June 30, 2017 at 3:29 p.m.
Team review: RHS Baseball
Hodag hardball turns in strong season
Team review: RHS Baseball
Rhinelander went 17-6 this spring, its best season since notching a 21-3 mark back in 2011. The Hodags finished second to Antigo in the GNC race and made it to the Division 1 regional finals for the second year in a row.
Hodag baseball coach Joe Waksmonski called the season a success.
"We competed," he said last month during the team's banquet. "We competed hard and that's what I look for in all of my teams - getting better and competing going into the postseason."
Here are five storylines from the spring season for the Hodags.
Slow start
Yes, the Hodags went 6-2 in the month of April, but that's not why it was a slow start for the Hodags.
Rhinelander played five games in an eight-game stretch between April 4 and April 11, and then played only three games the rest of the month due to a rainy and snowy change in the weather pattern.
"It makes for a tough spring," Waksmonski said. "It makes it tough on the players, tough on the coaches, not only from a physical aspect but from a mental aspect. I thought this cold spring affected us. For the most part we're a power-driven team. A lot of place we went to this spring the wind was (blowing) in or its 35 degrees. A lot of our main strengths as an offensive team were kind of negated by the weather."
Fast finish
The Hodags came on strong in May, however, going 11-3. Highlights during the month included an 11-inning win over Mosinee - which later qualified for the WIAA tournament - a doubleheader sweep at Wisconsin Rapids and a 12-1 romp over Green Bay Southwest in the first round of the WIAA playoffs.
The three-losses, a 1-0 defeat in a pitcher's duel against Medford and two losses to Antigo, cost the Hodags a shot at the GNC title, but otherwise Waksmonski said the team played well in May.
"I thought we were playing pretty good baseball going into the postseason," Waksmonski said. "Even though we didn't win that conference title we were able to compete and we got better as the season went on.
Rhinelander's season came to an end with a 4-2 loss at De Pere in the WIAA tournament that featured a pair of controversial calls that went against the Hodags late in the contest, including one in the Red Birds' decisive three-run fifth inning.
"A couple of calls here or there and you never know what happens. That's just the way that baseball is. But by no stretch of the imagination de De Pere blow us out," Waksmonski said.
Changing offense
The early-season weather forced the Hodags to shift their offensive philosophy to be much more aggressive on the base paths. Rhinelander stole 55 bases this spring, up from 40 in 2016 and 32 in 2015. Jacob DeMeyer led the team with 13 swiped bags while Easton Senoraske and Brad Quade each stole 10.
"We did a lot more stealing this year ... probably more than any year since I've been here," Waksmonski said. "Because of the weather I think our team adjusted well and we had the personnel to play with power or play with a little speed on the bases."
As the weather finally warmed up, so did the Hodag bats. The team hit an even .300 this year - with five starters hitting over the .300 mark - led by Quade who hit .412 with a team-high 28 RBIs.
DeMeyer (.368), Senoraske (.359), Tyler Blomdahl (.338, 3 HR, 27 RBIs) and Cole Spaulding (.319) all had strong springs at the plate.
"We had a lot of talent offensively, you just wish for a little warmer spring to accentuate that talent," Waksmonski said. "But I thought, offensively, we made some great adjustments."
Pitching power
Another indicator of Rhinelander's strong spring was the production on the mound from the pitching staff.
Rhinelander had a 2.59 ERA during the season, a big leap from a 4.01 ERA in 2016.
"Maybe that was the weather, but I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that our pitchers were pretty dominant," Waksmonski said. "They were in the zone. They were able to hit spots, mix speeds and keep teams off balance. And defensively we were able to make plays behind them."
Statistically, Brad Comer, who did not make a varsity start in the spring of 2016, had the best numbers. He went 8-1 on the season with a 1.48 ERA and a team-best 52 strikeouts. DeMeyer, who drew several of the team's tougher assignments, went 4-4 with a 3.92 ERA. Senoraske recorded only one save, but developed into the staff's top reliever. He was 3-0 with a 2.00 ERA. The highlight of his season was five innings of scoreless relief in the extra-inning win over Mosinee on May 11.
Matt Rudolph, who primarily got the ball against Rhinelander's non-conference opponents, was 2-0 with a 0.61 ERA.
What's next
Rhinelander will have a couple of major question marks entering next season, namely who takes over at shortstop for Senoraske and catcher for Blomdahl, both of whom graduated last month along with Rudolph, first baseman Tait Spencer and outfielder Alec Modrow.
But the Hodags will have a wealth of talent returning, led by Comer, DeMeyer and Quade, who all received all-district recognition this spring from the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association. Spaulding, another senior-to-be, has entrenched himself at second base and a number of younger players are getting experience at the American Legion level this summer.
"With all of our juniors here this year I think the future, particularly next year is very bright," Waksmonski said. "We have a lot of talent coming back and a lot of good people coming back as well."
Perhaps aiding the Hodags entering next season is shift in school enrollments that will move Antigo back to Division 1 and Rhinelander down to Division 2. According to the 2018 tournament assignments posted on the WIAA website, the Hodags' regional next spring will be the entire Great Northern Conference, minus Antigo.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.