Comet Tait Arndt to join older brother Theo at Wartburg College

By John Burbridge
sports@charlescitypress.com
CHARLES CITY — They eventually broke up the Chicago Bulls. It’s only a question of who the main perpetrators were.

They eventually broke up the brother tandem of Tait and Theo Arndt. For that, we can undoubtedly blame the Charles City High School 2018 graduation ceremony from which Theo was part of the departing class.

“We’ve been (baseball) teammates since we were young,” Tait said, “last season (2019 high school) was about the first time we weren’t on the same team.”

Theo signed to continue his career at Wartburg College, an NCAA Division III program based in Waverly.

Recently, Tait made a verbal commitment to be reunited with his older brother at Wartburg where he will also continue his baseball career.

Not only will there be a familiar face when Tait joins the Knights next college baseball season, but he will be playing on a familiar field.

Wartburg College’s Hertel Field often served as the Comets’ “home away from home” the last few seasons on occasions when Charles City home games had to be relocated due to repeated flooding at Sportsman’s Park.
Though the setting may be the same, Tait said that Theo has told him the game is much different.

“It’s a much more serious atmosphere … that’s what (Theo) told me,” Tait said.

Last season, Tait led the Comets in batting average (.355) and hits (38), and was second on the team in runs batted in (26).

As a starting right-handed pitcher, Tait was the Comets’ co-leader in wins (5) with then fellow junior Elliott Sinnwell.

Charles City had a winning record last season and advanced to the sub-state final where the Comets lost to eventual Class 3A state champion Xavier.

Though high school spring sports have been cancelled, there is still a possibility of high school summer sports — baseball and softball — being played in 2020.

“I’m still very hopeful for that,” said Tait, who’s looking forward to playing Charles City’s first season at its new complex.

“They’re starting to open more businesses, so that could only be a good sign that we’re going to play.”

Though the Comets won’t be playing at Sportsman’s Park any more, they still practice there informally.

“We have a batting cage still set up out there,” Tait said. “We’ve been going out there two at a time to take batting practice. We schedule times during the week.”

Though Wartburg’s baseball season was cancelled for the remainder of 2020, the Knights did manage to get 10 games in and were 9-1 with a six-game winning streak before the plug was pulled.