Even with the rockets' red glare and bombs bursting in air, AndyEmard knows it's the mundane that carries the day.

Emard, the Dickinson Roughriders Legion baseball coach, guided his team to a 15-0 start in his first year as the head man. Many of those games were blowouts with football-sized scores.

Now, at the 25-game mark, the Roughriders stand 22-3 and lead the statewide Class Astandings with a 12-1 log. Their offense is still averaging in double figures, but the fence-busting is not what draws Emard's attention.

"The big thing is pitching and defense," said Emard, who was an assistant coach on last year's state championship Roughrider team. "… No matter what level you're at, you're going to be in the ballgame if you pitch well and play good defense."

"What's happened is we've had some quality starts on the mound. (Stephen)Laylock can be an overpowering pitcher, but we really don't have a lot of overpowering pitchers. We have a lot of guys who throw strikes. … The defense has played well, and we've got some bats."

Bats, indeed. Laylock, a second baseman when he doesn't pitch, inhabits the No. 2 spot in the Dickinson batting order. He's followed by third baseman Cole Frenzel, first basemanBenHerauf and center fielder Tyler Steffan, all long ball threats.

"When people first look at us they notice our two, three, four and five (hitters). Ithink you could compare them with any high school team in the Midwest, if not the nation," Emard said. "But its six, seven, eight and nine - how they produce and how they come together - that's really the deciding factor in how good a team is going to be."

Along with pitching and defense, of course.

Emard said the Dickinson approach to pitching is simple:There's no substitute for hitting the strike zone.

"With pitchers we don't beat around the bush.Our main focus is getting them to throw strikes. … Once you get to where they throw strikes, then you can fine tune it a little bit."

Laylock, an unbeaten right-hander, is the bulldog at the head of the rotation. Behind him come Eric Seiler, Steffan, MasonSchiff, Michael Steve and Tommy Peters.

Herauf, Frenzel and Kyle Breen have also gone to the mound to fill in when the schedule becomes excessively demanding.

Emard said Caleb Burgard and Connor McNeilly are the only players on his 11-man roster who aren't counted on as pitchers, and there's no guarantee that they, too, won't be called upon.

Frenzel, Peters and Schiff are the only players with pitching losses thus far.

Steve does the bulk of the catching with McNeilly as his backup. Normally, the infield consists of Frenzel at third, Breen at shortstop, Laylock at second and Herauf at first. Steffan is flanked by Peters, Burgard or Seiler in the outfield.

Most of the players were members of the Dickinson team that won the state Class Ahigh school tournament in June. The exceptions are Herauf and Steffan, who played regularly as freshmen at the University of Mary.

The lefty-swinging Frenzel drew 43 walks, 12 intentional, in 114 plate appearances during the high school season. He said having Herauf and Steffan batting behind him this summer has radically changed the equation.

"Ihad like 13 (home runs) in the month of June, so I've been hitting it pretty well,"Frenzel said. "… When I've got guys like Ben and Tyler hitting behind me I get pitched to a lot more."

It's a mixture that's produced over 30 homers. Frenzel, who has gone deep 15 times, was selected by the Texas Rangers in the 48th round of last month's free agent draft. Frenzel's batting average is hovering in the .500 neighborhood. He's headed for the University of Arizona on a baseball scholarship.

Even though there have been many occasions when the Roughrider hitters have produced a good deal of thunder, Emard insists his team be prepared for a pitchers' duel.

"We never let our kids rely on the bats. … Great pitching can neutralize good hitting. … You can have days where line drives find gloves or the wind is blowing in,"Emard said. "Pitching and defense have got to be our M.O. and, hopefully, timely hitting."

Pierre, S.D., halted Dickinson's 15-0 run on June 28, handing the Roughriders a 9-7 setback. Dickinson dropped the second game of a doubleheader to Mandan 11-6 on Sunday and ended up on the wrong end of a 5-2 score on Monday against Rapid City,S.D., Post 320.

Next on the agenda is a trip to the Twin Cities for the four-day Gopher Classic, which begins Friday. Dickinson is in a pool with Plymouth, Ind., and four Minnesota teams -Apple Valley,Wyzata, Coon Rapids and the Rochester A's. Minot is also entered in the tournament, but in a different pool.

Emard said the Gopher Classic is a good opportunity for his team. "It's always good to have one big road trip," he said. "… This is the biggest high school tournament in the nation. … College scouts are all over and it's an opportunity for the kids to get seen. There are 48 teams, so you're going to run into some good teams and some good arms somewhere along the line."

The long view for Emard is the state tournament. By that time he wants to have plenty of capable arms ready to go.

"There's a lot of talent in North Dakota. We've got a lot of quality teams to go through,"Emard said, looking ahead to the state tournament grind. "Pitching depth is going to be a question mark."