Young Menominee Nation baseball team starts rebuilding after 3-17 season

Wittenberg-Birnamwood’s 26-1 win over Menominee Nation on April 24 cut straight to the challenge facing the Eagles: a young roster can show flashes, but the Central Wisconsin-East has little patience for growing pains.

Menominee Nation entered the spring trying to move past a 3-17 finish in 2025 and a spot near the bottom of the conference standings. The difference this year was not a sudden expectation of contention, but a roster built around underclassmen and a much thinner margin for error. Allen Peters, Ashton Latender, Derek Corn, Kyle Pecore, Tony Corn and John Redkettle were among the players listed on the 2025-26 varsity roster, a group that points to a team leaning heavily on players still learning varsity baseball on the fly.

That makes the indicators of progress clearer than the win-loss total alone. For Menominee Nation, better at-bats, more strikes from the mound and cleaner defense matter as much as the final score. The Eagles do not need a perfect record to show the rebuild is working. Winning a few more close games, limiting big innings and staying competitive deeper into games would all signal that the program is moving in the right direction.

The schedule offered an early stress test. Wittenberg-Birnamwood, Amherst and Bonduel all sit in the same Central Wisconsin-East grouping, giving Menominee Nation a steady run of opponents with established baseball programs. That kind of lineup can expose a young team quickly, but it also gives coaches and players a direct read on where the roster stands against the standard in the league.

Even with the rough result against Wittenberg-Birnamwood, Menominee Nation had already climbed to 3-6 overall by that point, an improvement from the 3-17 final mark last season. That matters in Keshena, where Menominee Indian School District athletics are part of the larger identity of the school and the community. The district’s baseball program page and its athletics office in Keshena keep the sport tied to the daily life of the school, not just the standings.

For the Eagles, this spring is about building something that can last beyond one difficult season. The record will matter, but the real measure will be whether this group becomes steadier, tougher and more competitive by the time the schedule turns deeper into conference play.