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Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 6 Green Bay Preble

May 20, 2020
By Andy Sroka
Staff Writer, Associate Scout

On Tuesday, April 21, the WIAA Board of Control asserted to cancel all 2020 spring competitions, baseball included. While saddened for the graduating class of 2020, the PBR Wisconsin staff will do its best to highlight what could have been this spring, in what was set to be an exciting campaign filled with intriguing storylines to know and players to follow.

We published our ‘Watchlist Squads’ post on Monday, April 20, spotlighting almost 20 need-to-know programs that fell short of official ‘Bubble’ or Power 25 status for our preseason team rankings. We also declared 18 more programs official ‘On the Bubble’ teams, teams that earned sincere Power 25 consideration.

Today, we continue our countdown to No. 1, the top-ranked team on the PBR Wisconsin Preseason Power 25. We’ll be releasing a team a day in our lead-up to No. 1, and we’re onto No. 6 this evening.

Team: Green Bay Preble
Preseason Rank: No. 6
2019 Record: 24-4
Conference: Fox River Classic
WIAA Class: D-1
Head Coach: Andy Conrad
Playoff Run: D-1 State Quarterfinalists
2019 Final Rank: No. 6
Returning Starters: 5
Returning Pitchers: 3 

OUTLOOK

It’s a tough task to find the right place to rank these Hornets. The reality is, Preble’s 2019 squad was delicately balanced by its dependable, versatile senior core that complemented star juniors Max Wagner and Ryan Stefiuk and it helped the team win 24 games en route to another spot at state.

Unfortunately, that team ended up on the wrong end of a pitcher’s duel with one of the top teams in the D-1 state field, Burlington. It’s heartbreaking to look back on that game, and the season as whole, knowing that was the last time we’d see Wagner and Stefiuk wear the Preble green and black.

With that 2019 class graduated, it was going to be a big ask to get these juniors in the dugout to plug in the holes left behind. A few key juniors here that could have helped complete this long journey for their senior teammates with hardware: LHPs Wyatt Wiitanen and Zachary Lindsley. Wiitanen is a pitchability lefty who could have been useful for the team as either a No. 3 or a reliever of some kind. Both could have earned themselves some regular work in the outfield, too, alongside Connor Shefchik, who hit .333 as a sophomore. Shefchik would have helped the top half of Preble’s order look mostly unchanged from a year ago.

And sophomore INF Jake Petasek has quickly established himself as an interesting left-handed bat in this class. His solid bat-to-ball skills helped him hit .350 as a freshman, starting everyday, and he’s a sure-handed middle infielder, too.

Jake Petasek (3/8/20)

This group would have played an integral supporting role to Preble’s elite seniors and while this squad was a little short on depth, as compared to a spring ago, the 2020 Hornets could have still battled their way to another state bid where anything can happen.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

The Max Wagner factor is the real deal. There is no more impactful single player in the state than the future Clemson prospect. He earned the PBR Wisconsin Player of the Year honor for his unreal 2019 performance. So, despite the holes on this roster left behind by the 2019 graduates, it just doesn’t seem fair (or reasonable) to bet against Wagner, especially as a senior. As a junior, Wagner hit .507 with eight doubles, three triples, and five homers all while operating as another one half of the state’s most electric duos at the head of the rotation, alongside Stefiuk. On the mound, he was 8-2 with an ERA under 0.70, truly operating as one of the most effective arms in the state, even though his bat is the tool earning him looks from professional scouts.

As for Stefiuk, he possesses an electric arm from the left side that helped him earn a commitment to Vanderbilt. To this point, it’s been understandably difficult for Stefiuk to harness his special arsenal, which has limited his efficacy at the prep level. Though, as he continues to develop and mature, he could have authored a special senior spring alongside Wagner to launch Preble – finally – to state glory. As a junior, he struck out 69 batters in 45 innings, yielding just six earned runs all year entering the tourney, good for a 0.93 ERA.

Ryan Stefiuk (3/10/19)

These two, as well as OF/RHP Ben Graff (St. Cloud Tech CC), would have certainly given Preble a sincere chance to finally win it all in Grand Chute. Graff hit .286 last spring and would have seen an expanded role on the mound in 2020, ensuring that the Hornets owned one of the state’s premium pitching staffs.

C Hunter Petska had been identified in the summer and fall as a top uncommitted backstop in the state before ultimately committing to Rock Valley JC. Having him back behind the plate is critical to the success of the Wagner-Stefiuk combo on the mound. He was also going to be relied on for a more productive offensive role, but he looked capable of following through on that. 1B/LHP Liam Jones (Crown College commit) and OF Ben Nevarre are a couple more seniors that could have sufficiently helped fill out Preble's order in the final springs of their prep careers.

Winning at least a share of their fifth straight Fox River Classic was hardly a given for Preble, however, even with the Wagner-Stefiuk duo. Bay Port tied the Hornets atop this conference last spring and their roster offers a little more depth than Preble’s this year. De Pere looks like a threat, again, and Manitowoc Lincoln and Ashwaubenon aren’t exactly pushovers. It’s a shame we won’t get to see a fitting ending for these seniors and especially Wagner, who could have ended his historic prep career on top.

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