COLEMAN — The (19-0) Coleman Cougars baseball team finished the regular season with a perfect record, and won the Marinette and Oconto conference.
For a team who has state title aspirations, they came into the season with the expectation that they would be perfect.
“We have the expectation of being undefeated every year,” said senior Will Bieber. “We expect to win in our conference and that’s how it is.”
The Cougars have six seniors on the roster and when they were sophomores they played in the state title game where they ultimately lost by three runs to Kenosha St. Joseph.
“It definitely made you hungry,” said senior Trent Mongin. “You’re there and it’s like you’re three runs short. You wish you could change one at bat, change one thing but you can’t obviously. It just makes you want to get back even more, especially this year, it’s the last run.”
Bieber has been playing varsity ball since he was a freshman, he’s also their leadoff hitter and leader.
“He’s been pretty much the biggest captain of this team,” said senior Mitchell VandeWalle. “Keeping us all in it. Doing whatever he can to just keep us winning.”
“He’s been our leadoff batter since his freshman year,” said Mongin. “The numbers he’s been putting out, even when he’s having a bad game, you can always count on him. He’s been a huge leader. After practice he’ll be having guys stay and hit extra or extra BP whatever it is – he’s been a huge part of that.”
At the helm of Coleman is hall of fame head coach Kent Casper, who led the team to a title in 2012.
“Everything’s gotta be done a certain way and if you’re not doing something right, he’s going to be on you about it,” said Bieber
He keeps his team even keeled with the phrase "sweet tea."
Our coach kind of came up with it when things are going bad, we yell sweet tea,” said Bieber. “Kind of makes us smile. It’s kind of weird I would say. Just kind of gets us smiling and makes us relax a little bit.”
“He doesn’t want you to be stressing out,” said Mongin. “He wants you to be calm and relaxed and that sweet tea is like a mental cue to relax, take a break, do what you know you can do.”
And this team is doing everything that it can…sweet tea or whatever it takes to get the feeling of playing at Fox Cities Stadium for a state championship once again.
“It’d be something special. We haven’t won it in a while. It’d be great to get back there and bring a trophy home,” said Bieber.
