By Ryan Deal

605 Sports

But building a team from scratch, recruiting players and securing equipment were still daunting tasks. 

“A little bit of all mixed emotions,” Klein said. “I was very excited to get a team started. But it was very hard to find people who were willing to be able to play consistently and find the people who wanted to still play baseball.”

The Demons, however, found more than enough players. There’s more than 20 players on the roster, and in a sport when game day rosters fluctuate, they had 18 players in the opener on May 13. 

“I was very surprised having that many people in the dugout,” Klein said. “Because we are grown ups. Some people can't make it, some people can. But seeing that many people really made me excited about how the rest of the season is going to go.”

It also shows how strong baseball is in Winner, with two amateur teams in town and enough players for both squads. 

“I give a lot of the credit to the club teams throughout the ages,” Winner Demons catcher Kayleb Brozik said. “It just shows that baseball in general in Winner is so good that all these guys are wanting to stick around.”

Caden Donahue (3) and Jack Peters (5) play a game for the Winner Demons on May 13 in Winner. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

For the Demons, the roster is a blend of players ranging from 19-to-41-year olds. The players are mostly from the Winner area, with Parkston’s Caden Donahue as a release player. 

The Demons are playing in the Pony Hills League, which also includes Colome, Chamberlain, 4 Corners, KimballWhite Lake, Plankinton, Wessington Springs and Burke.  

For the Demons, joining the Pony Hills League felt like a natural step in their inaugural season. 

“If there’s a league that is probably going to take us, the Pony Hills could probably use the numbers,” Brozik said. “So it kind of keeps us away from having two teams in the same league as far as any issues like that. … It’s kind of similar to what these guys have seen from high school pitchers. There’s not necessarily the developed arms you’ve seen if you are in the Sunshine or the Cornbelt. It will give us time to adjust to even playing amateur baseball moving forward to help us develop a little bit more.”

Once the Demons got approved, they needed to acquire equipment and uniforms. The Winner Baseball Association supplied money for equipment and helmets, while the team paid for jerseys. 

The Demons colors are navy and gold, a nod to the Winner Warriors, and they have pinstripe jerseys.

The team name stems from Winner’s old club baseball team, which is now called the Royals. The players also considered Rattlers and Merchants, before settling on the Demons. 

In their opener, the Demons lost to the Pheasants 12-8 in an all-Winner contest at Leahy Bowl. The Demons produced 14 hits, with Pierce Nelson finishing 4-of-5 at the plate. 

The Demons and Pheasants were knotted up at 7-7 in the fourth inning, before the veteran team scored five straight runs to secure the win. 

“I feel like it was a really good first game for us, especially against the Pheasants, who are always a really good team,” Klein said. “I think just the first game jitters got to us. Being a new team, some of these guys haven’t played in a long time. Some of them were a little nervous because it was the first time playing amateur baseball, and the first time swinging a wood bat. But I feel like it was a really good first game. We have a lot to improve on but I think we are going to be pretty good.”

The Demons will play the Burke Bombers, another new Pony Hills League team, on May 30 in their league opener. The Demons and Pheasants have a doubleheader scheduled on June 2 in Winner. The Demons will play Wessington Springs, while the Pheasants will play Corsica-Stickney. 

During the Fourth of July, the Demons and Bombers have discussed playing in Gregory and would split the gate receipts. 

“They invited us down to split the profits whatever that gate brings in,” Brozik said. “Just kind of split it between the two of us to help both of us continue growing our teams.”

The Winner Demons in action on May 13 in Winner. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)