Here are the highlights of this year’s Amherst Youth Sports Association’s Summer baseball program.
Tee-ball. This Summer, Amherst Tee Ball (Kindergarten and First Grade) fielded five teams with nine to 10 players each. Amherst Communications was coached by Craig Littleton, International Bank of Amherst was coached by Aaron Yenter, Potato Plant was coached by Travis Richter, Grit & Grace was coached by Brad Fritz, and Jungers Holly Funeral Home was coached by Paul Tornow. With Nelson Park under construction, all games were played on the Amherst School grass between the north endzone of the football field and the Jensen Center parking lot. There were many moments filled with kids, coaches, and parents alike smiling and enjoying the introduction to America’s favorite pastime.
Coach Pitch. At the next age level, Coach Pitch (Second and Third Grade) featured five teams of nine players each. Amherst Family Foods was coached by Bill Held, Whitetail Lanes was coached by David Stinemites, OK Hardware was coached by Nick Hasler, JG Plumbing was coached by Adam Trinko, and International Bank of Amherst was coached by Caitlin Yenter. Throughout the nine-week season, these games all began with 10-15 minutes of learning and instruction followed by games. The kids learned so much throughout the summer and had a blast playing with their friends and growing in the game of baseball.
Amherst 8U Travel Coach Pitch. The Amherst 8U (coach pitch) traveling team consisted of 12 boys — nine 8-year-olds and three 7-year olds. The team played an independent schedule consisting of 11 games with teams from Plover, Stratford, Wisconsin Rapids, D.C. Everest, Iola, Stevens Point, and Waupaca.
The goal of the year was growth with the boys being placed in many positions throughout the season, even playing three or four positions each game. Practices were held weekly and before games. The season ended with a kid-pitch scrimmage giving the players a chance to see what next year will bring for them in baseball. The team was coached by Andy Lind, Brandon Stremkowski, and Kurt Gollon. There were also many other parents and siblings offering their assistance when needed.
Town League. Blessed with a large number of players signed up for 10u and 12u baseball, we were able to feature an Amherst-only league made up of 9-, 10-, and 11-year-olds to play against each other every Monday night. This league was made up of three teams sponsored by Jastromski Family Farms, Best Septic Service, and Gremmer & Associates. The teams were coached by Bill Held, Brad Fritz, Doug Berdan, Scott Paulson, Brad Kucharzak, Earl Nations, and others. This was a developmental league, and the kids all learned and grew a whole lot throughout the summer.
Amherst 10U Travel Baseball. With 24 players signed up for 10U Travel Baseball this summer, the kids were split into two squads of 12 players each. Amherst White was coached by Brad Fritz, Doug Berdan, and Scott Paulson and finished the summer with an 8-6-1 record, finishing third in the Wolf River regular season. Amherst Blue was coached by Bill Held, Brad Kucharzak, and Jarrett Davidson and finished with an 11-6 record and a second-place finish in the Wolf River regular season. Amherst Blue also earned second place in the 10U Playoffs, losing the final game to an outstanding Iola squad.
Amherst 9U Tournament Team. Amherst was also able to bring a 9-year-old only tournament team to Wisconsin Rapids for the first time and was able to come away with a first-place finish with wins over Marshfield Sandlot, Wisconsin Rapids White, and a championship win over Stevens Point for these kids’ first-ever gold medal. This team later competed in a 9U tournament in Mosinee carrying a four-run lead into the final inning against New London but falling 10-11. However, they managed to go on to win third place over Marathon 7-3. The Amherst 9U Tournament Team was coached by Bill Held and Doug Berdan.
Amherst 12U Travel. The Amherst 12U traveling team had a large roster this year consisting of 17 sixth- and seventh-grade boys. The team competed in the Wolf River League against Waupaca, Weyauwega, Manawa, and Iola. The team compiled a record of 9-1 in the regular season, good for first place. After a first-round playoff bye, they faced Waupaca White in round 2 and came away with a convincing 20-3 win to advance to the championship game. Here they would host Waupaca Blue, who had advanced by beating the #2-seeded Manawa Wolves. The championship game found Amherst down 5-0 in the bottom of the second, but they responded with six runs in the bottom half to take the lead. Waupaca took advantage of some Amherst errors to regain the lead 8-6, but Amherst would respond once again, scoring five in the third and adding one more in the fifth for a 12-8 Amherst victory.
The 12U team also competed in the Waupaca tournament in early June. They advanced undefeated (4-0) into the championship game outscoring opponents 38-10 along the way. In the championship game, they were shut out by a strong pitching Bonduel team, leading to a second-place finish for the Falcons.
The 12U team was coached by Pat Blaskowski with assistance from Lance Golomski and Tony Tuschen. Thanks to Autumn Groshek, many of the games were live streamed this year through the Game Changer App, allowing family not able to attend to still follow all the action live!
Amherst 14U/Pony Team. The Amherst 14U team played in the Wolf River Pony league this summer against Bonduel, Clintonville, Manawa, Shawano, Shiocton, Weyauwega-Fremont, and Wittenberg-Birnamwood. The 13-man roster consisted of five boys going into eighth grade and eight boys going into ninth grade, and this group of boys posted their best record ever in all their years participating in the Wolf River travel league. The team ended the regular season in third place with a 7-4-1 record. Their playoff run ended early with a first-round loss to Shiocton in the bottom of the fifth and final inning. Some highlights of the year included taking an unbeaten and eventual league champion Wittenberg-Birnamwood team into extra innings under the lights at Birnamwood, eventually losing by just one run (6-7) in the bottom of the ninth inning. The team also had the opportunity to play in a Babe Ruth tournament in Mosinee against some larger cities including Wausau, Beaver Dam, and Oconto, competing well against all three teams on a high school-sized field for the first time. For the year, the team put up three home runs by Daniel Juarez, Mason Morfey, and Trent Glodowski.
The best part of the season was the positive and supportive attitude each player had for their fellow teammates and the good sportsmanship displayed in all situations and games. Every player showed significant improvement in skills and baseball knowledge over the course of the season. And every single player, regardless of skill level and experience, contributed to the team in some way. Every player made at least one impressive play in the field, had at least one hit, and scored at least one run for the team.
Amherst Junior Legion Baseball. For the first time in Amherst Baseball’s history, this summer featured a Sanctioned Junior Legion squad fully sponsored by Blenker Construction and coached by Head Coach Gregg Trudell and Assistant Coach Dave Glodowski. The team played a 10-game schedule going 6-4 in the regular season. They then competed in the Junior Legion Regional tournament going 1-2 with a first-round win over Antigo.