New Ulm Sports Central - Preserving and Sharing New Ulm Area Sports History

Out there at Red Stone, it's been a long struggle

Comments always welcome to www.nusc@newulmtel.net
MVL completed its 30th year of baseball this season. For the first 13 years it was a long struggle with only one winning season and in four years the Chargers won only two games three times and two years won only one. So the winning playoff run is sort of a pay-back for the growing pains. While improvement has been slow, it has been steady in the recent years.
There is no attempt here to make a comparison to Cathedral or New Ulm High’s outstanding records in the last quarter century, but there has to be a justifiable feeling of achievement out there in the Red Stone area.
Up to their 13th season they had an accumulative 63-159 record for only a .284 winning percentage. For five consecutive seasons they had 1-13 records in the Tomahawk conference.
Since then it’s been a slow, but steady uphill improvement under coaches John Mielke, Maynard Kramer, Craig Morgan and now Jeff Schoenherr who wraps up his ninth season with over 100 of the schools 224 (prior to state) wins. Those five years of 1-13 records in the Tomahawk produced only nine total wins against 75 losses.
The turn-around wasn’t spectacular but it has been a steady improvement topped off with a 14-7 record in 2001 under Morgan. Schoenherr went 18-8 in 2004 with a trip to the state, 16-8 in 2005 and squeaky, but winning 12-11 and 11-10 records in 2006 and 2007.
And its good to see Schoeherr working with Cathedral rival Bob Weier and the VFW Gold team this summer. No doubt no one expected Weier and Jay Backer to be watching the state tournament from the bleachers this year and Schoenherr to be the one on the coaching lines.
Fair and Balanced: Sportsbear is a former member of the MVL board.