BRANDON — While the Platte Killer Tomatoes are no strangers to the state tournament, it’s a different story for fourth-year player Preston Nedved.

The Tomato outfielder has had a consistent spot in the lineup for the past three seasons, but has been unable to be in uniform due to his college athletic career for Dakota Wesleyan University.

“The last few years since he’s started, he’s played football at DWU and we’ve lost him for the state tournament so that’s a big plus for us this year to get him for the whole season,” said Platte manager Todd Strand. “That’s a big gap to fill out in center.”

Nedved, who played five years on the DWU football team as a wide receiver, would help Platte earn its spot in the state tournament, but would be unable to compete due to his fall camp season starting for football. 

Out of all the years watching Platte compete in the big dance, last year was the toughest for Nedved when the Killer Tomatoes made it all the way to the state championship before falling to Dell Rapids PBR, 3-1.

“It was really tough last year to watch, not being able to contribute in the state tournament when it mattered,” said Nedved. “Playing all year and then being shut down. It is what it is. It sucked but now I’m able to do it.”

With Nedved graduating from DWU this past Spring, it finally allowed him to be available for August baseball, something he hasn’t been able to do in a long time.

“It’s different, it’s been an adjustment I’ll tell you that,” Nedved said. “Football is awesome. I liked it, but you can’t beat the state tournament.”

And Nedved has grown into quite the baseball talent since joining the Killer Tomatoes. Just a .255 hitter two seasons ago, he now leads the team in batting average (.400), triples (3) and RBIs (30) while tied for the most doubles (4) and homers (7) on the team as well.

“I’ve kind of been starting to put things together,” Nedved said. “Things are starting to fall into place, hopefully I can continue to carry that on, but I was definitely struggling a few years before. Honestly, it’s a good time to have a good season.”

But Nedved hasn’t been exclusive to just one sport during his time as a DWU Tiger. The Wagner native also played on the baseball team, which he says has been an important part of his development as a hitter.

Platte's Preston Nedved, center, celebrates with Reggie Slaba, left, and Cole Knippling, right, after hitting a three-run homer at the Class B state amateur baseball tournament on Tuesday in Brandon. (Ryan Deal / 605 Sports)

“The biggest thing that I took out of it was recognizing pitches,” Nedved said of his time as a college baseball player. “Coming from Wagner, it’s a small town, I played Legion for a couple years with Tabor, we just don’t see a lot of the off-speed that we’re seeing at college or the amateur level. That was the biggest thing I took out of it was just being able to see and react to the different types of pitches that I’ve never seen before.”

Nedved’s ability to read and react to pitches was put on full display during Platte’s 12-1 win over Four Corners in the second round of the 93rd annual state amateur baseball tournament. Nedved launched two no-doubt, three-run homers to spark a dominant victory, adding a walk as well.