Kerschke: 'I train 24/7, I only have a couple off days. I’m always in the gym, I’m always throwing, I’m always taking hacks.'
DeKALB – The anchor of the DeKalb sophomore baseball team, Ryne Kerschke, earned a late-season call-up.
His goal was simple: Absorb all the varsity experience he could.
“I saw our catcher struggled in the past; I knew I could catch,” Kerschke said. “I thought, ‘I can’t do much worse than that.’ The worse-case scenario was I just go back to the infield. The best case would be I stay back there and help out my team.”
Kerschke did that and more, helping lead the Barbs to a 5-2 record in their final seven games, in which they rotated three catchers (Kerschke, Max Lange and Jason Klemm).
His experience has led to him being one of the hottest players heading into the offseason. Kerschke also started at second base as a freshman, when the Barbs won a regional title in 2017.
“We’re looking for him to be one of our best players next season,” DeKalb assistant coach Jeremy Morton said.
Kerschke already has stood out among his peers during early summer practices. Although he rotated at catcher this past season, he aspires to play in the infield next year for the Barbs.
With DeKalb losing Eric Nelson to graduation, the shortstop position now is wide open. Kerschke said he believes he has a head start.
“I train 24/7, I only have a couple off days,” Kerschke said. “I’m always in the gym, I’m always throwing, I’m always taking hacks. I’m always doing something, whether it be taking BP with my dad or setting up a net and chucking it to myself at the net.”
Kerschke is named after Hall of Famer Ryne Sandberg. He emulates his game after the former Cubs second baseman.
“He was my dad’s favorite player,” he said. “I grew up watching highlights of him with my dad. I love him; he was a great player.”
Former DeKalb baseball coach Dedric Wright carries plenty of praise for Kerschke. But he admitted Kerschke still needs to improve his all-around game.
Kerschke started the 2018 season with the varsity team but struggled to keep up. A couple of weeks into the season, Wright sent him back to the sophomore level.
“Ryne had to work on his hitting,” Wright said. “He had to get right at the plate.”
With the Barbs struggling and having ‘nothing left to lose,’ near the end of the season, Wright gave Kerschke another opportunity. During DeKalb’s final five games, Kerschke racked up four hits with two RBIs and two HBPs. More importantly, Kerschke didn’t surrender a passed ball.
That mentality, whether it’s in the infield or behind the plate, is why both Wright and Morton continue to rave about Kerschke’s game. His leadership will be needed on the Barbs, who finished the 2018 season with a 9-25 record.
“I have to work on … if I make an error, shake it off,” Kerschke said. “If I go up to the plate and there’s a pitch I like and I just miss it – that gets in my head sometimes and I take it back to the field.
“I need to have a short memory and help others do the same.”