Last week, the American Association of Baseball named the Lake Country DockHounds’ Luke Hansel their Pitcher of the Week. For the week of May 19-25, Hansel was 1-0, pitching 11 innings without allowing an earned run, and striking out 14. Amidst his celebratory week, Hansel took the time to talk about his roots in Wisconsin as well as his lifelong love for baseball.
Hansel is originally from Caledonia, Wisconsin, which he believes gives him a quirky advantage over other players. “I’ve only ever played baseball in the midwest, so I’m not intimidated by cold weather,” Hansel joked. “Really, though, I’m very blessed to have connections around here.”
Hansel played for several years at Madison College after going to Union Grove High School. While there, he was coached by Mike Davenport. “[Davenport] taught me about good morals and what it means to be a good man. He was such a great leader and role model.” While working under Davenport’s leadership, Hansel realized that how deep his passion for baseball was, and dedicated himself to improving his skills. After his stint in Madison, he wound up at UW- Milwaukee for two years. This gave him the opportunity to play at the D1 level, an experience he believes helped him take his gameplay to the next level.
“Growing up, I always had this dream”, he says. “I had to sink my toes in deeper and commit myself to the game because I knew this was what I really wanted.”
In the middle of the Dockhounds’ 2024 season, Hansel joined the team. The move from collegiate to professional baseball was one he had to learn to adapt to: “It’s a business now, which isn’t a bad thing. It just means that it’s more cutthroat… Because the roster can change so frequently, there’s different relationships between players. Nobody has an ego, we all just going together.”
Coming into 2025, Hansel is off to a solid start, and his ‘Pitcher of the Week’ status has only confirmed that. Last year, he played almost two full seasons between his final college season and his partial season with the Dockhounds. “I feel so fresh coming into this season.”
Perhaps best of all is Hansel’s ability to play for a professional club he has such a strong relationship with. Growing up in Wisconsin means that much of his family and friends are nearby: “I will never take having my family come to games for granted. Like, having my Grandpa easily come to my games is such a special feeling.” Hansel, like many DockHounds, stays with a host family near Watertown, who he says feels like having “A second family.”
When not playing baseball, Hansel likes to spend his free time going on hikes and playing video games so that he can stay connected with friends. In the off season, he has been studying to earn his real estate license. When asked about his future career goals, Hansel said: “I have a day by day approach to success. I praise God for all of the accomplishments I’ve had so far. I’ve worked really hard in the off season, and I know that I can break any barrier with God behind me.”
