After a season in Class B, the Winsted Wildcats were back in Class C in 2011, and the success just continued.

For the sixth time in the past 11 years, the Wildcats played in the state tournament.

However, the way the season ended for the Wildcats at state left them even more hungry for 2012 to get started.

Leading 6-1 late in the game against Fairmont in the opening round of the state tournament, Fairmont scored four uneared runs on a grand slam home run to cut the gap to 6-5.

Still, Winsted was leading and with two outs and two strikes on the Fairmont batter, the Wildcats looked to be a lock to head into round two.

However, on an 0-2 pitch, the Fairmont batter belted a home run to tie the game up at six, and they would eventually go on to win the game 7-6 in 12 innings.

Despite the tough way it ended, the 2011 season was full of successes for the Wildcats.

Winsted went 19-1 in the Crow River Valley League to win the North Division championship, and finished with an impressive 27-9 overall record.

For his performance in league play in 2011, Winsted’s Josh Anthony was named the CRVL MVP. This is the four conescutive season in which a Wildcat has been named the league MVP.

Prior to Anthony, Joe Kley (2008), Tony Kley (2009), and Gregg Kohler (2010) received the honor.

As for Anthony, he led the league with eight home runs and 40 RBIs. He was also seventh in the league in batting (.390) and was second in runs scored (26).

That was just at the plate. On the hill Anthony also had impressive numbers, going 7-0 with a 2.18 ERA while striking out 56.

However, Anthony wasn’t even the best pitcher for the Wildcats in 2011, as that honor goes to Tony Kley, who was named the leauge’s Most Valuable Pitcher.

For the 2011 season, T. Kley led the league with a 7-0 record and a 0.31 ERA, while finishing second in strikeouts with 70.

Over the past 11 years, the Wildcats have gone to six state tournaments, and finished fourth, twice, in the Class C state tournament – 2007 and 2009.

During that time span, the Wildcats have gone 138-48 in the CRVL, and are 232-142 overall.

This year, more change is at hand for Winsted as they will be dropping back down to Class C.

Winsted is managed by Aaron Schultz, who has either managed or co-managed since 2006.

While Winsted has enjoyed a multitude of success this past decade with six state tournament appearances, they have been unable to win a state championship.

That is something a team of the past has done. Back in 1948, the Wildcats were state champions, and followed that title season with state appearances in 1949 and 1950.

Amateur baseball in Winsted traces its beginnings back to 1935. Then, Winsted was a member of the Dairy Belt League, which also included Lester Prairie, Lake Marion, Hamburg, and Plato.

According to past player and longtime Winsted manager Francis Kappel, a long time ago, in 1947, a contest took place to select a name for the Winsted baseball club. The winning name was “Warriors.”

In those days, Winsted also had a second “class B” team, known as Specs’ Wildcats. That team was organized and run by Jerome “Specs” Campbell.

For a few years, in the early 1950s, Winsted did not have an organized ball club, due to the fact so many men were in the military. At about that same time, Specs’ team folded. When organized ball came back to Winsted in the mid 1950s, the Warriors’ name was changed to the Wildcats.

At that time, Winsted was in the Wright Star League. In 1972, Winsted joined the Crow River Valley League.

Winsted plays their home games at Denis M. Campbell Field in Winsted, with the 2011 season opening up in early May.

Over the years, Winsted has had three players, Francis Kappel, Ken Norman, and Denis M. Campbell (the Winsted baseball field’s namesake) inducted into the Minnesota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame.

For more information on the Winsted Wildcats, go to its website at www.herald-journal.com/sports/baseball/crvl/winsted/wildcats.html, or call manager Aaron Schultz (320) 282-6514.