Hello Strangers,
Since this post is so incredibly late we have a lot to cover, so lets get to it.
First off we would just like to thank you all for all your amazing support this past season, there is no way we could have done what we did without all of your support. We are all incredibly privileged to play this amazing game each school year and we cannot do that without you guys cheering us on.
Second, as you all know our season was cut short as we went 2 and done at the conference tournament in Sheboygan, WI. We played two great teams that just beat us and there is nothing we can do. We do hope that we learn from our experience and use that next year as we try and make another run at a conference title. Game 1 of the tournament was against top 5 opponent Windsor University and they played like a top 5 team. They held Minnesota to 2 hits in a 5-inning mercy rule game. Senior Austin Ridl and Sophmore Peter Haggerty each tallied a hit. Ridl hit a leadoff triple in the second and then Brock Chenier hit an RBI Sac Fly to push the only run across for Minnesota.
Game two was a battle of Minnesota as Winona State lost a high scoring affair to Illinois in their opening round game. The scoring started as both teams pushed across a run in the first. Minnesota got a RBI single from Marshall Dalziel. Winona went on to push 10 more runs across the plate over the next 5 innings. In the bottom of the 6th down to their final 3 outs Austin Ridl singled to start the inning and then Marshall Dalziel drove a 3-1 count fastball over the left field fence to keep the game going. Minnesota tacked on two more runs off the bats of Jason Leadley and Aaron Schwecke. In all Minnesota had 10 hits but could not overcome 4 errors in the field and dropped their final game 12-5.
The team finished the season with a 20-8 record, which is also a program record for wins in a season. The team also combined to hit .322 (led by Brian Dexheimer who hit .439), On base percentage of .413 (led by Brian Dexheimer’s OBP of .570), Slugged .437 (led by Marshall Dalziel’s slugging of .672), and a total OPS of .850 (led by Austin RIdl’s OPS of 1.124). As the numbers show the team really hit the ball well this year. We also hit a record 45 doubles led by Austin Ridl and Marshall Dalziel who each hit 7. Brock Chenier showed off his wheels by hitting 3 of the teams 10 triples this season. This was also the season for the long ball, as a team we combined to hit 12 dingers. 8 guys touched them all this year but Marshall Dalziel and Austin RIdl led the way by hitting 3 a piece over the course of the season. The team swiped 82% (60-73) of the bases this year. Aaron Schwecke led the way with 24 stolen bases, which put his in sole possession of 2nd in the country. The offense was something that was always a plus for the team and something to build on for next year.
The pitching staff was something that that the team was hit or miss from time to time but they still had some quality games on the mound. The two top arms on the team were Geoff Fisher and Marshall Dalziel. Combined they went 9-3, 69.1 IP, 66 SO, and an ERA of 3.43. Geoff Fisher led the staff in with 5 wins and was consistently able to throw when the team needed him to throw. The team also had multiple arms to come in and throw strikes when the team needed them. The team relied on Erik Rosheim, Brady Geronime and Brock Chenier which hopefully they continue to grow and lead the team next year. Ben Smith and Geoff Fisher will look to lead the staff as the two returning starters. When those two lefty’s are on, it is nearly impossible to push runs across.
This past season was the last season for four seniors who are graduating and hopefully heading to bigger and better things. The first is Tim Belrose. Tim joined the team last season as a junior. Tim was a great role player who played multiple positions for the team and was always ready to hop in the game if someone went down. He finished his career with a .224 (15-67) Batting average, OBP of .398 and slugged .239. Tim was a rock solid fielder with a .953 fielding percentage in his two seasons. Tim was a great teammate that was always out trying to help the other guys and took advantage of the opportunities he was given. Tim will be missed deeply because of his hard work and effort.
Next we have Derek Plath, also known by “Swagger Goggles.” Derek was very essential in the first three years on the team. The past two seasons he has been plagued by injuries and running marathons. Derek hit .260 (13-50), OBP of .288 and slugged .340 with an OPS of .628. Derek also tossed 14.2 innings on the mound with an ERA of 3.34. He struck out 19 opponents. Derek also had a smooth fielding percentage of .944 in his time on the team. He made the team the same year Marshall did and were the only players left on the team that made the team from their first year. Derek will be missed as a lefty force on the mound and being the coolest kid in the NCBA.
Our third player is Austin RIdl. Austin joined us in his sophomore year, which we could have used during his freshmen year too. He was a solid hitter in the middle of the lineup and roamed left field with the best of them. Ridl hit .384 (63-164), had an OBP of .442, slugged .537 and an OPS of .979 in 47 games. His senior year was the best of his career. He hit .427 (35-82), OBP of .478, slugged .646 and an OPS of 1.124. That stat line included 7 doubles, 1 triple, 3 home runs and 27 RBIs. He was also a pretty good pitcher this year as well. He tossed 40.1 career innings while going 2-3. He struck out 28 batters with a 4.51 ERA. Austin was not only recognized by his teammates for excellent play he was also recognized by the league as well. In his career he was named conference pitcher of the week twice, National Pitcher of the Week once and conference hitter of the week once. Austin ranks 1st in team history in At-Bats (164), Hits (63), RBIs (38), and tied for 1st in Doubles (14) and Homeruns (3). Austin will be greatly missed but hopefully we can fill his role on the team.
Finally we have Marshall Dalziel who spent four full years on the team. He also was the President this past season and tried to make sure things ran smoothly. In 45 career games at the plate he hit .331 (43-130), OBP .412, Slugged .538 and an OPS of .950. This past season was his best season hitting by far, hitting .391 (25-64), OBP .444, Slugged .672 and an OPS of 1.116. Career wise he had 14 doubles, 3 Homeruns and 35 RBIs. Marshall was used a lot on the mound over his career. He made 18 stars while totaling 81.1 innings on the mound. He went 6-4 with 93 strikeouts and a career ERA of 3.79. In the field he had a career .959 fielding percentage in 340 innings in the field. In team ranks he tied for 1st in Doubles (14), Homeruns (3) and HBP (7), but he leads the team with 44 strikeouts while hitting. Pitching wise he leads the team in Starts (18), Wins (6), Complete Games (4), Shutouts (2), Innings (81.1), Walks (67) and Strikeouts (93). Over the past two seasons he has transformed into a great two-way player, the team and league has recognized his efforts. He was named pitcher of the week 3 times and hitter of the week 1 time, he was also recognized last year by his teammates as the Most Improved player. Marshall will be tough to replace but there is a lot of talent on this team so it should not be too hard to fill.
The team had a very successful season and building a championship team, the competition is only getting better and the team is changing in the best ways. Multiple returners will be asked to keep up their hard work and new kids will be asked to step into bigger roles. We had an absolute blast this season playing at Siebert Field, in Florida over Spring Break, in Sheboygan for playoffs and most importantly all season leading the charge to a playoff berth. There is so much more this team can accomplish and we hope to continue the winning ways. Look out for these guys as they are on the rise and hopefully win a conference title next year.
~Staff~