Talent shows in Gilman’s youth with four getting All-ECC awards

The Gilman Pirates fielded one of the youngest baseball lineups in the area this spring, but there was talent in that youth as Gilman posted a 10-11 overall record with four players – two sophomores and two freshmen – gaining All-Eastern Cloverbelt Conference recognition. Freshman Max Pockat earned the highest honor, landing on the 10-man second team. Sophomores Beau Pockat and Lucas Halida and freshman Trevin Duellman all received honorable mention from the conference’s coaches. Gilman’s 10-11 record under secondyear head coach Derek Nichols included a 6-6 mark in the Eastern Cloverbelt Conference, a three-win improvement over last season. This was done with a team that had just one senior, Talyn Podolak, on its roster. While one of the smallest Pirates in stature, Max Pockat wound up being a big key to their success this season. Primarily a leftfielder and pitcher for the Pirates, Pockat hit .263 in 21 games played (15 for 57). He drove in seven runs and scored eight while drawing eight walks, getting hit twice and stealing two bases. He struck out seven times in 67 plate appearances. In conference play only, he hit .333 (12 for 36) with six runs scored and six driven in. Four of his walks also came in league play. On the pitching mound, the left-hander was 3-3 overall in 13 appearances, including four starts. In 39 innings pitched, Pockat finished with a 4.13 earned run average, allowing 54 hits and 44 runs, with only 23 being earned. He struck out 34 hitters and walked 28. In conference play, Pockat saw pitching time in eight games and was 2-1 with a 4.96 ERA in 18.1 innings pitched. Though the numbers weren’t eye-popping, one of his highlights was 4.1 relief innings pitched in Gilman’s 12-11 win at Columbus Catholic on May 8. He got the win as the Pirates rallied from a 10-5 fourth-inning deficit. He allowed 11 hits and nine runs, four earned, but only one run came in the last three innings. He also got the relief win in a 6-5 nine-inning home win over Spencer on April 24, allowing two hits, one unearned run and two walks while striking out three in 2.2 innings. Pockat was two for four in an 8-4 win at Greenwood April 8 and two for three in a 6-3 win at Spencer April 22. Halida, Gilman’s centerfielder and leadoff hitter, tied for the team lead with 19 hits and posted a .275 overall batting average (19 for 69). He hit four doubles and drove in six runs. His 19 runs were a team-high as were his 31 stolen bases. In 12 conference games, Halida hit .268 (11 for 41) with four doubles, 10 runs scored, three RBIs, six walks drawn and that’s where he had 16 of his stolen bases. He went three for four in the extrainning win over Spencer with a double and five stolen bases. He was credited with five stolen bases and scored three times in Gilman’s win at Greenwood to open the conference season. He was four for four in the home rematch with the Indians on May 5, an 11-1 win, with two doubles, four runs scored and two stolen bases. Beau Pockat, Gilman’s main shortstop and the number-two hitter in the order behind Halida, compiled a .266 batting average overall (17 for 79) with five doubles and a triple. He ranked second on the team with 14 runs batted in and tied for second in runs scored with 16. He drew 12 walks, two off the team leader, Podolak, and was also aggressive when he got on base, stealing 18 bases while getting caught twice. He had a respectable .857 fielding percentage at the key infield position and was part of three double plays. He hit .216 in league play (eight for 37) with seven RBIs, seven walks and seven stolen bases. Pockat had a big day in the come-from-behind win at Columbus, going four for four with two doubles, two runs scored and two driven in. He was two for four with a triple and two runs driven in during an 8-2 win over Owen-Withee/ Thorp on May 22. Pockat also did a little pitching for the Pirates, logging 8.2 innings. He got the last two outs at Columbus Catholic to pick up a save. He struck out 11 hitters and walked four while allowing 12 hits and 11 runs, six of which were earned for a 4.85 ERA. Duellman emerged as the team’s primary rightfielder and an offensive spark in the bottom half of the order. The freshman finished with a team-high batting average of .322 (19 for 59) with three doubles, seven RBIs, seven runs scored and eight stolen bases. He drew four walks. His conference totals included a .333 batting average (13 for 39) with two doubles, four runs scored, three runs knocked in and three stolen bases. Duellman got off to a hot start, going seven for 11 in his first three conference games. He was two for four at Greenwood, two for three at Spencer and three for four in the nine-inning win over Spencer with a double, three runs scored and a stolen base. The Loyal Greyhounds won the 2025 conference title by going 11-1 in league play. They finished 16-3 overall, falling 85 to visiting Rib Lake in a WIAA Division 4 regional final on June 5. The Greyhounds had three first-team and three second-team All-ECC selections, led by their outstanding sophomore pitcher and shortstop Rhett Lamovec, who was named the 2025 Eastern Cloverbelt Conference Player of the Year. Junior shortstop and pitcher Cain Toufar and senior catcher Tryn Scheel both earned their second straight spots on the All-ECC first team. Columbus Catholic put three players on the first team, juniors Mac Koniecnzy and Devlin Timmler and sophomore Carson Eckes. The Dons tied Gilman for third place in the final standings behind 9-3 Neillsville-Granton, who placed senior Preston Berg and junior Andrew Hoeser on the first team. Spencer seniors Reed Knecht and Tyler Peterson rounded out the 2025 first team. The Pirates’ 10 wins overall and six wins in the conference were the most since Gilman went 9-5, 9-7 in 2019. That does not include the 2021 co-op season with Thorp. With the four award winners along with ECC award winners from last year, junior Dawson Grunseth and sophomore Connor Nichols, all potentially back, the Pirates aim to be even better in 2026.