Ozaukee High star makes college choice

Ozaukee High School’s three-sport star has narrowed his focus to one passion.

“I always kind of liked baseball. From little on, I wanted to play college baseball,” senior Brent Hoffmann, who also excelled in football and basketball, said.

He will get that chance at Carroll University in Waukesha next year.

Hoffmann said he toured a couple of places but quickly knew Carroll was right for him.

“As soon as I set foot at Carroll, it hit me that that’s where I wanted to be,” he said.

“The baseball coach was super nice. I liked him right away, and my mom liked him too.”

Carroll is led by coach Stein Rear, who is in his sixth season as head coach. The Pioneers in 2018 broke the school record for victories with 22. They were 15-25 in 2019 and 4-7 this year, before the season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Hoffmann said the plan is for him to play some infield and be a relief pitcher.

“It will definitely be fun,” he said.

The Pioneers’ plan for Hoffmann aligns with his high school career, which was limited to three seasons thanks to the virus.

Last season as a junior, Hoffmann played shortstop, third base and pitcher in helping lead the Warriors to the Division 3 state semifinal.

He made the Big East Conference first team as a position player and received honorable mention recognition as a pitcher.

Hoffmann hit .440 with a .540 on-base percentage. He had 17 RBI, a home run, two triples and six doubles.

Hoffmann had an .862 fielding percentage.

He went 3-3 as a pitcher, whiffing 62 batters in 45 innings while walking 34. His earned-run average was 2.8.

In 2018, Hoffmann made the Big East second team as a shortstop. He hit .458 with a .540 on-base percentage. He had 25 RBI and three home runs. He had an .893 fielding percentage.

Hoffmann looks forward to the Carroll baseball team’s annual trips to Tennessee and every-other year trips to Florida and Arizona for competition.

Hoffmann hasn’t met the team yet, but he said all the freshmen found each other and formed a group chat.

He asked Carroll’s coaches to send him workouts.

“I’m kind of on their program already,” Hoffmann said.

He has weights in his garage, hits off a tee into a net throws in his yard.

“We’ve just got to work with what we’ve got,” he said.

Hoffmann was looking forward to his senior season and making a run at the state title. The Warriors returned several players.

“It was a bummer but at the same time you can’t just sit around; you’ve got to keep yourself active,” he said.

Hoffmann, who finishes classes at Ozaukee High this week, leaves as one of the school’s top all-around athletes.

Last season in football, Hoffmann made the Big East first team as a defensive back. He had 44 tackles, five interceptions and one touchdown.

He earned honorable mention recognition at running back after rushing for 1,086 yards and three scores.

In 2018, Hoffmann was a first-team linebacker. He had 69 tackles, four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick.

In basketball, Hoffmann made the Big East second team last season, despite his broken wrist on his non-shooting hand.

He averaged 16.7 points per game, 7.4 rebounds per game and 4.3 assists per game.

In the Warriors’ final playoff victory against Manitowoc Lutheran, Hoffmann netted a triple-double. He scored 12 points, dished out 11 assists and grabbed 10 rebounds.

In 2018, Hoffmann earned honorable mention honors after averaging 11.9 points per game, 7.7 rebounds per game, 4.4 assists per game and 1.6 steals per game.

This summer, Hoffmann said he plans to work for a landscape company to earn money for college. He may have surgery on his left wrist that he broke during football season.

But he hopes to play in the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association All-Star Game, which has been put on hold since the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and Oshkosh campuses are closed due to the coronavirus pandemic. The association said it will continue to monitor the situation and see if the restrictions are lifted before it makes a final decision. Games are played at UW-Oshkosh.

Come fall, the Carroll baseball team gets together for practices and intrasquad games — it has an indoor facility — before they get on a winter program.

“So it’s baseball year-round,” Hoffmann said.

“It will be nice to be able to specifically dedicate my time to one sport.”

Hoffmann is majoring in exercise science and would like to become a strength and conditioning coach.