Varland brothers from St. Paul face each other in Class AA baseball game

Louie and Gus Varland, who grew up in St. Paul and attended Concordia University, took the mound for opposing professional teams Friday night.

May 7, 2022 at 3:38AM
Louie, left, and Gus Varland are both at the Class AA level this spring. (Associated Press photos/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

They've been working their whole lives toward this. What was another couple of days?

Following rough weather typical for this time of year in the Great Plains, St. Paul siblings Louie and Gus Varland waited out postponements on Wednesday and Thursday and finally took the mound opposite each other as Class AA opponents on Friday night in Wichita.

Advantage: Louie.

The Twins' minor league pitcher of the year in 2021, pitching this season for the Wichita Wind Surge, threw five innings, striking out six and allowing two earned runs. Older brother Gus was not as sharp for the Tulsa Drillers, an L.A. Dodgers affiliate. He lasted just three innings, tagged for six earned runs including a three-run home run in the first inning.

Wichita won the game, the first of a seven-inning doubleheader, 7-2.

The brothers were drafted a year apart out of Concordia (St. Paul), Gus in 2018 (Round 14 by Oakland) and Louie in 2019 (Round 15 by the Twins).

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