Photo by Jake Olson: North Union's Cooper Hoye walks back to his dugout after scoring a run against Eagle Grove on June 10 at Bancroft Memorial Field.

SWEA CITY – Cory Rezac’s biggest goal entering his first year as headman for North Union baseball boiled down to one thing. It wasn’t to get more wins or turn the offense into a complete juggernaut. It was easier and more controllable than that. Limiting errors.

The Warriors ended their 2025 campaign with 58 fielding mishaps. This ranked North Union behind many teams in Class 1A, limiting the team to at least a handful of wins, according to Cory Rezac.

Everything started with clean fielding. Limiting mistakes reduces the other team’s scoring opportunities. While North Union finished the year having a handful of error-filled contests, the reduction from the season prior was one of the many reasons its win total climbed. Cory Rezac said the 18 fewer errors were crucial to this team’s success.

“When we were able to have practice, we did a lot of fielding drills. The guys also matured and got a lot better. They progressed instead of plateauing,” Cory Rezac said. “We would tell the boys before the game that if we played clean, then we could play with anybody. It was such a huge boost for us. In limiting those errors, we can win a lot of games.”

North Union’s eight wins increased by four after one season with Cory Rezac on the coaching staff. Aside from the reduction in errors, the Warriors’ improvements in offense and pitching fueled their 12-11 finish. It’s the most wins the program has seen since the 2015-2016 campaign.

“I was super happy,” Cory Rezac said regarding his team winning four more games this season. “Really wanted to get that playoff win. That still stings. But I think everyone is confident in next year. We’re going to get that first win in the districts and then just see if we can make some noise. There’s some excitement with the people we have coming back.”

Confidence at the plate

Max Merrill was the only Warriors hitter to have a batting average over .300 last season (.324). The next highest mark came from Casey Rezac (.279). North Union as a team bat .239. By the end of this year, that number had risen by nearly 100 points.

The difference in offensive production between the two seasons has been impressive to say the least.

“Some kids put in work this past offseason, and it started with fall ball for us,” Cory Rezac said.

Nearly everybody improved their total hitting statistics after this season. Merrill, predictably, stayed at the top of North Union’s batting average, finishing with a clip of .444. It was his and many other players’ ability to elevate their game that helped the Warriors’ offense average nearly seven runs a game.

Cole Nicoson (.438), Casey Rezac (.342), and Cooper Hoye (.342) all joined Merrill in the above-.300 batting average club. The four improved by at least 60 points. Hoye was the biggest riser of them all. His .140 batting average last year simply dwarfed his offensive production in 2026.

But it wasn’t just the core four. Colin Kruse (.281), Dyson Wikert (.267) and Donnie Stevens (.262) all hit above .260 while driving in a combined 30 runs. Donnie Stevens even hit a blistering .348 during North Union’s 16 conference games. As a team, the Warriors finished with more hits, RBIs, doubles and total bases than a year ago.

Stepping up on the mound

North Union’s top two pitchers were gone heading into 2026. That’s 63 innings and 13 starts Cory Rezac needed to replace. Luckily for him, the Warriors had two arms who were new to the varsity level step up and fill those shoes completely.

Casey Rezac and Castor Kollasch were detrimental to North Union’s pitching staff this summer. The two threw for 50 innings and started a total of 11 games. Both finished with sub-3.5 earned run averages, with Casey Rezac at 3.27 and Kollasch at 3.45. They each helped carry the roster turnover for the Warriors.

Hoye, Wiley Stevens, Wikert, and Merrill were the other four pitchers who took the rest of the innings, with Hoye and Wiley Stevens leading North Union in total frames at 33.1 and 28.2, respectively. While the team’s ERA dipped from 4.77 to 5.27, the staff as a whole struck out 40 more batters.

The most important aspect in this department is that North Union is set to bring back nearly every arm that contributed this past season. Cory Rezac hopes to see the unit continue to develop in the offseason and have his staff become even more of a weapon in 2027.

“I’m really excited with our pitching,” Cory Rezac said. “It’s so important with the pitch count in high school baseball. You can’t have too many arms. I’d really love to get those guys some extra work over the winter and see their velocities and control improve.”