by kayla dawkins
photos by david holmquist
The baseball playoffs stated on with regionals on May 29 and 31. Craig had a bye on the 29th and played Milton on the 31st.
Craig scored in every inning and won the regional championship 13-3.
Sectionals are Tuesday, June 5 (the paper won’t have results but Twitter will).
Craig is the #1 seed in their sectional. They will play Madison West at ten. If they win that game, they will play either Parker or Verona in the sectional championship at 4.
The eight sectional champions will head to Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, Wis. for the June 12-14 State tournament
Craig plays Madison West on Tuesday, June 5, and if they win, they will play the winner of Verona-Parker for the chance to play at State.
Craig is 19-5 and ranked #5 in the latest coaches poll on wissports.net
The Cougars are looking to return to state and recapture the magic of their title in 2015 when their seniors were freshmen.
Five of their players were named to the Big 8 all-conference team.
Craig scored in every inning and won the regional championship 13-3.
Sectionals are Tuesday, June 5 (the paper won’t have results but Twitter will).
Craig is the #1 seed in their sectional. They will play Madison West at ten. If they win that game, they will play either Parker or Verona in the sectional championship at 4.
The eight sectional champions will head to Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, Wis. for the June 12-14 State tournament
Craig plays Madison West on Tuesday, June 5, and if they win, they will play the winner of Verona-Parker for the chance to play at State.
Craig is 19-5 and ranked #5 in the latest coaches poll on wissports.net
The Cougars are looking to return to state and recapture the magic of their title in 2015 when their seniors were freshmen.
Five of their players were named to the Big 8 all-conference team.
vs. Parker
semifinal
by gabby petruzzello
On June 5th, the Craig Baseball team took down Madison West and Janesville Parker in the Sectional-Semifinal and Section Final games, punching their ticket to the State Tournament on June 12th.
Regarding his feelings about advancing to state, Senior Ross March said “It’s pretty exciting. We worked really hard these past couple weeks and that was our one goal from the start of the season, so that’s pretty cool..We just have to take it one game at a time...I hope we win it.”
The Cougars played their first game against Madison West, eventually winning 7-2 and advancing to the sectional final later in the day against Janesville Parker. Starting the game off strong, the Cougars scored three runs in the first inning and two in the second inning, maintaining a strong 5-0 lead after two innings.
“We played ahead most of the game and we played a nice clean game defensively,” said Head Coach Victor Herbst.
The first four hitters in game one were: Michigan comitt Dan Blomgren (1st team all-conference infield), Jacob Campbell, Luke Malmanger, and Noah Berghammer. These four hitters were 10-11, had 5 RBI’s, and had 4 extra base hits.
“They really carried the load for us in game one,” commented fourteen year Head Coach Victor Herbst.
First team All-Conference player and Air Force commit Mitchell Woelfle pitched the first game, in all, throwing 92 pitches. Woelfe played his best outing of the last few weeks, due to an illness earlier in the season.
The plan for the Cougars in game one was similar to any other game, including three main goals: have the Offense put stress on the other team’s defense, have the pitchers not walk batters, and commit no defensive errors. The Cougars strongly executed their goals, ending five points ahead of conference ranked #5 Madison West, and only tallying four walks.
“We started the first game hitting really well...We had great pitching from Mitchell Woelfle. We played really good defense. We made a couple of plays that are above the average play offensively. We had really great at-bats...The first game went according to plan, we expected to do that and beat Madison West 7 to 2,” summarized Assistant Varsity Coach Benjamin Yaucher.
Dozens of Craig students came and filled the stands to watch both games in hopes of seeing the Cougars advance to state.
Game two started unsteadily for the Cougars, with Parker gaining a 0-5 lead in the first two innings. In the top of the 1st inning, after two outs, the pitcher drew a walk. After a single up the middle and a flare hit to right field, Parker scored their first run.
“They came out and they swung the bats really well and we had to adjust. Micah Overley (2nd team all-conference pitcher) finally made some adjustments on the mound and got us out of a tough situation. Offensively, in the first two innings we kind of let Parker off the hook by not executing on our end when we had some opportunities to score some runs,” said Coach Yaucher.
The second inning fared no better for the Cougars, with Parker tallying four more runs. Parker strung together four hits including a hit by pitch and a sac fly. Parker did well offensively, with strong hits with runners on base. After a strong offensive inning, Parker was up five points.
