A more experienced Glenwood City baseball team looks to add wins in 2022
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2022 GLENWOOD CITY BASEBALL TEAM — Front row (L to R): Marcis DeSmith, Brendan Booth, Max Jansen, Noah Brite and Jayden Quinn. Middle row (L to R): Jake Wood Logan McVeigh, Elliott Springborn, Nelson Polen and Zebediah Holden. Back row (L to R): Sam Cassellius, Vinnie Wheeler, Andrew Blaser, Blake Fayerweather, Aaron Brigham and Steven Booth. Not included are Brady McCarthy, Peyton Rashbach and Peyton Theune. —photo by Shawn DeWitt
by Joel DeWitt
Sports Correspondent
GLENWOOD CITY — The Glenwood City baseball team hopes things will be a bit different in the upcoming season. Out with the flip of the calendar was a squad that won only a single game in 2021. In is a team that returns a core of its starters from the previous season.
It’s that experience that head coach Dean Fayerweather expects will net the Hilltoppers a few more wins for the 2022 campaign.
“We are returning nine players from last season and seven of the nine were starters,” Fayerweather indicated. “Hope this will create positive play and experience.”
The one ingredient missing will be Gavin Janson, who was the team’s only senior and a second team Dunn-St. Croix all conference player in 2021. Janson led the team offensively in both batting average and on-base percentage. He was also the team’s number one starting pitcher and anchored them defensively at shortstop and center field.
While it may be difficult to replace that kind of production from a senior leader, coach Fayerweather looks to his depth of experience to fill the gaps. Returning are a couple of players the coach expects to step up and push the team.
“Brady McCarthy and Max Janson were the other two players from last season that had similar stats to Gavin Janson,” Fayerweather said. “Brady and Max will be our impact players, along with the team leaders and motivators.”
McCarthy, along with Brendan Booth and Marcis DeSmith are the only seniors on the squad. Due to that, coach Fayerweather will need to rely heavily on juniors and underclassmen to propel this team.
“All the juniors returning have the potential to be contributors and leaders, along with sophomore Steven Booth,” Fayerweather commented on his team.
While hope springs eternal for the Hilltoppers’ baseball squad, history is not on their side. In his first year as skipper, Fayerweather and Hilltoppers were 1-14. Also, you’d have to go back at least a dozen years to find a Glenwood City baseball team that finished above .500.
However, Fayerweather brings experience to the table as he coached a talented Pepin team in the mid-90s. With the experience and talent he’s bringing back, he expects good things to happen.
“Hanging a conference banner is always a goal and these athletes need to realize it is a reachable goal,” Fayerweather mentioned.
Fayerweather will be assisted this year by Tom Stack and volunteer Ryan McVeigh.
Standing in their way are perennial favorites Elk Mound and Spring Valley. The number of returning players will make them preseason favorites. Add defending Division 4 state champions Boyceville to the mix and it looks to be a highly competitive conference.
Glenwood City will open its season on March 31 when they travel to Webster. They will follow that up April 1 with a road trip to Clayton to take on Clayton/Turtle Lake. Their home opener will be April 4 when they host Colfax for the first conference game of the year. All game times are 5:00PM.
2022 Baseball Roster
Seniors: Brady McCarthy, Brendan Booth and Marcis DeSmith
Juniors: Max Janson, Noah Brite, Jayden Quinn and Aaron Brigham
Sophomores: Nelson Polen, Steven Booth and Peyton Rassbach
Freshmen: Logan McVeigh, Andrew Blaser, Blake Fayerweather, Vinnie Wheeler, Sam Cassellius, Zebediah Holden, Jake Wood and Elliott Springborn