The first official win at the refurbished William DeWitt Field at Drew Baur Ballpark occurred on April 6th. The Rams won 9-2 over their rival John Burroughs. The game started well for the Rams, who scored in each of the first 4 innings en route to a 9-2 victory.
“We got to showcase a lot of our talent with a lot of guys hitting the ball hard and in gaps while our pitching closed out both games in a quick fashion, which is exactly why you need to come out and support the MICDS baseball team and see our true potential as the year goes on,” Finn Carpenter ‘26 said. Carpenter, a transfer from California, has been a main producer on both sides of the ball for the Rams this year.
Another standout for the Rams has been Sam Diebel ‘28, who recorded three hits in the 9-2 win.
“Overall I think my work ethic compared to last year has really improved and I have put in way more time outside of practice working with the coaches and making new additions to the way I approach every at bat mentally and physically,” Diebel said.
Kiefer Winegrad ‘27, the Rams center fielder who had been inked by injury the last two years, reflected on his experience and views from the new field and success of the game.
“It felt great to get our first home win on the new field,” Winegrad said. “We had great team chemistry and it felt great to get the first win on it. Running in from center field, across the beautiful turf, and into the in-ground dugout is such a great feeling after a successful inning.”
The new field is an upgrade from the old, which was the oldest turf field in the St. Louis area until the refurbishing. With its new sunken dugouts, shaded stands, press box with speakers, state of the art turf, and player clubhouse, players and fans alike say they are enjoying the revived experience. Brad Werner, a Country Day alumnus, was one of the lead donors and facilitators of the large-scale process. Werner discussed his motivation for wanting to put a new field in: “Doing it now, as soon as possible, would spur the future of the program by sending the signal to young kids who are in Beasley to come here and to play baseball.”
“There’s so much generosity and the schools’ in a really great financial position,” Werner said. “It’s an amazing 100 acre property… I don’t have that vision alone, we’re surrounded by very intelligent, gifted, generous people who also share the vision for the future of the school and so they’re willing to go the extra mile,” Werner said. He also credited head baseball coach Michael Kraatz for his efforts. “I met with [Coach] Kraatz on a blistering hot August day in 2023 and we’re walking around and checking out the field and talking about possibilities,” Werner said. “I really wanted his input because he has the baseball mind that I don’t and he appreciated what I was trying to do, but from the very beginning I put it into his hands because I’m not going come here saying this is what we need to do without his input and his guidance. He wanted a clubhouse place for players to build ball culture,” Werner said.
Ford Werner ‘28 emphasized how much the clubhouse has impacted the team culture and contributed to the early success of the season. “It has definitely been a huge factor in the rise of the overall morale and camaraderie of the team,” Ford Werner said. “Actually having a space to be as a team has contributed to making the team a real team and not just guys on a field.”
Luke Condrin ‘26 emphasized how the togetherness has impacted the culture. “I feel like from a team standpoint I’ve never been closer with the team, and I think it has a lot to do with the clubhouse,” Condrin said. “Just by way of when we come up to the field, we all are in a single space together and not doing our own thing, warming up on our own. We all come in and can decompress from school and find a way to laugh before practice, before things get serious.”
In regards to the first official win, Brad Werner spoke highly of both sides in the intense but respectful rivalry. “They’re two amazing schools, they’re friendly and highly respectable; we respect them, they respect us,” Werner said. It’s great to get the first official win and have it be Burroughs. You can’t ask for anymore.”
The Rams are currently 9-2-1 and are ranked #1 in St. Louis small schools for baseball and look to continue their current momentum for the rest of the year. The official opening ceremony for the new field took place Tuesday, April 28.
