By BUTCH HARMON
It may have been a cold, wet spring this year, but when it came to the baseball diamond, the Fowler Eagles were as hot as they’ve been in years.
For the first time in some 15 years, the Fowler baseball team reached the 20-win plateau. The Eagles started the season fast and never let up, as they placed second in the Central Michigan Athletic Conference.
“It’s been at least 15 years since we’ve won 20 games,” coach Chad Rhynard said. “I can’t say for sure how long; you’d have to look at some of the old yearbooks to find out for sure.”
A number of elements have gone into the success the Eagles have had this spring.
“We pitch pretty well, and we hit the ball well,” Rhynard said. “We also have a real good group of workers.”
Fowler’s offense was especially hot during the middle of the season, when it scored 10 or more runs in five of eight games. Along with playing solid baseball in the league, the Eagles have also played well in non-league games. One of the highlights of the season came at a tournament in Saginaw where Fowler defeated Swan Valley 10-0 and Valley Lutheran 7-0.
“We had a pretty good stretch where we put everything together,” Rhynard said.
On the mound, Dan Buhr has paced the pitching staff. Buhr, Fowler’s number one pitcher, headed into the final week of the regular season with a 5-1 record and a 2.17 earned run average. He struck out 37 batters in 38 innings pitched.
Jacob Schmitt has also been a mainstay on the mound. He entered the final week of the regular season with a 4-1 record and a 1.96 earned run average. He has also been one of the leaders on offense for the Eagles with a .455 batting average.
Napoleon Watts has been an offensive catalyst with a .414 batting average, 26 RBI, and 23 stolen bases. Trent George has shown good extra-base power with seven doubles and three triples to go with a .349 batting average. Tyler Koenigsknecht has excelled in the leadoff spot with a .329 batting average and 24 stolen bases, and he has also helped on the mound with a 2-0 record and a 2.21 ERA.
Overall, the Eagles have stolen 118 bases this season and are hitting .332 as a team. They also are well-stocked on the mound, as eight different pitchers have earned wins this season.
“We have so much depth that there are not any easy outs in the lineup,” Rhynard said. “If a couple of guys are not playing their best, we have a couple ready to pick up the slack.”