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Gladstone Braves Prepare For Their Baseball Debut
 GLADSTONE----The Gladstone High School has not had a baseball team for more than 40 years. And the wait will last a little bit longer as Old Man Winter continues to hold its grip on the region. But at some point, the snow will melt, and the Braves will have their first practice and first game at the Gladstone Sports Park. In the meantime, the Braves have been practicing inside the Gladstone High School Gym. So, how do you do baseball inside the gym? Well, you do the best that you can. "Well, we do a lot of ground balls, a lot of cage work," Gladstone Manager Don Lauscher said. "We do some simulated fly balls the best that we can. We do a lot of conditioning." 
Gladstone Braves players work Sunday at the team's breakfast fundraising event.
"Mr. Lauscher works us really hard," Ballard said. "But the guys are excited to play. Once we get on the field, it should get a lot easier. We're making it work with what we've got (in the gym) right now. It should be fun this year. It's good for our school district." "It's gonna be a tough transition, with all the snow, and not being able to get on the field," Gladstone junior Sam Pouliot said. "I haven't played since the summer of eighth grade, so it's been a few years. "But I'm enjoying it. It's exciting." The boys were all inv0lved in a six-hour-long breakfast fundraiser on Sunday. There was the usual scrambled eggs, pancakes, juice and coffee...and lots of prizes to be given away thanks to the generosity of the local businesses that donated all of those items. "Our community has been great," Lauscher said. "As long as your community is behind you, the (school) administration is behind you, and my wife (Kim) is involved too so, well, it's been great." Gladstone Baseball Booster Club President Todd Crow says that they have enough money in the bank to cover the team's expenses for this season, and well into next season. Sunday's fundraiser saw a remarkable 475 meal tickets sold at $7 apiece. 
Gladstone assistant coaches B.J. Lauscher (left) and Kurt Lauscher (right).
Lauscher says he appreciates the work that others are doing on the financial side so that he can concentrate more on the baseball side. And how is that going? "The kids have been working extremely hard," Lauscher said. "Very positive. A lot of excitement with it being a brand new program. So far, everything is looking good." The Braves were scheduled to host the Appleton North Lightning this Friday night, April 12th, at the Don Olsen Field. But that game has been cancelled because of the snowy field conditions that you see below. The Braves' road games set for Saturday, April 13th, in Oconto Falls (Wis.) have been cancelled for the same reason. And the games that Lauscher had scheduled with Appleton North for this Saturday in Appleton have also been cancelled. Gladstone is now scheduled to open its season on April 18th against Escanaba, at the Don Olsen Field. WCHT-AM (600) will broadcast the game live, starting at 5:45. Click the thumbnails in the "ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS" box to see photos and videos from Sunday's "Meet The Braves" breakfast fundraiser. 
This is what the Don Olsen Field looked like on Sunday afternoon. Not quite primed for baseball just yet!
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| Date | Time | Opponent | Score | Record |
4/20 |
12:45 PM |
at Remus Chippewa Hills
|
0 - 4 (L)
|
0-1
|
4/20 |
3:00 PM |
at Whitehall Vikings
|
4 - 6 (L)
|
0-2
|
4/26 |
4:00 PM |
Negaunee Miners
|
4 - 3 (W)
|
1-2
|
4/26 |
6:30 PM |
Negaunee Miners
|
5 - 0 (W)
|
2-2
|
4/27 |
12:00 PM |
Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Black Sox
|
11 - 1 (W)
|
3-2
|
4/27 |
2:30 PM |
Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Black Sox
|
10 - 1 (W)
|
4-2
|
4/29 |
4:00 PM |
Superior Central Cougars
|
4 - 2 (W)
|
5-2
|
4/29 |
6:00 PM |
Superior Central Cougars
|
12 - 1 (W)
|
6-2
|
5/2 |
4:00 PM |
Marquette Redmen
|
10 - 2 (W)
|
7-2
|
5/4 |
10:00 AM |
Negaunee Miners
|
4 - 2 (W)
|
8-2
|
5/4 |
5:45 PM |
at Escanaba Eskymos
|
1 - 5 (L)
|
8-3
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5/6 |
4:30 PM |
Norway Knights
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4 - 3 (W)
|
9-3
|
5/6 |
6:45 PM |
Norway Knights
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7 - 1 (W)
|
10-3
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5/9 |
6:00 PM |
at Escanaba Eskymos
|
8 - 14 (L)
|
10-4
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5/10 |
5:00 PM |
Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils
|
5 - 10 (L)
|
10-5
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5/10 |
7:30 PM |
Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils
|
13 - 3 (W)
|
11-5
|
5/15 |
4:00 PM |
at Negaunee Miners
|
5 - 7 (L)
|
11-6
|
5/15 |
6:00 PM |
at Negaunee Miners
|
4 - 2 (W)
|
12-6
|
5/18 |
10:00 AM |
Cheboygan Chiefs
|
2 - 3 (L)
|
12-7
|
5/18 |
12:00 PM |
at Sault Ste. Marie Blue Devils
|
6 - 7 (L)
|
12-8
|
5/18 |
2:00 PM |
at Sault Ste. Marie (Ontario) Black Sox
|
13 - 3 (W)
|
13-8
|
5/20 |
4:00 PM |
at Superior Central Cougars
|
9 - 4 (W)
|
14-8
|
5/20 |
6:00 PM |
at Superior Central Cougars
|
8 - 0 (W)
|
15-8
|
5/24 |
4:00 PM |
at Marquette Redmen
|
10 - 4 (W)
|
16-8
|
5/24 |
6:00 PM |
at Marquette Redmen
|
7 - 0 (W)
|
17-8
|
5/27 |
6:30 PM |
Kingsford Legion Blues
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1 - 5 (L)
|
17-9
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5/28 |
6:30 PM |
Escanaba Eskymos
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3 - 3 (T)
|
17-9-1
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5/31 |
4:00 PM |
Superior Central Cougars
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8 - 0 (W)
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18-9-1
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6/1 |
1:00 PM |
Negaunee Miners
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2 - 3 (L)
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18-10-1
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