July 27, 2016 at 1:47 p.m.
Young Rebels provide optimism for the future
Young Rebels provide optimism for the future
While the 2016 Legion campaign had some of the same hot-and-cold streaks that have become a hallmark of Rhinelander baseball the last two years, the fact that there were more ups than downs bodes well for the future.
"A lot of these young guys are hungry, they want some playing time and they're going to be some stiff competition in some spots next spring," said RHS baseball coach Joe Waksmonski shortly after the Rebels fell 8-6 to Merrill last Friday to complete a 15-7 campaign. "That's always good to have."
While Dan Huhnstock skippered the Rebels this summer, Waksmonski was on the bench for most of the games and liked what he saw, particularly at the plate.
"I thought we hit the ball really well," he said. "Going into today, I think we were hitting in the .370s as a team and that's exceptional. Usually that's what happens during the summer. Warm weather, the ball flies a little better, but really I thought we improved offensively with our at-bats. We battled a little more in certain situations and it was fun to watch and be a part of."
The Rebels did put up some impressive offensive stats this summer, hitting a collective .371 over the 22-game season. Of the eight players who logged at least 40 plate appearances over the summer, seven hit .333 or better, led by Nick Spencer's .525 clip.
Spencer, a 2015 RHS grad who turned 19 after Jan. 1 and thus was still eligible to play legion ball this summer, will be gone next season. But he's the only member of this summer's squad who can't return in 2017.
Kurt Zuiker and Brandon Hess graduated this spring but could play with the Rebels again next year.
The middle of Rhinelander's order had plenty of pop this summer. Brad Comer, a junior-to-be, hit .405 with a home run. He led the team in extra-base hits (15) and RBIs (25). Catcher Tyler Blomdahl, who will be a senior next school year, hit .393 with a team-best three homers and drove in 19. Brad Quade, another junior-to-be, hit .362 with seven extra-base hits and 13 RBIs.
On the mound, the Rebels only used six pitchers over the summer with two of the elder statesmen - Nick Spencer and Hess - leading the team with nine appearances each. Jacob DeMeyer led the team with a 4-3 record despite a 5.19 ERA.
Two new arms developed on the arm this summer with Comer and senior-to-be Easton Senoraske. Comer (2-1) had a team-best 3.13 ERA over 22 1/3 innings of work. Senoraske also went 2-1 with a 4.42 ERA and had the best strikeout-to-walk ratio on the staff at 1.71.
"With Easton and Brad (Comer), they were impressive in spots and they were spots where they kind of struggled a little bit, but I think that's expected because this is their first time extensively pitching at a varsity level," Waksmonski said. "With a little more time this offseason and in preseason practice going into next spring I think those two have the makings of top two or three pitchers for us."
The Rebels reeled off seven straight wins to end the regular season, including four in a row in GNLC play to claim the title in the conference's inaugural season. However Waksmonski conceded the quest for a conference title precluded the team from getting a look at a couple of other arms.
"We kind of wanted to see Tait Spencer a little bit and Brad Quade," he said. "Maybe we'll see those guys a little bit more in the spring and get them some time on the mound. With the way it worked out with us this summer being part of a legion conference we kind of wanted to pitch a lot of our guys where we could get the win."
The Rebels stumbled from the gate this summer, falling 9-3 to Minocqua in the season opener June 8. After taking a slugfest 13-12 from Medford June 15, the Rebels won their home invite over Father's Day weekend to improve to 6-1.
The Rebels were looking to go 8-1 when they held a two-run lead with two out in the seventh June 24 at Rothschild-Schofield-Weston, but Rhinelander was never able to record the final out and lost 7-6. That started a swoon that included 10-run losses to Minocqua and Medford and a shutout loss to Mosinee.
Rhinelander was 8-5 when it traveled to Merrill July 10 for a two-day tournament. Trailing hosting Post 46 7-2 entering the seventh, the Rebels rallied for six runs to win 8-7. A victory over Holmen and a rain-shortened triumph the next day over RSW gave Rhinelander the tournament title and sparked a bit rally to end the season.
Antigo poured cold water on Rhinelander's streak, beating the Rebels 11-1 to start the Legion regional tournament. Two nights later the season came to an end.
"Defensively we had our ups and downs," Waksmonski said, looking back at the season. "Pitching we had our ups and downs. I think a lot of it has to do with we just don't practice on a day-to-day basis like we do in the spring. But I don't lack any confidence in what we're going to do next year with pitching and defense. As long as we bring the bats we had this summer, we're still going to be a formidable team next spring."
Moving forward, Waksmonski said the bevy of talent slated to return will bode well next season and beyond.
"They're hard workers and they like baseball," he said. "That always bodes well too. When a kid is gung-ho about baseball and wants to put in the work and put in the time, that improves our chances for the season."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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