The Manitowoc Bandits season opener at Sheboygan to play the A’s tonight has been postponed due to weather.
Their season opener is now this Sunday in Fond DuLac against The Dock Spiders of The Northwoods League.
The Bandits have been the model of consistency for the better part of a decade in the Shoreland League.
This talented squad of amateur baseball players won their sixth straight regular season title last summer but fell short of their goal of playing for a league championship.
The Casco A’s upset them in three games in the semifinals, and Head Coach Chris Cisler says his club is motivated to return to the “champ series” this season.
“There’s no question that we are going to score many runs,” he told SeehaferNews.com. “Our guys have a high baseball IQ and have the capability to beat out in multiple ways with power and speed. We’ll be solid defensively, with many returning players from the last two years. There’s no question that the high level of ball is still there.”
Leading the way is the trio of pitcher Luke Mandich, veteran catcher A.J. Dollinger, and pitcher/infielder Earl Vorpagel.
Cisler says they will be leaned on heavily again this season, but a good mix of young talent will make the Bandits tough to deal with.
The Shoreland League returns to Two Rivers this season as AJ Lorrigan has relocated the Branch Blaze to the lakeshore to form the third iteration of the Polar Bears.
Cisler is excited to bring the Bandits to Walsh Field on May 28th.
“When I got the news, I was excited about it. AJ (Lorrigan) has always done a really good job with the Branch Blaze and decided to take them to Two Rivers,” he said. “From what I’ve heard and seen on social media, the community is excited about having The Polar Bears back and has thrown their support behind them. It will be a great atmosphere to participate in and play in.”
Playing on the road will be the norm for the Bandits this season.
16 of their 22 games will be away from home as renovations at Municipal Field are scheduled to begin in July.
“From the information I’ve received, I decided to get to schedule our home games in June, and we’ll be road warriors the rest of the year,” Cisler explained. “It’ll be tough, but we’ve done it in the past, and we will be up to the challenge.”
Manitowoc’s home opener is against the Polar Bears on June 7th, when 21-year veteran Shad Hintz will be honored for his election into the Shoreland Baseball Hall of Fame.
Other opponents include Denmark, Casco, the Green Bay Ribbons, and Appleton Legends.
The Fond Du Lac Dock Spiders of The Northwoods League, Algoma, Kewaunee, Ashwaubenon, Menasha, and the regular season finale is scheduled for July 30th against the champion of The Northeast Wisconsin Baseball League.
It’s a tough schedule indeed, but Cisler says it will come down to one intangible that will determine their success.
“The one measure is going to be heart,” he noted. “Earl (Vorpagel) proved that last year. When he found out he would not be available for game three of The Casco series, he took it upon himself to throw game two, and he was terrific, leading us to victory. The one thing you can never measure in an athlete is the size of their competitive heart.”
The first pitch in Fond Du Lac is scheduled for Sunday at 1:05 p.m.
