The Region's Team Of Northwest Indiana

Whiting, Ind. – March 4, 2014 – The Northwest Indiana Oilmen will feature two Western Michigan players on their roster this summer.  The team has announced that Nick Vogelmeier will join fellow Bronco Nate Schneider on the Northwest Indiana infield.

Vogelmeier is a freshman infielder who was a member of back-to-back district championship teams while attending Lake Orion High School in Michigan.  He lists his senior-year playoff run as his favorite high school baseball memory.

According to Lake Orion coach Andy Schramek, Vogelmeier has many qualities that Oilmen fans will enjoy.

“He comes to work every day,” Schramek said.  “He plays the game the right way.  He’s always dirty.  Nothing was really ever given to him.  Everything that has come to him in terms of a Division-I baseball player is because he just kept working and working and working.”

Vogelmeier entered high school as an undersized freshman, weighing about 120 pounds.  His arm strength and speed both improved drastically by the time he graduated.  He even showed a flash of home-run power, hitting his only high school long ball in a Pre-District game late in his senior season.

“Because of the strength and work that he’s put in with his coaches, he’s really added bulk strength and power,” Schramek said.   “I think he’s going to keep getting better.  He’s a winner.  He’s a key piece that teams need.  He’ll probably end up hitting at the top of the lineup his junior and senior years (at Western Michigan).”

Schramek pointed toward Vogelmeier’s athleticism and baseball IQ as two of the strong points of his game.

“Probably my best strengths are my baseball knowledge, knowing where I need to play and being a competitor,” Vogelmeier said.

Playing with the Oilmen will be a new experience for Vogelmeier, who has not played in a comparable college summer league before.  He will also be making his first-ever trip to Northwest Indiana.

“I think playing with a wood bat certainly helps and playing against the competition also helps,” Schramek said.  “Playing in the summer should help their focus and growth.  The players that I’ve known that have played summer ball were happy with their experience.”