After over a year of waiting, baseball season is back. Practices are underway for the Golden Eagles, and the boys are hungry for a return to state, which would be the first time since 2017. 

Rivalries are a big part of the season: “I am excited for our first game against Hempstead, a big inner city rival of ours,” says Jared Walter ‘21. 

Wahlert went 0-2 against Hempstead last season, so revenge is on the Golden Eagles’ minds.  

The team looks to get revenge for the seniors, as they still have some solid players returning and are ready to make a run this year. 

“We lost a lot of talent from the class of ‘20, but we still have a lot of great returners and some promising newcomers,” said Luke Heying, ‘21.  “All of which have put in a lot of work, so I could totally see us making a run in the playoffs.”

State playoffs is something the Golden Eagles are looking to get back to for the first time since 2017, and the pitching staff will have a big impact on whether they will make it back to state.

“We have a lot of returning starters and a lot of new talent on the team. We should have the best pitching staff in the 563 this year,” said Walter.

“The pitching that will either make or break us this season,” agrees Garrett Kadolph, ‘22.

Speaking of heartbreakers, the Golden Eagles’ season ended last year against Marion in a 11-10 loss, but they look to bounce back. 

“We will bounce back this year through our core group of returning players,” said Walter. “We have all been through a season together before, so we will be more experienced and know what it’s like to be in those big situations.” 

“It won’t happen right away,” said Heying ‘21.  “But I know we have a group of guys who will keep getting better until we get where we want to go.”