Joey Wiemer will be playing his junior year for the University of Cincinnati baseball team.
The University of Cincinnati baseball team had an impressive season last year, winning the American Athletic Conference tournament and reaching their first NCAA tournament since 1974. But within the team there is a certain 6-foot-5, 215-pound outfielder with the Name of Joey Wiemer.
Originally from Temperance, Michigan, Wiemer joined UC three years ago as a freshman. Since then he has achieved successes that the collegial world takes note of. In his sophomore season, he set a school record by starting all 62 of the team’s games and was runner-up in an edition of ESPN’s top 10 games.
But Wiemer didn’t always have eyes for hitting home runs and catching fly balls. He was also an avid basketball and soccer athlete who grew up.
“When I grew up, I always played three sports and baseball was in the mix,” said Wiemer. “It was always talked about; I also like to play soccer. So it was kind of between soccer and baseball. “
Wiemer, who was a great athlete in high school and had a 3.5 GPA every four years, also played football every four years of his time at Bedford High School. But, according to Wiemer, as he got older, he decided baseball was what he was going to focus on.
And so the long-locked newbie traveled to Queen City and chose UC as his home for the next four years. What “fits perfectly” so far, says Wiemer.
“In the truest sense of the word,” he said. “I love the coaching team, I absolutely love the team, the schedule is great, you know the places we can go are fantastic. The school is great; I have nothing to complain about. “
Although the team and Wiemer had a successful season last time, they are still not satisfied.
“We broke the seal last year,” said Wiemer. “We did something that hasn’t been done for a while. So we just want to keep this uptrend moving. “
Although the team had an extraordinary end to the season last year, their fate could have ended very differently if it had ended the season the way it started. Of their first ten games in the 2019 season, the Bearcats have lost nine; This results in a game of catching up for most of the season.
While there have been some significant losses, there have also been some emphatic victories. Wiemer considered that the Bearcat’s win over the University of South Florida was the first to “boost” their season.
Wiemer said they saw the matchup against conference rivals as an opportunity to change the team’s fate. The Bearcats took advantage of this opportunity by beating the Bulls 2-1, sparking a fight and determination within the team that would later be unmatched throughout the AAC conference.
Another season milestone was triumph over what was then the # 22 University of Connecticut, where the Bearcats won 2 of 3 games against the Huskies expected to trample the Minnows of the Midwest.
“That was a big series for us,” said Wiemer. “We believed in ourselves, but [that was] another solidifier. “
Soon after, a 15:15 loss to the University of Central Florida, which ended in the eighth inning by grace rule, derailed some of the ghosts on the team. and certainly no better than the fact that they had a double header against the same opponent the next day, along with some terrible weather conditions.
UC’s situation was dire as the Bearcats knew it would take something special to revive their season. After a win in the first game of the day with a final score of 8: 3, the second game came to the point.
A home race by Joey Wiemer in last place of the day sealed a 2-1 victory, which would mean a major “momentum shift”, Wiemer told TNR.
The Bearcats carried that momentum further by winning four out of four games at the AAC tournament in Clearwater, Fla., Ending with a 22-5 win over UCONN. For the first time in program history, the Bearcats became champions of the American Athletic Conference Tournament.
However, this victory had ramifications that went well beyond the AAC. The Bearcats then traveled to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1974 to face the former national champion – Oregon State University. Although the Bearcats defeated the Beavers, they ultimately succumbed to the next two games against the University of Michigan and Creighton University, ending their season and journey in the NCAA tournament.
At the beginning of this 2020 season, according to Wiemer, the Bearcats will by no means be satisfied with an early exit from the tournament.
“We want to go to Omaha,” he said. “I think that’s the goal for any college baseball program. You know, come to Omaha, play in the College World Series. Win it, take it all home. But one more [NCAA Tournament] Regionals is definitely on the list. “
Wiemer played in the Cape Cod League with the Harwich Mariners last summer.
“The summer was fantastic,” he said. “I had a great host family, great coaching team. It was a really good attitude for me, hassle free, lifting, just playing baseball. “
Wiemer ended the summer season as an All-Star of the Cape Code League and was named on the preseason All-American team. Something that surprised the Bearcat Junior.
“They know you always expect you to do well, but it was a really cool honor to be a part of,” he said. “It means nothing in the grand scheme of things [I’m just focused on] Go out and play whatever the team needs to win this year. “
The Bearcats begin their season with a trip to Georgia this weekend, where they will face Georgia State University, Georgia Tech University and Kennesaw State University in the team’s first weekend series.
They play their first six away games and don’t arrive at Marge Schott Stadium until February 26, where they face Indiana State University.
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