August 14, 2019 at 1:31 p.m.
8 Rebels earn All-GNLC honors
8 Rebels earn All-GNLC honors
Four members of this year's Rebels squad received first-team honors and another four received honorable mention when the All-Great Northern Legion Conference team was announced Monday.
Outfielder Abe Laggis and utility player Martin Hoger were unanimous selections by the GLNC coaches. They are joined on the first team by outfielder Teagan Guckenberg and infielder Danny Zuiker.
Infielders Josh Randolph and Jacob Dreifuerst received honorable mention from the coaches, as did pitcher Bryce Schickert and catcher Walker Hartman.
"All very deserving ball players," Rebels manager Dan Huhnstock said. "It's indicative of our record, being co-conference champs again. We have some very good ball players in the program."
It was the second straight appearance on the first team for both Laggis and Hoger. Laggis, who primarily played right field, was fifth-best in the GNLC with a .467 batting average in conference games, and was tied for sixth in the conference with two stolen bases. Hoger, a first team choice as catcher last year, saw time at pitcher, center field, catcher and third base this season. He was .286 with three RBIs in six official league games (the exhibition wins against Mosinee did not count toward conference statistics because Mosinee officially forfeited those games). He won his lone official conference pitching start, going 5 2/3 innings with three earned runs on four hits with five strikeouts.
Guckenberg busted on to the scene with a three-RBI game in a 5-3 win over eventual conference co-champion Medford June 21 at Stafford Field. He was second in the GNLC in batting average at .545 (6-for-11) with two doubles and five RBIs in conference play. Zuiker hit .444 in conference play with three RBIs despite missing a number of games due to injury.
"I believe Danny Zuiker was one of our top hitters, along with Abe Laggis this year through the legion season," Huhnstock said. "Teagan Guckenberg was a pleasant surprise after not playing spring ball. He found his groove and became one of our better outfielders and took over the leadoff spot in quite a few games."
With two fewer teams in the league this year, the all-conference team did not include a second-team, where Randolph and Schickert fell on last year's squad. They both narrowly missed the cut for first-team again. Schickert made two conference starts on the mound, both against Medford, and went 1-1 with a 2.21 ERA and 10 strikeouts over 12 2/3 innings. Randolph hit .286 in conference play with four RBIs while playing primarily at shortstop.
Those two, along with Hoger, were part of a strong senior core for the team in the middle of the lineup.
"What can you say about the leadership of Martin and Josh and Bryce, our veteran guys who graduated high school this past year and led the way for us with our leadership and ball playing skills throughout the summer," Huhnstock said.
Hartman's six RBIs were tied for fourth best in the GNLC as he hit .286 in league play. Dreifuerst also hit .286 but both were very patient at the plate. Dreifuerst drew seven walks in 15 conference plate appearances and had a .600 on base percentage. Hartman drew five walks and got aboard at a .474 clip.
"Walker Hartman was very solid, both catching and pitching, and has improved at the plate from last year," Huhnstock said. "Jacob Dreifuerst was just a solid first baseman for us. He gave us a lot of pop with his bat this summer."
Of Rhinelander's eight all-conference recipients, five were underclassmen who are slated to play for the Rhinelander High School baseball team next spring.
"Which bodes very well for the future of Rhinelander baseball," Huhnstock said. "They are very good ball players that, hopefully, will only get better throughout the offseason and be a solid core for the high school and legion teams in the future."
Rhinelander went 16-9 overall this summer and tied with Medford for the GNLC championship at 7-1 in league play.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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