15 hours Ago By Jamey Malcomb
PROCTOR — As Proctor senior finally put pen to paper and signed his letter of intent to play NCAA Division I baseball, it was the culmination of a years-long process. Terhaar, one of the area’s best pitchers, signed to play baseball with the Iowa Hawkeyes Wednesday with his parents by his side on the stage of the Proctor High School Auditorium with a mix of excitement and relief. ADVERTISEMENT “We love you,” Proctor senior Blaine Boysen said from the audience.
It was over three years ago that Terhaar was playing in a baseball tournament in Iowa that he first started to think of playing college baseball. He wasn’t even pitching at the time, but the tournament organizer told him he liked the way he played and perhaps he should think about playing at the next level. Over the ensuing years, Terhaar heard from a number of schools that included several in the Midwest, including South Dakota, as well as a few Southern schools, but he always seemed to come back to Iowa.
“The big part for me about Iowa was it feels like home there already,” he said. “They’re really big on being one big family, they want their teammates to be connected with one another — they focus on the team as a whole, not which guy is better than that guy.” Another factor in the decision for Terhaar was the analytics used in the Hawkeye program.
Coaches track every pitch thrown in bullpen sessions, games and practices, giving players things like velocity, spin rate and other pitching metrics. “They use that to show you exactly how good you can possibly be and then they work to get you to that point,” Terhaar said. Terhaar had a 2.
01 ERA last season and 93 strikeouts in 11 appearances last season. In addition, he hit .352 with three home runs and 19 RBIs.
ADVERTISEMENT Despite his talents on the mound and at the plate, it’s Terhaar’s leadership that puts him in a category on his own, according to Proctor coach Adam Shykes. “It can be pretty easy when you have that much talent to just want it to be about you,” he said. “But Nick just cares about the team — he just wants to do whatever he can to win.
..He loves his teammates and he will do anything for them.
” As if anticipating what Shykes might say, after signing the letter with his parents, Jerrie and Kim, on stage, Terhaar waved to his teammates to join him for the photo. “Get on up here,” he said. Marshall standouts sign with Western Kentucky, St.
Thomas While Terhaar perhaps signed with the highest profile baseball program of anyone in the area, two Duluth Marshall pitchers signed to play at the Division I level. Seniors Max Berrisford and Owen Marsolek both signed letters of intent to play at college baseball’s highest level Wednesday. Berrisford signed with St.
Thomas after a season where he had a 1.14 ERA and 55 strikeouts over 43 innings last season. The Tommies just moved from Division III to Division I in 2021, but that was part of the draw for Berrisford.
ADVERTISEMENT “It’s exciting to me to have the opportunity to help build a program,” he said. “They won the Summit League last year, which is really exciting because that means they’ve already had a successful season.” Marsolek won’t even have to get used to a new mascot for his team.
The Hilltoppers’ senior will remain a Hilltopper, signing with Western Kentucky — the only college sports program with a nickname to match Marshall. Marsolek had an ERA of 0.795 and 79 batters in 44 innings of work for Garramone.
More importantly, Marsolek pitched a one-hit, 14 strikeout win over Esko in the Section 7AA tournament in June. “Owen is one of the fiercest competitors I’ve ever coached,” Marshall’s Nick Garramone said. “He can pitch, he can hit and his baseball IQ is off the charts.
His work ethic, his love for the game — it can’t be compared to anyone else.” Baseball standouts weren’t the only signing for the Hilltoppers Monday. Brooks Johnson signed to play basketball for Minnesota Duluth.
Part of why he signed with the Bulldogs was a “genuine connection” with coach Justin Wieck, but he also is excited to stay home to play in front friends, family and, most importantly, his grandparents. What’s more, Wick had already had success with players like Drew Blair and Josh Brown. Many of the guys — like former Northwestern standout Cole Lahti — are filling a role previously held.
“He had the blueprint,” Johnson said. “He’s already had the success, now it’s time to do it again. Hopefully, we can go win a national championship.
” ADVERTISEMENT It wasn’t just boys signing, Wednesday, however. Anna Hron, a teammate of Berrisford and Marsolek in 2023 , signed to play Division III lacrosse at Wisconsin-Stout and Nina Thorson signed to play hockey at Hamline University in St. Paul.
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