from Hudson is going to ….

from Hudson is going to North Dakota State University. He’s a lefty who throws in the high 80s, up to 90.

“The pitching I faced, these were the fastest pitchers I’ve seen. A kid from Hortonville was throwing 90. I faced a lefty throwing 88-89 and I don’t like hitting against lefties in the first place. I don’t know why.”

The West’s second game on Saturday was a 10-7 win over the South. The South led 4-0 through five innings, but a ninerun top of the sixth turned the game in the West’s favor.

“I actually played first base the whole game,” said Baumgartner, who recalled playing one inning at first base in his high-school career. “Our team didn’t have a first baseman so we had to borrow a first baseman’s mitt from someone else.

“We almost turned a double play,” he added. “On another play, there was two outs and there was a grounder to third with guys on second and third and then the third baseman threw a little low and I had to scoop it out of the dirt. I didn’t know I could do that.”

He also went one for four at the plate, hitting a clean single through the left side.

The nine-run sixth was highlighted by a three-run homer by Brennan Huber of Wisconsin Rapids, a player the Medford Raiders saw in the regular season.

The West team was coached by Zac Eichten of Somerset, who was assisted by retired Eau Claire North coach Bob Johnson and Spooner’s Josh Villella.

PBR first team

After being named to the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association’s All-State second team, Baumgartner was named to Prep Baseball Report Wisconsin’s All-State first team as a utility player late last month.

“Up in the northern portion of the state hid a gem in Baumgartner, who once again put up video-game numbers for Medford in the 2023 season,” Prep Baseball Report stated in its All-State release. “He helped the Raiders earn a share of the Great Northern Conference, as he handed Mosinee their only loss of the season. Baumgartner has always been a two-way threat, but this year’s numbers stand out amongst the competitors. On the mound, Baumgartner was 10-1 with a 0.81 ERA, striking out 98 batters over the course of 51.2 innings of work. Offensively, the righty was a staple in the middle of Medford’s order, hitting .489 with 18 extra base hits, including four home runs. He racked up 36 RBI and 21 runs scored as well, summarizing a dominant year of play. While he will be taking his talents to Wisconsin-Stevens Point for basketball next year, his work on the diamond should not go unnoticed over the course of his multiple seasons as a Raider, earning himself a first-team All-State honor.”

Baumgartner is Medford’s second PBR first-teamer in a row, following Caleb Guden in 2022.