Legion: Rebels eye success while developing in 2024

By all accounts it was a rough spring on the varsity front for the Rhinelander baseball program. With only one win and a last place finish in the Great Northern Conference, there isn’t anywhere for the program to go but up following a dismal spring.

The good news, unlike most programs, the Rhinelander hard-ballers don’t have to wait until next spring to turn things around. Their second chance begins Monday as the Rhinelander Post 7 Rebels being American Legion play for the summer.

This year’s Rebels will certainly have a tough act to follow. Two years removed from a trip to the Class AA state tournament the Rebels may have gotten there again last year if not for an unlucky draw in an uneven bracket,  that forced them to play an extra game in the double-elimination regional tournament. Still, the team managed to post a 16-7 record on the summer and finish third in the regional.

While manager Dan Huhnstock wants to see the team succeed this summer, it will be a transitional year for the program and this summer will be as much about trying to win now as it is developing talent for the future. 

“Obviously, I want to win every game that we play, but it’s also going to be developing the chemistry and finding who the best ball players are and giving them a chance to shine,” Huhnstock said.

If he’s anywhere near the form he had last year, the Rebels figure to get a major boost offensively from Sam Schneider, one of two age-eligible returning players from the class of 2023. He hit a mind-boggling .565 last summer with a home run and a team-best 25 RBIs.

Though he was a catcher primarily in high school Huhnstock said expects Schneider to be a key utility player for the team spring. He’s already played some outfield for the Rhinelander River Monsters this summer and he was surprisingly effective on the mound last summer, going 1-0 with two saves and a 0.88 ERA over 16 innings of work. 

“He is a such a calming influence on the team,” Huhnstock said. “He’s confident, can play any position, doesn’t get rattled, which will be important to have with a mix of younger guys and some guys from the varsity team this year who struggled.”

Huhnstock said infielder Cody Everson is also due back from last year’s class. Otherwise, the majority of this year’s varsity roster is expected to play this summer. Dylan Vanderbunt (.362), Seth Nofftz (.288) and Kaden Vanney (.283) are the top returning bats from this spring. The team will also hope to get the bats going for the likes of Barak Rappley, Max Ratty and Owen Kurtz, who all hit .250 or better for the Rebels last summer.

Two of Rhinelander’s top pitching options from last summer, Ryan Jamison and Jacksen Smith, have aged out of the program, but there will still be plenty of arms to go around. The Rebels are hoping that Ratty will return to his form from last summer when he posted a 4-2 record with a save and a 1.36 ERA over 36 innings. Schneider, Vanney, Vanderbunt and Oscar Hanson also return with varsity pitching experience. Meanwhile, Huhnstock said senior-to-be Mason Schmidt could see some work this summer, after logging a number of innings at the JV level this spring. 

“We should have enough arms. It’s just getting them in the right spots and the biggest thing will be finding guys who can consistently throw strikes,” Huhnstock said. 

Huhnstock added there will be plenty of competition to determine a starting nine.

“It’s going to be a mixed bag. We’re going to have a lot of competition for playing time,” Huhnstock said. We’re going to give everybody a chance to win their positions. My goal is to be able to figure out who the best nine are, the guys that are going to give me the best chance to win when we get to regionals.”

The Rebels kick off Monday evening at home against the Antigo Post 3 Typhoon. That kicks off what’s scheduled to be a 24-game regular season slate through the middle of July. While the Great Northern Legion Conference disbanded prior to the start of the 2023 season, the Rebels will see almost every GNC-affiliated legion program at least once during the summer. Mosinee is the lone exception, though Huhnstock hinted that it may be possible that a game is added there as Mosinee looks to field a senior legion team after not doing so last year. 

The team will host its annual Rebel Invite over Father’s Day weekend with Fond du Lac Springs, Marquette (Mich.), Minocqua and Merrill coming to town. Rhinelander will also take part in the Art Perkins Memorial Invite in Merrill, which has moved up two weeks this year to June 28-30.

“We’ve got a schedule with some tough opponents, and I’m getting calls for people that want to add games,” Huhnstock said. “I think we’re pretty well set for games unless we hit some rainouts or something. We’re pretty much every Monday, Wednesday and Friday and several weekends.”

The Class AA Region 2 tournament is tentatively scheduled for July 26-30. The host of the tournament and teams in the regional grouping are expected to be announced in early July. 

“I’m thinking that we’re probably in line to host it, but I thought that last year so what I think doesn’t matter,” Huhnstock said. “Traditionally, our regional has been pretty much set with Minocqua and Pines (Northwoods) and Medford, some years its Merrill in there now that they’re back to being a AA team, and some years it’s Antigo. Any given year, I consider that a region that, if we’re playing our best ball, we have a chance to win it.”

The Class AA state tournament will take place Aug. 2-6 in West Salem.

Jeremy Mayo may be reached at [email protected].

2024 REBELS SCHEDULE

Date    Opponent    Time

6/10    ANTIGO    6 p.m.

6/12    at Northwoods    6 p.m.

6/14    FONDY SPRINGS*    8 p.m.

6/15    MARQUETTE, MICH.*    10 a.m.

6/15    MINOCQUA*    6 p.m.

6/16    MERRILL*    2 p.m. 

6/19    NORTHWOODS    7 p.m.

6/21    D.C. EVEREST    7 p.m.

6/24    at Crandon    6 p.m.

6/25    at Medford    7 p.m.

6/28    at Merrill**    7:30 p.m.    

6/29    Wittenberg-Birnamwood**    Noon

6/29    Chippewa Falls**    4:30 p.m.

6/30    Altoona**    1 p.m.

7/2    at Minocqua    7 p.m.

7/5    MINOCQUA    7 p.m.

7/8    CRANDON    7 p.m.

7/12    at Tomahawk (DH)    6/8:30 p.m.

7/15    MARATHON    7 p.m.

7/17    MEDFORD    7 p.m.

7/19    at D.C. Everest    7 p.m.

7/20    CLINTONVILLE (DH)    11 a.m./1:30 p.m.

7/26-30 Regionals    TBA

HOME GAMES IN CAPS  | * Rebel Invitational | ** Merrill Invitational