2023 Viterbo Baseball Preview: V-Hawks Look to Make Big Step Forward
With the turn of the calendar into 2023, V-Hawk baseball will be soon upon us with Game 1 of currently set for February 17th in Joplin, MO.
2022 Season Recap
For some programs, what Viterbo accomplished in 2022 wouldn't be much to write home about. Viterbo went 16-36 (5-20 NSAA) while playing another tough non-conference slate. The V-Hawks have routinely tested themselves early & often (2021: #16 Oklahoma City & RV Clarke, 2020: #5 Georgia Gwinnett, #9 Indiana Tech, RV Reinhardt & RV Madonna, 2019: #1 Southeastern, #18 Webber International & RV Clarke) and 2022 was no different.
February & March games against (what would be) 2022 NAIA National Championship Qualifiers: #2 Central Methodist University, #18 Concordia University-Nebraska, RV Columbia College and Madonna University showed where Viterbo stood against nationally ranked competition prior to opening conference play against #24 Bellevue University. Overall, the V-Hawks will need to find ways in 2023 to win the close games after dropping 12 games last season by 3 runs or less.
Those early season lumps would bear dividends in postseason during the NSAA conference tournament where the V-Hawks played some of their best baseball, upsetting the #2 seed in the opening round before eventually ending their season in the semi-finals, one game away from a championship match-up with Bellevue. While the season may not have ended the way they would have liked it to, there is a lot to be optimistic about with the 2023 V-Hawk baseball team.
Keys to 2023
A mix of familiar and fresh faces are ready for action
Simply put, the Viterbo baseball roster in 2023 will see a lot of new faces. The V-Hawks lose a plethora of experience all over the diamond as the team replaces line-up stalwarts: Kyle Gilbertson, Cole Benson, Zach Braun, Dante Selke & Jacob Pinc, among others.
Returning Players to Watch
Brandon Jaenke (Fall Creek, WI/Fall Creek HS) - had a breakout 2022 season and is poised to repeat in 2023. Jaenke finished the 2022 season collecting 3 wins and throwing 41 innings. He also tossed 64 strikeouts (14.05 per 9 innings) while only walking 14 batters en route to a NSAA Honorable Mention All-Conference selection. Jaenke spent the past summer honing his skills across the Coastal Plains League (Martinsville Mustangs), Old North State League (Marion Swamp Foxes) and Northwoods League (St. Cloud Rox).
Kendal Hofer (Washington, IL/Illinois Central CC) - had a phenomenal season which included breaking the single season walks record with 34. Hofer earned NSAA Second-Team All-Conference honors following a season that saw him lead the team in Hits (57), Walks (34), Runs Scored (43) and Stolen Bases (5) while also hitting .320 with a .437 on-base percentage, 3 home runs, 12 doubles and 25 RBI. He is a fierce hitter at the top of the lineup that aims to match his 2022 production.
Alec Danen (Howards Grove, WI/Howards Grove HS) - has been a consistent contributor on the V-Hawk pitching staff since the 2021 season and is primed for a big role in 2023. Danen finished the 2022 season collecting 2 saves and throwing 13 innings as a primary back-end bullpen arm. He also tossed 16 strikeouts (11.08 per 9 innings). Danen has spent portions of the past two summers in the Northwoods League with the Green Bay Rockers and Bismarck Larks striking out 19 batters over 25 innings of work.
Blake Warner (Hastings, MN/Mesabi Range CC) - put together a great first season with the V-Hawks which included leading the team in Home Runs (5) and Runs Batted In (36). Warner earned NSAA Honorable Mention All-Conference honors following a season that saw him hit .310 with a .434 on-base percentage with 15 extra base hits & 31 walks.
Transfer Players to watch
Chad Herrera (Austin, TX/Crown College) - is a transfer from an NCAA institution. Herrera is pursuing his master's degree at Viterbo University. Herrera spent 4 years at Crown collecting 288 ABs over 99 games. His career saw him hit .309 with 45 runs scored, 13 doubles, 51 runs batted in and only 9 strikeouts. Over the summer, Herrera played in both the MINK League (Des Moines Peak Prospects) and Northwoods League (Fond Du Lac Dock Spiders) hitting a combined .413 across 31 games & 80 ABs.
Gavin Daniels (Oconomowoc, WI/College of Lake County) - is a transfer from a NJCAA institution. Daniel will be seen roaming the outfielder in the spring of 2023. Daniel spent 2 years at CLC amassing 160 ABS over 62 games. He hit .305 with 27 runs scored, 7 doubles, 25 runs batted in and 8 stolen bases in 2022.
Spencer Hans (Johnson Creek, WI/Wisconsin-La Crosse) - is a transfer from a NCAA institution. Hans will find himself in the infield for the V-Hawks. Hans spent 3 years at UWL registering a .327 batting average across 59 ABs in 27 games. He also spent some time in the Northwoods League back in 2021 with the Kenosha Kingfish hitting .476 in 21 ABs.
Dominic LeBlanc (Yuba City, CA/College of the Desert) - is a transfer from a NJCAA institution. The right-handed arm from the 2022 Inland Empire Athletic Conference (IEAC) conference championship team will be called upon to pitch in many different roles for the V-Hawks this spring. Last season, LeBlanc tossed 11 innings and struck out 10 hitters for the Roadrunners.
Freshmen Players to Watch
Ryan Mesa (Appleton, WI/Appleton East HS)
Ryder Mortensen (Salt Lake City, UT/East HS)
Ryan Brooks (Las Vegas, NV/Arbor View HS)
Ryan Gill (Ixonia, WI/Oconomowoc HS)
Adam Olson (La Crosse, WI/La Crosse Central HS)
Cody Lozano (Anaheim, CA/Katella HS)