Eagles aim for strong finish to season

Eden Prairie High School’s baseball team is navigating a season of change under the guidance of first-year head coach Scott Hackett.

Hackett took over the program from John Buteyn, who led the team for 11 seasons before becoming the activities director at Jordan Public Schools last year.

In an interview on Wednesday, Hackett expressed optimism about the season. The team, with its 19 seniors and wealth of experience, has been streaky, winning four, then losing four, and then winning six.

“We’ve been a little up and down, so just trying to find that consistency piece and starting to get healthy,” he said. That consistency has been better in the last week or so, and that’s “been fun to watch.”

The team faced a challenge on Thursday, losing 5-1 to Andover in an away game, bringing their overall record to 10-5.

Hackett is no stranger to the program, having been the head coach of the American Legion team and serving as an assistant varsity coach since 2009. However, stepping into the head coach role at the high school level has brought its challenges.

“The scheduling, especially in April with all the rain, has been tough. Managing the schedules of four teams from ninth grade through varsity is a significant task,” he said. “It’s more of the administrative stuff that’s probably been the hardest transition.”

With a handful of regular-season games remaining, Hackett is focused on finishing strong and preparing for the section playoffs, which start on Memorial Day.

“Our section is as tough as always,” Hackett said of the Lake Conference. “There’s a lot of quality teams, and it comes down to pitching, who’s playing the best, and sometimes a little bit of luck. I like our chances; we’ve been playing well. We’ve got a pretty experienced team, so they don’t seem to get too rattled with things.”

Looking ahead, Hackett acknowledges the significant changes on the horizon with many seniors graduating. “There’ll be a lot of newer faces at the varsity level for us next year,” he said. “But we’ve been able to get some younger guys opportunities to play here and there, so at least they’ve got a little bit of a taste of it.”

Key players this season include senior pitcher Zach Peta, who boasts a 5-0 record and will play baseball at the University of Sioux Falls next year.

“He’s one of those guys that every time he goes out and pitches, you have a chance to win,” Hackett said.

Offensively, the team relies heavily on Nick Thompson, their leadoff hitter for the past two years. Thompson, who will play baseball at the University of Minnesota Duluth, had the game-winning walk-off hit in a home game against Waconia on Wednesday, leading Eden Prairie to a 5-4 victory.

“From an offensive standpoint, our team kind of goes as Nick Thompson does,” Hackett said. “He’s been our leadoff hitter now for the past two years; he’s kind of been our top offensive player all year.”

In the competitive Lake Conference, Eden Prairie holds a 10-5 overall record and is 6-3 in conference play, trailing top-ranked Wayzata, which is undefeated in the conference (10-0) and 16-0 overall. Eden Prairie will face Wayzata on Friday in a crucial matchup.

“I’m just fortunate to be in this position,” Hackett said of his new role. “It’s a great experience. Lucky that they trust me with it, and the players have been awesome. It’s been a great transition, and I’m looking forward to the rest of this spring and seeing it through.”

Stuart Sudak contributed to this report.