Ely’s high school baseball team captured both Iron Range and Arrowhead Conference titles during a solid spring, and now several Timberwolves have earned all-conference honors.
Seniors Hunter Halbakken and Drew Johnson and junior Owen Marolt have earned both All-Arrowhead Conference and All-Iron Range Conference recognition, while junior Tyde Brecke gained a spot on the All-Arrowhead team and fellow junior Evan Leeson won All-IRC acclaim.
League coaches gave the Wolves the recognition following a year in which Ely largely dominated league opponents and racked up 15 wins, finishing third in Section 7A and reaching the section Final Four for a fifth straight year.
Halbakken was one of northeastern Minnesota’s top pitchers, going 8-1 on the hill with the only defeat coming in a 2-0 loss to Cherry in the Section 7A semifinals.
The lanky senior struck out 59 batters in 53 innings and allowed only 10 earned runs, finishing with a miniscule 1.32 earned run average. He finished his prep career with 23 wins on the mound.
Halbakken also hit .288 at the plate with 11 runs batted in. Johnson was a spark at the top of Ely’s order, reaching base over 50 percent of the time and compiling a .349 average with 24 runs scored, 19 runs batted in and a teambest 17 stolen bases. His versatility on defense was an asset and he was able to start at several positions during the year.
Marolt led the Ely offense with a .449 average, a team-high 28 runs scored and 20 runs batted in, along with nine extra-base hits. He also was a workhorse on the mound, picking up five wins while fanning 62 batters in 51 innings pitched.
Brecke rounded out the All-Arrowhead quartet and moved into a starting outfield role this spring, hitting .377 with 21 runs scored, 16 RBI and 14 stolen bases while recording a .489 on-base percentage.
Leeson stepped into the starting shortstop position for the Wolves and provided strong defense while also scoring 24 runs, driving in 13 and hitting .277 for the year.
