Wiesbaden's Jonah Harvey dives back to first base ahead of the tag by Ramstein's Conor McGinty during the second game of a doubleheader on April 6, 2024, on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
WIESBADEN, Germany – Ramstein baseball coach Alfredo Rios called the 2023 season “a bookend.”
Talking with his players prior to this spring, he recalled how the Royals’ two losses last year came against Stuttgart on the opening weekend and in the championship game. Rios hammered home how Ramstein should do everything to keep that from occurring again.
Three games in the season, and the Royals have taken that advice to heart. They improved to 3-0 with a definitive doubleheader sweep of Wiesbaden 20-1 and 12-2 on Saturday at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden.
“We make sure (the players) have that chip on their shoulder, and that’s against every team,” Rios said. “They took it, and they’re driving hard with that. They do not want to be put in that position again.”
The twin bill victories came two weeks after Ramstein avenged its two losses from 2023 with a one-run opening win over the Panthers. And the Royals didn’t look as though they missed a beat over the spring break, holding the Warriors (1-5, 1-5) to three hits and three runs over seven innings.
“It’s been awesome,” Ramstein’s Jackson Arthaud said of the team’s start. “(Stuttgart) played a really good ballgame (in the opener), and we came out on top and that felt pretty good.
“We come out (against Wiesbaden) and play well again. We’re looking forward to the next game.”
Arthaud led the way for the Royals at the plate on Saturday.
The outfielder went 4-for-6 over the two games from the No. 1 spot. In the morning session Arthaud was 3-for-3 with a double and scored on all four plate appearances.
Corner infielder Caden Nims drove in three runs in the first game and followed that with a double into right field in the second inning of the second game. Christian Roy, after allowing just one hit over two innings on the mound in the morning match, drilled a double to the center field fence in the latter to get going.
First baseman/pitcher Conor McGinty also recorded five RBI on Saturday.
Ramstein second baseman Liam Delp throws the ball to the bag from his back after fielding a ground ball during the second game of a doubleheader against Wiesbaden on April 6, 2024, on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein's Jackson Arthaud advances to third base during the first game of a doubleheader against Wiesbaden on April 6, 2024, on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein shortstop Luke Seaburgh braces for impact on a pitch by Wiesbaden's Jack Lehr during the first game of a doubleheader on April 6, 2024, on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein's Christian Roy pitches during the first game of a doubleheader against Wiesbaden on April 6, 2024, on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Wiesbaden pitcher Jak Lehr throws to Ramstein batter Luke Seaburgh during the first game of a doubleheader on April 6, 2024, on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein right fielder James Arthaud hits the ball during the first game of a doubleheader against Wiesbaden on April 6, 2024, on Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany. (Matt Wagner/Stars and Stripes)
For all the individual success, Rios credited the selflessness of many Royals. He mentioned how on Ramstein’s 18 walks, the batters had pitches at which they could have swung, but they showed discipline and put runners on base for teammates to bring home.
“If you sat down and talked to them, each one of them would say they’re doing what they’re doing for the team, not for themselves,” Rios said. “That’s a big difference that I see with this team than past teams.”
And the team mentality stretches far beyond the play in the diamond.
Both Rios and Arthaud described a culture of accountability with the Royals this campaign. Whenever somebody is late or doesn’t follow even the minute details, they punish themselves with sprints or burpees.
“From making sure you have your belt for practice or making sure you’re wearing the right jersey, it’s all those small things that add up,” Arthaud said. “We punish each other if we mess up, but that turns out in our favor because it’s all for love and we’re making sure we do all the small things right.”
For the Warriors, everything that could have gone wrong did in the early contest. They committed seven errors, and even when they managed to get a runner on base, they’d get caught on the basepaths.
In the second matchup, though, Wiesbaden got rid of many of those issues with just one fielding error, and the host got a pair of hits from lead-off batter Jonah Harvey. The shortstop scored the team’s first run in the first inning and drove in another score in the second with a single into left field.
Coach Jon Ring said he challenged the Warriors to bounce back from the morning’s performance.
“Between the games, we had a little talk about being baseball players and just following thee fundamentals, get your head on straight, making routine plays routinely and having a different head on when you’re up at the plate,” Ring said. “The second game was a different game than the first game, just in the attitude, the fielding, the whole thing.”
The Royals will try to keep the train rolling when they host Lakenheath on April 13, while the Warriors have two weeks before their return to action against Spangdahlem.
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