“When we were down 5-0, no one really panicked, we all stayed focused and started chipping away,” commented Left Fielder and Senior Ross March.
“Because it was only the second inning, we knew there was a lot of time to come back and when you have a good offensive, five runs is not an insurmountable feat. There was only five or six games this year where we didn’t have five runs,” noted Coach Yaucher.
After a clean defensive start to the third inning, the Cougars scored five points to tie the score (5-5). Dan Blomgren lead off with a hit by pitch followed by Jacob Campbell who singled into left field. Luke Malmanger advanced to first with a hit by pitch; the bases were loaded with no outs. After the second hit by pitch, Parker replaced pitcher Jordan Bailey. Noah Berghammer and Tressin Kussmaul hit back to back singles into left field.
At 5-2 with bases loaded and no outs, J.J. Brennan stepped up to bat. A wild pitch was thrown and the Cougars were still down 3-5. J.J Brennan hit a sac fly to right and the Cougars were down 4-5. Kussmaul advanced to third base, and when Clark Schmaling (2nd team all-conference as designated hitter) hit a safety squeeze bunt, he tallied another run for the Cougars to tie the score 5-5.
“I think at that point we really could exhale...that was a tremendous inning for us because scoring five runs in an inning doesn’t happen too often,” said Coach Herbst.
In the fifth inning, after the first batter was picked off, the Cougars had one out. J.J. Brennan drew a walk and Clark Schmaling hit a single. Jacob Hessling drew a walk, and the bases were loaded with one out.
Ross March hit a ground ball to shortstop and beat the throw to first base. The runner advancing to second base tacked another out, resulting in two outs and two runners on the bases. J.J. Brennan was able to score from 3rd base during this big play and the Cougars were up 6-5.
With Ross March at 1st base and Clark Schmaling at 3rd base, the Cougars ran a steal play. March stole 1st base, slowed half-way as the catcher threw the ball to center field, which allowed Schmaling to score. The Cougars ended the 5th inning 7-5.
“It’s a big deal being up two runs instead of one because teams can’t do as much if they have to score two runs in one inning instead of one. Going back, Ross beating out the ground ball to first in the double play ball was huge for us in that game,” said Coach Herbst
Once the game was over, the Craig students cheered with excitement for their team. At the state tournament starting on June 12th in Appleton, WI, the Cougars hope to win three games, meaning another state title. The last state title in Craig baseball history was earned in 2015. The team is excited to compete at the highest level, and will compete against Milwaukee King on June 12th.
“Our goal is win three games, win the state tournament, plain and simple,” commented Coach Herbst.
The team loses six seniors this year, with several of them signing onto college teams.
“I think it speaks volumes for how hard they work and developed their baseball skills, both strength-wise, and on and off the diamond. You have to have that dedication and work ethic to get yourself to the next level,” said Coach Herbst.
Jacob Campbell signed his NLI with Illinois, but was also drafted by the Cubs in the 36th round. Noah Berghammer signed his NLI with Minnesota. J.J. Brennan signed his NLI with Judson College.
All six senior have played a key role for the team this year, and the large group of juniors will need to fill greater shoes next year to continue the success of the team.
First team all-conference catcher and player, Jacob Campbell, is a four year varsity player and is one of two captains. As a starting catcher for the last three years, Campbell’s performances rank top 10 in the Craig record book in multiple categories, especially career records.
“There’s no secret his skill set and what he brings to our team and what he’s capable to do and to watch him grow has been tremendous..What he’s going to do after this speaks volumes for what he’s done for our program,” said Coach Herbst.
Captain Noah Berghammer, named Second-team All Conference infield this year, is also a four year Varsity player. Berghammer has been an infield for this team and has taken on the role of being a pitcher this year.
J.J. Brennan has developed his offensive game, and this year was the #5 batter. Brennan was named First-team All Conference outfield this year. This year, Brennan has played a key role offensively, as well as playing defensively at center field.
Luke Malmanger is a two year Varsity player. After playing under this radar his junior year, Malmanger received First team All-Conference infield this year. This year, Malmanger has taken on a greater role in the team as the #3 batter. Malmanger received First team All-Conference his senior year, as well as became a powerful offensive player for the team.
“We would not be where we are at if he didn’t do what he did for us offensively,” commented Coach Herbst.
