Marshfield baseball off to solid start

MARSHFIELD – The Marshfield High School baseball team had won four out of five Wisconsin Valley Conference games heading into the third week of the season.

After opening up conference play with wins over Wausau East, Wisconsin Rapids and D.C. Everest, the Tigers lost to Stevens Point on April 21, before bouncing back with a win two days later over Wausau West.

The WVC victories came after Marshfield opened the season with a non-conference loss to Menomonie before dropping both games of a doubleheader with Hudson.

“[We’ve] got great kids. Obviously [we’ve] been indoors quite a bit because of the weather, but the turf here at Safford Field really helps us out,” Marshfield Head Coach John Southworth told Gene Delisio, WDLB/WOSQ, prior to Marshfield’s season opener against Menomonie. “Whenever it’s not raining, we can get out and at least get on the infield, so we’ve had some time in the field also.”

Southworth leads a senior-dominated lineup that also features a handful of juniors, a couple sophomores and a pair of freshmen.

“We’ve got a mix of experience and some really young guys,” Southworth said. “We’ve got some seniors that have been around quite awhile and then we’ve also got a couple freshmen on the varsity this year.

“We’ve got Jake Sadowska, our shortstop. And he’ll do a little pitching for us,” Southworth continued. “Three-year starter, really good player. Probably one of the best shortstops in central Wisconsin, if not the state. Jake’s a really good player, likes to play baseball. Really fun to watch.”

Sadowska was batting .538 through the first four conference games.

“Mason Anderson, returning catcher, and he’ll be doing some pitching this year,” Southworth added. “Hit .350 last year. Really good player, a real asset.”

Mason was hitting .600 with 6 RBI after four WVC contests.

“We’ve got Tyler Kumm, who does some pitching for us, quite a bit of pitching. Left-handed pitcher. And he plays the outfield.

“Bryce Schade, our leftfielder from last year, is back.

“Dayton Bugar, outfielder, first baseman. He’ll pitch today,” Southworth told Delisio before the April 9 matchup with Menomonie.

“Jackson Wernberg will be playing a lot for us in the outfield.

“A junior, Brody Karl, is going to play centerfield for us. And he can catch. Really nice player. He’s come up through the system. Really does a nice job.

“We’ve got a freshman catcher and third baseman, Jackson Zaleski. Really good player. It’s going to take him a little time to get used to the difference between club ball and varsity baseball,” Southworth said.

“John Will is going to play second base,” he continued. “Another freshman. Pretty nice player. “We’ll just see how it works out at this level.           

“Dylan Langhoff played a little bit as a freshman for us last year at the end of the year. He’s a first baseman and corner outfielder. He can pitch.

“Mason Polga also will be with us. Sophomore, really good infielder.”

Southworth’s roster also includes senior third baseman and pitcher Evan Calverley, along with juniors Lukas Halan, Lucas Syth, Wes Novitzke and Ben Sommers.

“We had two significant losses early on,” Southworth also disclosed. “Our No. 1 returning pitcher, Tyler Kremer, had a torn labrum from back in the Legion season and some surgery, so he’s out for the year. And then just recently, one of our senior outfielders, Easton Ledden, had the same thing, torn labrum. I think it probably happened in wrestling. He might be able to run and hit, but he’s not going to be able to throw and he’ll be having surgery here shortly.”

Southworth’s varsity assistant coach is Josh Metz, who also serves as the head coach of the American Legion Post 54 Blue Devils. Former Tiger and Legion players Preston Wagner and Logan Homolka, along with Ben Will, also serve as varsity assistants and JV coaches.

Sadowska to play college baseball

Tigers’ shortstop Jakob Sadowska recently announced his intentions to play college baseball at UW-Superior.

“I made the decision in late August, and throughout the summer I toured a few different colleges,” Sadowska told Delisio.

“Getting a degree, that was my biggest thing, along with playing baseball,” Sadowska said, regarding his choice to attend UW-Superior. “But Coach (TJ) Oakes, he’s just a great guy. He cares about how you are as a person, not just a player. He wants you to be the best human you can be.”

“Coach Oakes told me that I’d be playing infield and outfield,” Jakob added.

“First off, my speed,” said Sadowska, when asked what Oakes liked about him as a player. “He likes to be aggressive on the base paths.”

Sadowska also said starting as a sophomore and playing American Legion baseball helped prepare him for the collegiate level.

“Legion’s definitely helped me, being able to play outfield,” he said. “I was stuck there because my sophomore year we had a bunch of starting shortstops from around the area and I was athletic enough to play in the outfield, which really helped me decide on Superior.”

Sadowska will pursue a Physical Education degree at UW-Superior.