Sandwich junior Braden Behringer is the 2025 Record Newspapers Baseball Player of the Year

Braden Behringer, son of a coach, grew up as the kid who ran up and down Sandwich practice fields while his dad’s varsity athletes competed.

Now he’s the model.

A three-sport athlete, football quarterback, Behringer is a two-way standout on the baseball diamond. The Sandwich junior also is a model student with a 4.3 GPA, the kind of kid who treats others respectfully, a captain who does the little things the right way and cares less about his own accolades than team success.

“He’s a tremendous athlete that does things the right way,” said Sandwich baseball coach Jason VanPelt, who was named the head football coach this spring. “He is a great captain, a great guy for the younger guys to look up to.”

Much because of Behringer’s leadership between and outside the lines, a young Sandwich team had good success this spring.

The Indians, with just two seniors on their roster, shook off a slow start to post a 19-17 record, and went 12-2 in the Kishwaukee River Conference for second place. Then Sandwich took conference champion, and eventual sectional finalist Johnsburg, to 10 innings in a regional semifinal.

Behringer, the conference’s Player of the Year, batted .410 with a .520 on-base percentage with nine doubles, three triples, two homers and 40 RBIs at the plate. On the mound he posted a 6-1 record with a 2.01 ERA and 62 strikeouts.

He is the Record Newspapers Baseball Player of the Year.

“I felt like we had a great season, especially with such a young team,” Behringer said. “I’m excited for next year with all the people we have coming back. Hopefully we can win conference and win a regional.”

Sandwich dropped its first three games of the season, and started 2-7. But the Indians found their stride in mid-April, winning nine of 10 to contend for the KRC title down to the last week.

“At the beginning of the year our sophomores probably were not ready,” Behringer said. “Each game we kept getting better and better. Conference we started hitting our stride.”

It helped to have a leader with varsity experience like Behringer. As a sophomore Behringer was the quarterback for a Sandwich football team that reached a state quarterfinal.

“Guys were coachable and bought into our system. They competed really hard and they followed our captains,” VanPelt said. “Jeff [Ashley] and Nick [Michalek], they are great leaders and role models for our younger guys with Brady leading the way.”

Behringer himself got off to a somewhat slow start at the plate – but he caught up fast. In conference games he hit over .500 with an on-base percentage over .600, and drove in 22 runs.

“He has good plate discipline and a good approach at the plate. He is not going to get himself out,” VanPelt said. “He has a plan and he executes that plan. When he gets the pitch that he wants he doesn’t miss very often. He draws walks, he doesn’t strike out often, he’s not afraid to hit with two strikes.”

Oldest of three children to Dusty Behringer, who has been a coach and teacher in the Sandwich school district for over 25 years, it’s no surprise that Braden plays the game the right way.

“He is a really astute baseball player. He is out there playing the game and playing it right,” VanPelt said. “Credit to him for being coachable, doing the things we are asking him to do. He does that with integrity.”

A relief pitcher who got a few starts on weekends as a sophomore, Behringer emerged as an ace for the Sandwich staff this spring.

He struck out 10 in pitching into the sixth inning of his first conference start at Plano, and pitched well in a win over Marengo.

VanPelt said that Behringer was able to keep hitters off balance by throwing three pitches for strikes. Not a super hard thrower, Behringer does have some velocity.

As much as anything, Behringer brings toughness to the mound, the ability to remain calm and respond well to big situations and get outs.

“The thing about him is he’s just really consistent. He’s consistent throwing strikes, he’s competing out there. When he gets in tough situations he responds well,” VanPelt said.

“And he trusts his teammates behind him. He doesn’t walk a lot of guys, he does a great job commanding the running game, keeping runners close.”

Behringer was quick to credit his coaches for great game planning for each team, his catcher Jeffrey Ashley and his defense behind him.

“I don’t strike everybody out. They do a good job of turning hits into outs,” Behringer said. “I would say my changeup was better this year than previous years. Overall I worked on my control while also getting velocity in the weight room. The weight room is important.”