Twins Mason, Max Palmer commit to Jamestown baseball on the same day

DEVILS LAKE — They were born on the same day, so they might as well commit to play baseball at the same college on the same day.

That’s exactly the way it worked out for Devils Lake’s Mason and Max Palmer.

“We had our decision made probably two days before that,” Max said. “We had to get everything figured out, and then we decided to do it at the same time. Make it easy. No surprises.”

Within minutes of each other, twins Mason and Max announced their commitment to play baseball at the University of Jamestown.

“It’s really exciting,” Mason said. “I’ve been looking forward to play college baseball for a long time. And to finally seal the deal, and I get to go be a Jimmie, I’m just really excited for the opportunity.”

The three-sport stars, state champions in basketball and football, have decided to stay on the baseball diamond for another four years.

“Those guys being all-around great athletes, they could have probably chosen a different sport if they would have liked,” said Devils Lake baseball coach Brent Luehring. “That’s just a testament to the type of kid they are and the type of athlete they are, that they’d have opportunities in other sports. For them to choose the sport I coach, I guess I’m pretty fortunate to be blessed with those type of kids.”

The hard work pays off

Luehring started teaching the Palmers when they were in eighth grade. They were already playing high school ball by then; Mason was on varsity, while Max was on junior varsity.

Luehring coached their 15U team when the Palmers were 14. They won a state championship and went to the Midwest Regionals in Rapid City, S.D.

Luehring has watched Mason develop into a senior who can throw 90 miles per hour from shortstop and in the 80s from the mound. Max has become a .300-plus hitter at the top of the lineup with infield versatility.

It took consistent and dedicated work to get where they are.

“That’s one thing about both those two, and that’s what I’ve told every coach who would reach out to me, is that they’re not shy to put in the extra work,” Luehring said. “They’re in the weight rooms in the mornings. They go play a baseball game, get home late at night, or a basketball game … and they’re in the weight room the next morning. Nobody’s begging them to be there. It’s just their choice, and it’s a self-drive that they have, that I give them a lot of credit for.”

The Palmers started receiving baseball offers over the summer. For Mason, Minot State University was the first to call in late July. Mayville State and Minnesota Crookston followed.

Jamestown offered him in September.

Max announced an offer from Mayville State in August, and later Jamestown in November.

“I did not know it was going to happen. I mean, I was open to anything,” Max said. “It wasn’t a ‘must have’ to play with him. But when the opportunity came, it made the decision a lot easier.”

It was a no-brainer for Mason.

“I always wanted to keep playing with my brother, because it’s my brother. We’ve been playing together our whole lives,” Mason said. “So I think it’s going to be fun to go to college with him and also play baseball with him, like we never left.”

As the baseball offers rolled in, the Palmers suited up in football pads for their senior season. Little did they know they would win the first state football championship in Devils Lake history — with both Palmers playing major roles.

Mason’s development and ultimate decision

Mason went to some football camps over the summer. But, by the time the school year rolled around, he had basically made up his mind on pursuing baseball.

“It was pretty much all baseball,” Mason said. “I didn’t really get any looks for football, so I was pretty much set on baseball. And I like baseball. I think it’s my favorite sport. So I’m excited to go play at the collegiate level.”

Nonetheless, Mason went out on the gridiron this fall and had the season of his life. He threw for 2,900 yards, en route to taking down Minot North in the Dakota Bowl at the Fargodome. He was named the Division AA Senior Athlete of the Year.

He became the first Devils Lake quarterback to ever say he was a state champion in football.

“And after all those performances that he had and the way he went out, and all the accolades he had, I always tell him, ‘You’re still a baseball player,’” Luehring said. “It was just kind of a joke between him and I. And I knew last spring he probably had some football interest and things like that, and I just kept on telling him, I said, ‘I think you stick with it, and I think the opportunities will come on whatever you pursue.’ I kind of had an idea that his arm talent, I think baseball had a pretty high opportunity to earn a scholarship at a pretty high-level school.”

Mason particularly shined this past summer in Legion ball. In the spring, he’d gotten off to a slow start with the bat, and his innings on the mound were limited. But his bat picked up in late spring, and he ended up hitting .360 with a .963 OPS over the summer.

“Hitting-wise, my dad teaches me after every game,” Mason said. “He tells me what I did wrong, what I can learn on, and I think that’s what helps me.”

On the mound, he allowed just three earned runs in 43 innings between the regular Legion season and postseason. He struck out 55 batters in that span.

In his final outing of the summer, he threw a perfect game in the Legion state tournament.

It became clear to Mason that his skills are best utilized in baseball — despite being an all-state talent in football and basketball as well.

“I didn’t really have an idea when I was younger. It was more just like, ‘Let’s see what I get the best at, out of all three,’” Mason said. “And I think my arm strength really helps me at shortstop. I think I’ve always played the infield pretty well, and I think that as I’ve grown up, I really developed the arm strength and then the athletic ability to play shortstop and make all kinds of different throws. As well with pitching, that’s really helped me. … And then learning how to throw my offspeed by myself and stuff like that.”

Mason said he’s going to try both pitching and playing shortstop at the next level.

“He’s been our shortstop for four years now, and we see what he can do every day,” Luehring said. “And I think that now the colleges are starting to see it, and I think he’s got an opportunity to play there. It’s just a question of if he could find enough time to do both.”

At a showcase this year, Mason’s throw from shortstop clocked in at 90 mph. His fastball topped out at 86 mph.

The added velocity was a major reason he was able to have such a dominant Legion season.

