Senior Spotlight

Noah Spoelstra-Amherst

Amherst is in the midst of another winning season as they sit at 13-7 overall, and 9-2 in the Central Wisconsin-East. The previous three seasons have all produced winning results, including a 2022 season where the Falcons went undefeated before ending their season in the WIAA Division 3 State Finals.

A key factor in the 2022 Amherst team was Noah Spoelstra,Noah started at third base as a freshman during their run in the 2022 tournament. He is a two-time All-Central Wisconsin-East selection for the Falcons during his sophomore and junior seasons. Currently, he has a .354 batting average in 2025.

Spoelstra began playing tee ball at six years old and believes the mental aspect, as well as the camaraderie, are reasons to love baseball.”  I love that baseball forces you to be at your best every play. You must always be ready for a ball to be hit at you and mentally and physically prepared every time the ball is over the plate. I have stuck with it because of the family you build with your teammates and coaches. Although many parts of the game are individual, like hitting and fielding, in the end, you must all come together as a team and work together to be successful.”

The attention to detail on the ball field and in the classroom has served Noah well during his high school career, “As I got older, classes started to become much harder, which required more time outside of class devoted to studying to keep my 4.0. It meant late nights studying and working on homework, but, it was all worth it.”

Noah has shown versatility throughout the years, playing both third base and catcher during his tenure at Amherst. “I believe my biggest asset while playing is my ability to be a leader on the field. As the catcher, you can see the entire field, so communicating during the game is crucial for the success of your team’s defense.”

Teammates and coaches have helped Noah become the player he is today, “Shout outs go to Coach Held, Coach Trudell, Ben Lee, Wyatt Blaskowski, Matthew and Michael Glodowski, and all my senior teammates.”

The growth and experience Noah has gained over his time is apparent to him, “It feels amazing. When I look back at pictures of me as an underclassman, I am shocked at how different I look. I feel I have grown as an athlete, getting physically stronger and able to withstand more mental pressure. I also feel like I have grown as a person, strengthening my leadership skills and hopefully instilling strong morals into the rest of my teammates. I hope I am seen as an inspiration and someone my teammates can turn to.”