Falcons baseball team waiting to reach its potential

Brown Deer - Lots of new faces, lots of athletes waiting to finish their spring sports.

That's what held up the Brown Deer baseball team as the Falcons have launched into a 5-9 record nearing the midpoint of the season.

"We're starting to come along," Falcons coach Mike Donahue said. "We're inexperienced at a lot of spots but we're hoping to look pretty good by the second half. Getting more experience will only help us as it's not who we're playing against that's the problem, but ourselves."

Brown Deer dropped a 7-1 decision to Shorewood on Monday after recording a 10-0 win over Greenfield on June 14 and a 7-3 victory over New Berlin West on June 13.

The Falcons are at Whitnall at 7 p.m. Thursday and then head off to the West Allis Central tournament Saturday.

Without many members of a top-flight senior class of a year ago, the Falcons will build around veterans like junior pitcher/infielder Drew Worth and senior pitcher/infielder Kyle Okray. Outfielders senior Evan Naber and junior Pietro D'Amato also have experience and four-sport star Jake Schimenz will both pitch and play shortstop.

Other starters include sophomore Hunter Betts at catcher, junior Ian Betts at second base, sophomore Ryan Hudson at third base and junior Jordan Smith in the outfield.

Okray and Worth alternate at first base and also get help on the mound from Schimenz and Hudson.

"It's not one thing in particular that's been holding us back," Donahue said. "Defense one night, pitching the next. We are more capable than we have been playing."

He said Schimenz has been a good leader so far.

In the five-inning shutout of Greenfield, Okray threw four innings for the win as a five-run fifth did the trick. Worth had two doubles and Smith two hits.

Against West, Worth went the distance with nine strikeouts and just three walks. Schimenz scored three runs and notched two doubles. A three-run fifth put the game away.