HAMILTON — Caleb Driessen stood on top of Alumni Field’s pitching mound, giving off his usual intense aura that could be felt through the crisp air at Joyce Park.
It may not have been quite as comfortable than it was in warm Florida, but the Badin High School junior brought the heat from start to finish Monday night.
Driessen pitched a three-hit shutout, Kade Bowling crushed a solo home run and the Rams opened Greater Catholic League Coed play with a 3-0 victory over the Chaminade Julienne Eagles.
“It’s just been one continuous cycle ever since we started getting after it this offseason,” Driessen said. “We’ve been grinding ever since.
“We’re an energy team — high-energy. We love games where people are clapping and up on their feet, screaming from the stands. We’re just those types of people. We’re going to be that all year, and we have been. I think now more than ever you’re just seeing guys coming off the field with energy at random points in time, and I love it. I love to see that.”
Badin went 27-7 after suffering a heartbreaking 3-2 loss to Beloit West Branch in the Division II state final last year, but the Rams are past all of that. The beginning portion of their 2025 schedule forced them to quickly move on.
“That feeling last season hurt. You don’t like losing at all — especially in big games like that,” Driessen said. “It’s just been a continuous grind to get where we are right now.”
Badin is 3-3 following a week of playing against some of the best prep baseball programs in the country during its spring break trip to Tampa.
“I definitely think we bonded as a team down there,” Driessen said. “I think there were a lot of opportunities we had that were very fortunate for us with the kind of competition we faced. Just super tough.
“Some of the arms that we faced down there — and then to come back up here — it was just a great experience for all of us and our hitters.”
The Rams beat St. Francis de Sales 7-2 before traveling south, where they lost to Northside Christian 6-2, were edged by Tampa Jesuit 3-1, beat Tampa Catholic 4-3 and fell to IMG Gray 8-6.
“Florida was super beneficial to us,” said Badin coach Brion Treadway, who is in his 14th season at the helm. “We saw incredible arms down there. I’m not sure we saw a pitch below 90 miles an hour. Really, really talented teams that were at the end of their season. So, they were polished and sharp.
“We had to learn really quick down there, and we did. Our guys responded. They got better every day that we were down there. We were noticeably better, and it really just jumpstarted our season.”
Badin senior shortstop Cooper Ollis said while the baseball was productive in Florida, the Rams became closer as a unit.
“It wasn’t just the time on the field that helps the team bond,” Ollis said. “Everyone was just having a fun time with each other, and that correlates to us being on the field — eventually bringing more energy and juice. That type of stuff will really win you some games. It did tonight.
“This feels really good after the competition we just played in Florida. Coming back here and just being able to take care of business is big. First home game and starting it off right.
“CJ’s probably our toughest team to face in the GCL. So, a good, solid 3-0 win is obviously good for us.”
Current offensive leaders for the Rams include junior Cade Cummins (8-for-12, .667), Bowling (6-for-15, .400, 7 R, 2 HR) and junior James Brink (6-for-20, .300, 5 RBI).
Driessen is 1-1 on the mound with nine strikeouts in 13 innings of work and has a 0.0 earned run average. Junior Carson Niehaus is 1-0 with five strikeouts for Badin, while senior Max Kraemer is also 1-0 on the season.
The Rams have eight seniors, 21 juniors, a sophomore and a freshman on their roster.
“We just want to play good baseball,” Treadway said. “We want to get better every day, and we want to learn from our failures and improve day after day — be consistent. We want to make routine plays, routinely. That’s what we want to do.
“We’ve been playing baseball almost every day. We’re out here in the elements and blessed with a great field that drains well and handles weather. So, we’ve been intersquading since almost day one.
“There were a lot of question marks going in, and I feel like some of them have been answered and some of them still haven’t. With that, we’ve just got to continue to get better.”
