Legion baseball: This Willmar pitcher has a lot of heart
· Yahoo Sports
Jul. 10---- Every day is a gift.
Visit biznow.biz for more information.
Riley Laumer embodies that.
Laumer, 18, has persevered from the very beginning.
Yet, when fans see Laumer around the ballpark, most have no idea what he has endured.
His uniform shields it all.
Laumer was born with a very rare congenital heart defect named double inlet left ventricle with transposition of the great arteries.
It means his right ventricle never developed and his heart's two main arteries, the aorta and the pulmonary artery, were switched, which causes oxygen-poor blood to circulate through the body without reaching the lungs.
But, because Laumer had an opening between his two ventricles, he did not have to have them reversed.
Surgeons rerouted his blood to bypass his heart's right side by sewing his superior vena cava and inferior vena cava directly to his pulmonary artery.
His blood now flows directly to his lungs to pick up oxygen and then to his heart's left side before it is pumped out to his body.
Laumer had three open heart surgeries by 2-1/2 years old, the first two came at 6 days old and 6 months old.
His fourth open heart surgery occurred at 6 years old.
He had a leaky valve, which the surgeon opted not to close during the third open heart surgery, that was sewn shut.
Shortly after at 7 years old, Laumer and his family embarked on a Make-A-Wish Foundation trip to Key West, Florida.
His parents Paul and Krista went. So did his middle brother Brecken and cousin Hayden. His youngest brother, Dylan, did not.
"I love going to new places," said Laumer, who recently returned to Willmar after an
trip in California.
Laumer also loves baseball.
And he has come in handy for Willmar in American Legion baseball.
Post 167 has a 2-1 record in games that he has been on the mound.
Head coach Jordan Steffer and company have an 8-3 record into this weekend's 80-team and 16-site Gopher Classic tournament.
"Pitching is my best spot," Laumer said. "I've always loved it."
Yet, with a loaded pitching staff this spring, the senior threw four innings in a season where the Cardinals went 19-7 and advanced to the Section 8AAA championship.
But, for the recent Willmar High School grad, he stayed ready.
Laumer started against New London-Spicer on June 15 at Elsie Klemmetson Field.
"Riley lives for the big moments," Steffer said. "I had him on junior varsity last year for baseball, and also on Legion, and every time he went out there, he would give us five, six solid innings. I chose to give him the start on Veterans Night to show what he can do and he produced a great game."
The right-hander tossed a complete game to lead Post 167 to a 5-2 win.
Laumer had six strikeouts and allowed three hits, three walks and an earned run.
"It was a great feeling," Laumer said. "My teammates were really happy for me."
Laumer has had about 14 other heart procedures, according to Krista.
He most recently underwent two stent placements in February 2025.
His older stents were becoming too stretched out, he said.
Now, his oxygen levels have risen from the mid-80s to the 90s.
"It has helped significantly," said Laumer, who sees his cardiologist every six months. "I noticed the impact right away."
The mound is an ideal spot for Laumer.
It is more of an anaerobic activity than an aerobic one.
"While resting, I'm completely fine, but then as soon as I start doing cardiovascular activity, my oxygen depletes," Laumer said. "My body can't pump (blood) fast enough."
That came up during his American Exchange Project trip.
One of the students he stayed with asked him to go for a run.
Laumer, who has a scar down the middle of his chest, declined.
"I explained it to him and he was saying sorry that happened," Laumer said, "but I don't want people to feel sorry for me.
"I just want people to think of me as the same as them."
Laumer will soon attend North Dakota State University for accounting.
He is one of the
for 2026.
The others are Haley Johnson from Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City (College of St. Benedict), Madeline Prentice from New London-Spicer (Minnesota State University-Moorhead) and Bree Radermacher from Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa (University of Sioux Falls).
"I'm excited," said Laumer, who is rooming with Camden Kroll from St. Cloud Cathedral.
It is a new beginning for Laumer, who struggled with comparing himself to others growing up.
An outlet for him has been Camp Odayin,
.
He does not need his uniform there.
It is there he can meet and connect with kids who have visible and invisible scars alike.
"It's just really cool to go to a place where you can meet people who have had the same experiences as you have had, and because of that, it's easy to connect with them," Laumer said. "I have made some great friends because of it."
In the meantime, Laumer, who hopes to be a baseball coach in the future, will look to help Post 167 earn a state berth.
The 100th Annual Minnesota Division I State Tournament takes place from July 30 through August 2 in New Ulm.
"Riley is a very enjoyable kid who cracks jokes in the dugout, picks his teammates up and keeps the mood light," Steffer said. "(Veterans Night) was a great moment for him, just knowing the battle he has had growing up."