Tomorrow morning, June 11, the WIAA Division-1 playoffs will commence at Neuroscience Group Field in Grand Chute, Wis. By the end of the day, we’ll learn which two teams will play for the D-1 title on Thursday.

As usual, the format is this: on Tuesday, all eight teams who made the trip to the Fox Cities will play in the quarterfinals, and the winners will meet in the semis later that evening. Here’s how the bracket looks, taken from the WIAA’s website.

Six of the eight teams remaining in the D-1 bracket are ranked on our Power 25, which was updated today. We’re going to briefly break down tomorrow’s match-ups in the paragraphs below. We’ll also be on site for all three days of the state tournament, so follow us at @PBRWisconsin for frequent in-game updates and post-game recaps, and we’ll also be utilizing the hashtag #wiaabase, too.

GREEN BAY PREBLE VS. BURLINGTON – 8 a.m.

Preble: The Hornets came back to walk off the Hortonville Polar Bears in the sectional semifinals on Tuesday and used their all-around junior phenom Max Wagner to surge by Kimberly in the sectional championship game to earn another trip to state.

Wagner, a Clemson commit, is among the best hitters in the entire state. He hit over .500 this spring (.507), homered five times, including once in the sectional semis, and was also one of this team’s most reliable arms, too. Wagner went 8-1 this spring with an ERA under 1.00 (0.77), helping solidify a staff with, not one, but two top-five-ranked 2020 prospects in Wisconsin. The other is Vanderbilt recruit Ryan Stefiuk, a 6-foot-4 left-hander who makes for an imposing at-bat for those stepping up to the plate. He struggled with his command in game one last week against Hortonville, but when he’s on there are few who do it better. If Preble has a more controlled Stefiuk to lean on, Preble can go the distance.

The depth the Hornets are bringing with them to Grand Chute is really impressive. Wagner and Stefiuk aren’t the only to arms they have on staff. Bryce Miller, a Rock Valley JC commit, was expertly used as a relief ace in the sectionals last Tuesday, but will likely have an even bigger and more important role this week, should Preble make it to Thursday.

On offense, Preble is energized by Wagner, but junior Connor Shefchik and freshman Jake Petasek have been excellent table-setters and consistently put themselves in position to score for Wagner, who hits directly behind the two. Josh Nicklaus and Ben Graff are also capable run-producers, as well.

The early morning contest between Preble and Burlington is really a match-up worthy of a state championship. The pitching, hitting, and depth on both sides gives this first game of the tournament a chance to be its best.

Burlington: The Demons spent a little time at the top of our Power 25 during the regular season, and they’ve hovered right around the No. 1 ranking for most of the spring. The winner of this heavyweight meeting on Tuesday morning will be decided by timely hitting. Both teams have more than just a single go-to arm in their rotation, and they’ll deploy any arm that gives them a chance to move on to the semis.

For Burlington, they have two of the state’s best seniors at the head of their rotation: RHP Trent Turzenski (Valparaiso commit), and LHP Trey Krause (Illinois State). The two are punch-out artists and have an extra year of experience on Preble’s junior dynamos. Neither has given their opposition much slack, either, as you’d expect. Krause has a miniscule ERA of 0.55 while Turzenski’s isn’t much higher, at 1.45. We saw Turzenski maintain his big fastball throughout his start at Waterford early this spring, touching 91 mph in the fifth and sixth innings. Krause works with a little more deception and offspeed feel. He combos his mid- to upper-80s sinking fastball with a swing-and-miss type curve.

Also like Preble, the Demons have a couple arms on reserve that are reliable back-end type pieces on staff, though the team is hoping they won’t be needed until Thursday.

Offensively, Burlington is a lot like the Hornets, though they’re lacking that Max Wagner-level of difference-maker. Still, there’s a competitive at-bat in each spot of this lineup. Krause and his .400 average is probably their most productive hitter, but Jason Adams isn’t too far behind. Turzenski brings the pop from the middle of the order and then there’s also Kale Dietz, Michael Rozell, Christian Brenner, and Riley Palmquist, all of whom are capable of sparking a rally on their own.

Runs are going to come at a premium in this game. We’ll see who can scratch one across first and make the plays to back their big-time arms up.

SUN PRAIRIE VS. OAK CREEK – 10:30 a.m. (approx.)

Sun Prairie: This match-up is precisely the kind of postseason meeting we were looking forward to when it was announced that the spring and summer seasons would be merging into one. Two of the state’s most historic programs meeting on the biggest stage.

