Wolves count on pitching

The Ely Timberwolves have more than a few question marks heading into the high school baseball season, but they‘re more than set in one very key position.In senior lefty Tim Scott, the Wolves have one of the premiere pitchers in northern Minnesota and Ely returns a staff that goes at least four deep into the spring campaign, which starts Saturday with two games at Hinckley.Scott, who went unbeaten last summer and helped Ely’s American Legion squad to a second-place Division II state tournament finish, is one of just two returning starters for the Wolves, who went 15-5 and captured the Arrowhead Conference crown last spring.The Wolves’ starting lineup is a work in progress, according to fourth-year head coach Frank Ivancich, but their pitching staff looks solid.In addition to Scott, the Wolves return juniors Nick Furnstahl and Paul Starkovich and sophomore Colin Moberly. All have both varsity and summer-ball experience.“If anything pitching is our strong suit,” said Ivancich. “You’ve got Timmy coming off a great summer. And you’ve got Furnstahl and Starkovich who both logged a lot of innings in VFW ball, which will hopefully get them ready for the high school season.”Ely opened practice three weeks ago, and Ivancich and first-year assistant Emmett Penke have spent much of the time trying to come up with a combination to replace seven senior starters from 2004.Scott, who hit .409 during the Legion season and reached base over 50 percent of the time, will see time at first base or the outfield when not on the mound. He’s joined in the lineup by Ely’s only other senior, outfielder Kevin Hartshorn.The Wolves have several juniors battling for spots in the lineup. Ernie Horvat has the inside track in centerfield while both Jake Ojala and Starkovich are in the hunt for outfield time.Furnstahl is working in both the infield and outfield, while Jay Olson (first base) and Matt High (third base) are working on the corners.Infielder Tyler Willis will contend for a starting job once he returns from a suspension, and other juniors on the roster include Ryan Bagnal, Chris Gregory and Jake Westlin.Moberly (P-C-SS) was a regular last spring, but he won’t be able to play this year until the Wolves have completed 10 games, because of the state high school league’s transfer rule. Since the end of the 2004 campaign, he transferred to a school in southern Minnesota and later came back to Ely. Moberly is one of several young players in the mix for varsity time. Others include sophomore infielder Elliot Beaty, sophomore catcher Eric Urbas, freshmen infielders Ben Povhe and Pat Lekatz and freshman catcher Andrew Olson.“There are a lot of positions open,” said Ivancich. “We’ve got a lot of players vying for seven positions. In a way it’s a rebuilding year with a lot of younger players getting an opportunity to see what they can do. We’ll probably have a lot of different lineups early in the season. Our goal is just to get comfortable and hopefully improve with every game. The hope is to be competitive by tournament time.”Ely is in its final year in Section 7AA before dropping back to Class A in 2006. The schedule is loaded with AA opponents, including defending section champion Hermantown and runner-up Virginia.The Wolves will take advantage of the lights at Veterans Memorial Field, with four home games scheduled at night.2005 Ely High School Baseball ScheduleSaturday: vs. East Central, 1 p.m.Saturday: at Hinckley, 3:30 p.m.Apr. 18: at GreenwayApr. 19: at ProctorApr. 25: Two HarborsApr. 28: Mt. Iron-Buhl, 7 p.m.April 30: at Carlton, 1 p.m.May 3: at BESTMay 6: Silver BayMay 7: Hermantown, noonMay 9: ChisholmMay 13: VirginiaMay 14: at Dul. Marshall, noonMay 17: Mesabi East, 7 p.m.May 20: at CherryMay 21: vs. Eveleth-Gilbert, at Metrodome, 9 a.m.May 21: Int. Falls, 8 p.m.May 25: at CookMay 26: Nash.-Kee., 7 p.m.Games at 4:30 unless noted