June 15, 2022 at 11:31 a.m.

Jamison voted RHS baseball MVP, Joe Schneider wins Hodag Award

Jamison voted RHS baseball MVP, Joe Schneider wins Hodag Award
Jamison voted RHS baseball MVP, Joe Schneider wins Hodag Award

By Jeremy [email protected]

The numbers spoke for themselves for Rhinelander's Ryan Jamison this season. He was the Hodags' No. 1 pitcher, and top hitter. Not surprisingly, he was voted the RHS baseball team's most valuable player by his teammates.

Jamison was presented the award Sunday during the team's banquet at Stafford Field. It was one of three team awards handed out. Junior outfielder AJ Turek was voted the team's most improved player and senior Joe Schneider took home the Hodag Award.

By almost all measures, Jamison - a first-team All-Great Northern Conference selection as an infielder and honorable mention as a pitcher - was the team's top player. On the mound, he went 5-3 on the season with a 3.17 ERA with 50 strikeouts over 46 2/3 innings as Rhinelander's ace - a role he assumed when Schneider underwent surgery in the offseason, forcing him to miss much of the regular season.

"I think it was that mentality that when Joe went down, Ryan was going to be our ace. He was going to be our bulldog," Hodag coach Joe Waksmonski said. "He was going to be our No. 1 pitcher. When he was on the mound, he was going to have his 100 pitches and they were going to be all his pitches.

"He was going to control the game and that's exactly what he did. Really that's all you can as for anyone that's your No. 1 pitcher."

Jamison was also Rhinelander's top hitter this spring. His .385 average, two triples and six extra-base hits all led the team. He had 12 RBIs on the season, second behind Sam Schneider (13) for the team lead.

"He came into this year and was an offensive force for us as our No. 2 or 3 hitter," Waksmonski said. "He drove the ball well to all gaps and really did a fantastic job for us as far as being that guy in our offense. It was always fun seeing him hit with runs in scoring position."

Joe Schneider was a near unanimous choice for the Hodag Award, which Waksmonski credited to his approach and attitude as he worked his way back from a knee injury that plagued him much of his senior year.

"We all know his story and know where he came from, from the fall to the winter, to obviously what happened this spring," Waksmonski said, with a long pause to collect his emotions. "I'm extremely proud of the way he conducted himself and helped our team. It's now easy to be in that situation. We've had players like that before where they got hurt their senior year and they can't participate and they kind of withdraw from the team. With Joe, it just kind of added fuel to being a leader, to taking players under his wing and still giving his best to our program."

Turek came on to the scene as the start of the year, winning starting spot in the outfield. His bat came along as the season progressed as his .342 average was second on the team, behind only Jamison.

"He just has that natural ability to go after that ball and catch it, whether it's a line drive, fly ball to his left, fly ball to his right, anything short. He just had that natural ability, and it was from Day 1, too," Waksmonski said. "Offensively, we were DH'ing for him then all of a sudden he was our No. 9 hitter and he was producing and producing. Then, at the end of the year, he was our leadoff hitter. He had that knack of being scrappy in the at-bat. It doesn't always look pretty but it doesn't have to look pretty either, as long as you're getting the job done. He was getting the job done, finding a way to get on base and letting our run producers knock him in."

Rhinelander finished 9-8 on the season and fourth in the GNC with a 6-6 league mark. The Hodags' season ended with an 11-1 playoff loss at Mosinee, which took part in the WIAA Division 2 state tournament earlier this week.

"We didn't have the success we wanted at the end of the year, but we might have just lost to the eventual state champion again this year," Waksmonski said, noting that Mosinee will likely be strong again next year with a roster full of underclassmen. "We do have a big mountain right in front of us. It's a lot of work to play catchup, but I think it's a lot of fun too. We have someone to chase. We have someone to compete with, not only one the field but off the field as well. I think it's a great challenge. It's a fun challenge."

Waksmonski also thanked the seniors for their dedication to the program over the last two seasons and wished them luck during the Legion season and in their future endeavors.

"They've got one more chance here in Rhinelander, putting on a Rhinelander uniform and having success and I've got no doubt that they'll experience that this summer and take it to the state tournament," he said.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].

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