In addition to an arm injury to Mitch Weis, junior, the baseball team has three more players injured and one on academic probation.
John Meyer, head coach, said despite these injuries, the team has enough capable players to fill the voids left by injuries.
Tim Hogenkamp, junior, will be out for the season because he elected to get surgery on his throwing shoulder.
Hogenkamp said he tore the labrum in his shoulder because he threw too much and he will be out for four to six months.
Hogenkamp said he expects the team to have a good season despite his injury; Chris Lenzen, sophomore; and Weis. He said these injuries are good opportunities for sophomores to step up on varsity.
“I’m looking forward to next year,” Hogenkamp said. “I mean, you try to help the team regardless by supporting them, but it’s hard not to look forward.”
Lenzen, who received a stress fracture in his lower back in a varsity basketball game against Eureka, said he has begun to play, but has not been healthy enough for a full game. Lenzen played his first full game on Tuesday.
Lenzen said he expects to get back to full health in a few weeks.
“I’ve basically acted like a coach,” Lenzen said. “Talking it up and doing whatever I can to help.”
Meyer said he wants the team to keep moving forward.
“Every season you have adversity,” Meyer said. “So far we’ve handled it well.”
Cal Rankin, sophomore, re-injured the knee that has plagued him since last fall
. Rankin said he first injured his knee when he dislocated his kneecap during pre-season football practice. That spring during baseball, Rankin dislocated his kneecap again in addition to tearing cartilage in his knee, resulting in surgery. The most recent injury to Rankin’s knee occurred as he was sliding back into first base during baseball practice
.An MRI showed no additionally injuries outside of a stress fracture, Rankin
said. As a result, Rankin said he will be out for 6-8 weeks.Alec McVehil, junior, is out for the spring season because he is academically
ineligible. McVehil said he took a Study Hall first semester, but failed one of his classes, which only gave him five of the minimum six credits needed to play sports the next semester.
“Coach Meyer is letting me be with the team this year, but I can’t play in any of the games,” McVehil said.
McVehil said he is looking forward to the summer, which is when he can start playing in games for the Mustangs summer team. McVehil will be eligible to play next year as well.
“[To stay eligible] I have meetings with Coach Meyer to keep my grades up,” McVehil said. “I’m also going to start studying more, working harder, and doing my homework.”
