by Dennis Dalman
Tyler Hemmesch had just graduated from Sartell High School this spring when a couple weeks later he was pitching a game for the St. Cloud Rox baseball team.
The right-handed pitcher has always loved baseball. As a tyke he enjoyed T-ball. In high school, he pitched for the Sartell Sabres’ team. This past season, he pitched five winning games for the Sabres and lost one. He was named to the state Baseball Coaches Association All-State Team, along with fellow player Kade Lewis. Hemmesch has committed to playing baseball at the University of Minnesota next year.
A week or so after graduation, he approached the Rox coaches about maybe pitching for them. A few days later, he pitched for a try-out game and a few days later he got the news: good to go.
“I was excited when I got that call,” he said. “It was definitely something I was looking forward to.”
The St. Cloud Rox is a collegiate baseball team, a member of the Northwoods League. Its home games are played in Joe Faber Field in St. Cloud. Hemmesch, who is 6 feet-one-inch tall and weighs 195 pounds, is one of about 15 pitchers on the Rox team.
Hemmesch is the son of Samantha and Nicholas Hemmesch; he has two younger brothers: Emmitt, 13; and Oliver, 9. The brothers love to play baseball too. Hemmesch’s father also played baseball; his mother enjoyed playing basketball and volleyball.
He pitched his first game for the St. Cloud Rox on June 27, and the team defeated Mankato by 7-5. The Newsleader interviewed Hemmesch on July 10. By that date, he had helped pitch in two other Rox games, one pitched in a game vs. Duluth, the other versus Minot, N.D. In Duluth, he pitched four innings, striking out seven, walking three. The Rox won the game. They also won the game against Minot.
“It’s fun to be on the Rox team,” Hemmesch said. “It’s definitely fun to try something new and it’s good to get to know teammates who come from all over the country, and it’s good to pitch with those college guys.”
Hemmesch said he enjoys fishing when he finds the time. His favorite academic subject is history. He is not certain what he will major in at the University of Minnesota.
But of one thing he is certain: “I want to keep playing baseball for as long as I can,” he said.
Tyler Hemmesch
