Slidin' Into the New Year: Hudson
Baseball Poised for Success
by Jetta Colsch | Class of 2021 | May 8, 2018
At Hudson High School, the coming baseball season comes with high hopes of making it back to the state level of competition. Under this year’s seniors, whose leadership is expected to bring the boys far, the baseball team is more motivated than ever.
But with last year's state qualification riding on their shoulders, the players can’t let the pressure of having an equally or more successful season get to them.
“We’ll have to fill all (graduated seniors) positions on the field, but I think that with the guys we have, we should be okay,” said starting varsity pitcher, senior CJ Christopher, who plans to play for Wartburg in the fall.
In the 2017 season, Hudson made its first appearance at the state baseball tournament since 2002. Since then, the team has lost some key varsity players: first baseman Holden Caloud, outfielder Jon Colsch, and third baseman Dylan Petersen, all 2017 graduates.
These open positions will bring high competition among players such as freshman Jacob Wiersma and senior Tanner Wulf facing off to take over the role of the first baseman. Though Wiersma is wanting the position, Wulf isn’t ready to relinquish the spot.
“If they want that spot, they’ve gotta go get it,” said Wulf, of hungry, talented underclassmen like Wiersma. “They’ve gotta prove to Coach Bahnsen that they wanna play, and if they want it (bad enough), they will.”
Last year’s success, however, proves itself both a curse and an inspiration for the 2018 team.
“I feel like we will have some outside pressure,” said Christopher, who fears opponents will come at them harder to ensure Hudson doesn’t return to state.”
Wulf agrees. “We have a target on our back now since we made it to state, but that’s good- it’ll just motivate us more.”