Introducing the All-Area baseball teams from the Cannon Falls Beacon and Republican Eagle.
Alec Hamilton, community editor for the Beacon, and Martin Schlegel, the former sports editor for the Eagle, cooperated to put together three teams from their respective schools: Cannon Falls, Randolph, Red Wing, Goodhue and Lake City.
The head coaches were able to nominate up to three players for Player of the Year in addition to their nominations for All-Area. Statistics and accomplishments were taken into account when forming all-area teams. Coaches’ votes and overall honors were used in naming a Player of the Year.
(Listed in alphabetical order)
Luke Fleming (Lake City, junior, pitcher/outfielder)
All-Section 1AA, All-HVL Conference.
2026 Stats: Hit .349 with 30 hits, four doubles, 20 RBIs, 17 runs scored & 12 stolen bases. Went 6-2 on the mound in 56 ⅓ innings with two saves, a 1.615 ERA, 69 strikeouts & 25 walks.
From Head coach Logan Thomas: “Luke brings a type of passion and energy that you can’t teach. He was a force on the mound this year and at the plate, winning us games with both his arm and his bat. He threw a no-hitter this year against section foe St. Charles and delivered a walk-off hit in the 11th inning against conference foe Stewartville. He rose to the occasion many times when we needed him to.”
Colter Hegge (Lake City, senior, pitcher/shortstop/center fielder)
Cannon Falls Beacon/Republican Eagle All-Area Baseball Player of the Year, Class AA All-State, Minnesota South Senior All-Star, All-Section 1AA, All-HVL Conference, Team MVP and Team Defensive MVP, Team Captain.
2026 Stats: 6-2 record on the mound in 58 ⅓ innings pitched with a 2.64 ERA, 80 strikeouts & 27 walks. Hit .372 with 32 hits, one triple, nine doubles, 11 RBIs, 21 runs scored, drew 10 walks & stole 20 bases.
From head coach Logan Thomas: “Colter put together one of, if not THE, most complete seasons in recent Lake City baseball history. He was an all-around contributor with his versatility defensively playing a great shortstop and centerfield when not pitching. At the plate, he displayed contact skills, power, speed and an all-around ability to produce runs. He is one of the most fun players I have ever coached.”
Ryan Hjellming (Cannon Falls, senior, pitcher/shortstop)
Class AA All-State, All-Section 2AA, All-HVL Conference, Cannon Falls’ Charlie Ruud Pitcher of the Year and Cannon Falls’ Luke Winchell Quality At-Bat award. Program record for most home runs in a season, tied for first in career home runs (10), 17 strikeouts in a game (tied for second) & .700 quality at-bat average (tied for second).
2026 Stats: 5-2 on the mound with 53 ⅔ innings pitched, a 1.17 ERA (9 earned runs), 96 strikeouts & 25 walks. Hit .427 with 32 hits, seven home runs, two triples, six doubles, 26 RBIs, a .560 OBP, .840 slugging & 1.400 OPS.
From head coach Bucky Lindow: “Not only was he a dominant pitcher and had one of the best offensive years of a Bomber baseball player ever, he was awesome at shortstop! He showed that he is truly one of the finest all around players in the state.”
Hayden Holm (Goodhue, senior, pitcher/utility)
Finished his Goodhue baseball career with 198 innings pitched, allowed 62 runs & 173 hits with 203 strikeouts & just 85 walks.
From head coach Ryan Holm: “Hayden has been a four-year, two-way varsity starter for Goodhue. 198 innings pitched on varsity. Willing to play anywhere on the field to help the team succeed. He will be missed.”
Grady Meyers (Cannon Falls, senior, outfield/first base)
Grady Meyers. Alec Hamilton / Cannon Falls Beacon
Class AA Honorable Mention All-State, All-Section 2AA, All-HVL Conference, Academic All-State, Academic All-American and Cannon Falls’ Keith Meyers Hustle Award. Tied for second in program history with 37 hits in a season.
2026 Stats: Hit .435 with 37 hits, one home run, one triple, eight doubles, 22 RBIs, .495 OBP, .588 slugging & 1.083 OPS.
From head coach Bucky Lindow: “Grady had one of the finest hitting seasons of any Bomber baseball player of all time. His work ethic is unmatched and leadership is everything a coach could ask for.”