“The people that I’ve talked to, obviously the perfect game last spring and the numbers he was hitting on the radar gun, that jumps out,” Luehring said. “And everybody wants pitching. It’s hard to find pitching up in the north that throws the velocity he can throw. But I think any college that gave him an opportunity to play both and be a dual guy, had a pretty good opportunity to get him. And Jamestown, they’ve been open with him of having the opportunity to play the infield and pitch.”

Max gets his name out there

Max, meanwhile, got on colleges’ radar with a big junior year.

Early in the process, Mason was getting more interest. Luehring had still gotten some calls from smaller junior colleges about Max, but Mason was the main target.

Max broke out this spring with an average above .330 against EDC competition. His performance started garnering interest at the NAIA and Division II levels.

“You see the brother, and you see the chance that they’re both going to kind of compete against each other,” Luehring said. “And just all the accolades they’ve had. I think you start taking a chance on guys like that, that are proven winners and just proven that they can do it.”

Max led Devils Lake in hits this spring. He went on to lead the Legion team in walks over the summer, posting an OBP around .380.

“I just think I got more confident at the plate,” Max said. “Bigger, faster, stronger. But really just believed in what I could do at the plate. Just stay calm at the plate, and do what you can with the ball.”

Between spring and summer, Max saw vastly improved results from his sophomore to junior year. He became someone Devils Lake could rely on in the leadoff spot.

“The thing with Max is that nobody’s going to outcompete him,” Luehring said. “And that was kind of the thing last spring. We needed a leadoff guy, and the first couple games maybe didn’t go the way he wanted. And we just challenged him, like, ‘Hey, you’ve got to take this spot. You’ve got to run with it.’ And he hit the ball really well last spring and last summer. … If you ever put any doubt, or people doubt him, he’s going to try to prove you wrong. And I think he just took off.”

Traditionally a second baseman, Max also played a lot of third base this year. Devils Lake’s previous stalwart at third base had been Jackson Baeth, who now plays baseball for Minnesota Crookston.

So somebody needed to take over at the hot corner. And Max stepped in as needed.

“I feel confident anywhere,” Max said. “Third base is fine. Second base is fine. Whatever they need me to play.”

As the smaller Palmer twin, Max always figured baseball would be his best shot at playing collegiately. Although he’s grown considerably over the last couple years, Max still lacks the size most football or basketball coaches would be looking for.

He helped the Devils Lake basketball team reach the state championship in each of the last two seasons. He owns the single-game school threes record. He had the second-most receiving yards on the state championship football team.

But he’s taking the baseball route.

“I’m not the biggest guy, and you don’t really need height for baseball. You’ve just got to be strong or whatever,” Max said. “But baseball has been what I’ve thought for my future since I was young.”

The college level now awaits them

Both Palmers spoke highly of Jamestown baseball coach Tom Hager.

“He’s a really nice coach,” Mason said. “He really dedicates himself into his work and to be a great coach. And he’s intense. It’s what I really like. I really like the facilities. I like the campus academically.”

Max said Hager helped make Jamestown seem like a good fit.

“The coach is a great guy. He’s a really good recruiter,” Max said. “He always stays in touch with us, calls us a lot. And the facilities there are really good because they’ve got some money over there. So it’s probably a good culture to play in, and the coaching staff’s really nice.”

Hager runs a competitive program. Over his 26 years as head coach, Jamestown has an all-time record of 856-396-3, per the school’s website. The baseball team has had a winning record in 17 consecutive seasons.

After years of competing in the NAIA, Jamestown is currently in its first year as an NCAA Division II program. The Jimmies won’t be eligible for postseason play this year — but they will next year, when the Palmers are college freshmen.

Jamestown joins the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC), which includes schools like Minnesota State, Sioux Falls, Crookston and Minot State.

The Palmers will face heightened talent and competition.

“The pitchers are going to be coming in faster. More movement on their offspeed stuff. So I’m just going to really have to develop hitting-wise,” Mason said. “And then pitching-wise, I’m going to really have to get more accurate and throw a little harder, too, just to get by some of these guys. So those guys are really good. I’m just really looking forward to getting better and focusing on one sport, finally, instead of playing three sports my whole life.”

Max also anticipates pitchers throwing harder.

But he said the talent in the EDC has helped prepare him.

“I mean, the EDC already is basically like playing college. Everyone’s throwing mid 80s there in the EDC,” Max said. “But yeah. Throwing harder across the diamond. Everyone’s faster. Gotta get the ball out quicker. Everyone hits the ball farther. So definitely a change of pace.”

Max said the end goal is for him and his brother to be playing on the same field, at the same time, for the same team. That might be as a double play combination. It might entail Mason at shortstop and Max at third. It might be Mason on the mound and Max at second.

“No matter where we’re playing, I want to be able to share the infield with him,” Mason said. “That’d be awesome for us to just keep playing with each other as long as we can go. It’ll be fun.”

And Luehring has all the confidence they can achieve it.

“Like I told Coach Hager at Jamestown, you’re going to get two kids that you’re never going to have to worry about where they’re at at night,” Luehring said. “They’re just great kids. Their main focus is on sports and athletics and trying to pursue it as far as they can and do as well as they can.

“They both hate losing. They both are team guys. You watch them on that football field, they’re leaders. You watch them on the basketball court, they’re leaders. And the same thing with us in baseball. It’s just kids that you want in your program. And the ceiling is high for both of them. You just see the large growth that they had in the last three, four months at the end of our high school and summer seasons. It’s like, what can a college program do with them, with the strength and conditioning coaches they have there? And the specific position coaches they have there. So I’m really excited to see what they can do.”