Morgan Rode sports@wolfrivermedia.com
After a summer season filled with practices and games, American Legion baseball teams around the state are making their final preparations for the start of regionals, which open July 20 for most teams.
When regional play begins, there will be just four area teams putting on their uniforms and lacing up their cleats. Despite the limited amount of local teams to cheer on, all four teams believe they are capable of winning state titles.
Shawano is the lone local team in Class AA. The Patriots were placed into the Rhinelander Regional, which also features Antigo, Northwoods and Rhinelander.
After a slow start to the summer, Shawano (9-8) has found its groove over the past couple weeks, with strong pitching and timely hitting leading the team’s turnaround. Joey Tadych, Casey Baumann and Steve Hoffman have anchored the pitching staff while Parker Pues, Jacob Lacy, Brad Bartz and Alex Hoffman have constantly been getting on base and driving in runs.
Shawano coach Ryan Koenig wants his team to focus on doing the basics and trust that good things will follow.
“For us to win, we have to have the focus to win each at-bat and make every play on defense,” he said. “Our pitchers will need to get ahead in counts and stay aggressive like they have been the last few weeks. Most importantly, we need to have great energy and have fun together and everything will take care of itself.”
Koenig and the Patriots know they have their work cut out for them as they will need to defeat Antigo, which has appeared at state the last three years, and a strong Rhinelander team. With the regional only featuring four teams, Shawano knows it has the pitching depth to be regional champs.
“With four teams I think it is an advantage for teams with not as much pitching depth as you only need three pitchers possibly to win versus larger regionals where you need four-to-six to win,” Koenig said. “Strategy for us will not change as we need to play as a team and do all the little things correctly.”
Shawano opens regional play against Northwoods at 5:30 p.m. on July 20.
Both Clintonville and Bonduel will be playing in the Class A Clintonville Regional. Freedom, Omro and Oconto Falls will also take part in the five-team regional after the Marion/Tigerton squad withdrew from the tournament due to low roster numbers and a lack of pitching. Menominee will also not take part in this year’s regional tournament.
Clintonville is on a mission to make the state tournament for a second straight season. Last year, the Diamond Cats made the state tournament as the hosts. This year, the team will have to win its regional to reach state, which will be in Osseo from July 27-31.
Clintonville (13-6) opened the summer slowly, but began to play better ball starting with the Rhinelander Tournament. The Diamond Cats also turned in strong finishes in the New London and Clintonville tournaments and are currently riding a four-game winning streak.
“What we need to do well in this tournament is to continue hitting the ball and have good pitching like we’ve had the entire season,” Clintonville coach Randy Finger said. “These guys are playing good ball right now going into regionals and hope to continue. I’m proud of their efforts and no matter how they do I’m proud of these young men.”
Kyle Finger, Nathan Krueger and Nick Schoen have led a balanced offense while Colton Kluth, Logan Liesenfelder, Matt Morse and Krueger lead the pitching staff.
Clintonville knows the regional is filled with strong teams but also believes it is capable of taking down any other team in the state.
“The mindset that these guys need to be in is that they can beat anybody, no matter how big the school is or how good the pitcher is,” he said. “We have proved it over the last two years that we can play against the talent of anybody.”
Bonduel opened the summer with back-to-back shutout wins over Clintonville and Wittenberg thanks to outstanding pitching outings from lefty Wyatt Erb. The Grizzlies have played to a 3-4 record since then, with mental mistakes on defense playing a key role in the sub-.500 record.
Brandon Olsen, Jordan Boldt and Erb have led the team at the plate, with the bats of Isaac Boldt, Riddik Bohm and Noah Beilfuss coming on as of late.
Jordan Boldt, who has served as the team’s second starter on the mound this summer, injured his shoulder in a recent contest, which could force some younger players into vital roles in regional play.
“Our team is always loose and ready to go,” coach Jason Boldt said. “We need everyone to step up and play their best at this time of year. We will be without a couple players because of vacations and our No. 2 pitcher (Jordan Boldt) might not be available to us after straining his shoulder against Keshena. So guys that haven’t seen the field much will be called upon to help us. The older guys have been here before so they know what to expect. It’s gonna be interesting to see how it plays out.”
Even if Jordan Boldt cannot be utilized as a pitcher, coach Boldt still believes the team could make a run in the postseason if it can play solid defense.
“We need to limit our errors and continue to hit the ball,” he said. “Even if Jordan isn’t available to pitch, we have good pitching depth that will be needed to win. If we can play clean games, we can beat anybody.”
Wittenberg will play in the Class A Marathon Regional, facing off against Mosinee, Nekoosa, Tomahawk, Medford and Marathon. Wittenberg owns a 9-1 record on the year, with the lone setback coming against Bonduel on June 18. Wittenberg currently holds a six-game winning streak.
“Our mindset should be no different than any other game,” Wittenberg coach Dan Kapitz said of playing in regionals. “Stay focused, think ahead, and make plays. As a coach, you teach players to handle situations so that when they happen in games they will feel confident in their abilities.”
Kody Szews, Casey Kerstner and Trevor Groshek have handled a majority of the innings on the mound while Dalton and Ian Zeinert, Gavin Scheurer and Kerstner have had strong summers at the plate.
A year ago, Wittenberg competed in the Tomahawk Regional, which featured similar opponents to this year’s regional. Wittenberg posted a 3-2 record, with both losses coming to Marathon. To open this year’s regional, Wittenberg has the chance to avenge its losses, facing Marathon at 7 p.m. on July 20.
“In a double elimination tournament, the first game is so important for player’s confidence,” Kapitz said. “Our pitching depth should be a plus. This will be an extremely tough regional and whoever comes out on top will certainly earn the right to play at state.”