Here are some observations on the four local baseball teams to chew on.
There is no question that Wauwatosa West's talented catcher Zach Bertoni can hit the baseball. But with a young Trojan team looking for leadership on the field, Bertoni needs to take a bigger part.
"It does get frustrating," Bertoni said after a recent loss, "I let myself get down to a level where I mope around. I can’t really do that anymore. I’ve come to the fact of life. I need to become a senior leader and help the team any way I can. Sometimes the kids don’t want to hear anything, so it’s hard to do that.
"Me, my dad, the coaches, have talked about it for the past several weeks. We can talk about it as much as we want, but I’ve got to act on it. I must try to do as much as I can, no matter what the score is."
If the emotional Bertoni, who has been known to toss a few helmets around, can focus that drive in a positive manner, then the young Trojans will be benefiting from more than just his outstanding offense.
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With the return of pitcher Ricky Leachy from an athletic code suspension, Brookfield Central coach Jeff Bigler has as deep a pitching staff as anyone in the Greater Metro Conference. Starters Mike Bogard, Leachy, Mike Mierow, Cale Ross and Collin O'Gorman and closer Lee Severson give the Lancers plenty of depth.
The question that must be answered is the hitting must come through down the stretch. Bogard, Severson, Leachy and Mierow will key the offense with the addition of junior Pete Ostergaard and freshman Ryan Hinz, but someone from the group of Paul Copoulos, Tim Peterson, Jack Moro and Matt Upson, among others, must be prepared to step up and play the heroes roll at any time.
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Wauwatosa East has already tied last year's overall win total (6) going into the week and first-year coach Matt Dahlstrom continues to preach fundamentals to his young troops. The Red Raiders' two best players are sophomores - Dan Sayles and Tyler O'Brien - so the future is bright for Tosa East.
"They got three hits off us in two games and split the series," Bigler said recently. "I am glad to get them behind us. They can be tough."
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Finally, Brookfield East, which rallied to be South Milwaukee in the seventh inning last week. Like Tosa East and Tosa West, Spartan fans have to be patient with a young team. But coach Tim Granger has a good group of juniors and sophomores backing up his five seniors, and freshman Brian Sylla should some decent stuff in his first outing, to make a contribution as the year winds down.
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Until next time, remember to always, be a hit and have a ball.
