MENOMONIE (March 6, 2014) – A funny thing about freshmen ball players is after their freshman season, they are no longer freshmen and the team the next year is filled with veterans players.
That is the case for the UW-Stout baseball team and third year coach
Toby Gardenhire.
"Last year, we had lots of freshmen," Gardenhire said. "This year we have lots of veteran guys - guys that have been around and have played a lot."
UW-Stout returns 22 players with collegiate playing experience and Gardenhire believes that kind of playing experience will get the Blue Devils ready for the fast and furious WIAC schedule in April.
Stout returns experience behind the plate at catcher with junior
Charlie Meyer (Janesville) and senior Jared "Frenchy" Francois (Burlington). Both saw a considerable amount of time last year, Meyer in 33 games and Francois in 17 games.
"Charlie is one of our better hitters and he proved that (two years ago) during his freshman season," Gardenhire said. Meyer last season hit .333 (38-114) with 24 runs batted in. Meyer hit .333 as a freshman (21-63) with 17 RBI.
"Frenchy got hurt last year so he missed some games," said Gardenhire. "But he has worked hard and gotten stronger. We have to try to get both into the lineup as much as we can."
Francois last season hit .302, one of seven returners to hit better than .300 last season.
Francois last season played some first base, and could see some action there. On the other hand, first baseman
Charlie Pelzer (Sr, Little Canada, Minn) has played some collegiate catcher, so he could put the mask back on, if needed.
Pelzer played 20 games last year, all at first base.
"Charlie is a veteran and definitely knows what to do," said Gardenhire.
Freshman
Noah Brown (Forest Lake, Minn) is expected to see time at first. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder is strong, said Gardenhire, and is a good hitter.
Kasey Kruse (Jr, Boyceville), who last year played several games at left field, is expected to return to the infield and will see time at second base. "Kasey is more comfortable in the infield," Gardenhire said, "and is a leader for us."
Austin Littman (So, Pittsville) started to see the field, generally at second base, on a regular basis late in the season, finishing the season hitting .310 (13-42) in 20 games.
"He has good, fast hands," said Gardenhire. "He does some things that other guys don't do."
Third base could very well be inhabited by a new player.
Jack Schneider (Jr, Minneapolis, Minn), a transfer from the University of St. Thomas, has the inside track at the hot corner.
"Jack has a great arm and is good defensively," said Gardenhire. "He just hasn't had a lot of collegiate at-bats. There is a lot of potential offense there."
Taran Tierney (Fr, Appleton) has been opening the coaching staff's eyes throughout the practice season.
"Taran has gotten better and better," Gardenhire said. "He is wise beyond his years and doesn't play like a freshman. He also has a really good swing."
Jake Lunow (Jr, Princeton) played third base the last two seasons, but will be sliding over to shortstop.
"Jake is one of the hardest workers on the team," Gardenhire said. "He has improved his quickness, improved his range and has gotten stronger."
Nick Nalbach (Fr, Plover) played in just five games last season before an injury during the Florida spring break trip ended his season. And Nalbach was having a good season, batting .455 (5-11) with a pair of RBI when he went down. Nalbach is making a case for the shortstop position.
The outfield will have plenty of familiar faces, but many of them will be in different spots.
Brett Vavra (Jr, Chippewa Falls) and
Colin Pechacek (Jr, River Falls) had been sharing time in right field, but now will share time in left field. Vavra played in 23 games last year, Pechacek 31. Pachacek matched Kruse for most stolen bases on the season with three apiece.
Brady Burzynski (So, Eau Claire) is coming off an injury-plagued freshman season, but still managed to show he is a player to keep an eye on. Even with a leg injury early in the season, Burzynski saw time as a pinch runner. He finished the season with 14 starts and hit a respectable .333 (18-54). Burzynski had a solid 2013 summer, earning MVP honors for his summer league and playing a number of games in the Northwoods League in Eau Claire.
"Brady is a good, all-around player," Gardenhire said. "He has a good arm, runs and throws well and hits with power."
Burzynski could be spelled in centerfield by freshman
Jacob Edstrom (Brooklyn Park, Minn). Gardenhire describes Edstrom as "an excellent outfielder who can run down balls as good as anyone."
A newcomer to the program is
Ryan Freitag (Jr, Osseo), who is penciled in at right field. Freitag had a solid career at Madison Area Technical College (MATC) and looks to continue that trend on a four-year program. A fullback on the Blue Devil football team, Freitag is a very good baseball player, Gardenhire said.
"Ryan is big and strong and can hit anywhere in the field," Gardenhire said. "He is a very knowledgeable hitter who is working very hard. The guys look up to him because of what he can do."
While the position players for the most part are familiar faces, the starting rotation on the mound will have a new look. All four of the 2013 starters have used up their eligibility. The Blue Devils return only nine starts from last year's 39 games.
"We will have a whole new rotation," Gardenhire said. "We are young, but we have arms with very high potential."
Adam Widder (Jr, Wauwatosa), a 2013 all-WIAC honorable mention selection, has made 24 appearances in his two years with the Blue Devils, and only one of those appearances has been as a starting pitcher. Widder expressed an interest in starting last year, and Gardenhire told him he needed to work on his off-speed pitches.
"Adam has always relied on his fast ball," Gardenhire said. "We told him if he wanted to start, he needed to work on his off-speed pitches. He has done that."
Widder last season posted a 4-1 record with an ERA of 3.33 in 24.1 innings pitched, recording 14 strikeouts.
Brent Mueller (Sr, Medford) is another MATC transfer. Mueller, one of two left-handed pitchers on the roster, has a good command of his pitches, said Gardenhire.
Zach Carlson (Fr, Indian Head Park, Ill) is a tall, lanky freshman to keep an eye on, Gardenhire said. Carlson threw 30 consecutive scoreless innings during one stretch in high school.
Kellen Pearson (So, Hudson) had a pair of starts last year among his five appearances. He also played in the field, hitting .286, in limited at-bats. Gardenhire said Pearson will play predominately on the hill, but Pearson will find his way into the line-up.
Brett Steinwagner (Fr, Hudson) and
Wyatt Ernstmeyer (Fr, Reedsburg) are both freshmen that should work into the starting rotation. Steinwagner was at a community college in Des Moines, Iowa, last year, where he was medically red-shirted.
The Blue Devils have a deep bullpen to draw from. Cody Loetscher (Sr, Rib Lake) is making the move from starter to relief. Loetscher had four starts last year. Loetscher, along with freshman
Hayden Bowe (Chippewa Falls) are being looked at as closers.
Andy Peterson (Fr, Stillwater, Minn),
Patrick Gullickson (So, Chanhassen, Minn),
Cole Wynveen (So, Stillwater, Minn),
Matt Flesher (So, Eau Claire) – the second left-hander –
Ian Schiltz (Sr, Franklin),
Tyler Kinderman (So, Chippewa Falls),
Nick Garlick (Fr, Wheaton, Ill) and
Isaac Oeltjen (Jr, Welch) will be expected to provide relief out of the bullpen.
The Blue Devils open the 2014 season Saturday, March 8 when they travel to Marion, Ill, to play three games against Bethel University and one against Robert Morris University. Stout will play eight games on their annual spring break trip to Fort Myers, Fla., March 15-20. They will also play one game against the Minnesota Twins rookie team.
Stout is scheduled to open the 2014 home season when they host UW-La Crosse, Tuesday, April 1. Because of weather and field conditions, Stout did not host a home game during the 2013 season. Stout's last home game was May 5, 2012.
