Bowler, Tigerton each have 5 baseball players land on CWC-North teams

The Bowler and Tigerton high school baseball teams each had five individual players earn recognition on Central Wisconsin Conference-North Division teams after the season wrapped up.

Bowler finished tied for second in the conference with a 7-3 record, while Tigerton tied for fourth at 3-7.

Bowler

Seniors Lane Schultz and Logan Thiex were each named to the CWC-North first team. Senior Adin Brei and sophomore Ashwuut Mohawk landed on the second team, while senior Brock Strassburg was an honorable mention. The conference’s Coach of the Year honor went to Bowler’s Brad Brei.

On the mound, Schultz earned five of the team’s conference wins and pitched a total of 25⅓ innings. He posted a 3.03 earned run average.

Schultz finished CWC-North play with a .310 batting average and led the team with 15 stolen bases. He also scored 14 times and drove in eight runs.

“It is a great accomplishment, and the perfect way to end my career playing high school baseball,” said Schultz of the all-conference honor. “This one means the most to me because of my passion for baseball. I really enjoy playing this game and putting on a show for the crowd.”

Thiex was the other workhorse on the mound for the Panthers, logging 21⅔ innings. He picked up the other two conference wins, struck out 20 batters and had a 4.2 ERA.

At the plate, Thiex finished with a .429 batting average and drove in nine runs. He also scored 13 times and stole nine bases.

Adin Brei, the team’s primary catcher, earned his spot on the second team after posting a .444 batting average in conference action.

He scored 16 runs and stole 10 bases. The senior also drove in eight runs.

Mohawk, who played either shortstop or third base, led the team with a .552 batting average, collecting hits in 16 of 29 at-bats.

The sophomore drove in 10 runs, stole nine bases and scored eight runs for the Panthers.

“It felt great because I took a pause playing baseball, but coming back and being rewarded second team is a great accomplishment,” said Mohawk. “Getting first team is a new goal of mine that I can hopefully achieve by next year.”

Strassburg played first base for Bowler this spring, ending CWC-North play with a .267 batting average. He drove in four runs, stole four bases and scored eight times.

“Making all-conference two of the three years I was able to play baseball means a lot to me,” said Strassburg. “I worked hard for the team and being awarded an all-conference award was a great feeling. It shows that hard work pays off!”

After its strong regular season, the Panthers earned a playoff win over Tigerton before falling to Three Lakes/Phelps in a regional final.

“I was quite surprised to see that I got it,” said Brad Brei of his Coach of the Year award. “But, it means a lot that I have the respect of the other coaches that voted for me. Since I started coaching baseball, we would of had three good years, taking second in conference the two years we got to play! I got to coach a great group of boys which makes coaching a lot more fun.”

Tigerton

Seniors Isaac Schoen and Mitch Zimdars represented Tigerton on the all-conference first team. Senior Kaeden Miller and sophomore Colby Wanta made the second team, while sophomore Asher Michaelis was an honorable mention.

Zimdars led the Tigers at the plate in conference action, tallying 16 hits in 38 at-bats. He drove in seven runs and stole 11 bases while also scoring nine runs.

He accumulated 19⅔ innings on the mound and earned one of the team’s conference wins. He posted a 2.14 ERA and struck out 27 batters.

“It means more than everyone thinks,” said Zimdars of his all-conference honor. “Being cut short of my junior baseball season and senior football season really put a fire underneath me. I’ve never worked so hard for something in my life and I couldn’t be more proud of that.”

Schoen pitched 30 innings for the Tigers and also picked up a win. He had a 3.27 ERA and struck out 23 batters.

At the plate, Schoen produced seven hits and eight RBIs. He scored five runs and stole five bases.

“To me, it (making the first team) means that I’ve achieved the goal that I’ve set for myself as a freshman and I finally did it,” said Schoen. “It means everything to me that I’ve achieved the greatest goal that I’ve set for myself in baseball.”

Miller tallied 14 hits in conference action and led the team with 13 runs scored. He also covered 6⅔ innings on the mound, striking out 10 batters in that time.

“It’s an absolute honor to be put into the same class with very talented players,” said Miller. “However, like everything else, I couldn’t have done anything without my teammates and coaches. It’s a great feeling to be able to bounce back after not having a previous season.”

Wanta tied Schoen for the team lead in RBIs (eight) on his 12 conference hits. He also drew 10 walks, scored seven runs and stole five bases. Wanta pitched four innings for Tigerton.

“Making all-conference second team means a lot to me,” said Wanta. “I love that people recognize the dedication that I’ve put into baseball and it will motivate me to push the younger athletes that are up and coming to have a positive mindset that anything’s possible and lastly to do anything to make me a better athlete/teammate/role model.”

Michaelis finished his first varsity spring season with nine hits and seven RBIs in CWC-North action. He also drew seven walks. The sophomore pitched 5⅓ innings and picked up the team’s other win.

“Well it really means a lot,” said Michaelis of his all-conference spot. “The team worked hard all season to get to where we were and I hope we keep that same passion for the game that we had this year in the years to come. And it will definitely motivate me to be better, and with my first year under my belt I would hope to start becoming a better leader for the team.”

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