2026 Muskies Repeat as Twin Cities MABL 28+ Champions
Twin Cities MABL, 28+ Division
Muskies 8, Grasshoppers 3
‘Klocker Strikes Out 14 in Title Game to Secure Victory’
The Muskies entered the 2026 season as the defending Twin Cities MABL 28+ Division champions after capturing their first championship in team history in 2025.
The Muskies opened the season in dominant fashion with a 43–1 victory over the newly formed Tommies. However, the following week brought an early setback, as the Muskies dropped a rain-shortened game to another new opponent, the Bombers. From there, the Muskies ran the table through the remainder of the regular season, finishing 12–1 and earning first place in the National Division.
Offensively, the Muskies put together one of the most productive regular seasons in league history. Over 13 games, the club scored a record 198 runs—an average of more than 15 runs per game —and finished the season with a league-leading team batting average of .424, while the pitching staff was equally strong, allowing only 36 runs.
Gus Morley led the team with a .579 batting average, adding nine doubles, one triple, 19 RBIs, and 14 stolen bases. Emery Hull followed closely, slashing .525/.650/.929 with four home runs and 25 RBIs. Cody Kreiner and Paul McGrath each hit .500, while Ben Nelson batted .431 with five doubles and two home runs.
Newcomer Martin Delapaz made an immediate impact, hitting .429 with three doubles and two grand slams. In all, nine Muskies hitters finished the regular season with batting averages of .400 or better.
The pitching staff was once again anchored by Dave Klocker, who went 6–1 with a 1.48 ERA across 54.2 innings. Klocker struck out 57 batters and recorded two complete-game shutouts. Ryan Lutzka finished a perfect 3–0 with a 1.21 ERA, while Kreiner made his long-awaited return to the mound following shoulder surgery, going 3–0 with a 3.32 ERA.
Playoff Run…Entering the postseason, the road to a repeat championship was going to be anything but easy.
In the opening round, the Muskies faced the Ducks in a dramatic 10-inning battle. The Muskies struck first in the opening inning when Emery Hull singled to drive in a run. They added two more runs in the second, with Matt DeWolf delivering a sacrifice fly and Sam Morley bringing home another run on a groundout.
Entering the ninth, the Muskies held a narrow 3–2 lead before the Ducks tied the game with a home run. The game went into extra innings with the Ducks pushing a run across in the top of the 10th on a sacrifice fly to take their first lead of the day, 4–3. 
The Muskies answered in walk-off fashion. In the bottom of the 10th, the Ducks’ pitching change proved costly as the Muskies loaded the bases with two walks and a single by Hull. Gus Morley then drew a walk to force in the winning run and secure a 5–4 victory. On the mound, Lutzka earned the complete-game, 10-inning win for the Muskies.
Next, the Muskies met the Bombers for the third time this season. The Muskies jumped on the Bombers right away, scoring eight runs in the first inning and turning a fast start into an easy 15–3 victory and a return trip to the championship game.
In the game, Klocker led the offense with three hits in three at-bats and also earned the victory on the mound. Pitching all nine innings, allowing three runs on 10 hits while striking out nine and walking just two. DeWolf, Kreiner, and Gus Morley all added multiple hits in the game.
Championship Showdown…The title game set up a familiar matchup: Muskies vs. Grasshoppers. For the third straight year, the Muskies faced their biggest rival in the Championship game and a team that had won back-to-back 28+championships in 2023 and 2024.
The Grasshoppers entered the championship game undefeated at 13–0 and had been relatively unchallenged all season. But the Muskies struck early with timely hitting and capitalized on several uncharacteristic Grasshopper errors; this allowed the Muskies to build an 8-0 lead after seven innings.
Delapaz led the way at the plate, going 3-for-5 with a double off the top of the wall in the second inning. DeWolf and Nelson each added multi-hit games for the Muskies. Overall, the Muskies finished with 15 hits and were aggressive on the bases, stealing nine bases on the day.
Klocker took the mound for the Muskies and delivered another postseason masterpiece. He threw a complete game, striking out 14 Grasshopper hitters. He carried a shutout into the ninth inning before the Grasshoppers were able to finally break through, but the late rally was not enough.
The Muskies prevailed 8–3 to claim their second consecutive Twin Cities MABL 28+ championship, completing another memorable season and further establishing themselves as one of the division’s premier teams.