Seniors, experience return for Westosha baseball

By Dan Truttschel~Sports Correspondent

The only sure thing about spring sports in this state is how unpredictable they can be.

And that certainly is the case with baseball – as the old adage that any team can win on any given day definitely rings true more often than not.

That also raises the importance of peaking at the end and into the tournament, which is exactly the goal for the Westosha Central squad.

Seven seniors will anchor this year’s Falcons, who enter the spring looking to improve on their 13-12 overall record and 9-5 mark in the Southern Lakes Conference.

Central finished in a second-place tie a year ago behind champion Wilmot – an effort it hopes to build on in 2013.

“We finally got into the upper half of the conference and see a much more aggressive attitude in our 2013 ballplayers,” longtime Central assistant coach Bill Price said.

“The last two years, we have given (Kenosha) Bradford all they could handle in the WIAA regionals. We have a mixture of seniors and juniors who can play this game at a high level.”

Price, who has been with the school for 35 years, said he and head coach Randy Appleby have seen an upswing in the team’s overall fundamentals so far this spring.

And that’s a direct credit to summer baseball and the program’s lower-level coaches, Scott Mirkes and Jake Morman.

“Our fundamentals are the best we have seen in some time,” Price said. “We can get more things done now in practice.”

Price, who responded to questions via e-mail because Appleby was unavailable for comment this week, said the goals for the Falcons remain the same as the past.

“(We want to) stay in the top half of the SLC, have a winning record in our non-conference games and stay above .500 on the season,” he said.

“(We also want to) be a great defensive team and get a win in the WIAA tournament.”

Seniors on the roster are Tyler Sorensen (first base-pitcher), Steve Bailitz (outfield), James Gorsline (first base-pitcher), Travis Knudsvig (catcher-infield), Troy Ladd (pitcher-infield), Jack Dalton (outfield-pitcher) and John Komperda (outfield).

As usually is the case, the team will go as far as the senior class will take it, Price said.

“We expect them to keep us going forward,” he said. “We want to improve on our last game played and know that each game does matter. They need to keep everyone focused on our goals.”

They are joined by juniors Brooks Gahart (third base-pitcher), Aaron Clifton (second base), Sam Abel (outfield), Wyatt Llewellyn (infield-pitcher), Chris Frackowiak (outfield), Jake Buthman (outfield-pitcher), Nick Hanson (first base), Justin Barney (outfield-pitcher) and Tyler Schwab (shortstop); and sophomore Marshall Gilbert (catcher-outfield-pitcher).

Price said it appears the Falcons have some depth, which also will help the cause.

“(We have) some nice competition at each position,” he said. “We have a stronger team bench (than previous years).”

Price added that Central needs to gain some experience at the plate and also needs to find an ace among the pitching staff.

Wilmot won the SLC crown a year ago at 10-4, juts one game ahead of Burlington and Westosha Central, both at 9-5. Badger was next at 8-6, followed by Union Grove and Delavan-Darien at 7-7.

Just two weeks into practice sessions, it looks like the race will be tight once again, Price said.

 


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