2014 11u Impact Season Recap
Stevens Point– Last October, nobody was sure what to expect when head coach Ryan Schulfer started talking to players from central Wisconsin about playing a different brand of baseball. This would be an opportunity for local players to travel around the state and play new teams and great competition. This would also mean learning how to play the game the right way. No more little league rules, but learning how to play real baseball (lead offs, balks, dropped third strikes). It didn’t take much for these local elite athletes to decide this is what they wanted to do for the 2014 travel baseball season.
With his new team in hand, Ryan Schulfer spoke with a couple of former Plover baseball assistants to see if they would be willing to commit to coaching these young men the fundamentals of baseball. Shawn Cychosz and Trent Schelvan were up to the task and the practice season was about to start. With a weekly winter practice season established, the coaching staff went to work teaching all aspects of the game, hitting, fielding, and pitching. For some extra help, Ryan called in long time friend, and local pitching expert Corey Opper to help evaluate the team and work correct mechanical miscues. After four months of work, the team was ready and hungry for some action.
The team opened up its season in Columbus, Wisconsin at the Columbus Renegades’ tournament. With butterflies in his stomach, Coach Schulfer was not sure what would happen. The coaching staff had a new team, new rules, new players, but the same winning attitude.
The team didn’t disappoint in its first tournament going 5-0 and taking the championship beating teams from Beloit, West Bend, Fond du Lac, and the host team Columbus. Outscoring opponents over the weekend 79-7, the team looked impressive and set the tone early for how the season would go.
The team next rolled into Milwaukee to play in the Wisconsin Rock Hounds tournament. The Impact rolled in its first two games beating the host Rock Hounds team 5-2 and next taking down the Heartland Hawks 15-6. In the semi finals, the Impact again was seeded against the host team. Down early in the game 8-3 the team rebounded late to take the lead 9-8 on a walk off winner. This set up the Impact for the championship game against Union Grove. After a defensive miscue in the first inning, the Impact was down 2-0. In the top of the third with one out and runners on first and second a huge storm blew through Milwaukee. With frequent lightning strikes and monsoon-like rain, the tournament championship game was cancelled and the Impact on account of being down 2-0 after 2 innings took the loss and accepted the second place finish.
The Impact 11u team next went to Grand Chute to play in a 12u tournament. Knowing the competition would be good, the Impact started the tournament with a win over the Wilson Park Cardinals from Milwaukee 7-4. In the second game defensive miscues cost the Impact an early lead and gave the Impact a second loss on the season by a 10-7 margin to Oshkosh. The team, still bothered by the previous game’s efforts, put on a hitting display in the final game of the day beating Bay Port 18-5. The Impact after the day of play was sitting at 2-1, tie breaker rules however, eliminated the Impact from advancing to the championship round.
After a couple of weeks off Team Impact regrouped and focused back on core fundamentals of the game as it prepared for the Game Day USA Wisconsin State Championships. Knowing that the team needed to come out and play great baseball, the Impact opened the tournament on Friday with a convincing 9-0 win over the West Chicago Roadrunners. On Saturday, the team took on the CDBL Rockets from Elgin, Illinois and with a master pitching performance, won the game 6-2. Sitting at 2-0 provided the Impact a bye into the championship round. In the semifinals, the Impact was again pitted against the Rockets. This game however showed why the best teams around were in the tournament. The Impact staked itself to a 3-0 lead. The Rockets, however, had the bats going early and often and at the end of 4 and a half innings the Impact team found itself trailing 11-3. With potential run rule elimination, the Impact fought back and put two runs on the board. Going into the final half frame, the Impact knew they had a huge hole to dig out of. The team was up to the task. Down 11-5 the entire team crushed the ball. The momentum had swung back to the Impact’s favor. With a walk off hit in the bottom of the frame the Impact had put up 7 runs to win the game 12-11 and advance to the championship game. The Impact next took on the FCA Impact from Chicago, but the CW Impact bats were just too hot. The CW Impact rolled to a Wisconsin State championship with a 13-3 win in four innings.
The team was flying high and had a sense of confidence not previously displayed. The Impact now prepared itself for a weekend of baseball in Verona. The competition had also been watching the Impact’s success and with complaints sent to the Verona little league board about how teams didn’t want to have to play the Impact, the team was removed from the tournament. Now scrambling to find a replacement tournament for the weekend, Greenville was contacted. With an opening in their bracket, the team traveled east to play in the Greenville Firecracker tournament.
The Impact team opened up against Oshkosh on Saturday morning. It was a hard-fought game that went back and forth. In extra innings however, Logan Schulfer stroked a double to bring in the winning run and move the Impact to 1-0. Game two didn’t prove to be much for completion as the Impact brought the bats and pitching. The Impact went on to beat Waupun 16-1 in pool play. The Impact’s next game in the semifinals placed them against the Chippewa Falls All-Star team. The results were the same as the Impact squad rolled to a 10-0 victory after four innings. The Impact now ready for the championship game once again took on Waupun. This was a very well-played defensive game by both teams. In the end, the Impact won the game and the tournament 5-0.
The Impact next traveled south for the Bigler Tournament Invite in Brookfield, Wisconsin. The team came out with the bats blazing taking an early lead. The Merton Mavericks however found their sticks late in the game and after regulation, the game was tied at 6-6. In the extra frame the Impact squad blew up to post 5 runs in the inning leading to an 11-7 victory. The Impact’s next game was against the Lake Country Lightning select team from Illinois. The Impact, with swimming free time on their minds, disposed of the Lightning in a run rule game 13-1. In the final game of pool play, knowing that they had already secured a place in the championship game later on Sunday, the team came out loose and relaxed. The Impact then went on to beat the Cedarburg Mercs 13-1. In the championship game the Impact lined up against the Lincoln Way Blue Demon Elite team from South Chicago. The team came out to show why they are one of the best and eliminated the Blue Demons 10-0 in a mercy rule contest giving the championship to the CW Impact.
In their final tournament of the season, the Impact again traveled south to the Sussex tournament. The Impact opened up Friday night against the Oconomowoc Five O’s team. Both teams played flawless defensive baseball, but the Impact bats were too much and at the end of the contest, the Impact walked away with a 4-0 victory. The Impact next took on the Pewaukee Pirates. Offensively, the Impact was too much for the Pirates to handle as the Impact walked away with an 11-2 victory. In the pool play finally, the Impact took on the host team Hamilton-Sussex. Once again the Impact bats were hot early providing the Impact a 15-7 victory. After going 3-0 in pool play the Impact were placed as a three seed by giving up 9 runs in the three games played. The Impact opened play on Sunday against the #2 seed Arrowhead Diamond Club. The Impact had all aspects of the game rolling in the game. In a mercy rule victory, the Impact walked away with an 11-1 victory. Moving to the last game of the season, the Impact was pitted against the #1 seed Pleasant Prairie. The Impact got out to an early lead and their prized defense stayed tight stranding many Pleasant Prairie runners in scoring position. After the completion of the game, the Impact walked away with a 10-6 championship win to complete a fantastic year of traveling baseball.
The Impact team on the season finished up 27-2 on the year with championships in the Game Day USA Wisconsin State Championships, Greenville Firecracker Tournament, Bigler Invite Tournament (Brookfield), Sussex- Hamilton Tournament, and the Columbus Renegades Tournament. Outscoring opponents 320-90, disciplined defense and team cohesiveness were also key contributions to Team Impacts success.
The team will now take time off before starting winter practices in November to start preparing for their 12u 2015 campaign.
Thank you to all our sponsors who helped to make this season happen.
