Members of the Decorah baseball team for the 2023 are (front, l-r) Caleb Krieg, Jack Knoke, Cash Riehle, Garrett Waskow, Mason Avila, Nathan Wymer, Trevor Kuennen, Austin Helgerson, Beau Newhouse; (middle) Coach Riley, Bryce Elsbernd, Dakota Johnson, Brody Hanson, Louis Bucksa, Ben Wymer, Brayden Hartl, Caleb Meyer, Brayden Wemark, Davis Coppola, Carter Dlhy, Coach Zwanziger; (back) Coach Kuempel, Nick Lowery, Fisher Tweten, Will Teslow, Casey Brickley, Brady Bohner, Kelley Gates, Cade Olson, Kaden Alstad, Ethan Holthaus, Brady Benzing, Landon Kuennen and Coach Dlhy. (Photo courtesy of Tami Bohr)
By Becky Walz,
Members of the Decorah baseball team for the 2023 are (front, l-r) Caleb Krieg, Jack Knoke, Cash Riehle, Garrett Waskow, Mason Avila, Nathan Wymer, Trevor Kuennen, Austin Helgerson, Beau Newhouse; (middle) Coach Riley, Bryce Elsbernd, Dakota Johnson, Brody Hanson, Louis Bucksa, Ben Wymer, Brayden Hartl, Caleb Meyer, Brayden Wemark, Davis Coppola, Carter Dlhy, Coach Zwanziger; (back) Coach Kuempel, Nick Lowery, Fisher Tweten, Will Teslow, Casey Brickley, Brady Bohner, Kelley Gates, Cade Olson, Kaden Alstad, Ethan Holthaus, Brady Benzing, Landon Kuennen and Coach Dlhy. (Photo courtesy of Tami Bohr)
The Decorah baseball team is looking to surprise area squads this summer with seven returning letter winners and a line-up featuring several new faces.
Putting together a solid battery in the line-up is fifth-year head coach Adam Riley.
Last year
The Vikings struggled to put everything together last year. They would compile short win streaks, followed by short losing streaks. By the end of the conference season, they finished with a 15-5 record and was second in the Northeast Iowa Conference.
In the first round of district action, Decorah matched with Benton at home. The Vikings led 5-4 after the third frame but gave up one run in the fourth and two in the fifth.
At the end of the year, Decorah, which finished 22-11 overall, graduated Dane Frieden, Jacob Pipho, Noah Storts, Brody Young, Sam Kleiner, Keenan Tyler, Joseph Hjelle and Thomas Ostlie.
Coming back
Coach Riley starts with his returning letter winners. Senior Ben Wymer was named second team all-conference last year with a .325 batting average and .495 on-base percentage. He had 25 hits with four doubles and two homers. In addition, Wymer had 15 stolen bases and scored 30 runs.
Returning to the outfield and pitcher’s mound is Ethan Holthaus. Last year, the senior was 1-1 on the mound with 24 strikeouts and a 1.40 ERA (earned run average). At the plate, Holthuas had 24 hits including five double and one home run with a .233 batting average.
As a freshman, Kaden Alstad posted a batting average of .360 with 27 hits with four home runs, two doubles and 27 RBI. Making four appearances on the hill, Alstad went 3-1 with 32 strikeouts and a 1.89 ERA.
Brady Bohner was 3-0 on the hill last year as a sophomore, recording 15 strikeouts with a 2.90 ERA. Also back on the mound will be Fisher Tweten who went 2-2 with 13 strikeouts. Landon Kuennen picked up two wins as pitcher with 13 Ks.
The six are joined by fellow seniors Casey Brickley, Cade Olson and Jackson Knoke. Juniors on the squad include Brayden Hartl, Caleb Meyer, Kelley Gates and Will Teslow.
The outlook
With five pitchers from last year’s pitching staff who threw nearly half of the Vikings’ varsity inning, Decorah hopes to build on their experience to remain competitive early in the season while the younger players gain valuable experience.
“We return three players who had regular at-bats offensively and who saw regular action defensively. Therefore, there will be plenty of opportunities for players to earn new opportunities to contribute to all phases of the game. We will be searching for those players who can be most consistent in their efforts to contribute and help their team be successful on a daily basis,” said Coach Riley.
When it comes to the league, Coach Riley sees Waverly-Shell Rock and New Hampton as being the top teams with talented players from competitive teams. He doesn’t discount Waukon either with several of the best players in the NEIC as well. However, if pitching can keep the Vikes competitive, they could be in the hunt for the title as well.
“The coaching staff is pleased with the work put in by a number of players to put themselves in position to fulfill a large number of roles available at the varsity level,” said the skipper. “Our pitching will need to carry us as we work to find ways to score runs on a regular basis as we learn more about how individuals can help us score runs.”
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