Big League Buzz

IN THEIR OWN WORDS

I think everybody is excited, We look at professional athletes as larger than life, and now we have somebody we watch grow up playing sports and he’s made it.”

Mike Murray

Even before Connor Prielipp appeared on a television screen, a standing-room-only crowd at Murray’s on Main in Tomah was already cheering.

The crowd came to watch Prielipp, a 2020 Tomah graduate, make his first career Major League Baseball start for the Minnesota Twins on Wednesday, April 22 in New York against the Mets.

The cheers were small at first, but when Prielipp appeared on screen, everyone joined in. Some individuals had their phones out taking pictures of the TV. The room, filled with chatter moments earlier, fell silent as all eyes were fixed on the game. 

With each strike there were cheers. With each ball or Mets hit, there were groans. When Prielipp got Luis Robert Jr. to swing and miss for the first major league strikeout of Prielipp’s career, the crowd roared.

Murray’s on Main owner Mike Murray said they have previously shown Prielipp’s college games at Alabama and minor league games.

“Now that he is in the major leagues, we definitely had to have a watch party,” Murray said. 

Murray said that the Prielipp watch parties usually fill the room.

“I think everybody is excited,” said Murray, sporting a Minnesota Twins jersey with Prielipp’s name on the back. “We look at professional athletes as larger than life, and now we have somebody we watch grow up playing sports and he’s made it.”

Tom Curran, who was Tomah’s athletic director during Prielipp’s time at Tomah, was among the dozens in attendance at Murray’s On Main.

“It is going to be an exciting night. He was a varsity pitcher for three years here. Nobody wanted to face Connor Prielipp,” Curran said.

In the second inning, the broadcast showed more information on Prielipp's background and the broadcast mentioned Tomah, which created another round of cheers.

“That was humbling,” Gary Reekie, Tomah resident, said. “Everyone in here is cheering. ‘He is a homegrown kid.”

Reekie was among a number of fans that offered analysis of Prielipp’s professional premiere.

“His slider is a little bit off, but his fastball looks pretty good. He was a little out of control in that first inning, but in the second inning he came back around and he looks pretty good now,” Reekie said.

Prielipp ended up pitching four innings in his big league debut for the Twins. The left-handed hurler struck out six while allowing two runs on four hits. Prielipp earned a no-decision as the Twins lost 3-2, ending a 12-game skid by the hometown Mets.

Former AD, Curran, called Prielipp a class act and that the Tomah community is happy for his success.

“For him to come through the program with the help of the whole community — especially his dad and how they worked together — for them it is a dream come true. I am pretty excited, and I happen to be a lifelong Twins fan, so that helps.”