NEW PRAGUE — Atwater has had a town team for more than 100 years. On Sunday, the denizens who frequent Kingery Field got to see something that’s believed to have never happened before.
The Chuckers won a state tournament game.
Atwater beat the Nimrod Gnats 10-0 in seven innings on a picture-perfect Sunday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
Atwater’s Josh Kingery delivers a pitch against the Nimrod Gnats in the Class C state tournament on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, at New Prague Memorial Park Baseball Stadium.
Michael Lyne / West Central Tribune
Atwater’s other state tournament appearances were in 2024, 1994 and 1932. The Chuckers lost to the Loretto Larks 2-1 in 10 innings in ‘24. They also lost in the first round in ‘94.
The belief, according to David and Josh Kingery, is that Atwater also lost its first-round game at state in 1932.
“That’s what we think,” Josh said. “We’re not sure.”
But, Sunday’s win they are sure about. The Chuckers are headed to the second weekend of the 32-team, single-elimination Class C tournament.
Atwater plays the Hanska Lakers at 1:30 p.m. Sunday at the Mini Met in Jordan. Hanska beat the Waterville Indians 13-3 in eight innings on Saturday in Shakopee.
“It’s amazing,” Josh Kingery said. “It’s really cool.”
Atwater’s Jack Peterson sprints to third base against the Nimrod Gnats in the Class C state tournament on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, at New Prague Memorial Park Baseball Stadium.
Michael Lyne / West Central Tribune
Josh tossed six innings for the win, allowing one hit and no walks. He struck out eight. David, playing shortstop, went 4-for-5 with two runs and two RBIs. He also reached on an error.
The Gnats (6-10) made a couple of errors and definitely struggled, perhaps looking a bit nervous. That wasn’t the case for Atwater (17-8). The Chuckers appeared cool, calm and collected.
“We were just going out there and competing,” explained Atwater designated hitter Jaxon Behm, who said he wasn’t nervous. “We were expecting a good team. We didn’t know much about them. We just came out and competed and played ball.”
Josh Kingery, a man of faith, said he played with confidence and expected his team to do the same.
“I serve a God that loves me whether I play well or not,” he said.
Josh Kingery drove in three runs. Behm went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBIs. Behm’s RBI single to center invoked the 10-run rule with two outs in the bottom of the seventh.
Eight Chuckers had hits. All involved played error-less ball. Left-hander Josiah Utsch, Atwater’s draftee from the Roscoe Rangers, pitched a scoreless seventh.
It was a good win for a town that had never had one at state before.
“It was a great win,” said David Kingery, who was named the MaxBats player of the game, “They (the Gnats) were swinging aggressively on Josh. Six innings on 63 pitches. That’s great.
“He made it really easy to play defense.”
David and Josh Kingery were starters on the ‘24 team and said that experience at Jordan’s Mini Met, one of the state’s best parks, helped.
“Half our team hadn’t been here before,” David Kingery said. “It was really good to see our young guys get comfortable. That big inning (three runs in the third) helped a lot.
“It kind of pops the balloon right away.”
Atwater second baseman Regan Elton makes a throw to first base against the Nimrod Gnats in the Class C state tournament on Sunday, Aug. 23, 2026, at New Prague Memorial Park Baseball Stadium.
Michael Lyne / West Central Tribune
Connar Johnson, the Gnats’ second baseman and No. 5 hitter, had Nimrod’s lone hit. It was an opposite-field blooper to right field that fell between the first and second baseman and the right fielder.
Nimrod, located in the Menagha school district, was making its first state appearance since 2015.
Atwater 032 130 1-10 12 0
Hitting – Nimrod: Connar Johnson 1-3 2b … Atwater: David Kingery 4-5 r-2 rbi-2, Jon Broman 0-3 rbi bb, Josh Kingery 1-3 rbi-3 bb, Carson McCain 1-3 r bb sb, Jaxon Behm 2-5 2b rbi-2, Jack Peterson 1-3 r-2 bb, Brody Straumann 1-2 r-2, Jonas Morrison 1-2 r, Regan Elton 1-2 r-2 bb
Pitching (ip-h-r-er-bb-so) – Nimrod: Clay Erickson (L) 1.2-2-3-3-3-0, Gavin Klevgaard (Hawley draftee) 2.3-4-3-1-0-4, Gunnar Ament 2.2-6-4-4-3-3 … Atwater: J. Kingery (W) 6-1-0-0-0-8, Josiah Utsch (Roscoe draftee) 1-0-0-0-1-0