Brookston fields first Legion baseball team since 2005

The last time Brookston fielded an American Legion baseball team, the year was 2005 – and now the Brookston sluggers are back.

“It’s a good thing going around here,” said Brookston head coach Travis Paulson. “It’s nice to have the team finally back.”

Paulson served as an assistant coach with his older brother, Damien, for AlBrook so he’s quite familiar with the boys in his lineup – all 17 of them.

“I know all of these kids quite well,” said Paulson, who threw together a 17-game schedule at the last second for the team. “And so far, they seem to be having a fun time.”

And with a mix of kids from Floodwood, Cotton and AlBrook, Brookston isn’t any cupcake.

“I can start anybody on this team,” continued Paulson. “So far, I think I’ve had a different lineup every game. And that’s nice to have.”

Brookston knocked off Esko twice and Marble once to open up their summer league with a 3-0 record. Most recently, they notched a 13-6 win at Esko Tuesday night.

Brookston is guided by both Kolten and Bryce Karppinen of AlBrook, while the addition of Floodwood’s Zack Heggedahl and Cotton’s Dan Wood has added pitching depth to the small-town club.

“We’ve got six strong pitchers,” added Paulson, who will watch his boys play home games at AlBrook High School this summer. “And that depth is something really nice. We’ve got three catchers, too.”

Paulson is excited about having the summer program back in the area.

“I think summer ball is huge,” Paulson said. “It really helps kids a lot. These kids need this. I’m pretty happy about things.”

Though Legion ball is laid back, Paulson explained how his sluggers have taken notice of the revamped squad and are ready to go daily.

“Everyone has showed up, and they’re into it,” he said. “I think they’re enjoying themselves. And our numbers are great.”

And this time around, Paulson thinks Brookston Legion is here to stay.

“I think we finally have it back now and it’ll be here for awhile,” he said. “There are plenty of kids out nowadays and we have a lot of young kids coming up through the lines.”

Brookston continues to stay busy on the diamond, hosting Aurora Thursday at 6 p.m. in Saginaw, then traveling to Cook County for a doubleheader Friday.

Next week they’ll make their way to Marble for a contest under the lights on July 8.

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