Travis Houslet / Daily Register
Pardeeville's Zach Weihert was selected to play for the Wisconsin All-Stars, an elite traveling club team that is set to play tournaments throughout the country in order to get players exposure to college and professional scouts.

Pardeeville's Weihert selected to play on elite Wisconsin club team

Zach Weihert could hardly believe it when his mom handed him the e-mail.

There he was, a high school sophomore midway through his second season on Pardeeville's varsity baseball team, and his mom, Kim, printed off an e-mail she received letting them know he was selected for an all-star team featuring some of the state's top talent.

"I was speechless," Weihert said. "I was kind of in awe at first at how everything was set up because when you hear about how many people were on the team, you know you've kind of got your doubts. You believe in yourself but you've got all those people trying out, so. I was kind of in awe of actually seeing it."

Weihert learned in April he was selected to join the Wisconsin All-Stars College-Pro Scout Baseball Club fall team, a traveling club team that plays in a handful of elite prospect tournaments around the country from August-October in order for players to gain exposure from college and professional scouts. The team, run by The Metro Milwaukee Sports Association Inc., held dozens of tryouts around the state earlier this year, sometimes with nearly 40 players at a single tryout.

Weihert said Pardeeville coach Bill Hebl told him about the team and Weihert attended a tryout on April 11 at Dingers, the hitter's hideaway, in Muskego. Weihert said potential players hit in batting cages with machines throwing 80 miles per hour and above, did some light throwing and ran the 60-yard dash. Outfielders were told their goal was to run the 60-yard dash in 7 seconds. Weihert did it in 6.8.

"It was eye-opening. I mean, you found out that there's people out there that want to play baseball as much as I do," said Weihert, who was an All-Trailways South First Team pick as both a freshman and sophomore. "... I did have some nerves running wild that day."

A few weeks later the e-mail came from the team's coach, Greendale Martin Luther High School Mike Buelow, informing Weihert he made the team.

"Like they said, this is the best of the best that tried out for the team in Wisconsin," said Weihert, who expects to play outfield and first base on the team.

"You have 'Wisconsin' across your chest, how many people can say that?"

The Wisconsin All-Stars mission is to garner interest for its players from college and professional scouts and surely that is one area where Weihert could use some assistance. Weihert said he has not received interest from any college baseball programs despite batting .547 one home run as a freshman and .378 with three home runs as a sophomore. He said he has received interest from a handful of football programs but added baseball the sport he's more interested in playing after high school.

"The main thing we do is just try and get exposure for me, for everybody. So basically what they're trying to do is get me a step ahead of everyone else for trying to get some form of scholarship or money or whatever for college."

According to the team's web site, 46 former Wisconsin All-Stars players have gone on to play college baseball either on scholarship or as walk-ons in the team's five years of existence.

Weihert said the team begins practice in the second or third week of August. He said he knows the team has two tournaments in New York - including one in Cooperstown, site of the Baseball Hall of Fame - but isn't sure what other tournaments in which the team will participate. The fall schedule has not yet been posted on the team's web site but the summer team has played in tournaments in states ranging from Illinois to Nebraska to Florida, all with professional and college scouts expected to be in attendance.

Weihert said the team's schedule allows him to play football for the Bulldogs in the fall. He led Pardeeville with 10 sacks last year, according to the team's maxpreps.com page.

Until August rolls around, however, Weihert is left to anticipate the opportunities making this team brings.

"Now I'm just starting to get nerves back again about it," said Weihert while talking about making the team. "I mean, I'm still living on cloud nine right now."

kmorales@capitalnewspapers.com

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