Photos via Lake Region State College Baseball on X
Hugh Montgomery and Tyler Kleinjan, baseball players for Lake Region State College, announced Monday that they’ll be continuing their careers at Mayville State University. The pair will be moving from JUCO to the four-year level after the completion of this season.
The team gathered for a group picture to commemorate their achievement.
Montgomery and Kleinjan are two of the six returning sophomores on the LRSC baseball team. They’ve seen the program go from last place to the most conference wins in team history over their two years.
Montgomery, the team’s 5-foot-8 center fielder, batted .270/.406/.351 in 37 games last season. This year, he’s hitting a similar .274/.356/.359, in addition to playing outstanding defense. He stole a program-record 15 bases last year and has broken that record again this season with 21. Montgomery is originally from Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Kleinjan, who’s played both infield and outfield for the Royals, batted .341/.453/.364 in 32 games last year. His line sits at .314/.442/.352 through 38 games this season. He’s also given LRSC 5 1/3 innings on the mound this year with four earned runs allowed. In his two years, he’s walked (40) more times than he’s struck out (35) and he’s stolen 15 bases (five last year and 10 this year).
Kleinjan is a Bismarck native who played for Century High School.
Both mainstays in the lineup, they’ve helped LRSC to a 9-13 conference record, which is more than twice as many conference wins as last season. The Royals, led by first-year head coach Steve Anderson, are 12-30 overall after a 10-32 season last year.
As juniors, they’ll join current Devils Lake High School senior Ben Larson, who’s a Mayville State commit. Larson is a pitcher and infielder who recently threw a no-hitter for Devils Lake.
The 2025 Comets recently wrapped up their regular season, where they went 14-28 overall and 6-14 in conference play. MSU had a winning conference season as recently as 2023. The squad is head coached by Billy Tomblin in his second year. One of the assistant coaches is Cadyn Schwabe, a former North Dakota State and professional baseball player and brother of LRSC basketball player Sydney Schwabe. The Comets play in the town of Mayville, North Dakota, about a 100-mile drive southeast of Devils Lake.
Montgomery, Kleinjan and the Royals will complete conference play on the road Tuesday against Dakota College at Bottineau. Their final regular-season game is Wednesday at home against the University of North Dakota club team at 6 p.m. Playoffs will follow shortly thereafter.
