At the halfway point of the season, the Stuart Hall baseball team is undefeated with a 7-0 record (2-0 in league), outscoring teams 77-23. At this point last season, the Hall was 2-7, and finished with a 6-13 overall record. Hopes are high on the diamond for a turnaround season.
Coach Gerald Reader, who has been coaching for six seasons at the Hall, is very confident about the team’s future and said, “The varsity baseball team is building something. We all have the tools, We just have to bring them together, brick by brick we will build this house. We already have the foundation done.”
Captain Alex Heinicke is leading the team with a 0.650 batting average and a team-high 13 hits, 12 runs batted in, as well as stealing 11 bases, along with a 1.75 earned run average and striking out 25 opponents on the mound. When asked about his experience on the team and next steps, Heinicke said, “Since my freshman year, the goal of playing on the team has been to have fun, which was always achieved but something else was always missing, a winning culture. This year, my senior year, there is a true winning culture built into this team. There’s nothing like bringing an undefeated record into April to help inspire the young guys to want to continue to grow the team.”
On March 4th, Captain Geno Putt threw a no-hitter in a 22-0 blowout victory against Bentley HS. When asked about his time on the team at the Hall and what he hopes the program is like after he graduates, Putt said, “I think this year we’ve definitely improved drastically from the last few years, thanks most in part to all the new freshmen that we got this year. I can already see the leadership in the freshman this year and I hope that will continue on and that the Stuart Hall baseball legacy will live on till their seniors.”
Braydon Backman has been an on-base magnet leading the team with an 0.818 on-base percentage.
Max Machle has been dealing the whole season with a 0.89 ERA, striking out 16 batters in 15 innings, while also hitting 0.357 with 5 hits.
Marshall Williamson has been the leader of the outfield so far hitting 0.270, with 4 hits and 8 runs scored.
Damian Talavera is leading the team with 6 doubles and has 8 total hits. When asked about the team, Talavera said, “I feel that the team chemistry has risen, it’s always a good vibes in the dugout but we do a good job of balancing that, and at the end of the day that is the way baseball is about. I hope to continue to give my all and make the city give us the respect we deserve as an athletic program and as a baseball team.”
Freshman Matias Fals has stepped up as catcher and has been solid behind the dish supporting pitchers throughout the season. When asked about his experience on the team so far, Fals said, “It took me a little while to adjust to the high school level competition, but after a couple weeks, I started building more and more confidence. As the season goes on, we will do better as a team both on and off the field, which is a main goal of the team. We have had good chemistry and everyone has been bonding well. As a team, hitting has been good and we have a strong infield and good outfield.” When asked about the future of the program, the youngster said, “I am looking forward to leading the team in the next four years and making the team better both on and off the diamond. We have a strong coaching staff that is very knowledgeable about baseball and have helped me out with some areas to work on.”
Similar to Fals, Dominic Gutierrez, when asked about the team, said, “Our defense is strong because when mistakes are made, the coaches are very supportive and provide constructive criticism. Also, everyone is there for each other and everyone helps build each other up.” Also, after this season, due to the loss of 9 seniors, he is looking forward to becoming a leader on the team throughout his time at the Hall.
With the addition of a strong freshmen class, and transfer Ryder Anderson (‘26), Stuart Hall baseball is looking strong for the 2025 season and beyond.