BASEBALL PREVIEW

Golden Raiders move on from 2019 squad

NORTH’S HUNTER STEGER looks forward to his final baseball season. – Photo by Katherine Goebel

Sheboygan North never got a chance last spring to respond to its 2019 baseball season, when the 10th-seeded Golden Raiders needed one more win to reach state for the first time since ’01.

“That’s the thing about high school sports, you never get to repeat the same thing in terms of your roster configuration,” coach Steve Goes said. “Being two years out, there’s only two guys there were a part of that.

“I learned this with the Legion state championship team in 2018, once you get two years past it, it’s pretty much a distant memory. I mean, yeah, it’s great that it happened. … It was great to have that experience but it would’ve been a bigger deal last year if we would’ve played than it is now. These two teams are completely different.”

The squad two seasons ago was coming off a legion championship the previous summer.

The team now not only missed last season, there was no legion schedule, either.

“We threw together 45 games for them last summer, but the stakes weren’t as high,” Goes said. “It was playing games just to play games. So we really haven’t brought it up a whole lot of what happened two years ago. It’s more of a focus on the here and the now.”

TEAMS AT A GLANCE

KOHLER/CHRISTIAN

Senior Hunter Fihn is coming of a 2019 season in which his 14 hits and nine runs led the co-op team. Henry Dierkes is also back, but two key players from that team (juniors Meier Schick and Parker Vierkant) did not return. … “The roster is made up of seven first-year players and will be a continuous learning experience throughout the season,” coach Brett Huisman said.

LUTHERAN

The Crusaders did not have any seniors last season and will count on mostly juniors and sophomores. … Aidan Diener is new to the team after competing in track and field.

NORTH

Starters who return from the 2019 squad that needed one more win to reach state are seniors Ryan Traas (outfielder) and Hunter Steger (catcher/first base). … Coach Steve Goes says the team’s strength is hitting but it needs to keep learning the game every day. “And how quickly we learn the game will ultimately determine our success,” he said.

SOUTH

Tyler Zietz, a 2014 South graduate, is the new coach after he was hired to run the program last season. He has two seniors on the squad in John Meyer and Mason Kolar.