Newton baseball seeks improvement under new leadership

Newton’s baseball team’s last winning season was 2015. The Cardinals have had just four winning seasons since 2007 and they are coming off a 1-17 campaign in 2020.

Brad Kahler takes over the program and hopes a few tweaks and a couple of adjustments can turn things around in the near future.

“I just want to play the first game. That way we can start figuring it out,” said Kahler, who takes over the program from Newton High School alum Dustin Brisel. “It will take a week or two to figure out the pieces of the puzzle.

“Our focus every day is ‘what are you willing to accept?’ We talk about it every day. It starts with stretching. If you can’t stretch properly, why would I expect you to do bunt coverage or first to third situations or do a delayed steal properly.

“We need to hold each other accountable.”

Kahler was officially hired in January. The team started offseason workouts on Feb. 15.

The first order of business for Kahler involved plate approach. The most hits by any one player on the roster last year was six. Junior Braydon Chance was one of the players to get six hits.

“We are trying to shorten our swings to catch up to the 80-90 mile per hour pitchers in the league. We can’t have long swings,” Kahler said. “We don’t want them to swing at first-pitch curve balls. That’s some of the mental stuff we are focusing on. We need a better mental approach. I feel like they’ve been up there just swinging to swing.”

This year’s roster will have just one senior but Derek Lanser will likely miss the entire summer due to shoulder surgery.

The junior class includes Chance, Kael Swarts, Evan Grimm, Cole Swank, Garret Beerends, Rylie Lester, Conner Brain and Jayden Wambold.

“The one advantage for me, that was a disadvantage last year, was that a lot of the younger kids on this team played early last year so they come back with varsity experience,” Kahler said. “I think it works out great for me. Let’s work on changing our attitudes and getting the culture set up and see what this year brings. And then maybe next year we can push to do something.”

Chance is expected to compete with sophomore Drew Thompson for the primary catcher job.

Swarts will be one of the pitchers and play either shortstop or third base. Joining him on the mound will primarily be Chance, Grimm and sophomores Riley Mouchka, Brody Bauer and Tade Vanderlaan.

Bauer is expected to play in the middle infield when he’s not pitching. Vanderlaan will man an outfield position. Kahler expects Grimm and sophomore Turner Williams to hit for power.

Brain and sophomore Kacey Sommars should provide some depth in the outfield. Brain also will play in the outfield, while Wambold could play third base or outfield. Wambold is a move-in from Ankeny.

Sophomore Jake Ingle and freshman Eli Stewart are two others who will be battling for playing time. Kahler said he has about 14-15 players to pick from when he chooses his lineup.

“It’s a safe bet that no position is safe. We can’t lock ourselves into playing one position,” Kahler said. “Who can hit? If you are a deficit in the field, I can’t have you out there, but if you are OK in the field and can hit, you’ll be out there. Hitting has been an issue the past few years.”

Not everything will be the same under Kahler. The new head coach says he won’t be dressing out every sophomore, junior and senior for varsity games like in past years. There also will be a dugout change as the Cardinals will move to the third-base side.

“If you dress varsity, it’s because I think you can get into the game to pinch hit or pinch run,” Kahler said. “With the dugout change, I am trying to get a different mindset. Everywhere I have been we’ve always been third-base dugout. It’s more of a change of pace.”

Kahler is a North Tama graduate who started his baseball coaching at Gladbrook-Reinbeck when he was 19-years-old. He also coached at BCLUW for four years under his high school coach Matt Zoske.

Kahler coached the Newton freshmen team for three years but took two years off to get his athletic administration certification. He also coaches high school football and middle school track.

“The opportunity came so here I am,” Kahler said. “Our kids have struggled. So I just wanted to see if I could give them the best experience possible. The biggest thing I have seen from afar is the program has been all over the place. Everyone was doing their own thing. We need to be all pulling in the same direction and we need to have a clear vision of where we’re going. I am hoping by doing that alone will help us out tremendously.”

Kahler said the team doesn’t have any goals of winning conference or going to state in year one. But that’s what any coach tries to do every year.

“I just want to put a good product on the field. If we play well and lose, I can live with it. Sometimes you just get beat,” Kahler said. “I just want us to play well and let the chips fall where they may.

“I am inheriting a team with players who got a lot of varsity action last year. The group I am getting, they are a passionate group and they were successful as youngsters. They are grinders. We just have to figure it out and it may take some time.”

The Cardinals’ first five games are at home starting with Marshalltown at 7:30 p.m. on May 25.

Kahler’s first coaching staff includes former recent Newton Cardinals Ryan Barr and Mike McCormick, Wade Fridley and volunteer coaches Ed Ergenbright and Andy Cazett.