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Team’s success depends on pitching staff

Comfort on the mound. That will be the key to the success of the Waupaca baseball team this season, according to coach John Koronkiewicz.

Now if the Comets can only catch a break from Mother Nature.

“You do the best you can with the weather,” Koronkiewicz said during a recent practice in the Waupaca High School gym. “It’s not baseball weather and it won’t be baseball weather around here for two weeks. Unfortunately, I think we have more snow here than elsewhere. I was in the Valley yesterday and they have less snow. As you go south, they have a little less snow. That’ll put us behind from the get-go.”

The Comets were originally scheduled to open the season March 26 in Antigo, but the first four games have either been rescheduled or cancelled altogether.

The home opener against Winneconne is slated for today (Thursday, April 11).

“We’re just trying to cope the best we can, even if it means getting outside on a parking lot and doing some things,” Koronkiewicz said. “What we’re really trying to do is get their arms in shape and try to get in a few swings. You can do that in the gym. That’s what we’ve been trying to do, but it’s not game-like conditions. It’s not the same as being on the field in the elements. Hopefully, the things we do inside helps us get ready for what we’ll have to do outside. That’s the challenge of it. You play a lot of games eventually in a short time.”

Once the Comets do get the season under way, Koronkiewicz believes his team can make some noise in the always-competitive Eastern Valley Conference.

“I think we can put together some solid play,” he said. “We have Jake Reedy at the catching position, Beau Ash at the shortstop position, Josh Houtman, who played second base, Alex Hoffman, who played a little left field and first base, Zander Neuville, who played a little bit in the outfield, Jordan Erickson, who also played in the outfield, and Joe Nelson, who got some time on the mound last year. We have some experienced players in a lot of areas, but the success of our season will come down to how well we perform on the mound.”

Nelson and Houtman are tentatively penciled in as the Comets’ No. 1 and No. 2 pitchers, but Koronkiewicz said Nate Nelson, Ash and Neuville will also take the mound at some point.

“We’re looking at as many different guys we can get comfortable on the mound and go from there,” he said.

Fox Valley Lutheran won the EVC last year and eventually made it to state. The Comets posted 7-8 and 9-12 conference and overall records, respectively.

“The Eastern Valley will again be very solid from a baseball standpoint,” Koronkiewicz said. “It’s an up year athletically and you’ve seen that in other sports. I think Clintonville should have a very good team. They have a lot of pitching back from last year. FVL will be a team to contend with as well and everybody else will be very competitive.”

The conference schedule is again set up for EVC teams to play each other back to back. That means teams won’t see the same pitcher twice.

For instance, the Comets will travel to Clintonville Monday, April 22, and host the Truckers the following day.

“You see No. 1 and No. 2 or No. 2 and No. 3,” Koronkiewicz said. “I didn’t know if I liked it. The advantage is you see two pitchers. The disadvantage is you might be playing a critical opponent early in the year and not get a second chance as the season progresses.”

In the meantime, it’s back to the gym, at least for the near future.

“It’s a night-and-day difference from last year,” Koronkiewicz said. “Everybody’s going to be a victim of the weather. You just have to see what you can do once you get an opportunity.

“The good thing is a lot of these guys have played baseball,” he added. “It’s not like you can’t step on the field and at least perform. You may not perform the way you’d like, but you can still make a play and play the game. That’s what we’ll do.”

Waupaca 2013 Baseball Schedule

Varsity

Monday, April 8 – at Stevens Point, 4:30 p.m.

Tuesday, April 9 – at Winneconne, 4:45 p.m.

Thursday, April 11 – vs. Winneconne, 4:45 p.m.

Tuesday, April 16 – vs. Freedom, 4:45 p.m.

Thursday, April 16 – at Freedom, 4:45 p.m.

Friday, April 19 – vs. Fox Valley Lutheran, 4 p.m. (DH at Lakemen Field)

Monday, April 22 – at Clintonville, 4:45 p.m.

Tuesday, April 23 – vs. Clintonville, 4:45 p.m.

Tuesday, April 30 – at Weyauwega-Fremont, 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 4 – at Appleton Xavier, 1 p.m. (DH)

Friday, May 10 – at Hortonville, 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 11 – vs. Little Chute, 10:30 a.m. (DH)

Monday, May 13 – at Berlin, 4:45 p.m.

Friday, May 17 – vs. Berlin, 4:45 p.m.

Monday, May 20 – vs. Ripon, 4:45 p.m.

Tuesday, May 21 – at Ripon, 4:45 p.m.

Junior Varsity

Monday, April 8 – at Stevens Point, 4:30 p.m.

Tuesday, April 9 – at Winneconne, 4:45 p.m.

Thursday, April 11 – vs. Winneconne, 4:45 p.m.

Tuesday, April 16 – at Freedom, 4:45 p.m.

Thursday, April 16 – vs. Freedom, 4:45 p.m.

Friday, April 19 – vs. Fox Valley Lutheran, 4 p.m. (DH)

Monday, April 22 – at Clintonville, 4:45 p.m.

Tuesday, April 23 – vs. Clintonville, 4:45 p.m.

Tuesday, April 30 – at Weyauwega-Fremont, 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 4 – vs. Appleton Xavier, 1 p.m. (DH)

Friday, May 10 – at Hortonville, 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 11 – vs. Little Chute, 10:30 a.m. (DH)

Monday, May 20 – vs. Ripon, 4:45 p.m.

Tuesday, May 21 – at Ripon, 4:45 p.m.

Freshman

Friday, April 12 – at Mosinee, 4:30 p.m.

Monday, April 15 – at D.C. Everest, Schofield, 4:30 p.m.

Friday, April 19 – at New London, 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, April 25 – at Hortonville, 4:30 p.m.

Tuesday, April 30 – vs. Shawano, 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, May 2 – at Shawano, 4:30 p.m. (rescheduled from April 4)

Thursday, May 9 – vs. D.C. Everest, 4:30 p.m.

Saturday, May 11 – at Antigo Invitational, 11 a.m.

Monday, May 13 – vs. Mosinee, 4:30 p.m.

Tuesday, May 14 – vs. New London, 4:30 p.m. (rescheduled from April 8)

Friday, May 17 – vs. Hortonville, 4:30 p.m.

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