 12-year absence from the state tournament, the Leavenworth Orioles will get a chance to see if their young roster has what it takes to see success in the Class C Amateur Baseball State Tournament.

The Orioles will face off against the Randall Cubs at 11 a.m. on Saturday in Gaylord.

“I think we have such a good core group,” Leavenworth manager Zach Mickelson said. “We all get along. For the last couple years, we’ve always been a game or two games away. This year I think it was just the final drive to get over the hump and get to that state tournament.”

Including pitcher draft picks Adryen Tietz (20) and Bennett Knapper (24), the team has 15 players on the roster under 25 years of age. This includes pitcher/shortstop Jackson Huiras (22), catcher Caden Evers (19), outfielder Mark Anderson (19), outfielder Austin Uecker (19) and third base/pitcher Jackson Ludewig (18), all of whom have been a large part of the lineup and pitching rotation for the Orioles.

Despite the youth of the team, Mickleson believes Leavenworth has what it takes to compete among the best in the state tournament.

“We have a couple older guys that step into that veteran role or guidance role, but these young kids, they want to win,” Zach Mickelson said. “They strive off this energy about another game, another game after that. I think we’re ready to go.”

Leading Leavenworth at the plate this year has been Huiras, who posted a .430 batting average with 6 home runs, and Dylan Hillesheim has batted .353. Evers is batting .291 on the season, and Jaden Mickelson is a .288 hitter with a homer. Jevan Richert also provides some pop with three home runs on the year.

Anderson has been the top man on the mound for Leavenworth this year, turning in a 2.63 ERA in 61 innings.

“He threw an absolute gem against Milroy,” Zach Mickelson said. “One hit, seven innings, 13 strikeouts … If you had seen him in high school and then in college, that one year in college, it is unreal what that kid can do now. He can locate, big old curveball, when he’s locked in, he’s a tough dude to beat.”

Also options for Leavenworth are Ludewig, who has pitched 32 innings with a .28 ERA and got the win for Leavenworth against Lamberton in the Region 2C third-place game, and Hillesheim, with a 1.59 ERA in 40 innings. The Orioles have also used Huiras for 21 innings with a 2.57 ERA, mostly in the later half of the season.

“We’re a really solid, core group,” Zach Mickelson said. “We’re really young and athletic, willing to put the time and the work in in the offseason and during the season. Staying together and picking each other up when somebody has a bad game or if somebody’s pitching and it doesn’t go as well as they wanted it too. It’s a good team.”

Leavenworth finished the Region 2C Tournament with a 12-4-1 record. Randall sits a 10-6 record going into the state tournament. When it comes to the matchup against Randall, Zach Mickleson said the team will have to play strong defense while putting pressure on offensively.

“I’ve heard they have a couple good hitters and one good arm,” he said. “Other than that, I don’t know much about them. And sometimes that’s better left unknown until we hit the baseball field …

“We’ve got to play fundamental defense, minimize the errors, throw strikes and just good, strict, confident approaches at the plate. Make the guy throw pitches and put some pressure on the defense.”