MONROE - Cam Shaw has had a busy week with football camp at Monroe High School and baseball practice.
Shaw is one of 12 baseball players on the Monroe 15-year-old team that qualified for the Teener League state tournament July 26-28 in Fort Atkinson at Jones Park.
"Monroe baseball really hasn't been good," Shaw said. "It's nice to try to get them back on top and improve on the upcoming spring season."
Monroe (9-3), the Teener League West Division co-champions along with McFarland, is the No. 1 seed heading into the Teener League state tournament. Monroe received a bye Friday and will open tournament play at 3 p.m. Saturday. If Monroe wins their opener, they would play in the state semifinals Saturday night. Shaw said even if Monroe doesn't win the state title, the season won't be a disappointment.
"Getting to the state tournament is an accomplishment," Shaw said.
Many of the players on the Monroe 15-year-old baseball team won the Cal Ripken 12-year-old state championship three years ago. They skipped the 14-year-old league last year and went right to the 15-year-old league and finished 1-12 in a turbulent season. The team overcame some adversity in that first season in the 15-year-old league last year.
"Baseball just kept everything together," Monroe coach Todd Edmunds said. "I'm most proud that all the kids came back out for baseball. The kids just want to play and get better. This is the result of all the hard work. It's been a long time since Monroe won a state championship."
Brent Edmunds is the leading hitter on the team with a .487 batting average and 14 runs batted in. Shaw is hitting (.463) and leads the team in stolen bases (11). In addition to Edmunds and Shaw four other players are hitting better than .300, including Trevor Signer (.409), Frank Clerkin (.382 with 10 RBI), Taylor Meier (.379) and Jarod Amacher (.305 with a team-leading 19 RBI).
Their coach is confident in their offensive abilities.
"We will score some runs," Todd Edmunds said. "We have a lot of kids who can hit on this team. We have made a lot of progress this year."
Amacher is excited the team was able to make a turnaround after struggling last year.
"I'm surprised because last year we didn't do that great," he said. "This year we played as a team and we pulled through, so I'm excited. We had to step it up a lot more.
"From what I have heard, the other teams (in the tournament) are really good. I will be pretty happy if we place in the top three."
Monroe has also been sound defensively for most of the season, but it's still a crucial part of the game.
"In the games we have lost, it's been because of our defense where we have had three or more errors," Todd Edmunds said. "For us to win any game, we have to play great defense."
Monroe also has a stable of pitchers led by Meier who has a team-high three wins. Luke Nuenschwander and Amacher each have two wins.
Todd Edmunds is excited about the opportunity the team has to play in the state tournament, though, it's a one-and-done scenario now.
"Hopefully, we have a couple more good games left," Todd Edmunds said. "We try not to put any undue pressure on the kids. We obviously want to win. That has been our goal."
Shaw is one of 12 baseball players on the Monroe 15-year-old team that qualified for the Teener League state tournament July 26-28 in Fort Atkinson at Jones Park.
"Monroe baseball really hasn't been good," Shaw said. "It's nice to try to get them back on top and improve on the upcoming spring season."
Monroe (9-3), the Teener League West Division co-champions along with McFarland, is the No. 1 seed heading into the Teener League state tournament. Monroe received a bye Friday and will open tournament play at 3 p.m. Saturday. If Monroe wins their opener, they would play in the state semifinals Saturday night. Shaw said even if Monroe doesn't win the state title, the season won't be a disappointment.
"Getting to the state tournament is an accomplishment," Shaw said.
Many of the players on the Monroe 15-year-old baseball team won the Cal Ripken 12-year-old state championship three years ago. They skipped the 14-year-old league last year and went right to the 15-year-old league and finished 1-12 in a turbulent season. The team overcame some adversity in that first season in the 15-year-old league last year.
"Baseball just kept everything together," Monroe coach Todd Edmunds said. "I'm most proud that all the kids came back out for baseball. The kids just want to play and get better. This is the result of all the hard work. It's been a long time since Monroe won a state championship."
Brent Edmunds is the leading hitter on the team with a .487 batting average and 14 runs batted in. Shaw is hitting (.463) and leads the team in stolen bases (11). In addition to Edmunds and Shaw four other players are hitting better than .300, including Trevor Signer (.409), Frank Clerkin (.382 with 10 RBI), Taylor Meier (.379) and Jarod Amacher (.305 with a team-leading 19 RBI).
Their coach is confident in their offensive abilities.
"We will score some runs," Todd Edmunds said. "We have a lot of kids who can hit on this team. We have made a lot of progress this year."
Amacher is excited the team was able to make a turnaround after struggling last year.
"I'm surprised because last year we didn't do that great," he said. "This year we played as a team and we pulled through, so I'm excited. We had to step it up a lot more.
"From what I have heard, the other teams (in the tournament) are really good. I will be pretty happy if we place in the top three."
Monroe has also been sound defensively for most of the season, but it's still a crucial part of the game.
"In the games we have lost, it's been because of our defense where we have had three or more errors," Todd Edmunds said. "For us to win any game, we have to play great defense."
Monroe also has a stable of pitchers led by Meier who has a team-high three wins. Luke Nuenschwander and Amacher each have two wins.
Todd Edmunds is excited about the opportunity the team has to play in the state tournament, though, it's a one-and-done scenario now.
"Hopefully, we have a couple more good games left," Todd Edmunds said. "We try not to put any undue pressure on the kids. We obviously want to win. That has been our goal."
