Bay City pitcher: Kuesel eyes Stout roster spot

Appeared in print April 28

Bay City pitcher Cole Kuesel went to the University of Wisconsin-Stout with the hopes of walking on the baseball team.

The 20-year-old sophomore pitched one inning in which he struck out the side during his tryout for this year’s team.

He was cut from the team the next day.

Kuesel said the coach told him he was cut because he only threw 79 miles per hour while other pitchers were throwing 82.

“It’s actually been very frustrating since both of my tryouts I succeeded very well,” Kuesel said.

Kuesel, who wasn’t recruited after he played with the Ellsworth High School baseball team, still hasn’t given up on his goal.

“I believe I’ll still try out,” Kuesel said. “You can’t just quit.”

It is his hope that playing with the Bombers for his fourth season will help his chances of making the Stout roster.

“I think he’s going to have a chip on his shoulder this year and that is going to make him work even harder,” Bombers first baseman Greg Ulvenes said.

Kuesel enters the amateur baseball season with specific thoughts on what he needs to improve to earn a spot on the Stout roster.

“I’ll definitely try to increase velocity if that is an important factor to (the Stout coaches),” he said. “Obviously, I would have to do that for sure ... (also) just be able to go deeper in games and become a more complete pitcher.”

There to help him will be fellow Bay City pitcher Tony Schultz. He has offered his services to help Kuesel reach his goal.

“Being a pitcher, I can kind of see things that he is doing and give him little reminders,” Schultz said. “If he just keeps working at it, he’ll have a good shot.”

If he makes the Blue Devils roster, it wouldn’t be the only obstacle Kuesel has overcome in his baseball career.

While in high school, Kuesel made an interesting discovery after a successful junior year pitching.

“My senior year, I found out that I had really horrible vision and I couldn’t even see the signs from the catcher,” he said.

“I threw the wrong pitches, he was like, ‘What are you doing? You can’t see down there?’”

Kuesel now wears contact lenses and has developed into a productive player for Bay City.

“I think he has made a couple of big steps here,” Ulvenes said. “He’s adjusted to this league very well, he’s a decent hitter. One heck of a pitcher too.”

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