Tyler Meyers (Cannon Falls, junior, pitcher/infielder)
Tyler Meyers. Alec Hamilton / Cannon Falls Beacon
Class AA All-State, All-Section 2AA, second in program history with a perfect winning percentage on the mound this season (6-0).
2026 Stats: 6-0 on the mound in 44 ⅔ innings with a 2.235 ERA, one save, 50 strikeouts & 11 walks. Hit .349 with 30 hits, two home runs, six doubles, .452 OBP, .488 slugging, .940 OPS & only struck out four times.
From head coach Bucky Lindow: “Tyler’s versatility may be overlooked by some, but as a coach it is a treat to have a guy that can play anywhere! Besides a great year on the mound, he had a great offensive year and played great defense at third base, shortstop and second base. If we would have needed him to play somewhere else he would have been great there too.”
Noah Riegelman (Red Wing, junior, pitcher/outfielder/infielder)
All-Big 9 Conference, All-Section 1AA
2026 Stats: Four wins on the mound with a 2.04 ERA in 44 ⅔ innings pitched. Hit .246 with eight RBIs, 14 runs scored & seven stolen bases.
From head coach Kyle Blahnik: “Noah was a consistent performer all season. Whether it was on the mound, in the field or at the plate. We could play Noah in the outfield or infield and knew he’d be solid. His pitching was tremendous and we could count on him for quality starts every time out. At the plate, he was in the middle of our order all season and was a catalyst for our offense. Noah continued to make significant strides from his sophomore year and continues to improve his game.”
Tristan Zingler (Randolph, senior, pitcher/infielder)
Tristan Zingler. Alec Hamilton / Cannon Falls Beacon
All-Section 2AA, All-Gopher Conference, program record six home runs in the season, second all-time with 34 RBIs, eight wins on the mound (tied for third in program history).
2026 Stats: Eight wins on the mound in 42 ⅔ innings with a 2.63 ERA & 78 strikeouts. Hit .351 with six home runs, a triple, seven doubles, 34 RBIs, 54 total bases, .447 OBP & .701 slugging.
From new head coach Carlton Lindow: “Tristan concluded an outstanding four-year starting career as our top pitcher and a versatile infielder. He ranks in the top-10 in career at-bats, hits, doubles, triples, total bases, hit by pitches, walks, batters faced, pitching appearances, pitching wins, complete games, innings pitched and strikeouts. He holds the school records for career RBIs and home runs while ranking second all-time in games started, assists and games played.”
(Listed in alphabetical order)
Parker Banks (Randolph, sophomore, outfielder/pitcher)
All-Gopher Conference
2026 Stats: Hit .383 with six triples, six doubles, 17 RBIs, 13 stolen bases, 30 runs scored, .480 OBP, .605 slugging & a perfect fielding percentage. Pitched 19 innings with a 4.79 ERA & 24 strikeouts.
From new head coach Carlton Lindow: “Parker had another great year in his second season as our everyday center fielder. He took hits away with his range in the outfield and was a tough out at the plate, serving as a spark plug for our offense from the leadoff spot.”
Parker Banks. Alec Hamilton / Cannon Falls Beacon
Lincoln Chandler (Red Wing, sophomore, pitcher/outfielder)
All-Big 9 Conference Honorable Mention
2026 Stats: Four wins & three saves on the mound in 31 ⅓ innings with a 2.01 ERA. Hit .283 with two doubles, seven RBIs & eight runs scored.
From head coach Kyle Blahnik: “Lincoln came on in a big way his sophomore year. He was a big contributor both offensively and defensively. Offensively he was among our team leaders in batting average and defensively he was great on the mound and in the outfield.”
Cooper Meyer (Lake City, sophomore, catcher/second base)
Micah Nelson. Alec Hamilton / Cannon Falls Beacon
All-HVL Conference
2026 Stats: Hit .400 with 26 hits, one double, eight RBIs, drew 15 walks, scored nine runs & a .518 OBP.
From head coach Logan Thomas: “Cooper played one game of JV to start the year, got an opportunity during a weekend varsity-only tournament and never looked back. He is a scrappy (in the best way possible) baseball player, always proving to be a tough out and find ways on base. He was constantly a spark for us on offense and grew tremendously as a catcher throughout the season.”
Micah Nelson (Cannon Falls, senior, center field)
Frankie Novak. Alec Hamilton / Cannon Falls Beacon
All-HVL Conference, Academic All-State, Academic All-American.
