March 31, 2021 at 6:10 a.m.
Excitement abounds for Hodag baseball in run up to season
Excitement abounds for Hodag baseball in run up to season
That's the story for the Hodag baseball team, which has held its first 10 of 15 contact days prior to spring break and is set to get back at it next week with its final five days leading into pitcher and catcher training the following week and the official start of practice April 19.
Of course the Hodags did not have that opportunity last year, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Other organized baseball opportunities for the team did not happen, either, as the pandemic wiped out the Babe Ruth and American Legion baseball seasons as well.
Waksmonski said the time away from the game, plus the brand new Hodag Dome, has plenty of kids eager to get out and play ball.
"There's double excitement right now," he said. "Obviously, it's new building here and being able to practice in this facility, but just to get back at it. We've have a small group of guys coming in the dome since early December when the dome first opened. Our open gyms we've had more and more in attendance, much more so than in years past. Guys are excited - whether it's being able to play baseball again or the combination of baseball and dome, it's great to have the numbers we have right now."
Waksmonski estimates his numbers to be in the low-to-mid 30s for the upcoming season - plenty for separate varsity and JV teams, but a bit iffy to add a JV2 squad. The contact days afforded by the WIAA to spring sports teams are helping to make up for lost time. As is the case for virtually every spring sport across the state, the team is essentially trying to break in two classes that are new to high school baseball, and preparing the two other classes to prepare to make the jump to varsity baseball.
That's why, so far during contact days, the name of the game has been fundamentals.
"For a lot of these guys, we have two classes - freshmen and sophomores - that have not been able to practice," Waksmonski said. "They're learning a lot of the stuff, a lot of the drills. A lot of the things that we do, they're learning that right now. We haven't gone too in depth right now with team defenses and bunting philosophies and offensive philosophies. We've been working a lot on individual fundamentals. The same thing with our pitchers too. We haven't gotten far into bullpens. We've been working a lot on technique, fundamentals and things like that."
Having a 128,000-square-foot facility to stretch out its legs hasn't hurt the program, either.
The Hodag baseball team cannot do as much in the dome as its softball counterparts, but it can do a lot more than it ever could inside a gym.
"It's been a huge benefit," Waksmonski said. "We have our special wiffleball machine where, when you hit a ball, it gives you the true flight. Guys have been able to watch the bat path and watch the ball fly off their bat, and getting feedback in that regard. The other nice thing about our location is we're right next to the football field, so on some nights, we're able to send our guys outside for throw series and for fly balls. Even on nights if we're (practicing) super late, we don't have a problem at all with having guys throw as far as they can. For the most part, our outfielders can get all their work in, inside here."
The team does have to make up for some lost time. Only four members of the 2019 varsity squad are back. Of that group, senior Quinn Lamers played only two games that season after suffering a hand injury in the team's season-opening doubleheader at Green Bay Notre Dame. Meanwhile it's unclear if, or how much senior Walker Hartman will be available as he continues to rehabilitate from a knee injury suffered during the football season.
Though Hartman and Lamers both saw action on the hill in Legion ball during the summer of 2019, senior Isaac Bixby is the only returning player with high school varsity pitching experience, going 2-2 as a sophomore with a 6.33 ERA over 21 innings. Bixby is expected to be a leader on the team, especially in the dugout. When COVID canceled all formal baseball activities into last summer, Bixby and junior Joe Schneider spearheaded a player-led effort to hold open practices at Stafford Field with the help of a couple of volunteer coaches.
"We have some real good leaders right now in our program," Waksmonski said. "They're not afraid to organize and get guys together and get other guys to work out. That was invaluable last year when you had like guys like Isaac Bixby and Joe Schneider setting up workouts, which then transpired into having these scrimmages on Wednesday nights. With those two, that continued into the offeseason. They and some other guys took the bull by the horns, starting in December with some morning workouts. They were coming in before school, throwing and getting their swings in."
Normally, as the calendar turns to April, Waksmonski would be watching the weather, wondering when his team would be able to get outside. This year, the team has plenty of time to get ready before a scrimmage against Stratford April 24 and the season opener against Lakeland April 27.
When the team gets back from break, it will use the next three weeks to prepare for those events.
"After we get back from break, we'll have our pitchers start throwing on the bullpen mounds," Waksmonski said. "Then we'll have that pitcher-catcher week. Our goal, right now, is to have our pitchers ready to throw to our hitters live that first week of practice. We have a scrimmage that Saturday against Stratford."
There's one more thing that has Waksmonski excited. Barring some bizarre change in the weather pattern later this month, the team should have its first relatively "normal" baseball season since 2017. Late thaws condensed the 2018 and 2019 seasons prior to last year's complete cancellation.
"I'm excited to play a conference season that not a doubleheader schedule. First and foremost, that's what I'm excited about," Waksmonski said. "I think you could just tell the wear and tear from those doubleheaders just kind of wore on the team, wore on our pitchers. Especially the last year that we played we were the only conference team that had to do doubleheaders for every contest. There were other teams that were able to do single games and I think that's just such a huge difference. Fingers crossed that we have a fairly dry spring, but I'm most excited about being able to have a conference season where we're not doing doubleheaders."
Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].
Comments:
You must login to comment.