The Mon-Clair League summer baseball season is off and running, and the defending champion Valmeyer Lakers have picked up right where they left off. 

Valmeyer won last year’s postseason championship after going 22-9 in league play. 

The Lakers have begun the 2023 season at 8-1 thanks to steady pitching and timely offense. 

On May 21, Valmeyer opened with a doubleheader sweep of the Waterloo Buds, 3-1 and 7-5. Trevor Davis picked up the game one pitching win, with Andrew Whipple winning the other. Kenny Otero notched two saves.

Davis and Mark Nappier were the offensive stars on the day for the Lakers.

On May 28, Valmeyer split with the Millstadt Green Machine, falling 12-2 and winning 9-1.  Davis was the winning pitcher in game two. 

Hitting homers for the Lakers on the day were Otero, Davis and Matthew “Diesel” Helm. 

On June 4, the Lakers picked up a doubleheader sweep over the Belleville Rockies, 5-0 and 10-1. 

Jacob Thompson pitched a complete game shutout with five strikeouts in game one, with Manny Martinez going four solid innings for the game two victory. 

Adrian Martinez – the league’s leading hitter at .533 entering play this week – went 4-for-6 with a home run and four RBIs in the doubleheader. Making his Lakers debut, recent Waterloo High School graduate Evan Davis went 3-for-6 with two RBIs in the twinbill. 

On Friday, Valmeyer swept a doubleheader from the St. Louis Spikes, 5-4 and 3-0. 

Helm had all five RBIs in the 5-4 win. Recent Columbia High School grad Dom Voegele went 4-for-7 on the day and also threw three scoreless innings for the Lakers.

On Sunday, Valmeyer won 9-0 over the Edwardsville Stags at Borsch Park before game two was rained out.  

Thompson again pitched a complete game shutout for the Lakers, and Otero smashed a long home run. 

In addition to Adrian Martinez, top hitters so far for Valmeyer are Trevor Davis (.448) and Otero (.444). 

Davis also leads the Lakers pitching staff at 3-0 with a 1.34 ERA. Thompson is 2-1 with a 2.83 ERA.

Valmeyer plays twice Saturday at Edwardsville before hosting the Spikes for a Sunday doubleheader.

Millstadt (7-4) hosts the Spikes on Wednesday before playing at Edwardsville on Sunday. 

Waterloo (4-4) plays Saturday at Cape Girardeau.