Warriors turn to new baseball leader

Ozaukee High School has a new baseball coach to redevelop its program after skipping the season two years ago due to a lack of players.

Steve Kowalkowski takes over as head coach after longtime coach Bob Kiefer retired.

Kowalkowski has run the junior Little League program for Saukville Youth Baseball for six years and sees a bright future for the Warriors.

“We’ve got some great talent coming in. It will be exciting,” he said.

So far, the going has been tough. The Warriors have no seniors and only one junior on their roster.

“They’re actually playing very well for the experience they have,” Kowalkowski said.

The top starting pitchers so far are Jacob Eibs and Danny Johnson. Out of the bullpen, Brent Hoffmann has been untouchable, Kowalkowski said.

Philip Paulus is catching, and Kowalkowski said others may see time behind the plate.

Johnson is playing third base and can play center field. Hoffmann, the team’s best all-around athlete, is playing shortstop.

Simon Bares is at second base and can play third, and Logan Bell is solid at first base, Kowalkowski said. The top outfielders are Eibs and John Brooks.

On May 24, the Warriors won their first game, 17-11, in a combined no-hitter at Sheboygan Lutheran. Walks and hit batters contributed to Lutheran’s runs, Kowalkowski said.

Ozaukee has gone 0-4 since. On May 29, it lost to Kohler/Sheboygan Christian, 9-4. Last week, it lost to Kiel, 18-5, on Thursday at Howards Grove, 15-13, on Friday.

On Monday, Ozaukee lost at Cedar Grove-Belgium, 13-2.

“They know they’re a young team, but we don’t use that as an excuse. Each game we’re trying to grow,” Kowalkowski said.

This week, Ozaukee was scheduled to play Plymouth on Wednesday and at Random Lake on Friday. On June 11, the Warriors will face Oostburg.

In other Ozaukee-related baseball news, alumnus Owen Miller was selected by the San Diego Padres as the 84th pick of the Major League Baseball draft this week. He was taken in the third round. Miller played with

the Lakeshore Chinooks last season and hit for the cycle twice in a three-game stretch.