Summer League Baseball: Matt Werner

Well we are more than halfway through the season looking at the last 13 games, with considerable ground to make up to get into the playoffs. For me the biggest difference has been the change from metal to wood bats. I would say it has been a very painful learning experience because wood definitely stings your hands a lot more than a metal bat. I think the change has been positive for Matt Krueger (right) though because his high velocity fastball has put more bats back in the lumber yard than a chainsaw. I have regrettably sacrificed three bats to the league’s pitchers and hoping that I won’t have to break in another for the rest of the season.

For others I would have to say that the altitude and the climate have been the biggest factor in their play. The low amount of oxygen in the air here and the highly dry climate has had some people running for moisturizer (yes, I said moisturizer) and chapstick along with the water cooler every inning. Playing at high altitude can be a factor for players at first in the mountainous region because the body does not receive the usual amount of oxygen as per their own state’s climates. But with time the lungs make the adjustment and players go back to their own states with better conditioned lungs.

Getting to know our coaches has been a great experience because they have had to get to know each other and us as well. Two of the coaches are rivals in a junior college league in Iowa and the third is a former Edgewood College coach who came into the team teaching the same thing he taught me before, hitting. It’s been fun being treated like a professional team with owners, a general manager, coaches, staff, trainer, and a team doctor. Not only do we have those perks but we had an all-star game with our respective state hats Colorado versus Wyoming. Colorado won a hard fought game 4-2 with the fireworks being supplied by Keith Martin of Fort Collins who started our offensive charge with a home run to right field. The game was real fun getting to meet the other players from the Foxes and getting to see everyone playing on the same field.

I hope I can write again letting everyone know we are the league champions!