Ever since their first win against Port Washington, the Wauwatosa East Baseball team have set the bar high. Even though the Raiders had a tough run, they ended their season as Regional champions for the first time in 11 years.
The team went into the playoffs with a record of 2-16, but quickly turned it around in their first game against Pewaukee. The boys won 4-0. This was a turning point in the season, because Pewaukee had knocked them out of the playoffs during the first round in the 2016 season.
The second playoff game was against Kettle Moraine High School at UW-Whitewater. The majority of players claimed this game to be the highlight of their season. The Raideres destroyed Kettle Moraine 10-1. During this postseason game senior Jeffrey Mason pitched the entire game. This win made the Red Raiders the regional champs for the first time since 2006.
The next game was a well fought battle against Marquette, to whom they had already lost to three times in the regular season. Coming in with high spirits, East unfortunately could not muster up enough to defeat the biggest challenge of the season. They ended up losing 2-5, ending the season entirely. Sophomore George Dizard said, “During the end of our run in the state tournament our offense wasn’t as explosive as before, and I think that brought us down in that final game.”
These boys did not walk away empty handed though. They learned many valuable techniques and methods in the postseason that will help them secure their spot in the 2018 season. While they lost some important graduated seniors, the team still has a lot of reliable players making their way up.
Head Coach Pete Schwichtenberg was very proud of his team saying, “We have a very close knit and hard working group. [During the season] we were very young and we learned what it takes to win at the varsity level through the year. They want to push even further and we fully expect to continue building on our last two years of postseason success.”
Focusing on next season and the unique challenges put forth with new schools in the conference. Junior Chris Fuerst says that the coaches are doing a lot of early preparation: “After the season ended, all [of] the coaches had a meeting with each player individually and we would talk about the season. We lay out goals and go deep into detail on what they want to see out of you and how you can get there. These coaches are the best I have had, they get you to give it your all just to get better.”
Next year should be a good one, because of all the hardwork and time that these boys put into this sport. This regional champs run is a great win for the baseball team and Wauwatosa East as a whole.