Riley Gruetzmacher will be logging a lot of miles on the road this summer.
More importantly, he will be playing a lot of baseball.
The Oconto Falls High School athlete, who will be a senior next school year, is playing for the Wisconsin All-Stars, a team comprised of some of the top baseball players in the state.
Gruetzmacher and his Summer U17 All-Star teammates have played tournaments in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Omaha, Nebraska, already in June and will have trips to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, western New York, Chicago, Cleveland and Kenosha in the next month.
Gruetzmacher had to choose playing for the all-star team or competing for the Oconto Falls Legion team this summer.
“I think it will be an eye-opening experience for him,” Oconto Falls Legion head coach Chris Hillberg said. “He’s a pretty talented ballplayer. He’s one of the top talents in our area.”
Gruetzmacher, who has primarily pitched and played third base during the high school season, might be able to play postseason games for the Legion squad. It was a difficult decision for Gruetzmacher to pick the all-star team over the Legion team.
“It was kind of hard, but I feel this will be better to get my name out there,” Gruetzmacher said.
Hillberg believes the opportunity for Gruetzmacher will pay dividends.
“I think he’s going to go into that situation there where he is not the top dog and some kids can thrive in that situation and others don’t do so well,” Hillberg said. “I think it will be good for (Gruetzmacher) mentally to go into a situation like that, and I also think it’s a good fit for him pitching-wise because most hitters that they have on those teams are a No. 2, 3 or 4 hitter (in high school baseball).”
Around late March, Gruetzmacher received a letter from Wisconsin All-Stars general manager Mike Buelow about attending a tryout for the team. There were three locations around the state for tryouts, and Gruetzmacher was one of 14 players at Appleton North to compete for three open roster spots – two pitchers and a middle infielder. Gruetzmacher impressed the coaches with his pitching ability.
“They called me up that night and said I made the team,” Gruetzmacher said. “I decided to do it and I thought it would be fun to try.”
The Wisconsin All-Stars play an aggressive schedule, logging roughly 35 games in less than seven weeks.
Gruetzmacher, who threw one no-hitter in the high school spring season, will get a chance to rack up some innings on the mound as well as play third and first base. He was able to get his first start in the Wisconsin All-Stars’ season-opening tournament in Oklahoma City. Gruetzmacher threw five innings and surrendered two runs.
Pitching for the all-star team should be a valuable learning experience for Gruetzmacher when he heads into his senior year of high school.
“It’s going to teach him he can’t get away with certain pitches,” Hillberg said. “Maybe there’s something he can get away with over the plate here to a 7, 8, 9 hitter at our level, but out there he’s not going to be able to make many mistakes.”
Gruetzmacher, who has great size for a pitcher at 6-foot-4, has already picked up some tricks by facing superior hitters this summer.
“As a pitcher, I look to see where a batter’s weaknesses are, so I have to pay a little bit more attention to that,” Gruetzmacher said. “I have to really take advantage of that.”
Playing for the Wisconsin All-Stars will also give Gruetzmacher a chance to show college baseball coaches his ability. Gruetzmacher’s goal is to play in college, with reigning Division III national champion University-Wisconsin Whitewater on his list.
“All these tournaments are basically showcases, and college coaches come from a long ways away,” Gruetzmacher said.
Gruetzmacher has another reason for competing with the Wisconsin All-Stars: playing for his dad, Dave, who has been dealing with health issues, including kidney cancer and spinal surgery.
“I go out to New York every year for Christmas because that’s where my dad lives,” Gruetzmacher said. “When we go to New York (for baseball), he’s actually going to come to my games. I’m playing for him.”
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