WASHINGTON, PA – In one crack of the bat, Josh Rehwaldt, one of the best baseball players in University of Sioux Falls school history, showed the Washington (Pa.) Wild Things of his ability to make plays in clutch situations on July 23. With a solo walk-off blast to centerfield, he helped lead his team to a 2-1 win in game two of a doubleheader.
 
Rehwaldt, a four-year starter for USF from 2016-19, has had a solid start with Washington, who acquired the first-baseman from the Sioux Falls Canaries this past offseason.  The Wild Things are part of the Can-Am Division of the Frontier League, an independent baseball league.
 
A native of Burnsville, Minn., he opened the year with a team-high .342 average through eight games but is now hitting .282 through 11 games. He has 11 hits in 39 at bats with two home runs, four RBI, seven runs scored, .436 slugging mark and a .420 on-base-percentage. Plus, he has his first walk-off hit.
 
"It's great to see Josh getting off to a good start at the plate," said his former USF Head Coach Grant Hieb. "To be one of the best players to come out of the Coo baseball program and now to see his hard work starting to pay off at the professional level, it's awesome.  I was hoping that the trade to Washington Wild Things would give him a chance to be the everyday guy at first base and get the at-bats he needs to continue improving," added Hieb.
 
Admittedly Hieb was worried about the COVID-19 pandemic costing Rehwaldt a season and the ability to continue his baseball career. But Rehwaldt has stepped up as he continually showed when he was setting 17 school records for hitting at USF.
 
"Fortunately the Frontier League has been able to get their season going and he's been taking advantage.  I'm excited for him and looking forward to seeing how the rest of his season plays out," said Hieb.
 
Rehwaldt's memorable USF career concluded in May, 2019 but the two-time All-NSIC selection finished as one of the school's most dominant players.  Rehwaldt finished his senior season with a team-high .337 batting average and 10 home runs plus a team-high 35 RBI as well as .438 OBP. He had a career-high 20 steals with 58 hits in 172 at bats while scoring 38 runs and a .587 slugging mark.

In all four years at USF, Rehwaldt hit .337 or better. As a freshman, he started 48-of-50 games and had a .367 average with 72 hits in 196 at bats. Rehwaldt had 17 doubles and four home runs with 41 RBI and put together a .526 slugging mark, .385 OBP and 103 total bases. As a sophomore, Rehwaldt earned All-NSIC honors as he started 50 games and hit .379 with six home runs, 49 RBI, 117 total bases, .600 slugging mark and .434 OBP. He had 45 runs scored and 17 doubles with 74 hits in 195 at bats. As a junior, he was All-NSIC as he hit a career-high .388 in 45 games – all starts – with 62 hits in 160 at bats. He had eight home runs with 38 RBI, 26 runs and 13 doubles. In addition, he slugged. 631 with a .459 OBP.
 
Rehwaldt, who earned his Bachelor of Science degree in criminal justice in 2019 from USF, finished his career ranked number one at USF in 17 categories and his 79 walks was second. He led USF in batting average, .368; slugging percentage .554; on-base percentage, .428; OPS, .982; games, 194; starts, 192; at bats, 723; runs, 150; hits, 266; home runs, 28; doubles, 52; triples, 10; stolen bases, 44; total bases, 422; RBI, 163; sac flies, 9; and intentional walks with 13. He had 79 career multi-hit games which includes 28 with three hits or better...recorded 41 multi-RBI games with 18 of three RBIs or more.
 
In 2017, he was USF's first-ever NCAA DII all-region player with his selection to the 2017 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) DII squad. In 2019 preseason, he was named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason All-Region Team.