Top-10 Stories of 2018: No. 2 WIAA ends 54-year-old summer season

Since 1965, the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association has coordinated summer baseball in the state.

That’s 53 years of history that came to its end when the Muskego Warriors downed the Pius XI Popes in the summer state championship at Kapco Park in Mequon, Wis. Summer ball went down with a fight, too – Muskego and Pius required extra innings in a dramatic contest that saw the Warriors come out on top, 2-1.

“I love summer ball and it’ll always be a special time for me,” said Jacob Paige, the Muskego head coach. “We’ve had enough time now to know that this change is coming. We’re prepared for it. We might not know what we’re getting into with the weather but we’re taking the right steps. We’ll miss it, but we’re excited for the challenge.”

It’s apparent that there’s a fierce minority of coaches and players – both from the past and present – who are disappointed to see summer ball go by the wayside. Paige might not be as fierce as some, but he’s made a career in Wisconsin’s summer baseball scene. He was an assistant at West Allis Central and Hale before becoming an assistant for five seasons at Oak Creek, before taking the Muskego opportunity. He even played his high school ball at Central.

Coaches and former players like Paige are proponents of the summer ball format, for a couple very obvious reasons. Naturally, the unpredictable Wisconsin weather is a little more predictable in the summer, allowing for baseball to be played in conditions where you don’t have to worry about thawing out bats before stepping into the batter’s box. Undeniably, better weather means more time playing and less time worrying about make-up games, schedule work-arounds, etc.

So Paige, like the rest of the former summer ball coaches, is already preparing for the season ahead. Practice in an official capacity is allowed to begin under WIAA rules on March 18, but teams are still able to organize unofficial open gyms, allowing players to prevent rust from settling in. But for those multi-sport athletes, they’ll have less time off than they’re accustomed to.

“We do have a handful of guys who play football, basketball, and baseball,” Paige said. “That’ll be an adjustment for us. They won’t have that off time like they’re used to. They’re really good athletes, so hopefully it won’t be too much of an adjustment. One thing is, baseball and track coincide now, the four-sport athlete might go by the wayside.”

Still, it’ll be fun to watch the former summer ball teams fit into the new WIAA baseball format. Teams with storied pasts like Pius, Oak Creek, and Franklin, among others, will renew old rivalries with programs that made the switch over to spring ball in the years prior. Then you have the last three summer champs, Muskego, West Bend West, and Menomonee Falls. A storyline headed into next spring is how their recent success in previous summers will help their adjustment into the new format.

The end of the 53-year run of the state’s summer season is surely one of the most important stories of 2018 and will create one of Wisconsin baseball’s most intriguing seasons in its history in 2019.

TOP STORIES OF 2018