Mathiowetz outshines 2004 All-Journal team

By JEREMY BEHNKE

Journal Sports Writer

Judging by his standards, Matt Mathiowetz didn't have the best year numbers-wise. But the senior, who has high goals in everything he does, went out with his teammates and accomplished the biggest goal of them all.

Bringing the state championship trophy back to Sleepy Eye.

For three games at the state tournament, Mathiowetz was on another level in his quest to go out on top. He won the first game at the state tournament with a complete game performance over Nashwauk-Keewatin, then he entered the last two games and picked up the save in each contest.

And as soon as he got on the mound, it was as good as over, as he fired strike after strike to deny Goodhue and New York Mills the same trophy Mathiowetz and the rest of the Knights worked so hard for.

Mathiowetz's hard work has earned him one more award for his prep career: The 2004 All-Journal Baseball Player of the Year.

"I was a bit surprised, because I didn't have the greatest year this year," Mathiowetz said. "I was a little tired and had some other things on my mind most of the season. But as I said, we came together at the end of the year as a team, and individually we stepped up, and we got what we had originally planned for."

Mathiowetz's final numbers look like this: A .341 batting average with two home runs, five triples, six doubles, and 24 RBIs. On the mound, he went 4-1 with a 2.23 ERA with 65 strikouts in 50 1/3 innings. He also finished with four saves. He has a career record of 10-2, striking out 131 in 98 1/3 innings, and he leaves with a 1.63 ERA.

At the plate, his career numbers include a .376 average, 26 doubles, 13 triples, 62 RBIs, and five home runs.

His coach, Bruce Woitas, said Mathiowetz has been a very special player and will be greatly missed.

Mathiowetz said that the road to the state championship wasn't always a smooth one.

"We had our ups and downs throughout the season, I can say that," Mathiowetz said. "We played really well as a team in the end, and as all good teams do, we came together at the right time and we hit the ball and won a state championship."

With his arm was out of shape after a long basketball season, it took a while to get back to where everything was feeling right. He also said it could have been one of the reasons why the Knights got off to a good start but quickly cooled off with three straight early-season losses that dropped them in the Tomahawk Conference standings.

"That's always tough coming into the season right away," Mathiowetz said. "Our arms were a little out of shape and we were working on getting those in shape. We started off well, but then we got a little tired, and got into a little slump and couldn't get out of it.

"This year it was tough," Mathiowetz said. "It was cooler this year, so I would say it was good midseason before you were throwing your best."

Although Mathiowetz will be greatly missed, he was confident that St. Mary's again will be in contention for what could be a fifth straight trip to the state tournament.

"The guys coming up are going to be ready to play, especially when they get to come along for the ride," Mathiowetz said. "Once you're there, you get to see what it's like and that's your goal is to get back there. The young guys coming up, they can hit the ball too. Every year you lose some guys, but there's always guys that step it up."

The rest of the All-Journal team:

Joey Wahl, senior, St. Marys: Wahl went 8-1 in his senior year, compiling a 1.70 ERA, striking out 57 in more than 49 innings. At the plate, he hit .360 with three home runs and seven doubles. He was named All-Conference and to the All-Tournament team.

Matt Gangelhoff, junior, St. Marys: Gangelhoff was the leadoff hitter for the Knights and did everything a prototypical leadoff hitter does: gets on base and scores runs. Once he got on, he rarely stayed put, stealing 27 bases in 31 attempts. He hit .408 with nine doubles and 33 runs. He was named to the All-Tournament team.

Josh Sabatino, junior, New Ulm Cathedral: Sabatino developed into a two-way threat both on the mound and in the batters box. He went 8-1 with a 2.22 ERA and struck out 59 in 60 innings. He hit .412 with 16 RBIs. He was picked to the all-conference team.

Jeff Schnobrich, junior, New Ulm Cathedral: Schnobrich hit .400 for the Greyhounds and developed into a very good base stealer for the Greyhounds, swiping 13 for the season. He also scored 22 runs and finished with 32 hits. He was named all-conference also.

Adam Neubauer, junior, New Ulm Cathedral: Neubauer finished as Cathedral's RBI leader, driving in 21 runs. He hit .366 and had a hit in 18 of 24 games. He was named all-conference.

Sam Mielke, junior, Minnesota Valley Lutheran: Mielke was one of the reasons why the Chargers advanced to the state tournament for the first time ever. He hit .321 and went 5-0 on the hill. He had an ERA of 1.09, striking out 30 batters in 38 2/3 innings.

Ryan Sander, sophomore, Minnesota Valley Lutheran: The youngest player on the team, Sander emerged as a surprise for the Chargers, going 7-1 with an ERA of 1.83. He struck out 52 in 57 1/3 innings.

Tyler Morgan, junior, Minnesota Valley Lutheran: MVL's catcher crushed the ball, hitting .463 with six home runs and 33 RBIs. He also had a slugging percentage of .938 and an on-base percentage of .560.

Bryan Kamm, senior, New Ulm: Kamm finished the season batting .300 with 18 RBIs, three doubles, a triple, and a home run. He was the recipient of the 2004 Wellmann Award for the Eagles.

JJ Germscheid, junior, New Ulm: Germscheid hit .375 for the Eagles and went 2-2 with a 2.88 ERA. He struck out 15 in 24 1/3 innings and was the teams Rookie of the Year.

Brad Kraus, junior, New Ulm: Kraus hit .328 with 17 RBIs, two doubles, 18 walks, and six stolen bases.

Tyler Jensen, senior, Sleepy Eye: A two-time all-conference selection, Jensen finished his career with 11 wins, 102 strikeouts, a 2.33 ERA, 57 hits, 5 home runs and a batting average of .365.

Derek Nachreiner, senior, Sleepy Eye: The four-year starter finished his career with 58 hits, 26 walks, and a batting average of .356. He was voted all-conference his senior year.

Matt Tews, senior, Springfield: Tews hit .325 and knocked in 12 RBIs. He had an on base percentage of .436 and had an ERA of 2.92, striking out 52 in 52 2/3 innings on the mound.

Brandon Wilhelmi, senior, Springfield: Wilhelmi was the Tigers' leadoff hitter after batting third or fourth for most of his career. He hit .355 with an on base percentage of .500. On the mound, he went 5-2 with an ERA of 3.02 his senior season.

Jacob Maurer, junior, McLeod West: Maurer hit .314 and was named all-conference. The three-year starter was voted all-conference this year.

Matt Samyn, senior, Wabasso: Samyn hit .405 with four home runs and 32 RBIs. On the mound, he had an ERA of 1.76 and he struck out 69 in 47 2/3 innings. He was selected to play in the 2004 Lions All-Star Game.

Mike Rosin, junior, Nicollet: Rosin hit .333 and led the Raiders in runs scored (16) and doubles (8). He had 41 strikeouts in 50 2/3 innings with two complete games.

Brandon Greiner, senior, Madelia-Truman: Greiner hit .424 with 19 RBIs, 21 runs, four doubles and 21 singles for the Jayhawks.

James Panning, senior, Gibbon-Fairfax-Winthrop: Panning hit .446 with four home runs and 24 RBIs. For his career, he hit .399 with 75 hits, seven home runs and 49 RBIs.