File photo by Ari Selvey Courtland’s Tegan Kamm scores a run during the Region 2C Championship game against Hanska on Aug. 9 at Sleepy Eye Ballpark.

COURTLAND — When this season started, the Courtland Cubs were the No. 1-ranked Class C amateur baseball team in Minnesota.

They have kept that top seed all season.

Now the Cubs, 23-4 and making their third straight trip to the Class C showcase, look to show Minnesota as they open Class C state tournament play Sunday, August 17 at 1:30 p.m. in Hutchinson against the Pine Island Pioneers.

Cubs manager Chase Meyer said that carrying the number one ranking from the season’s first pitch has meant that Courtland was a team that got everyone else’s best shot.

“There has been a target on our back all year,” Meyer said. “We started off pretty hot and now we are getting into the swing of things — we are starting to come around and playing as a team.”

Offensively, the Cubs are led by Nolan Drill, who carries a .520 batting average into the state tournament, with Mason Cox at .500, Evan Wiltscheck at .378, Carter Lang at .371 and Maddox Mortensen at .329.

As a team, the Cubs are hitting .319.

Jackson Bode leads the Cubs’ pitching staff and has a 2.09 ERA, but the Cubs have several other top pitchers they can turn to also.

“Nolan Drill has 32 innings pitched and has an ERA of 1.05,” Meyer said. “Ansen Dulas has pitched 31 innings and has an ERA of 1.36.”

Meyer said that the Cubs have been pretty consistent all season but have had some minor bumps on the road.

“We have had some bad games and we have good games, but we do have enough guys that if our starting pitcher does not have the best stuff for that day, we have plenty of other guys that can go on the mound and do an adequate job,” Meyer said. “Teddy Giefer has 27 innings pitched and has an ERA of 1.02 and Josh Giefer has an ERA of 2.06 and Carter Lang an ERA of 2.05. So even when our pitchers are struggling to get guys out, we have a very good defense behind them that can really keep us in games and as long as our pitchers keep walks to a minimum, we can compete with everybody.”

Meyer said that the Cubs are a very fundamentally strong team in all three categories — hitting, pitching and defense.

“And we are a gritty team, so if we get down, there is a never-say-die mentality,” Meyer said.

After a strong state run last year, Meyer isn’t entirely sure what to expect this year

“Last year we were two games away from the finals,” he said. “… And our goal this year is to win the tournament and I think we are very capable of doing that.

“We have tools for every situation –we got some players in the draft — so I am hoping those added pitchers will help us out.”

Meyer said that the Cubs will be without Jaden Drill for the tournament as he blew out his elbow during the season.

Meyer knows that Pine Island, the Cubs’ first-round opponents, had a good high school team.

“They won the state 2A baseball championship and they are a very young team,” Meyer said. “They will be a high-energy team, so we need to keep putting pressure on them and good things will happen.

“And the experience that we have gotten each year in the state tournament has allowed us to grow and gain confidence. And it has helped us relax a lot more and that is a big thing when you get put on the big stage because that first-round game is the most pressure-packed. Our goal is to get a couple of runs early and put the pressure on them.”