MONTICELLO — The Monticello-Albany baseball co-op has optimism in their eyes. After struggling to a 1-14 record in 2021, the team lost just two starters and returns a bevy of talent.
Evan Rufer, a senior outfielder, was an honorable mention all-conference pick in the Six Rivers East a year ago, batting .323 with a .400 on base percentage. Tyler Anderson was the ace on the hill, leading the team with 27 1/3 innings pitched, while Andy Gertsch struck out a team-high 23 batters. Carson Gafner, now a sophomore, was the team leader in ERA and classmate Brayden Bakken led the program in fielding percentage. Each had an OBP above .320.
Also returning is the team’s primary catcher, sophomore Jackson Eyler, as well as RBI leader Jacob Letcher, an infielder. Four newcomers will join the squad to compete for playing time as well, and all have pitching experience: Drew Freitag, Cody Pryce, Nate Stokstad and Leon Parker.
“All four could find themselves contributing on the mound this baseball season,” said head coach Richard Wachholz. “Freitag will also add much needed speed to the roster and challenge for playing time on the infield. Pryce, Stokstad, and Parker are strong kids and will add depth to our team defensively and offensively.”
Wachholz wants to see his players show significant improvement on the field this year. Errors plagued the team in 2021.
“We want to be a more competitive team on the field,” he said. “We have over 90% of our innings pitched and plate appearances returning from last year. For all of our returners, last year was their first experience playing varsity high school baseball. The awe of playing that level of competition is done. I also believe our depth will help because kids are going to have to compete to keep a regular spot in the lineup.”
Wachholz said the team has two main areas they need to improve in order to see success in the win column: “First our returning pitchers must take a step forward in their effectiveness and we need to find more depth. We won’t be able to get through this season relying primarily on three pitchers.”
Secondly, putting the ball in play on offense. “Forty percent of our plate appearances last year ended with a strikeout. That rate needs to be cut in half to have a better chance of scoring more runs.”
