By Eli Benes

After a 2025 season that saw the Lakeshore Chinooks go 28-44, the team is looking to bounce back this season. 

The 2026 initial roster includes a plethora of hometown talent, with 13 of 22 Chinooks hailing from Wisconsin, which is an eight player increase from last year’s initial roster. 

Additionally, the Chinooks have 19 college freshmen or sophomores on the team. Infielder Sam Meidenbauer, the only college senior on the roster, is a key returner for the Chinooks offense. 

Meidenbauer last summer hit for a .874 OPS with 9 doubles in just 84 plate appearances. Entering his third summer with the team, Meidenbauer said he wants to appreciate what could be his last summer of college baseball.

“I want to appreciate each and every single one of these guys that are here, and savor every moment,” Meidenbauer said.

After a 2025 season at UW-Platteville where he hit 11 home runs with a .674 slugging percentage, Meidenbauer missed the 2026 season with a medical redshirt.

Entering the season, the Chinooks made a notable addition to their coaching staff with Former MLB pitcher and coach Lee Tunnell stepping in as pitching coach for the Chinooks.

Tunnell was on the 1987 St. Louis Cardinals team that fell one game short against the Minnesota Twins in the World Series.

Outside of his six-year career in the majors, Tunnell additionally has served on multiple MLB staffs, including the Milwaukee Brewers from 2011-18. His roles during his tenure with Milwaukee included roving pitching coordinator and eventually bullpen coach.

Pitcher Jackson Kobylarczyk, who just completed his freshman season at Concordia University (WI), said he is excited to learn from Tunnell. 

“It’s going to be fun to learn and talk and hopefully pick his brain a little bit,” Kobylarczyk said.

Kobylarczyk having spent a year at Concordia University, is quite familiar with Concordia’s and the Chinooks’ home field, Moonlight Graham Field at Kapco Park. At Concordia, he has also been coached by those with notable experience with the Chinooks.

His Interim Head Coach Mitch Rogers was the Chinooks interim head coach in 2024, while his Pitching Coach Arthur Liebau pitched four summers for the Chinooks from 2021-2025.

“It’s going to really help being able to feel like it’s just another day out there, since I’ve spent the last year here,” Kobylarzyk said.

Another Chinooks pitcher looking forward to working with and learning from Tunnell is pitcher and infielder Carter Kutz. 

From Hartford, WI, Kutz was the fifth overall player in the state’s 2025 class according to Perfect Game and just finished his freshman season at the University of Nebraska.

Kutz’s arsenal mainly features a fastball, slider and changeup and he plans to potentially add a fourth option to his pitch mix.

“I’m just hoping to get a little more confident in myself on the mound and have a little more faith in a third pitch,” Kutz said.

The Chinooks will look to start the 2026 season with a win, as they face the Richmond Flying Mummies on the road Monday, May 25 at 6:35 pm. The Chinooks will play four consecutive road games before their home opener against the Fond du Lac Dock Spiders on Friday, May 29.