SPRING VALLEY — As the early August postseason draws nearer by the day, each St. Croix Valley Baseball League team is looking to find something they can rely on to get wins. For some it is a deep pitching rotation. For others it is a stacked lineup.

The Spring Valley Hawks have the talent in all phases, but what they can lean on most is the combination of veterans and younger guys on the team.

“We have so many young guys on this team, and getting them to understand competing every pitch, competing to the very last pitch of the game, the world is their oyster. When we stay locked in and keep the pressure on the other guys, we play loose and we play better,” veteran infielder Steven Hensley said. “An old Buck Showalter quote says there’s five turds and there’s five superstars on the team. You can kind of do that with older and younger. If the older guys don’t lead by example, by competing every pitch, the young guys won’t know what to do. As long as we can keep them focused, because they’re the future of the Hawks.”

The youth allows for a passing down of knowledge. Even when a player is not having their best day, just being present and learning from the people that have done it for years is crucial.

“It’s a recipe for something special,” catcher Blaine Guthrie said. “A little bit of a slow start [to the season], and I think that’s kind of expected with a big blend, but it’s settling in now.”

When the Hawks hosted the Prescott Pirates on June 24, it was a younger Steven, Steven Booth who took to the mound. Booth went the distance, filling up the zone with strikes and going the distance in a 9-3 win.

“It started up on the mound right at the first pitch. Going nine innings and holding them to two hits up until the ninth, I’m out of words,” Guthrie said.

Eight Prescott batters combined for nine hits during the game, but they could not string them together and walked just once. Joaquin Magee led the way for Prescott with two hits and an RBI.

Hensley said if opposing teams are not disciplined against Booth, they are going to struggle.

“Booth is Mr. Consistent, he’s going to go out there and he’s going to pump the zone, he’s going to work fast,” Hensley said. “He’s an infielder’s dream, because you’re always on your toes, you’re always moving.”

At the plate it was a team effort, led by Hensley’s four hits, two being doubles, as he drove in four runs.

“Honestly, I was just closing my eyes and swinging hard, and the bat found the barrel,” Hensley said. “Baseball’s a funny game, you can prepare the same way and go out, and I could have just as easily been 0-for-5, but the good Lord blessed me enough to see it out of the hand.”

Hensley is one of the leaders of the team on and off the field, and Guthrie said big games like that are nothing new for him.

“Just a veteran, just leading by example. This is not his first rodeo, and it won’t be his last. He’s looking really good,” Guthrie said.

The bottom third of the order came through big time as well, led by Ethan Fedie smacking three hits.

Guthrie was happy with what he saw all-around against the Pirates and wants to see consistency game in and game out. He said the Hawks should be following the same processes every pitch. The Hawks have four remaining regular season home games. They play at 7:30 p.m. July 10 against Ellsworth and at 7 p.m. July 25 against River Falls, and both games will feature a firework display. Fan appreciation night is at 1 p.m. July 26 against New Richmond and they round things out against the Champlin LoGators at 7:30 p.m. July 29. The team will also play a rescheduled home game against Osceola with a date to be determined.