Left Fielder Ross March has flown under the radar this year, but contributes greatly to the defensive success of the team. Known for his reliability, March had seven fly ball outs, seven putouts, and a great dive ball play in the game against Parker on June 5th. In the Sectional Final game, March made 10 of the 21 outs in left field and caught the last out in the game. March noted that the most memorable games from this season included the three Craig victories against Parker this year. March commented that “hitting over 300 this year was pretty exciting.”
“Half the time you don’t even know he’s on the field, but he does so many little things for us that go unnoticed in games. He’s just a solid competitor for us,” commented Coach Herbst.
Pitcher Jacob Faust threw 30 innings this year, and has seen great improvement over his four years. Faust is 4-0 this season. Faust is known for his hardwork and reliability on and off the field. Faust was named honorable-mention all-conference pitcher.
The Cougars continue their strong season with their advancement to the state tournament. Tallying two wins to advance to state is the cherry on the top for the Cougars. With a 22-5 overall record, 13-5 Conference Record, 100-12 record over the past four years, and a 10-0 victory against Parker for the past four years, the team has battled through great obstacles and came out on top.
Regarding his feelings about advancing to state, Senior Ross March said “It’s pretty exciting. We worked really hard these past couple weeks and that was our one goal from the start of the season, so that’s pretty cool..We just have to take it one game at a time...I hope we win it.”
The Cougars played their first game against Madison West, eventually winning 7-2 and advancing to the sectional final later in the day against Janesville Parker. Starting the game off strong, the Cougars scored three runs in the first inning and two in the second inning, maintaining a strong 5-0 lead after two innings.
“We played ahead most of the game and we played a nice clean game defensively,” said Head Coach Victor Herbst.
The first four hitters in game one were: Michigan comitt Dan Blomgren (1st team all-conference infield), Jacob Campbell, Luke Malmanger, and Noah Berghammer. These four hitters were 10-11, had 5 RBI’s, and had 4 extra base hits.
“They really carried the load for us in game one,” commented fourteen year Head Coach Victor Herbst.
First team All-Conference player and Air Force commit Mitchell Woelfle pitched the first game, in all, throwing 92 pitches. Woelfe played his best outing of the last few weeks, due to an illness earlier in the season.
The plan for the Cougars in game one was similar to any other game, including three main goals: have the Offense put stress on the other team’s defense, have the pitchers not walk batters, and commit no defensive errors. The Cougars strongly executed their goals, ending five points ahead of conference ranked #5 Madison West, and only tallying four walks.
“We started the first game hitting really well...We had great pitching from Mitchell Woelfle. We played really good defense. We made a couple of plays that are above the average play offensively. We had really great at-bats...The first game went according to plan, we expected to do that and beat Madison West 7 to 2,” summarized Assistant Varsity Coach Benjamin Yaucher.
Dozens of Craig students came and filled the stands to watch both games in hopes of seeing the Cougars advance to state.
Game two started unsteadily for the Cougars, with Parker gaining a 0-5 lead in the first two innings. In the top of the 1st inning, after two outs, the pitcher drew a walk. After a single up the middle and a flare hit to right field, Parker scored their first run.
“They came out and they swung the bats really well and we had to adjust. Micah Overley (2nd team all-conference pitcher) finally made some adjustments on the mound and got us out of a tough situation. Offensively, in the first two innings we kind of let Parker off the hook by not executing on our end when we had some opportunities to score some runs,” said Coach Yaucher.
The second inning fared no better for the Cougars, with Parker tallying four more runs. Parker strung together four hits including a hit by pitch and a sac fly. Parker did well offensively, with strong hits with runners on base. After a strong offensive inning, Parker was up five points.
“When we were down 5-0, no one really panicked, we all stayed focused and started chipping away,” commented Left Fielder and Senior Ross March.
“Because it was only the second inning, we knew there was a lot of time to come back and when you have a good offensive, five runs is not an insurmountable feat. There was only five or six games this year where we didn’t have five runs,” noted Coach Yaucher.
After a clean defensive start to the third inning, the Cougars scored five points to tie the score (5-5). Dan Blomgren lead off with a hit by pitch followed by Jacob Campbell who singled into left field. Luke Malmanger advanced to first with a hit by pitch; the bases were loaded with no outs. After the second hit by pitch, Parker replaced pitcher Jordan Bailey. Noah Berghammer and Tressin Kussmaul hit back to back singles into left field.
At 5-2 with bases loaded and no outs, J.J. Brennan stepped up to bat. A wild pitch was thrown and the Cougars were still down 3-5. J.J Brennan hit a sac fly to right and the Cougars were down 4-5. Kussmaul advanced to third base, and when Clark Schmaling (2nd team all-conference as designated hitter) hit a safety squeeze bunt, he tallied another run for the Cougars to tie the score 5-5.
