DEVILS LAKE — Two years ago, Taydon Triepke didn’t always crack the lineup.
He’d play right field, with Devils Lake choosing to DH for him or have the pitcher bat instead. When he did bat, he’d usually be eighth or ninth in the order.
Nowadays, keeping him out of the lineup would be unthinkable.
He might not be as flashy or as athletically imposing as some of Devils Lake’s other key players. But Triepke, usually down in the nine-hole that he’s ever familiar with, has quietly been one of the most productive hitters on the team throughout his senior season.
“I’ve put in the work. It’s not that surprising,” Triepke said, deliberating before adding, “I mean, a little bit. It’s pretty surprising.”
In 2024, Triepke was a sophomore.
He had five hits in 31 at-bats for the spring team.
He got even fewer chances that summer, with three hits in 21 at-bats for the A team.
What was already there, though, was his penchant for walks. Triepke walked in nearly 18% of his spring plate appearances and 25% of his summer plate appearances. His summer OBP was .438 despite only a .143 average.
Triepke spent some time in 2024 on the B team, which was coached by Eric Nygaard, who’s now a coach for the A team.
“He’s just a very quiet kid. Goes about his business,” Nygaard said. “Very coachable kid.”
Triepke had a bigger role on the 2025 spring team, though his at-bats were still fairly limited compared to the main core. Most of Devils Lake’s starters had 60 or more plate appearances that spring. Triepke had 49. He hit .256 with a 10.2% walk rate, giving him a solid .347 OBP. Not superstar numbers, but a worthy part of the lineup.
He kept progressing last summer, despite only getting 49 plate appearances — again — compared to the 100-plus that the Palmers, Fausten Olson, Trason Beck and Hunter Remmick got. Triepke went 11-for-35, good for a .314 average. He walked over 20% of the time while striking out just over 4% of the time. His OBP was .469, higher than anyone else on the team. His OPS was a very solid .812.
“He’s had his opportunities,” Nygaard said. “He was kind of a platoon player there, I think, last year and the year before. But he’s gotten more rolls as he’s gotten older, too.”
Triepke’s role never really changed, per se, throughout his development. He’s always been the bottom-of-the-order right fielder, a guy who works the count and gets on base to set things up for the top of the order.
But Brent Luehring certainly gave him more consistent opportunities this spring.
Max Palmer led the spring team with 73 plate appearances. Tied for second, with 72, were Mason Palmer and Triepke.
The numbers make it very apparent as to why Triepke has become a mainstay in the lineup. His .458 spring OBP was tied with all-state player Mason Palmer for the best on the team. His .309 average ranked fourth. He drew 14 walks — five more than anyone else. His walk rate over a full spring season was 19.4%, with a comparably low strikeout rate of 12.5%.
“I just think he’s bigger and stronger. And there’s no more secrets,” Luehring said after a game where Triepke went 4-for-4 this spring. “He just took it where it was pitched and drove it. Didn’t try to do too much with it. And I think that’s just growing up, getting some experience.”
Now in his final summer with the Devils Lake Storm, Triepke has built even further upon his spring performance and has settled into being an on-base machine. Perhaps the team’s most patient hitter, Triepke entered the week of June 22 with a blistering 30% walk rate. He collected nine hits in his first 20 at-bats, good for a .450 average.
“It’s definitely a good feeling stepping it up and being towards the lower end of the lineup and our bench, kind of,” Triepke said. “It’s nice.”
Triepke entered the week with a magma-hot .633 OBP. That’s by far the best on the team.
“I feel like I’ve always been, like, pretty good. And I’ve definitely improved hitting-wise, really, a lot,” Triepke said. “I’ve definitely stepped it up a lot.”
In Thursday’s doubleheader sweep over Casselton Post 15, Triepke had four plate appearances. He reached all four times, with three walks and a single.
“I try to stay simple,” Triepke said. “Maybe stride out a bit if I’m struggling. But yeah, I stay simple and just try to drive the ball up the middle.”
Triepke has had some pop in his bat this summer, too. His four doubles are tied with Will Heilman for the most on the team. While not necessarily possessing a ton of raw power, Triepke has the ability to drive the ball to the gaps. He has a short, compact, efficient swing.
And he does something that drives opposing pitchers crazy: He only swings at strikes.
“I’m always looking for my right pitch,” Triepke said. “If it’s not there, then I’m not gonna swing. But I just try to keep a good eye and swing at good pitches.”
As a patient left-handed hitter, Triepke’s on-base prowess is reminiscent of what Beau Brodina did in his glory days. Triepke has an approach that Peter Brand from “Moneyball” would be proud of.
“Walks, you get on base too,” Triepke said. “It’s just like a hit. So, I mean, same thing, pretty much.”
Despite all of Triepke’s success, Devils Lake has mostly kept him down in the order. He batted in the two-hole for some of the spring, but Luehring moved him back down to the nine-spot in the middle of the season.
“We’ll take it any way we can get it,” Luehring said at the time. “Earlier in the year, he was hitting in the two-hole, and he might end up back in there. But yeah, no matter where he’s sitting in the lineup, we’re pretty much expecting him to have a good at-bat and be a competitor for us.”
As he’s continued to consistently produce, Triepke still sees his name in the nine-spot on the lineup card most days.
“When we have an on-base percentage like that, he’s not typically hitting in the nine-hole,” Nygaard said. “But [Triepke]’s just one of those spark plugs, too, that if we get somebody on, now our top of the order, they’ve got some pressure to get him over and to score him.”
Triepke seems to have no problem hitting ninth.
After all, even getting a spot in the lineup hasn’t always been a guarantee for him. So he feels no need to complain.
“Honestly, in the nine-hole, you see more fastballs, too, so it’s a little easier,” Triepke said. “If I’m in the lineup, I’m in the lineup. Either way, I’ll take it.”
This summer will be Triepke’s last go-round with this group. He’ll be too old to come back as a super-senior, so this is his last season suiting up for Devils Lake. He’s heading to UND in the fall.
“We’ve made a lot of memories together and grown,” Triepke said. “We know each other really well. So we’ve definitely built a good relationship.”
Triepke will ride off into the sunset with a squad that includes some of his closest friends and lifelong teammates. It’s a deep group full of talent and experience.
But there’s still one thing Triepke and his team would like to check off the bucket list by the end of summer: a Legion state title.
“Hopefully we can win it all, win the state championship,” Triepke said. “That’s probably the biggest goal, and that’d be really nice.”