By Chris Bennett
Sports Correspondent
The Elkhorn Area High School baseball team capped one of the better seasons in its recent history with the announcement of the program’s award winners.
Jet Weber won Most Valuable Player honors. Weber also won the Attitude & Effort award and the Coaches Award for Excellence.
Weber also earned First Team All-Southern Lakes Conference honors. Nick Rockweiler earned Second Team All-SLC honors and Ian Nowell earned Honorable Mention All-SLC honors.
Zach Hunter earned the Elks’ Mr Utility award. Coach Jon Anzalone said Hunter played at second base, shortstop, in the outfield and also pitched this season for the Elks.
Rockweiler and Ingersoll also earned the Coaches Award for Excellence. Kyle Gosh was named the Elks’ Most Improved player, and Riley Remington won the Team First Award.
A run scored in the first inning, employing the tactics of small ball, ended the Elks’ season. Elkhorn lost 1-0 June 6 to Verona in a WIAA Division 1 sectional semifinal game at Verona High School.
Beloit Memorial beat Janesville Craig 3-2 in the opposite semifinal. Memorial beat Verona 2-1 to win the sectional title and advance to the Division 1 State Spring Baseball Tournament in Grand Chute.
Elkhorn (17-10) was seeded seventh in its sectional bracket. Verona (13-12) was seeded third. Elkhorn beat second-seeded Madison West 8-7 June 1 at West to win the regional title and advance to face Verona.
“I keep replaying it in my head,” Anzalone said of the game against Verona. “It was a good game. Both pitchers threw well, both defenses played well. They scored, and we didn’t.
“Our kids played hard and their kids played hard. We just couldn’t muster one run.”
Verona scored the game’s only run in the first inning. Verona’s lead-off hitter drew a walk, stole second, went to third on a passed ball and scored on a sacrifice fly.
Anzalone said the Elks put runners on base, but did not get the timely hit needed to send them home. Elkhorn left six runners on base.
“We had guys on second, or first and second, three or four times,” Anzalone said. “We weren’t able to bunt them over. We weren’t able to score them, or get that hit.
“Sometimes, it’s just goes that way. I don’t think it was for lack of effort – not by any means.”
Elks pitcher Jordan Vandyke allowed five hits and struck out three. Vandyke tallied two of the Elks’ four hits. Ian Nowell and Lucas Harding each finished with one hit.
“They really wanted to win, and their mantra had always been ‘We’re not done yet,’” Anzalone said. “They took it pretty hard. They loved being together. They also realized it was a good game.
“It’s baseball. One game you can score 10 runs, and the next game you can’t find a way to get one run.”
