Malueg, Stuhr make college decisions official

Marion High School seniors Nick Malueg and Jaden Stuhr took the next steps in their athletic careers when signing their letters of intent inside the high school gymnasium in front of family, friends, coaches and teammates on March 6.

Both will be joining the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference, as Malueg plays football for UW-Oshkosh and Stuhr plays baseball at UW-Stevens Point. Both of the athletes have dealt with some health-related issues over the past year, which made signing day that much more meaningful.

“Today is very rewarding, it’s inspirational hopefully to a lot of people,” said Malueg. “As you know, I didn’t have a senior season, so that was a big heartbreak, but we overcame and it’s very accomplishing to be sitting here signing a paper today.”

“It means a lot. Like Nick and I both said, it takes a lot of early mornings, late nights and every day working hard and making yourself better,” said Stuhr. “I think it especially means a lot to me because I’ve been battling through a physical illness over this last winter and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to play again, so it means a lot knowing I will be able to play and keep playing in the future. It’s something I’ve always dreamed of, ever since I was little — now it can finally happen and I’m happy to say that I’m a Pointer.”

Malueg said that before the football season kicked in, he was dealing with a “serious bacterial infection in my hip.” The standout athlete had to re-learn how to walk and “wondered what running was going to look like.”

“I put my nose down, and through humility, I got back,” said Malueg. “The people around me helped support me through that immensely, mainly family.”

As Malueg was in the weight room trying to get back to the level he was pre-illness, he kept his connections rolling that he had going with college coaches. He said he lost a few school’s interest along the way, which “was a big heartache.”

In the end, Malueg’s decision was down the UW-Oshkosh and North Central College.

“It really came down to how I felt in the college atmosphere,” said Malueg of choosing UWO. “Oshkosh, they got a bubble, indoor facility, so that’s a big, big determinant…”

Stuhr said he was dealing with an “auto-immune disease, reactive arthritis syndrome.” He noted there was a point where he couldn’t see at all and also not walk because his joints were so swollen. Stuhr spent about two weeks at the hospital in Milwaukee, but has since gained back the muscle and weight that he had lost.

“It means a lot knowing that I have a huge support system and everyone that’s along my side helping me become the best I can be,” said Stuhr.

Stuhr used Next College Student Athlete (NCSA) to help get noticed by colleges, and several schools, in and out of state, were interested in the left-hander. He also attended some showcases, which is where he caught the eye of UWSP.

“It came down to a couple different schools, but Point is just such a great baseball program,” said Stuhr. “I mean, they finished third in the country last year, I can’t complain too much about that. As long as I can go there, compete and be the best player I can be to help win a championship that’s all I care.”

Both players already have an idea of what to expect after graduating high school and joining their new teams.

“The plan is to be a running back, and to be the starting running back as soon as I earn it,” said Malueg. “I’m one of a great recruiting class, the ‘23 class is a very good recruiting class at UWO, especially the linemen. So being a running back is pretty exciting.”

Stuhr was asked if he wanted to continue hitting at the college level but decided he’d rather focus on just pitching. He was told there’d be 10 senior pitchers on the team next year, so the hope is to get acclimated to college by tossing a few innings and then really start serving as a bigger part of the team’s rotation from his sophomore year on.

“I’d much prefer that than go to a larger school, like I had offers to go to larger schools, but I didn’t feel like I wanted to sit out two years in order to play,” said Stuhr. “I wanted to compete for a spot right away, so that’s the plan.”

In their most recent seasons in their sports, the Marion duo put together some dazzling numbers.

Malueg starred for the Marion/Tigerton football team as a junior. He rushed for 701 yards and nine touchdowns across seven games. Malueg caught nine passes for 112 yards and two more scores while also throwing for a touchdown.

As if that wasn’t enough, Malueg led the team’s defense with 61 total tackles, with six of those stops going for losses. He also posted 1½ sacks.

Malueg also returned kicks for the co-op, returning one kickoff for a touchdown.

For his efforts, he was named to the Central Wisconsin Conference 8-player first team on both sides of the ball, including a unanimous honor on offense.

Stuhr absolutely dominated on the baseball diamond as a junior, earning the Player of the Year honor in the CWC-North and helping his team go undefeated in conference play.

Stuhr pitched 48 innings and won 11 games for the Mustangs. He posted a 1.45 ERA and struck out 107 batters along the way.

At the plate, Stuhr totaled a .422 batting average, 28 RBIs, 16 stolen bases and 29 runs scored.

Stuhr threw a perfect game against Manawa for one of the conference wins, striking out 14 of the 15 batters he faced.

sports@newmedia-wi.com