New Port coach emphasizes unity

The Port Washington High School baseball team has a new leader who plans to get the Pirates to walk before they run.

David Snieg took over the program, succeeding Brett Sweger, who took a coaching job out of state after one season in Port.

Snieg is a Cedarburg High School graduate who was a utility player for legendary coach Jack Friess. He continued to play with the Cedarburg Mercs and was part of multiple championship teams.

Snieg coached baseball for two years at Cardinal Stritch. When the baseball program was canceled, he took a role in the school’s athletic department.

He has coached football at Homestead High under legends Dave Keel and Fritz Rauch, and coached under Rauch, Sean Behrend and Jim Norris in Grafton.

“I’ve had a lot of great influences,” Snieg said.

He works as an assistant professor of sports and recreation business at Cardinal Stritch.

Snieg most recently coached youth baseball in Saukville, helping lead his son’s seventh-grade team to an undefeated season.

He sought the Port job because he wanted to be part of the community on another level. He and his family moved to Saukville four years ago, and Snieg said he always had a desire to coach in the district in which he lived.

Snieg knows Port doesn’t have a winning tradition in baseball. The Pirates regularly finished last in the North Shore Conference the past 20 seasons, including last year.

“I stared into the harsh reality that has been Port Washington baseball in its longevity,” he said.

Sweger came in last season and tried to instill the idea that Port could win a state title as he tried to turn the program around. Snieg is taking a slower approach to a program that went 3-15 in the NSC and 6-16 overall last season.

“You’ve got to become competitive in every game possible. That’s our goal to establish consistency,” Snieg said.

“Our program is 77-200 over the last 11 years. We’ve got to start building respect within our program and translate that onto the field.”

One of Snieg’s themes is unity, with a motto of “one Pirate crew” that applies to all levels of the team, athletic department and community, he said.

“If the junior varsity and junior varsity 2 players feel appreciated, that instills pride,” Snieg said.

He has been pleased with what he has seen so far.

“I found a lot of great kids who are willing to embrace not just our new practice structure but my way of coaching,” Snieg said.

“They’re just ready to try something different.”

Port has 42 players in the program, with 14 each on varsity, junior varsity and junior varsity 2.

Snieg keeps practices moving and expects players to ask questions if they don’t know something. Communication, he said, is a priority.

Port returns three players who earned NSC honorable mention: infielders Nate Uselding and Brayden Thompson and outfielder Patrick Lippe.

Snieg said Thompson and junior Aiden Swartwout are slated to be the top two pitchers. Uselding will pitch and play shortstop, and senior J.D. Brahm will see time on the mound.

Aiden Drotzur will play catcher, backed up by Jake Meier.

“You can tell his thirst for knowledge is good,” Snieg said of Drotzur.

Third base may be between Swartwout and Brahm. Lippe will patrol center field.

Other positions are to be determined.

“The big thing on our side is we have a lot of flexibility,” Snieg said.

“There are a lot of good kids who are a part of our team right now, good athletes who are making themselves available. It has become very selfless.”

Port was to host Nicolet on Wednesday, Grafton on Friday, Slinger on Monday, April 11, and at Cedarburg on Wednesday, April 13.