Player Profile: DJ Drohner
By Trent Keitel, contributor
Utility man DJ Drohner is poised for a stellar senior campaign. DJ is an infielder/catcher for Stevens Point Area Senior High (SPASH), which plays in the Wisconsin Valley Conference. SPASH completed last season with a 12-0 conference record and ranked the #1 team in Wisconsin. DJ played in 26 games and batted .424 with 12 RBI and an OBP of .545.
DJ plans to step up and help his team in a big way. This year SPASH loses seven starters, three of which were their top pitchers. “We lost a lot of great players from last year and they are going to be tough to replace. We were a very deep team last year and we have many players who are going to step into bigger roles this season. Coach [Kraig] Terpstra does a great job of preparing us and putting players in positions to be successful. We have some good young pitchers coming up that will fill in nicely and throw strikes for us,” he said.
DJ talked about how SPASH pitchers have to be locked in and for them to know they have a great defense behind them. “I have a very good relationship with all of the pitchers in our program that I am continuing to develop. That pitcher-catcher relationship is extremely important in order to always be on the same page. Trust is an important aspect between a pitcher and catcher. I am confident that I will be able to establish that type of relationship with all of our pitchers,” he explained.
DJ believes the team is equipped to make another push at an undefeated conference season and to make a run in the playoffs and achieve the ultimate goal of a WIAA state title. “It would be awesome to get back to Appleton and play in the state tournament,” said Drohner.
In the summer, DJ plays for the Plover Black Sox who won the Wisconsin Legion AAA State Championship in 2014. DJ played in two of the five games Plover played at the State Tournament and when asked about his thoughts on winning the title, he said, “Winning the state championship for Legion was an incredible experience. After falling short the previous year, it felt great to be on the other end of it!”
After winning the State Title, DJ and the Plover Black Sox traveled to Terre Haute, Indiana for the Great Lakes Regional Tournament where the team played well. Unfortunately, they came up two games short of advancing to the Legion World Series. Plover lost to Midland, MI who ultimately advanced and played New Jersey for the World Series title.
DJ credits his father as his biggest inspiration throughout his baseball career. DJ’s father was his coach growing up and has been a great role model for him. “He gets on me when I need it but he is always the first one there to congratulate me when I do something right,” said DJ.
Upon graduation, Drohner plans to continue playing baseball at the colligate level. Although he has not made a final decision, he is receiving interest from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota, Olney Central College, and North Park University of Chicago.
