NEW HOLSTEIN – The summer baseball season can grind on players and coaches with the opportunity to play numerous games.

New Holstein coach Chad Dowland credits the nine seniors on this year’s roster with finding ways to stay sharp in the limited practice time they have had between games which has helped pave the way to the Huskies’ 11-1 overall record and 9-0 record in Eastern Wisconsin Conference action.

“All nine of these seniors have all been on the same page,” Dowland said. “They are like an extra coach to those younger guys.

“The players and the coaches, for that matter, have all been focused on getting better each and every time we walk onto the field.”

The best part about the success for Dowland is that he can not point his finger to one player carrying the team more than another.

“It takes all nine guys and there is not one guy carrying us right now,” Dowland said. “Everybody is contributing what they can so far.”

The Huskies are in search of their third straight EWC title and are doing so this year with two of those seniors leading the way.

Two-time first team all-conference selection Eric Weber and second-team all-conference pick Parker Schrage have taken the lead both on the mound and at the plate.

“We keep it simple by throwing strikes,” Dowland said of what one of the big reasons the Huskies are 11-1 this season. “Defense is something that is stressed in our program and it has definitely continued this season.”

Schrage has been one of the players Dowland has been impressed with all season. His 7-0 record on the mound has made him the go-to guy for big games so far this season.

“They are just two guys that want the ball,” Dowland said of the duo which also holds down the left side of the infield (Schrage shortstop, Weber third base) when not on the mound).

New Holstein also turns to them for the long ball this season as they both have over five home runs on a team that is averaging almost a home run per game.

The Huskies have been the force in the conference the last two years, winning the title each year, and making a run to the WIAA Summer Baseball State Championships and have had a target on their backs again this year.

With just Kewaskum (8-1, 9-6) to contend with the for the conference title the rest of this season – they have a four-game lead over the rest of the conference – they have continued to perform well.

“These guys have seen success the last few years and have gone out this year and continued it,” Dowland said. “That success makes every team bring it to you each and every night.”

That will continue Monday night as it’s likely when Kewaskum comes into New Holstein, the conference could hang in the balance.

Notes: It could be a special week for New Holstein as the July 1 game against Plymouth will be played after the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers game at Time Warner Cable Field at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute. “It’s something we’ve done for years and is just great for the kids,” Dowland said.