This year’s Cardinals are a young, high-energy group, who still possess the experience of an older team. They’re back at state after a brief hiatus in the 2018 picture, and their bats have lifted them here. Junior Spencer Bartel has put together one of the best regular season lines in the state, hitting .500 as he entered the playoffs with 14 extra-base hits. He’s backed up in the order by a cast of sophomores, all of whom are becoming genuine next-level prospects to follow: Josh Caron, Liam Moreno, Carson Shepard. Caron and Shepard both hit above .430 this spring, though were valued in different ways. Shepard is a middle infield spark plug who battles his way on base in whatever way necessary, while Caron is more useful hitting Bartel in the clean-up role. As for Moreno, he’s the No. 6-ranked prospect on the state’s 2021 board because of his natural feel for the barrel. His numbers might not look as impressive on paper as his classmates, but his bat is just as big of a threat – he could make a huge impression on the rest of the state at Grand Chute.

On the mound, junior righty Noah Wendler has been an unlikely revelation for this staff. He’s been credited with seven of Sun Prairie’s 22 wins, and has 0.31 ERA tells much of the story. There’s a lot more solid, dependable arms that Sun Prairie can work around this week, too. There’s Logan Lange, Matthew DePrey, Robbie Knor, and Carson Fluno – all four will probably see the mound the mound at some point this week, and their reliability really buoys Sun Prairie’s chances of grinding through a grueling Tuesday.

Oak Creek: It’s been fun to see the traditional summer powerhouse Oak Creek take to the spring waters with ease. The Knights won 21 games in their inaugural spring ball season and finished second in the competitive Southeastern Conference.

They’re led on offense by lead-off man Gunnar Doyle, who’s really been one of the state’s finest hitters through the 2019 spring campaign. He’s the No. 42-ranked junior on our state’s board short and sweet stroke from the left side of the plate and his smooth actions in the outfield. He’s still an uncommitted junior who could be highly sought after following his breakout spring – and he could elevate his own stock even higher by staying red-hot for Oak Creek this week.

Doyle isn’t the only point of focus for Sun Prairie, however. Oak Creek attacks in a patient, balanced approach. There are two others hitting above .400 this spring, besides Doyle: Andrew Zakula and Colin Kalinowski. Zakula, an Oshkosh commit, is a daunting first baseman with a powerful bat. The senior Kalinowski is among the top catchers in the state who has a quick bat from the left side; he’s committed to McHenry County JC.

On the mound, the Knights are young but talented. Senior Cade Pisca operates as the go-to, given his experience, but there’s a sophomore trio here to watch and know: Tyler Peck, Isaac Engelbrecht, and Jacob Thoreson. All three had strong statistical seasons, especially for sophomores, and each has make-or-break talent that could propel Oak Creek all the way to a title shot on Thursday.

EAU CLAIRE NORTH VS. SUSSEX HAMILTON – 1 p.m. (approx.)

Eau Claire North: A couple of upsets in their sectional lightened their path to a fourth straight state appearance, but the Huskies don’t mind. After a 3-3 start to the spring, North has been winners in 18 of their last 19 ballgames. Once the playoffs rolled around, the Huskies dodged Holmen, a team that beaten them once already this spring, after Marshfield upset them. North defeated Marshfield as well as Wisconsin Rapids, the team that took down the top-ranked SPASH Panthers in the round prior.

So, the Huskies are back in Grand Chute. Sam Stange, who’s headed to play hockey at Wisconsin this fall, is wrapping up his prep baseball career by putting together one of the state’s best batting lines. Stange tallied five homers, 11 doubles, and five triples, good for a .522 batting average. He and junior Anthony Pogodzinski provide North the kind of middle-of-the-order punch it takes to make it to state. The uncommitted junior is also hitting well above .400 and has another 13 extra-base hits tallied for the Huskies.

And then there’s freshman Gabriel Richardson, who hits behind these two in the No. 5 spot. We identified Richardson on the showcase circuit last summer, and it resulted in an invite to Grand Park in Indiana to rep Team Wisconsin at the Junior Future Games. He showed us some power potential then, and it translated smoothly to varsity ball, apparently. Richardson hit .450 as a junior with nine extra-base hits, and he drove in 28 runs for the Huskies.

Another Wisconsin-Oshkosh commit, senior right-hander Carter Hesselman, is a critical part of this Huskies squad. Hesselman, as well as Stange, typically operate as the Nos. 1 and 2 of this rotation and both were required in North’s 11-inning marathon win over Marshfield last Tuesday. If neither of these two is pitching, it’s probably Xavier Bembnister or Austin Goetsch, two other reliable arms who helped get the job done in the sectional title game against Wisconsin Rapids.

While North’s pitching staff might lack the firepower some other teams are bringing with them on their trip to Grand Chute, the Huskies have the heat in the middle of their order to keep pace with any offense.