“I think at that point we really could exhale...that was a tremendous inning for us because scoring five runs in an inning doesn’t happen too often,” said Coach Herbst.
In the fifth inning, after the first batter was picked off, the Cougars had one out. J.J. Brennan drew a walk and Clark Schmaling hit a single. Jacob Hessling drew a walk, and the bases were loaded with one out.
Ross March hit a ground ball to shortstop and beat the throw to first base. The runner advancing to second base tacked another out, resulting in two outs and two runners on the bases. J.J. Brennan was able to score from 3rd base during this big play and the Cougars were up 6-5.
With Ross March at 1st base and Clark Schmaling at 3rd base, the Cougars ran a steal play. March stole 1st base, slowed half-way as the catcher threw the ball to center field, which allowed Schmaling to score. The Cougars ended the 5th inning 7-5.
“It’s a big deal being up two runs instead of one because teams can’t do as much if they have to score two runs in one inning instead of one. Going back, Ross beating out the ground ball to first in the double play ball was huge for us in that game,” said Coach Herbst
Once the game was over, the Craig students cheered with excitement for their team. At the state tournament starting on June 12th in Appleton, WI, the Cougars hope to win three games, meaning another state title. The last state title in Craig baseball history was earned in 2015. The team is excited to compete at the highest level, and will compete against Milwaukee King on June 12th.
“Our goal is win three games, win the state tournament, plain and simple,” commented Coach Herbst.
The team loses six seniors this year, with several of them signing onto college teams.
“I think it speaks volumes for how hard they work and developed their baseball skills, both strength-wise, and on and off the diamond. You have to have that dedication and work ethic to get yourself to the next level,” said Coach Herbst.
Jacob Campbell signed his NLI with Illinois, but was also drafted by the Cubs in the 36th round. Noah Berghammer signed his NLI with Minnesota. J.J. Brennan signed his NLI with Judson College.
All six senior have played a key role for the team this year, and the large group of juniors will need to fill greater shoes next year to continue the success of the team.
First team all-conference catcher and player, Jacob Campbell, is a four year varsity player and is one of two captains. As a starting catcher for the last three years, Campbell’s performances rank top 10 in the Craig record book in multiple categories, especially career records.
“There’s no secret his skill set and what he brings to our team and what he’s capable to do and to watch him grow has been tremendous..What he’s going to do after this speaks volumes for what he’s done for our program,” said Coach Herbst.
Captain Noah Berghammer, named Second-team All Conference infield this year, is also a four year Varsity player. Berghammer has been an infield for this team and has taken on the role of being a pitcher this year.
J.J. Brennan has developed his offensive game, and this year was the #5 batter. Brennan was named First-team All Conference outfield this year. This year, Brennan has played a key role offensively, as well as playing defensively at center field.
Luke Malmanger is a two year Varsity player. After playing under this radar his junior year, Malmanger received First team All-Conference infield this year. This year, Malmanger has taken on a greater role in the team as the #3 batter. Malmanger received First team All-Conference his senior year, as well as became a powerful offensive player for the team.
“We would not be where we are at if he didn’t do what he did for us offensively,” commented Coach Herbst.
Left Fielder Ross March has flown under the radar this year, but contributes greatly to the defensive success of the team. Known for his reliability, March had seven fly ball outs, seven putouts, and a great dive ball play in the game against Parker on June 5th. In the Sectional Final game, March made 10 of the 21 outs in left field and caught the last out in the game. March noted that the most memorable games from this season included the three Craig victories against Parker this year. March commented that “hitting over 300 this year was pretty exciting.”
“Half the time you don’t even know he’s on the field, but he does so many little things for us that go unnoticed in games. He’s just a solid competitor for us,” commented Coach Herbst.
Pitcher Jacob Faust threw 30 innings this year, and has seen great improvement over his four years. Faust is 4-0 this season. Faust is known for his hardwork and reliability on and off the field. Faust was named honorable-mention all-conference pitcher.
The Cougars continue their strong season with their advancement to the state tournament. Tallying two wins to advance to state is the cherry on the top for the Cougars. With a 22-5 overall record, 13-5 Conference Record, 100-12 record over the past four years, and a 10-0 victory against Parker for the past four years, the team has battled through great obstacles and came out on top.