March 21, 2018 at 1:08 p.m.
Spring practice notebook: Girls' soccer and baseball
Hodag soccer feeling the time crunch
Spring practice notebook: Girls' soccer and baseball
The problem for the Hodags is with the first game looming April 5, and spring break wedged in between, there's very little time for the team to prepare.
"We're nowhere near game shape and we'll struggle to get into game shape with spring break interrupting us and games hitting us as soon as we get back," Millot said Monday afternoon during the team's first day of practice. "It's going to be a rough start of the season."
The Hodags are trying to make up for lost time this week with morning and afternoon practices each day. While the morning sessions have focused primarily on skills, the afternoon sessions have been centered around scrimmages and mini-games as Millot and his staff try to determine a varsity roster.
"What we're trying to do with our practices is create that competitive cauldron. We're here to compete and the girls know they're competing for spots," Millot said, noting that he hopes to have the varsity roster settled by late this week. "We have a lot of decisions to make. Even our veteran players that played certain positions last year will be moved around in the field to fill gaps. Hopefully we'll have some young players step up and take on the challenge of challenging for starting positions."
The team has little choice but to answer many of those questions this week. The dynamic of the team will change dramatically next week due to the district's spring break.
"We're going to lose almost three quarters of this team to spring break and that being said all we can focus on is technical stuff pretty much with the rest of the team," Millot explained. "There's nothing we can do as a team. That hurts us. We're just going to have to cram it all in, stay focused at practices and make sure we're quite efficient in what we do."
As has been the case the past few seasons, as long as Mother Nature cooperates, the Hodags will dive head first into the season with the Great Northern Conference opener at Lakeland April 5, followed by a two-day invite at Green Bay Southwest April 6 and 7. In all, Rhinelander has 10 games scheduled in 22 days to start the season.
Millot said the team's situation is aggravated by the fact that his players are stuck inside until the snow clears, but said the team will try to make the best of it.
"You go with the flow. It's the Northwoods and we can't let it get us down because we live here," he said. "It's not like this is the first time it's happened. I've had worst springs than this. We're OK. We just have to hope for warm weather and maybe one good, solid day of real hard rain."
Baseball off to fast start
Conversely, the Rhinelander High School baseball team feels like it is ahead of the game as practice commences.
"We're just ready to rock right now," coach Joe Waksmonski said.
Part of the reason for the confidence is the head start the team got last week via voluntary pitcher and catcher workouts - the first time such workouts have been permissible under WIAA regulations. Waksmonski said those workouts, which were well-attended, allowed the team to move seamlessly into the first official practice of the spring on Monday.
"There was no teaching for our warmup tonight. A lot of the guys that were there, they got to learn our throw series. There will be less teaching to do there. I thought it was very beneficial," he said.
What's more, Waksmonski said the extra week of instruction will allow the team to up the pitch counts for their pitchers this week and noted that the team may be able to get to pitcher vs. batter matchups at practice either by the end of this week or early next week.
As the team has done in the past, Monday evening's first practice was a scouting combine of sorts. The players were put through a number of tests - including the 30- and 60-yard dash, bench press, bat speed, throwing speed and agility - to gauge players' skill levels to start the season.
Waksmonski said these metrics are beneficial, especially at the JV level.
"Maybe someone was playing a certain position their whole life, but they have the skill set to play a different position," he said. "I think it's very beneficial, especially for our JV program, to get a read on where everyone is."
Roughly 32 players were in attendance for Monday's opening practice. In the past, those players would be split in to three teams, but this year Waksmonski said the team is going to field only a varsity and one JV squad.
"I think with two teams it creates more competition, is what I think happens. You have to earn your playing time on both teams," he said.
Rhinelander was scheduled to scrimmage Saturday at Marathon, though that event was officially canceled on Tuesday.
"It's not looking very promising, but we won't be very surprised or shocked if it doesn't happen," Wakmosnski said Monday. "It's baseball season, and I know there's a lot of snow on the ground, but the guys are excited to be here and be practicing right now."
Rhinelander will open the season with a non-conference game at Wittenberg-Birnamwood April 3.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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