The making of a Mudhen

For as long as Peyton Gillund can remember, he went to Minneota Mudhens games to watch his uncle, Tyson Sonnenburg, play for the amateur baseball team.
About to enter his senior year of high school in the fall, Gillund has been a full-time player for the Mudhens this summer, manning second base like a seasoned veteran.
"It's pretty cool to take the field with my nephew and being the first team in Mudhens history to win the regular season league title," said Sonnenburg, who plays center field and also is the team's manager.
Gillund is a talented three-sport athlete for Minneota High School. He is a standout kicker, as well as a punter/receiver/defensive back on the football team, shortstop on the baseball team, and a state wrestler.
"I remember wearing the Mudhens' uniform for the first time last year," said Gillund. "They only had nine players and Tyson asked me if I wanted to dress for the game in case someone got hurt. I didn't get in that game, but I did play in a few games. I even started one game against Madison."
Sonnenburg is one of only two original players from the team that formed in 2009, along with pitcher/first baseman Danny Hennen. Gillund was only four years old then and posed for a photo with his uncle following the team's first-ever game, a win against Tracy.
Gillund is hitting .257 with 14 runs scored this season, while his fielding has been nearly flawless.
"He loves to play baseball," said Sonnenburg, whose sister Tegan is Peyton's mother. "Ever since I can remember, he has always loved baseball. I pitched to him a lot when he was little and I could tell he was going to be a good player."
Even though he is one of the younger players on the team, Gillund has been readily accepted by the veterans on the team.
"I felt he was good enough to start for us this year and I told him I thought he could break the lineup but I couldn't give it to him just because he was my nephew," Sonnenburg said. "So, I checked with some of the older players on the team and they said I needed to start him. He's done a very good job for us, too. He's a smart player and I trust him anywhere."
And Gillund enjoys playing with a team where he is technically a rookie, but is familiar with most of the veteran players.
"It's been fun being around all the guys," he said. "I really enjoy playing with them all."
Sonnenburg was the Summer Rec coordinator a few years ago and he and Austin Buysse, the Mudhens' shortstop, coached Peyton and some of the other younger players on the team when they were in third grade.
"After that, Alex Pohlen (the Mudhens' first baseman) helped assist me coaching Peyton's team pretty much through elementary up until seventh grade because his brother Isaac was on the team, too," Sonnenburg noted.
Gillund puts the team ahead of individual goals and accomplishments, as evidenced by his response when asked what his most memorable game has been with the Mudhens. Expecting him to respond by noting his first hit or RBI, he instead chose something the whole team took pride in.
"When we beat Rosen at the end of the year to get the number one seed in the region tournament," he said, with little hesitation.
The Mudhens are currently in the Region 9C playoffs and take on Morris at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Rosen.