Chris Caporale, sports@wolfrivermedia.com
Cole Nelson, a second baseman and pitcher on the Shawano Legion baseball team this summer, competed in the Fox River Valley Legion all-star game in Kaukauna on Aug. 6, helping the North team defeat the South, 18-10
He played the seventh, eighth and ninth innings at second base.
“It was very cool,” Nelson said. “It was very important to me to represent Shawano in a good way.”
Nelson was 0-2 in his at-bats on the day, but over the course of the summer, Nelson was Shawano’s leading hitter with a .324 average. Kien Moorman was the only other Patriot to record a .300 average on the season.
“Cole was our most consistent hitter all year,” Shawano Patriots head coach Ryan Koenig said.
Nelson, the team’s regular second baseman, also got many opportunities to pitch for the Patriots. Koenig liked how Nelson was able to mix his knuckleball and curveball into his arsenal.
Nelson, who will be a junior at Shawano Community High School this fall, said he knows he needs to get more control over his off-speed pitches, while also cleaning up his fielding.
“He deserved the all-star nomination that he got, and I’m proud of him and looking for big things from him and the rest of the guys that will be back next year,” Koenig said.
Nelson has two years remaining with the Legion baseball team and has one goal in the back of his mind.
“I would like to help get the team back to the state tournament,” he said.