WINNER — After making it to the state semifinals in the high school season, Winner/Colome Post 169 is looking for yet another deep playoff run in 2025.

While the American Legion team features many of familiar names carried from the spring season, this summer Winner/Colome (15-2) have welcomed a few new faces.

The first of three faces isn’t as much of a newcomer when it comes to the summer baseball season. Jackson Eisemann, a recent Mobridge-Pollock High School graduate, has played junior and senior Legion baseball with WC each of the past three seasons. 

Eisemann initially found his way to Winner through relatives that live in the area and started making friends within the community. After some convincing, Eisemann got a release from Mobridge and the only other town with a Legion team in the over 3-hour drive to the Royals, Pierre, and played his first year of Junior Legion as a Royal in 2023.

Winner/Colome's Jackson Eisemann swings at a pitch during the Royals' 11-9 win over Gregory on July 2, 2025, in Gregory. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

“I was a little nervous right away, just because I started playing on a new team and was scared to mess up,” Eisemann said. “But now it's just going out there and playing like I always have, and it's just really nice being a part of their team. They're all really nice people, and I'm glad they welcomed me when they did two years ago.”

Eisemann spent the first summer living with his aunt in Winner, and has spent each of the last two summers either commuting from Mobridge or spending nights with friends to make it to games.

Eisemann said he was nervous about joining the team two years ago but quickly caught and was welcomed to the Royals immediately.

“It's been amazing,” said Eisemann. “The first year I got there, they were just all welcoming and they just made me a part of the team right away, and they just treated me like they did everybody else on the team. They lift you up and give you a hard time to be funny. It just felt like I've been on the team since I started playing baseball.“

The next newcomer is Isaiah Olson, a recent graduate of Mount Vernon, and longtime player for the Mount Vernon/Plankinton/Corsica-Stickney Padres high school and Legion baseball teams.

Olson has many close relatives in Winner, including his uncle, football coach Trent Olson, and cousin Zac Olson who also plays for the Royals. Olson decided to live on his grandparents’ farm for the summer, allowing him to play for the WC.

Winner/Colome's Isaiah Olson throws to first base during the Royals' 11-9 win over Parkston on June 28, 2025, in Parkston. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

“I kind of thought about it since last summer,” said Olson on playing for WC. “I kind of thought it'd be fun and I could come help my grandpa on the farm. And I have a lot of friends and family here.”

Unlike Eisemann, Olson had to get a release from each of the communities between Mount Vernon and Winner, including towns like Platte, Chamberlain, and MVPCS. Once he got the logistics figured out, Olson played in all 17 regular season and region games in his last season of Legion baseball for the Royals.

“They're the best. The parents are great. My teammates, I love my teammates. They're fun. They're nice to me. They're a very welcoming place.”

The last of the three is Martin’s Gavin Risse.

Martin wasn’t able to field a Legion baseball team this season, forcing Risse to make a decision: play for the Legion team in Gordon, Nebraska, or make the near 2-hour drive to Winner for home games.

After talking with Zac Olson during a track meet in the spring, Risse made his decision and has commuted the 102-mile trip for all but one game this season. 

“It's a blast,” said Risse on playing for the Royals. “I think it's the most fun I've had on a baseball diamond my whole life. I mean, the first the first games were kind of nerve wracking, like, you're the new guy. You mess up, it's on you. You're not part of the team. That's kind of how it felt in the beginning. But they welcomed me greatly.”

Risse still has one more year of eligibility playing under the American Legion umbrella, but hopes to return back to Martin when Post 240 comes back to the diamond in 2026.

As the Legion season started and Risse and Olson joined the team, it took Royals head coach Shane Phillips some time to find the best spot to put them in the order.

Winner/Colome's Gavin Risse delivers a pitch during the Royals' 11-9 win over Parkston on June 28, 2025, in Parkston. (Rodney Haas / 605 Sports)

“I think I had like four or five days between the last semifinal game in the high school season to our first Legion baseball game of the season,” said Phillips. “So I actually didn't even have a practice before we played. I knew who Isaiah was and I knew who Gavin was. But like the first couple games, it took me a minute, because I didn't really know where Isaiah and Gavin stood.”

Even with an already loaded Royals lineup, Risse and Olson have found themselves at the top of the order, with Risse as the leadoff batter and Olson hitting second ahead of Landon Calhoon and Quincy Phillips. Eisemann, the Royals first baseman, usually takes the eight spot in the order.

“The only thing that's different from this team to the high school team is like Camden Anderson was the two and Carter McKenzie was the one spot,” said Phillips. “Basically Isaiah or Gavin is the one spot, and Isaiah is the two spot.”

But the early season struggles started during the Royals’ first game of the season, dropping one to Wagner, 9-2. While those struggles didn’t last long, Phillips says it was an eye opener for WC.

“That very first loss of the year was a big wake up call,” Phillips said. “I had a conversation with them after that first game. To get beat by Wagner, which is a good team, don't get me wrong, they're a good baseball team, but to get beat by Wagner like they did, it was a big wake up.”

Ever since it’s been a dominant summer for the Royals, rattling off 15 of the last 16 games for wins, including three wins over two state tournament teams (Parkston 2x, Scotland/Menno/Freeman/Canistota).

As the State B Legion tournament kicks off this weekend in Milbank, the Royals feel like they are in a good spot heading into its first-round matchup with Groton Post 39 at 5 p.m. Friday.

“Our team's really talented, and we got a bunch of athletes, so that'll help,” said Olson. “And I think we're a rare team that has a lot of depth and pitching and hitting and streaky guys that's good times. And I think we can really make noise out there.”