High hopes for Wahlert baseball

DUBUQUE - The baseball diamond sitting behind Wahlert High School may be quiet now, but not for long. It will soon be filled with the crack of the bat, the smacking of gloves, cheering of fans.

It's baseball time for the Wahlert Golden Eagles.

Coming off a 19-21 season, the Eagles are coming into this campaign with 13 returning players. The veterans, in conjunction with the talented newcomers joining the team, are looking for a more successful season.

'We are expecting to have a better season than last year because of all the experience coming back and the senior leadership,” Co-head Coach Jerry Roling said. 'Sixteen of our 19 victories are returning on the mound for us, so that will be a great place to start.”

The Eagles are returning their two most active pitchers from last season in seniors Nolan Timp and Alex Savary. Timp led the team in innings pitched with 39 1/3 while posting a 3.20 ERA. Savary was close behind in innings pitched with 39 and posted an ERA of 2.87. These returning aces are followed by a multitude of pitchers to round out the pitching rotation.

The team also returns three of its top five batters, in terms of at-bats. Timp led the team with a batting average of .326. After Timp, the top two returning batters in terms of batting average, with at least 100 at-bats, are seniors Jake Oglesby and Alex Savary. After that, there are a number of returning players who batted in the .200s.

In order to have a successful year, the Eagles are going to need a consistent all-around game.

'Pitching depth and hitting throughout the lineup will be a concern,” Co-head Coach Kory Tuescher said. 'How well this team comes together as a team will contribute to our success. We also have a couple of question marks on defense.”

The seniors are ready to groom the younger players for the grueling season to come.

'We are expecting to have a good year with the returning veterans and the addition of younger talent,” senior Zach Aird said. 'It's always good to have an experienced team to help the younger players through the season.”

In order to be successful, Roling and Tuescher stress fundamentals.

'Success is largely determined by your preparation,” Tuescher said. 'We feel that fundamentals and discipline are keys in being successful. Those are key ingredients in our daily preparation.”

The Eagles also hope to improve in ways that are not shown in the win or loss column.

'Our goals are to enjoy the year, to improve daily by having great attitude and effort, and be playing our best ball at the end of the year,” Roling said.

Pulling out games at the end of the year would be a welcome change from last season, in which the Eagles lost their final eight games. The Eagles hope to erase the bitter taste of last season's end and, with seasoning and coaching, cook up a more successful season.

The Golden Eagles are scheduled to open the season tonight at West Delaware.