Teamwork makes the dream work

It should come as no surprise that the New Ulm Eagles Baseball team is anything other than a powerhouse team during the 2021 season. Currently boasting an overall record of 11-3, and a conference record of 9-0, the Eagles are showing no signs of slowing down the pace of their winning ways.

Currently, atop of their conference, the Eagle’s only need a few more wins to clinch a conference title. With the abundance of seniors among the team, they have become a powerhouse in the game across the state. One part of the powerhouse abilities comes from the hitting aspect as the team racks up multiple hits per game. Two players in specific, senior Evan Wiltscheck and junior Carter Lang contribute multiple hits and RBIs per game. The team has racked up an impressive 114 runs.

We were able to sit down and talk with Wiltscheck and Lang about how they have been so successful with their hitting. Wiltscheck said, “I’ve just learned to be patient. One of our coaches told me to keep my bat still, and I’ve made contact a lot.” Lang has been putting in a lot of work in the off-season, and it definitely shows. “I started working out the end of my sophomore year, every day. Then during fall ball, I tore my meniscus. Working out was the only thing I could do during that time.” All of his working out has paid off – Lang leads the team in RBIs and has knocked two out of the park. As the season progresses, the team hopes to blossom and expand their batting average and runs.

Along with the astounding hitting, another aspect comes from the Eagle’s pitching staff. Combined, they have only allowed 57 runs throughout the first eleven games. Led by left-handed, senior pitcher, Ethan Stade, coming in with an immense amount of strikeouts and minimal walks. He boasts a 4-1 record, facing some of the top teams of the state. The Eagles have other weapons such as Hunter Sehr, a left-handed senior; Sam Keckeisen, a 6’7″ right-handed senior; Jaden Drill, junior; and Carter Lang. Along with the five main tools, almost every player on the team has the ability to pitch and do it with authority.

We were lucky enough to be able to talk to Sehr about the success in the Eagles pitching. Sehr had a lot to say about our success. “All of our pitchers have been performing very well. Every now and then there are a couple of struggling starts, but it’s typically pretty solid all around. Carter [Lang] and Jaden [Drill] have really stepped up and performed to where they need to be, especially moving from C-squad straight to Varsity. The amount of time we get in between starts also really helps everyone’s arms heal enough.” The New Ulm Eagles have a very formidable pitching staff, and when they are on, they can be one of the scariest groups in the state.