By MIKE KEMMETER
of The Gazette
The Stevens Point 15-year-old baseball team is putting it all together - hitting, pitching and defense - and will try to keep their season going this weekend at the Ohio Valley Regional Babe Ruth Tournament.
Point, which won the State Babe Ruth Championship last weekend in Appleton, left early Wednesday morning by bus for Clarksburg, West Virginia to play in the 10-team double elimination tournament. After receiving a first-round bye in Friday's action, Stevens Point plays its first game Saturday at 12:30 p.m. eastern time. Point (17-1) plays the winner of Friday's Harrison County Americans, the host team, and North Indiana.
"We want to win a few and just play our best," player Jeff Herzog said. "We have the ability to win some games down there. We have been hitting the ball well, pitching and playing good defense. If we keep doing that, we'll keep winning."
Herzog's teammates and the coaching staff echoed his comments. "If we hit as well as we did at state and play good defense, we should be able to compete with teams down there," catcher Randy Printz said.
Stevens Point, with 18 games under its belt, will be taking on teams that have played up to 80 games, the coaching staff said. Including the spring sports season, Point team members have accumulated less than 50 games.
"I told the guys we're moving a level up," coach Tom Domaszek said. "We'll have to stay focused. They won't be high scoring games. We'll have to play great to stay in the games.
"We're confident, not overconfident. If we play our game, we'll be competitive."
While Point doesn't have as much experience together this season as some other teams, the team may have an advantage with four solid pitchers. Justin Pezewski, Eric Schipferling, Brandon Eckendorf and Herzog have plenty of time on the mound this season.
"I think it all comes down to pitching and we have four good pitchers who we've used most of the year," coach Jeff Fritsch said.
"Justin and Brandon really matured over the last year," Fritsch said. "A year ago at state, we had to battle back after a loss and by the time we got to the championship game, we were tired. We relied on Eric and Jeff."
On the mound, the pitchers hold a lot of stake in Point's defense and having a strong unit behind them helps, they said. "It gives you a lot of confidence," Schipferling said. "You know you can throw strikes and the defense can play behind you."
The team, which is comprised of players from P.J. Jacobs Junior High, Pacelli High and Rosholt High, aren't strangers. "We've been together since we were 11 years old so we know everybody really well," Schipferling said.
This is the farthest the group has advanced. The team finished second at state as 14-year-olds, there was no state tournament at the 13-year-old level and were 2-2 at state as 12-year-olds.
The last 15-year-old team to advance past the state level was in 1990 when the regional tournament was held in Appleton. That means the 1990 team didn't experience the bus ride the current team is on. The team, along with family members, left on a Lamers Bus Wednesday morning.
"I'm sure it's going to be something they'll remember for years," coach Bob "Ma" Pesch said.
"I think it's exciting not only for the players, but also the coaches, the parents, the fans and the city of Stevens Point," Domaszek said.
The trip isn't all baseball, though. The team was scheduled to make a stop in Canton, Ohio and tour the NFL Hall of Fame Thursday morning.
"The road goes right by Canton. We have to stop," Fritsch said.
After checking out the Hall of Fame, the team continues its voyage to Clarksburg, where it reports at 4:30 p.m. All 10 teams are invited to a picnic Thursday evening and opening ceremonies for the tournament are Friday night.
"We want the kids to go down there and enjoy themselves and have a good time," Domaszek said. "If we come back with the title, that will be icing on the cake."
The team is seeking contributions to defray costs of the trip. Please send them to S.P.Y.B.A., P.O. Box 615, Stevens Point, WI 54481 or contact Mark Gotta at 344-5479.