May 25, 2018 at 1:36 p.m.
Baseball: Hodags hit reset button as playoffs begin
Rhinelander to host Medford today at Stafford Field in regional semifinals
Baseball: Hodags hit reset button as playoffs begin
Yet the Hodags are a No. 2 seed in the WIAA Division 2 playoffs and hope a full week off from playing games will be just what the doctor ordered to right the ship as the team takes on Medford this afternoon in a regional semifinal matchup at Stafford Field.
Following a 9-0 start, the Hodags won only twice in their final 12 outings. Considering those 21 games were played in 28 days, Waksmonski attributed the late-season woes, at least partially, to a taxing schedule with very little practice time to correct any mistakes.
"I think the toll of the doubleheaders and the way our season played out kind of just took a toll on the team, physically, mentally and emotionally," he said. "Playing doubleheaders like that two, three times a week is pretty exhausting and I just felt the team kind of ran out of gas a little over halfway through the regular season."
After earning a first-round bye in their six team regional, the Hodags tried to add one more game to the schedule for late last week, but could not find a playing partner. That could be a blessing in disguise for the Hodags who now have had a full week to sharpen their fundamentals, tweak their mechanics and focus in on the task at hand.
"Our focus has just been on getting as many reps as possible - as many swings as we could get, as many ground balls as we could get, as many fly balls as we could get - and just do as much as we can that way," Waksmonski said. "Then really hitting our pitchers hard here at the end of the week, getting some extended bullpens in and making sure they're going to be sharp and ready to go (for Tuesday).
"When we finally started playing games, that's the way we had been approaching practice previous to us playing. Guys were getting lots and lots of reps in practice. Then, when we started playing games, we were hot, for lack of a better term. We were ready to go."
One thing is certain, the Hodags know today's opponent well and will have plenty of advance scouting on tomorrow's opponent as well should they make it on to the regional finals.
That's because the regional is comprised of every GNC school except Antigo. The Hodags already have a pair of wins this season against Medford. The winner of the game will play the winner of tonight's Mosinee-Lakeland matchup with a trip to next week's sectional round on the line.
"It works both ways," Waksmonski said. "They know us and we know them. It's just a matter of who's better that particular day. It doesn't matter what division you are in, or even what sport, you throw all the records and stats out the window and it's all about who's better that particular day. We want it to be us, obviously."
Rhinelander swept a doubleheader from the Raiders 13-3 and 12-4 May 3 at Stafford Field, though those results are somewhat deceiving. Rhinelander was hitless against Medford's Nick Retterath until the fifth inning of the second game when the Hodags finally got on the board, chased Retterath from the hill and then feasted on Medford's bullpen.
"In Medford, you're looking at a team that has a fairly deep pitching staff," Waksmonski said. "I know when we saw them earlier this spring we did hit them well, but I know they've improved as the season's gone on and they'll be better when they see us a second time."
Rhinelander has not reached the sectional round of the WIAA tournament since 2004. While the Hodags would love to change that this year, Waksmonski said the team cannot get ahead of itself.
"Playoff baseball, playoff anything, you've got to take it one thing at a time," he said. "I don't know if you can say our goal is to go here or go there. It's one pitch at a time, one inning at a time, because if you have a bad inning or make a bad pitch, a lot can change in a hurry. In high school baseball, it doesn't really matter what your stats are or what your record it, it's all about who's better in that moment."
First pitch for today's game is set for 5 p.m. at Stafford Field.
Mosinee would host the regional final round tomorrow if it beats Lakeland. The winner of the Rhinelander-Medford would host tomorrow, should Lakeland pull off the upset.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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