My coaches and teammates were ….

My coaches and teammates were awesome, a blast to be around, and the talent there was great. I know Chubs was supposed to be there but had to decline because he had to report to the Air Force Academy. He is my best friend and when I got selected not only did I want to come to the All-Star Games to represent Raider baseball and make the Raider fans and my coaches proud, but there was a huge part of me that was there playing for Chubs and playing to make him proud as well. I wanted to dedicate a great week- end of ball to him, and I felt I did a really good job of that.”

Gardner’s biggest highlight came in the 9-3 loss to the East Friday when he drove in two of the team’s runs with a line-drive triple to left off Matthew Mueller of Brookfield Central, a big left-hander who is a Gonzaga University commit.

“I was definitely waiting for a fastball,” Gardner said. “I knew that was going to be the best pitch to try to hit. He’s a Gonzaga commit and his off-speed stuff was definitely better than anything I’ve seen in the GNC. I got the count to where I’d figure I’d see a fastball. He put it in my wheelhouse, I got a good swing on it and hit it hard.”

Gardner went two for three in that game, one for one in the win over the North and one for two in the weathershortened finale against the South. His other three hits were all singles. While he made it look easy with four hits, Gardner said facing the best pitchers in the state was anything but.

“That was definitely some of the best pitching I’ve seen my whole life,” he said. “It was crazy to see. The off-speed pitches had a little more movement to them that made them harder to hit. The pitcher from Brookfield Central. They were saying he tops out at 94 mph. They said he was throwing 90-91 in that game we saw him. That fastball you could tell really had some zip. The off-speed was a little sharper and it was still quicker than what you usually see.”

Gardner felt he was fortunate, while playing with the Whittlesey Reds, to have faced the Rapids RedHawks the previous weekend in the Dairyland League.

“It was good to have my metal bat again,” he said. “I’ve been using a wood bat playing with Reds. We played Rapids two weekends ago and I think that really helped me because we saw guys who pitch at UW-Stevens Point or in junior college. After seeing those guys, I think it prepared me for what I saw this weekend.”

The West had an 18-man roster, which allowed half of the players to be on the field for half of each game. They did have to rotate positions, however. Gardner saw time at his usual position of catcher, receiving for Boyceville’s Jacob Granley, he got time in the outfield, where he saw a few innings for the Raiders this spring and he even got an inning at third base in the win over the North.

“Our coach asked me if I had ever played infield before, and I said, ‘no,’” Gardner said. “Then he asked if I could play third base because I have you down for an inning there. I don’t think I’ve played infield since maybe seventh or eighth grade, if not earlier, and that would’ve been second base.”

Nothing was hit to Gardner while he played third and the outfield. He had a highlight while catching, throwing out the only base runner who attempted to steal second base on him.

The West’s roster included area players like Henry Reimann of Merrill, Ethan Graham of Wausau West, Camden Daul of Stratford, Noah Grimm of Pittsville, Kaden Thauer of Stevens Point, Jonah Hanson and Gabe Richardson of Eau Claire North and Cole Ladick of Wisconsin Rapids. Dylan O’Connell of Eau Claire Memorial shared the tournament’s Tom Nygaard MVP award with Mukwonago’s Will Johanes. Johanes hit three home runs during the tournament while O’Connell had several hits and spectacular defensive plays.

“At first I was a little nervous, but once my parents dropped me off at the dorm, it was good,” Gardner said. “I knew the Eau Claire guys coming in, like Dylan O’Connell and Noah Grimm of Pittsville. But we all got comfortable with each other right away. It was good to meet all of the guys. It was just a good experience.”

Gardner doesn’t have concrete plans yet for his immediate future, but he said Monday some collegiate options might still be out there if he chooses to go that routes, especially after his weekend performance.

“It was awesome,” Gardner said. “It was a great experience. That’s for sure.”