2026 Stats: Hit .323 with 32 hits, one home run, four doubles, 29 runs scored & a .396 OBP.
From head coach Bucky Lindow: “Micah’s leadership, production at the top of our lineup and incredible defense in center field had a lot to do with our conference and section championships. His mental toughness as he battled through a couple injuries was admirable!”
Frankie Novak (Randolph, senior, infielder)
All-Gopher Conference
2026 Stats: Hit .375 with two home runs, nine doubles, 22 RBIs, 10 stolen bases, .500 OBP & .583 slugging.
From new head coach Carlton Lindow: “Frankie had another strong season in the middle infield and continued to be a key part of the heart of our lineup. He was a consistent presence at the plate and a strong leader and communicator for our defense. He ranks in the top-10 in career on-base percentage, doubles and walks.”
Carter Olson (Randolph, senior, outfielder)
Carter Olson. Alec Hamilton / Cannon Falls Beacon
All-Section 2AA, All-Gopher Conference Honorable Mention.
2026 Stats: Hit .408 with two home runs, four doubles, 19, RBIs, 17 stolen bases, .516 OBP, .549 slugging & a perfect fielding percentage.
From new head coach Carlton Lindow: “Carter had great offensive numbers and was consistent in the outfield for us the past three seasons. He used his speed to steal 54 career bases, which ranks third all-time. He also ranks in the top-10 in career putouts, fielding percentage, games played, at-bats, runs scored, hit-by-pitches and walks.”
(Listed in alphabetical order)
Cody Bremer (Lake City, junior, designated hitter)
2026 Stats: Hit .254 with 15 hits, 15 RBIs, seven runs scored, drew nine walks & was hit-by-pitch 11 times for a .432 OBP.
From head coach Logan Thomas: “Cody really came on for us in our playoff run, delivering the walk-off hit in our opening round win against Fillmore-Central and driving in both runs in our 2-1 second round win over Zumbrota-Mazeppa. His stats maybe don’t scream constant success, but he was a consistent producer for us all year and found ways to rise to the occasion when we needed him to. He is a great teammate who always put the team first.”
Hokken Ellingson (Red Wing, senior, pitcher)
All-Big 9 Conference
2026 Stats: Three wins on the mound in 47 ⅔ innings with a 3.23 ERA.
From head coach Kyle Blahnik: “Hokken was a workhorse on the mound for us. He led the team in innings pitched and we always knew that we were going to get a great start from Hokken. He was a vocal leader in the dugout and we’ll miss his presence next year.”
Noah Girgen (Randolph, senior, first baseman/pitcher)
Noah Girgen. Alec Hamilton / Cannon Falls Beacon
All-Section 2AA
2026 Stats: Hit .313 with two triples, four doubles, 15 RBIs, nine stolen bases, a .484 OBP & .972 fielding percentage. Pitched 28 ⅓ innings with a save, 2.96 ERA, 32 strikeouts & six walks.
From new head coach Carlton Lindow: “Noah wrapped up a stellar four-year starting career as a consistent hitter, reliable pitcher and dependable fielder. He ranks in the top-10 in career at-bats, runs scored, doubles, triples, RBIs, stolen bases, total bases, putouts and games played. He holds the school record for career hit-by-pitches and ranks second all-time in walks.”
Noah Meyer (Lake City, junior, first base)
2026 Stats: Hit .256 with 20 hits, a double, 11 RBIs & six runs scored.
From head coach Logan Thomas: “Noah was clutch all year long for us. He delivered two separate walk-off hits for us (against Zumbrota-Mazeppa and against Rochester Lourdes), not to mention multiple game-tying hits late in the game. He grew tremendously as a first baseman throughout the season, pitched well when we needed him to and is such a fun player to coach. He was constantly a tough out (putting together four 10+ pitch at-bats throughout the season) and is a player who is always going to give you his all.”
Luke Roschen (Goodhue, senior, infielder/pitcher)
2026 Stats: Hit .356 with 16 hits, .455 OBP & .556 slugging.
From head coach Ryan Holm: “It has been fun to watch Luke grow over the years. I hope every youth baseball player swings as hard and often as Luke did.
Owen Roschen (Goodhue, junior, infielder/pitcher)
All-HVL Conference
2026 Stats: Hit .357 with 25 hits, .416 OBP & .529 slugging.
From head coach Ryan Holm: “Owen has a natural talent that can be trusted anywhere on the field. In a small town, you need athletes to play multiple positions, Owen is this guy.”