April 22, 2021 at 9:01 a.m.
Team preview: RHS softball
New-look Hodags try to leap back into GNC contention
Team preview: RHS softball
Only three starters are back from a squad that went 2-17 two years ago. Behind that, there is a lot of young talent that is eager to prove 2019 was a blip on the radar following a string of seven straight winning seasons.
"It's going to be a younger team," seventh-year head coach D.J. DeMeyer said. "It's going to be exciting. We're going to make some errors but, as long as we learn from them, we're going to be fine."
DeMeyer hopes what the squad lacks in upperclassman experience it can make up for with a group of sophomores and freshmen eager to get their first crack at varsity ball, many of whom have had plenty of innings at the youth and club level.
A numbers of those players would have likely made their varsity debuts last year, if the season had not been canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. DeMeyer said the team's chomping at the bit to get back out on the diamond.
"Some of these girls have been waiting two years to play varsity ball," he said. "They're ready. We've had some good contact days. I'm pretty excited and so are the rest of the coaches. I think it's going to be a good season."
Senior Hannah Worachek, the team's lone All-Great Northern Conference selection in 2019, will lead the team into action this spring. She hit .294 in GNC play with a home run and 4 RBIs as a sophomore and is expected to play either shortstop or third base, depending on who's pitching during a given game.
"I'm expecting the same, if not more this year," DeMeyer said. "She's a very good ball player and she works hard at it. She's going to be our leader out in the field."
Rhinelander will also have some experience in the outfield with seniors Alexis Herkdle and Kylee White, both of whom started for the team two years ago. Rhinelander is hoping for more production out of their bats after they hit a combined 5 for 43 in GNC play in 2019. During the team's contact days last month, DeMeyer said the two have improved defensively, thanks in part to being able to train inside the Hodag Dome this offseason.
"The thing I like about Alexis and Kylee, because we're able to hit fly balls, we're able to get aggressive at the ball," he said. "We want them to go after the ball and we didn't have that the last time we had a season."
Behind those three there is a lack of varsity experience. Just as was the case in 2019, the Hodags enter the season with no players on the roster who have ever thrown a varsity pitch. Unlike two years ago, when the team had a staff ERA of 10.31 and had more walks (103) than strikeouts (102), there is plenty of talent in this young crop of hurlers.
Addi DeMeyer, D.J. DeMeyer's daughter, will likely see the majority of the innings in the circle, with Abigail Bixby and Laney Haenel also vying for time.
"They're all freshmen and sophomores," D.J. DeMeyer said. "Addi's got some experience with some club ball. Abigail Bixby's got some experience with club ball and so does Laney Haenel. Addi's probably got the most experience and is probably the most polished. She's got some velocity and she's still gaining more. She's getting better control over her pitches and she's going to surprise some people.
"Hopefully our pitching can keep us out of the big innings. If we don't walk many, we'll be fine."
Rhinelander will need to improve in all three aspects, however, in order to rebound from a tough 2019 in which it went winless in the GNC. The Hodags had the conference's worst offense - hitting only .183 collectively while scoring only 1.7 runs per game. Meanwhile, the team allowed 36 unearned runs in the GNC - the third most behind only Northland Pines and Medford.
"Defensively, we've just got to make the plays that are in front of us," coach DeMeyer said. "I think we're going to be fine. We don't have to make any diving, superstar plays, just make the play that's in front of us, get the out and keep us out of the big innings."
Expect Addi DeMeyer or Bixby to work the left side of the infield with Woracheck when they are not pitching. Haenel, meanwhile, is also in the mix at first along with Haley Ives and newcomer Annika Johnson, a junior who previously played soccer.
A couple of sophomores - Maddi Roeser and Abigail Johnson - are working at catcher. Both Johnsons and Ives could be candidates in right field, while Roeser, Chloe Felde and Emily Gregesich are vying for time at second.
Bottom line, with a squad that does not quite have enough to field a separate JV team, coach DeMeyer will have plenty of options when it comes to filling his lineup card.
"Nothing's set in stone. We'll know more after our scrimmage on Saturday," he said. "There's a couple of freshmen vying for those spots. It all depends on how they hustle and how they hit the ball, and obviously, you've got to be able to catch the ball.
"We've set the tone, if you're not moving, you won't be playing. I expect everybody to be moving at least a couple of steps on every pitch. They all have a spot they should be moving to. If not, I've got enough girls now that I can switch them out."
Rhinelander will scrimmage Merrill Saturday morning in an event that, rain or shine, will be held in the Hodag Dome. From there, the Hodags will open the season at home Tuesday against Lakeland, followed by a road contest at Antigo next Thursday. All home games this year will be held at Pioneer Park, as the fields adjacent to the Hodag Dome are not yet ready for play.
As for the conference, DeMeyer said though the gap between first and last in the GNC has shrunk over the last couple of years, Mosinee is still the team to beat.
"Mosinee, until someone knocks them off, you can't take them off that perch," he said. "I have an idea of what they have. I know what they lost. I think Antigo's going to be solid. I think (Northland Pines) is going to surprise some teams. They had a freshman team two years ago, they're now juniors and played some summer ball. Pitching will be their toughest spot. They're not deep in pitching. Medford you can't count out too. I think they had a freshman and sophomore pitcher two years ago. They'll be juniors and seniors."
As for how Rhinelander will fare this year, coach DeMeyer said if things come together, the team could be in for a rebound season.
"Cautiously, I'm going to say we can be .500. I think if things go well and things gel well, we could be contending," he said.
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
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