HOT TOTS PICK UP TWO LOCAL CATCHERS
The prep baseball scene in North Dakota continues to get better by the year. While college opportunities are harder to come by in our state, coming back home to play Northwoods League baseball always leads to a warm welcome. These two North Dakota-grown catchers are the Minot Hot Tots’ newest Acme and Kubota Tools on the Field.
Kellan Burke, Catcher, Cloud County Community College
Hitting over .500 for the Minot High Magicians and earning North Dakota Gatorade Player of the Year honors was no joke for Kellan Burke. He continued crushing baseball at the collegiate level this spring. Playing his first season of junior college ball for Cloud County, Burke was an offensive leader for the Thunderbirds as part of a record breaking season for the school.
Burke alone has hit 18 home runs and ranks 12th in the nation with 87 runs batted in. Burke and the T-Birds finished the regular season with a 47-5 record and a second-place spot in the NJCAA Division I rankings. Now the Thunderbirds set their sights on a National Tournament appearance and the most wins in program history.
Burke has played a big part in Cloud’s success this season and will eventually suit up for the Hot Tots come summertime. Corbett Field is the real home turf for Burke who played four star-studded seasons for Minot High School from 2022-25.
Isaac Huettl, Catcher, Missouri Western State University
Adding to the catcher depth is redshirt junior from Mandan, North Dakota who has gotten experience at four different levels of college baseball. Isaac Huettl’s college baseball journey will now continue with the Minot Hot Tots.
A North Dakota Class A All-Stater as a senior in 2022, Huettl then went off to North Iowa Area Community College where he spent two seasons as a Trojan. After showcasing his power in the NJCAA, and spending some time with the Bismarck Larks, Huettl transferred to Division I Murray State in Kentucky. There, Huettl was part of the Racers historic run to the College World Series.
Fast forward one more offseason and Huettl has found a new home at Division II Missouri Western. Getting to play a full spring, he hit .384 for the Griffons with three home runs and 21 driven in. Huettl’s spring may still be far from over. Missouri Western knocked off top-seeded Rogers State in the MIAA tournament and are currently playing for an automatic bid to the National Tournament.
This summer, the former Lark will head to the north side of the Dakota Dust-Up rivalry for a season with the Hot Tots.
