Northwoods League: College athletes from near and far play baseball at Kapco Park; "Great way to spend the summer"
MEQUON -- When a couple of local baseball players head back to college in the fall, they'll have plenty of material if they're asked to write an essay entitled: "What I did during my summer vacation."
Homecoming is usually associated with football in the fall, but for a couple of Lakeshore Chinooks, it involved baseball in the summer.
"It really does. It does feel like a homecoming," Luke Sommerfeld said.
Northwoods League -- Kapco Park in Mequon
Sommerfeld, from Brookfield, pitches for Saint Louis University, while Owen Miller plays for Illinois State University. They are on the roster for the Northwoods League team that plays its home games at Kapco Park on the Concordia University campus.
Luke Sommerfeld
"It's definitely been fun. A lot of people from my hometown, from Ozaukee and Fredonia, everybody gets to see me play. It's pretty cool," Miller said.
Owen Miller
The Chinooks have players from Florida to California, and Texas to Canada. They primarily live with host families for the summer, while Sommerfeld and Miller chose to live at home. They've offered tips to their far-flung teammates.
Luke Sommerfeld
"Some of the guys give me questions about where to get food, where the malls are and stuff. Some of these guys, you need to give them a little help," Sommerfeld said.
They are more in the know than one of Sommerfeld's former teammates, though.
Owen Miller
"Last year in Wisconsin Rapids I played with a guy from Russia and he did not know what to expect. He brought some winter jackets because he heard it was going to be cold," Sommerfeld said.
The Northwoods League is one of the top summer leagues for college players in the country. Most of those who play are hoping to play professional baseball, and they work on the physical and mental aspects of the sport through a 72-game schedule.
It is the next step for guys like Miller, who played lots of travel and showcase ball earlier in his career.
Kent Sommerfeld
The explosion of facilities and improved competition is helping better and better players to come from here.
"I think a lot of people are seeing across the country there are a lot of good players out of Wisconsin that are committing to big colleges and having success in college," Miller said.
That Sommerfeld is one of those players is no surprise. He has grown up in the game, since his dad, Kent is the long-time producer for Bob Uecker on the Brewers Radio Network.
"I've been around baseball for the full 19 years, but he does help. He gives me insight. It's really nice to be able to talk to some of the guys on the Brewers, coaches, to pick their minds a little bit. He's been able to help me do that," Sommerfeld said.
Northwoods League -- Kapco Park in Mequon
"(Playing in the Northwoods League is) a great way to spend the summer. I mean, think about it -- you're not really working a job. You don't have to get up at 8:00 a.m. every day. You make some really life-long friends playing in this league and it's great," Sommerfeld said.
Besides Sommerfeld and Miller, there are three more products from southeastern Wisconsin on the roster for the Chinooks. Other than the All-Star break, the team only has three days off until August 14th, so baseball is a full-time job for these guys this summer.