Many small schools are struggling to field baseball teams in the spring so going together to create one program with a strong future is the right way to go for both schools and communities.”

Head Coach Peter Devine

This season marks a new era for baseball in Owen-Withee and Thorp. For the first time, the two schools will co-op for a varsity season. Last year, the two teams combined for a junior varsity season, but this marks the Redhawks’ first year of varsity baseball.
“The transition to a varsity co-op has been going well,” says Head Coach Peter Devine, “Many small schools are struggling to field baseball teams in the spring so going together to create one program with a strong future is the right way to go for both schools and communities.”
Standout returners from last year’s JV season include seniors Landen Penk and Harley Zurakowski as well as junior Cameron Abramczak.
Devine sees pitching depth as a strength heading into the season.
“We do not have any dominant pitchers,” he explains, “but with multiple games every week, having multiple boys who can pitch will help us tremendously.”
Devine is interested in seeing how his team makes the jump up to the next level of baseball, “Varsity baseball is more intense, and small mistakes can mean the difference between losing and winning.”
To that end, he and his coaching staff are focused on the process rather than the results in their first varsity season.
“We can control our process,” explains Devine, “So we focus on continuous improvement, being better than you were yesterday and making mistakes into lessons by learning from them.”
The Hawks are scheduled to play at Neillsville on Thursday, April 17. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.
For updates on the season, schedules, apparel, and more, you can follow the Thorp/Owen-Withee Redhawks on Facebook.