MUSKEGON TWP. - It's challenging to start a new season - your senior season, at that - knowing there are probably going to be a lot more losses than wins.
It's also challenging to start out with a group of mostly new teammates, many of them two or three years younger, who you don’t really know very well at all.
But Reeths-Puffer’s Jack Yonkman and Ethan Frang accepted those challenges this spring and have met them well.
Both have been having very good seasons at the plate to wrap up their long varsity baseball careers, and both feel like they are investing in the future by helping a new group of much younger Rockets adjust to the rigors of varsity baseball.
R-P's Ethan Frang, left, and Jack Yonkman
The Rockets had an unusual predicament heading into the current season.
With only three seniors and one junior returning from last year’s team, head coach Butch Attig was forced to call up a big group of sophomores and freshmen to fill out the roster. That meant cancelling the junior varsity season, because all of those guys were suddenly playing varsity, a little earlier than expected.
Only so much could be expected from the brand new guys, leaving older teammates to help fill some gaps.
Yonkman, a centerfielder, pitcher and catcher, is hitting .309 with nine RBIs, and was recently named to the O-K Green All-Conference team.
That was a nice comeback after breaking his arm in a game last spring and missing much of the season.
Yonkman takes a big cut and makes contact.
“I have never really been the best at hitting,” said Yonkman, a fourth-year varsity player. “I was probably always in the .200s. I have just been trying to be more focused at the plate, and have more discipline.”
Frang, an infielder and third-year varsity player, has a very robust .422 batting average with 11 RBIs. He was an honorable mention All-Conference selection.
Frang said a major motivation for him was gaining credibility with the younger teammates.
“It’s hard to get people to listen to you if you don’t back it up,” he said.
Frang talks with R-P head coach Butch Attig.
Getting the younger guys to listen was important to both Yonkman and Frang.
“Mostly the outlook has been, how can we get these guys to be motivated and get them ready for varsity competition and not be nervous?” Frang said. “Half of the team had never seen anything over 80 mile per hour pitching before. How can we get them ready to compete with the Mona Shores and Rockfords?
“I have just tried to work with them on a lot of the infield stuff, and their confidence. Sometimes I will just pull people aside and give them a pep talk. They are going to fail so much for a while, and without confidence it’s hard to do anything.
“It’s like a clean slate for R-P baseball. We are helping to start a new era for R-P baseball.”
Yonkman slides into home plate.
Yonkman said the talent on the team is pretty obvious, but it's still pretty undeveloped at this point.
“I do believe we have talent,” he said. “We have like three young pitchers who are already throwing around 80 mph. Our main goal is to help get them ready for the next few years. I have worked with a few of them on hitting mainly, and pitching has been another aspect.”
Both players have actually been pleasantly surprised by how the season has gone.
The Rockets ended the regular season with a 10-16-1 record, which is certainly not great, but reaching double digits in the win column was an accomplishment for the very green squad.
Frang with teammates in the R-P dugout.
“Some games have been really good wins, and other games we kind of fell apart,” Frang said. “I would have guessed maybe six or seven wins."
“In two years I would say they should be pretty good, especially with a whole class of sophomores who can pitch,” Yonkman added.
Coach Attig is grateful for the effort that Yonkman have Frang have put forth this season to help the younger players find their varsity footing.
“They were willing to take that on,” Attig said. “They have been part of the program for four and three years, and they have been kind of like an extension of us. You can almost call them extra assistant coaches, taking what they have learned and passing that down.
Yonkman prepares to make a catch in the outfield.
“Sometimes over the course of the season, I could forget that we were working with seven sophomores and five freshmen, and I didn't explain things all they way, and those guys would take it from there and continue to explain things.
“That’s what’s going to make them successful in life – that growth mindset, ability to think outside of the box, and their work ethic. They are the products of good home environments, and they are passing that on.”
The young Rockets will have a final exam of sorts when they host a Division 1 district tournament on Saturday. They will play Greenville at 10 a.m., and a victory would put them in the championship game, against Mona Shores or Rockford, at 2 p.m.
Yonkman and Frang know Saturday could be the final day of their R-P baseball experience. Yonkman plans to attend Muskegon Community College and play baseball for the Jayhawks next season, while Frang said he is leaving organized sports behind to focus on academics at Western Michigan University.
Frang scores a run.
Despite all of the losses in their senior season, both are glad they had the chance to play for Coach Attig, and believe it’s been a worthwhile experience.
“It’s been fun, and it taught me a lot of things outside of baseball,” Frang said.
“This game, and playing for this team, has taught me to be a better man,” Yonkman said.