John Eierman enters his first season as head coach of the Warsaw Wildcats with a strong group of senior leaders to lead the way for a team with a lot of depth coming off a 7-16 season last year.
“Our biggest strengths this spring will be our depth and our returning seniors. We have some good multi-sport athletes and our returning seniors are guys that have a ton of experience and are our leaders. We have a few freshman that can step up and make a difference for our team right away,” Eierman said.
Three-sport standout Matt Leubbert will lead the way as a pitcher and outfielder. He hit .310 last season with 23 stolen bases while posting a 2.40 ERA in 22.2 innings pitched. Classmate Joey Mace will join him at the top of the rotation after posting a 1.90 ERA in 35.1 innings pitched last year. He will also play in the outfield and hit .333.
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Junior Riley Jelinek and sophomore Logan Strunk will be the other top pitchers. Jelinek along with senior Riley Bagley, sophomore Trey Palmer and freshmen Jack Gardner and Brady Slavens will all be factors in the infield. Bagley hit .306 last season.
Junior Scott Winters will join Leubbert and Mace in the outfield. Classmate Matt Couzens will have a utility role in his junior season.
Eierman’s keys for success this year are simple.
“We need to stay healthy and our pitchers need to throw strikes,” Eierman said. “We’re going to need some guys to step up and lead this team and play the game the right way.”
Warsaw opens the season on Mar. 16 at home against Holden in a doubleheader.
