Guden commits to Air Force baseball program

DIVISION I OFFER ACCEPTED

The last few summers have featured a lot of work and a lot of travel, but it’s all paid off for Medford Area Senior High’s Caleb “Chubs” Guden.

As he enters his senior year of high school, the honor student and three-sport athlete made a big decision about his future, announcing on social media Tuesday he has committed to the Air Force Academy to continue his academic and athletic careers.

The 2021 Great Northern Conference Player of the Year in baseball will join a Falcons’ baseball program that went 26-22 during the 2021 season, including 18-16 in the Mountain West Conference.

“It’s big news,” Guden said Tuesday. “I’ve worked for this for quite a while. I’m pretty excited. That’s about all I can say.”

Guden said the deal was pretty much sealed after he and his mother, Angela, visited the academy in Colorado Springs Aug. 2-4. By committing to Air Force, Guden’s tuition will be covered, but, in return, he will be obligated to serve a multi-year commitment to the military academy.

“I left there basically knowing I wanted to go there,” he said. “That’s what I told my mom is that I was going to go there.

“What I was really impressed with was the people,” Guden added. “The cadets were really down to earth. Everyone we talked to had nothing but good things to say about the Air Force Academy. They said the freshman year is tough, but after that they all said it was the best decision they ever made in their lives.”

The Air Force already has several relatively recent high-profile Medford connections. Medford native Michelle Curran is a decorated Air Force pilot who flew in 2019-20 with the academy’s Thunderbirds squad. Medford Athletic Hall of Fame members Steve and Rozi Russ competed for the Falcons’ football and women’s basketball teams in the 1990s into the early 2000s. Steve went on to play in the National Football League with the Denver Broncos and his long coaching career currently has him on the defensive staff of the NFL’s Washington Football Team.

While military service is something that runs in the Guden family, that wasn’t something the son of Andy and Angela Guden was looking for in his college search. That changed after his visit and he had the opportunity he was looking for to play NCAA Division I baseball.

Air Force is led by Mike Kazlausky, who completed his 11th year as the team’s head coach in 2021. He is a 1991 Air Force Academy graduate and the first academy graduate to become the program’s head coach.

“It’s a really good program that competes against the top teams,” Guden said. “I’ll get to travel and play good schools from the Big Ten, the ACC, the Pac 12. I’ll most likely be in the outfield, but I think they see me as an all-around, utility type player.”

Baseball on the weekends has been a way of life for Guden and his family for years and this summer was no different. Playing with the GRB Rays Baseball Academy this summer, Guden competed in tournaments in Indiana, Kansas City, Iowa, Georgia and two in Wisconsin. It was the Kansas City tournament in late June where, Guden said, Air Force’s interest in him grew. His visit to the academy came right after the Rays’ final summer tournament in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. After his visit, it was back to Medford and the start of football practice.

“It’s just tough not being home,” Guden said of playing academy baseball. “You’re away from your family and friends. I think I’ve only been home only two weekends this summer. We were always somewhere.”

Previous to Tuesday’s commitment, Guden said he had been in contact with a variety of college coaches and had one offer on the table from Rockhurst University, an NCAA Division II school in Kansas City that impressed him.

Guden played shortstop and pitched this past spring for Medford, while outfi eld was his primary position with GRB. The switch hitter posted a .446 batting average (41 for 92) in 28 games for the Raiders with 14 doubles, four triples and three homers. He led the team with 34 runs scored and 17 walks drawn. He struck out just six times in 111 plate appearances and posted strong .541 on-base and .783 slugging percentages for an impressive 1.323 on-base plus slugging (OPS) percentage.

On the mound, Guden was 8-1 with a save and a 2.11 ERA. He struck out 69 hitters, walked 21 and allowed 49 hits and 20 runs, 16 of which were earned in 53 innings. He started 10 games and threw a five-inning no-hitter to start the season in a 10-0 win over Northland Pines April 27. Adding to his All-State résumé, Guden had a .938 fielding percentage with just five errors in 81 total chances.

Guden was named the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association (WBCA) North Central District Division 2 Player of the Year after making the first team as an infielder. Guden earned third-team All-State honors from the WBCA. This followed a memorable 24-4 season for Medford that included a 12-0 run through the GNC and a WIAA post-season run that came up one win shy of state.

Guden also is a member of Medford’s football and boys basketball teams, neither of which lost a GNC game the past two school years. The baseball team also won the GNC title in 2019, when Guden started on the infield as a freshman.

Off the field, Guden was also named to the 2021 baseball coaches association’s All-State Academic team. To qualify, a player needs to be a junior or senior, receive first-team or second-team all-conference recognition, his coach needs to be a WBCA member and his grade-point average must be 4.00 or higher.

Guden said he doesn’t have a specific future occupation in mind at this point, but is currently considering something in a health care field or engineering.

With the college decision and his busy summer of travel out of the way, Guden said he’s now looking forward to a memorable senior year of high school.

“I’m excited for it,” he said.

Caleb Guden, pictured in Medford’s June 22 WIAA Division 2 sectional semifinal win over Sparta, announced his intention to play baseball at Air Force Tuesday with this TwitterMATT FREY/THE STAR NEWS

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