Hamilton: Like Oak Creek, the Hamilton Chargers are also enjoying a successful first season of spring ball, earning a share of the Greater Metro crown along the way. 

They limited Waukesha North, Oconomowoc, and Milton to a combined five runs in the postseason, and have really been one of the most effective pitching staffs all spring long, which has helped them earn their first trip to the state tourney since 1981.

On the mound, the Chargers are leaning on senior LHP Christopher Barnes (Milwaukee School of Engin.) and junior RHP/INF Eric Erato (Northern Illinois). Only one other pitcher in this staff has more than 10 innings pitched this spring, so the Chargers will go as far as these two workhorses can take them. Barnes is ranked inside the top 100 of the state’s 2019 class for his prototypical pitchability lefty qualities, working in the low- to mid-80s with above-average feel. Erato is ranked inside the top 30 of the state’s 2020 class because of his feel to hit and from the left side, but we’ve seen him run his fastball into the upper 80s in the past, so his results on the mound in 2019 comes as no surprise.

Erato and Barnes have certainly been among Hamilton’s most valuable bats, but there’s another under-the-radar slugger to note here, too: Hunter Slaats. The senior Trinity Christian College commit leads the team in batting average (.466) and gives the Chargers another productive piece to pencil in the middle of their order. Also, keep an eye on uncommitted junior Zachary Storbakken. He’s ranked inside the top 50 of the state’s 2020 class and swings a strong, compact right-handed bat.

Hamilton and Eau Claire North are evenly matched, and it’s going to come down to which team breaks first – the Chargers’ Barnes-Erato combo, or North’s robust middle-of-the-order bats?

FOND DU LAC VS. BROOKFIELD EAST – 2:30 p.m. (approx.)

Fond du Lac: The No. 8 seed of the Oshkosh North Sectional is headed to Grand Chute: Fond du Lac. The Cardinals are one of the winningest teams in the state’s tournament history, having made 12 previous state trips, but this is their first since 2000, which was coincidentally the last time this program won a state championship.

For head coach Marty Paulsen, his 51st season at the helm of this program turns out to be a special one. After finishing ninth in the Fox Valley Association, the Cards were forced to host No. 9 seed Cedarburg in the regional semis, and they snuck away with a narrow 1-0 win. Carson Raddatz singled home the go-ahead – and winning – run in the fifth and Sam Hernandez’s complete game shutout sealed the win.

That win earned them a shot at the sectional’s top seed, Manitowoc Lincoln, and Fondy’s late rally helped them pull back in front, 6-3, and Caden Krug settled back in to make it back-to-back complete game victories for Cardinals pitching. And on Tuesday, Hernandez pitched another complete game, maneuvering around three team errors to defeat West Bend West. And they topped it off with a sectional title in which Krug went the distance yet again, and Hernandez collected three hits and drove in a pair over No. 10 seed Sheboygan North.

It’s been a wild ride, and I’m sure you can infer how they’ve gotten to this point. Krug and Hernandez are throwing the team on their backs and are even picking themselves up in the batter’s box. Raddatz has had a strong postseason, too, and if he’ll need it to continue if Fond du Lac wants to keep their remarkable season alive.

Brookfield East: The Spartans’ results look a little like Fond du Lac’s, actually. At times, and especially of late, they’ve struggled to get into the next gear offensively, but their pitching has been stifling.

Bailey Banaszynski operates as the team’s No. 1. The senior Winona State recruit has six of East’s wins this spring and has an ERA of 2.38. He also leans on his heavy fastball to earn consistent weak contact, and it also regularly misses bats. Fellow senior righty Riley LeTourneau, a Madison JC commit, has one of the biggest fastballs in the state, and it was sitting 90-92 mph in his relief stint against Homestead at the end of May. He can lose his command every now and again, but he’s locked in lately. Last Tuesday, LeTourneau punched out nine in five innings against Wauwatosa East, and he also drove in three runs – two of which came on a clutch go-ahead single in the top of the seventh.

And while the aforementioned duo will be the primary pitchers at state, East has a few back-up arms, like lanky sophomore RHP Will Staviski, who can help either in relief, or if the Spartans were to make it to Thursday.

At the plate, East has gone a little cold, but the talent is right there. Senior backstop Ethan Toone (Evansville) leads the team in batting average (.451) and offers the team a steady middle-of-the-order presence and he has a big arm out of the crouch. LeTourneau and Banaszynski are also big bats that help make this offense go, but so are senior Ryan Mazza (Wisconsin-La Crosse), sophomore switch-hitter Q Phillips, and sophomore Harrison Toone.

This is a well-balanced team with a winning formula that has worked on this stage in the past. The offense hasn’t scored double-digit runs since late April, but if they can start clicking now, it’d take a lot of pressure off their two big arms.

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