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2020 WIAA Season: Watchlist Squads

April 20, 2020
By Wisconsin Staff

With the 2020 WIAA spring baseball season in serious jeopardy, the PBR Wisconsin staff held off on publishing our preseason analysis until today. Season or no season, it’s going to be a fun exercise sifting through each team’s roster to determine which programs were best positioned to make a run to the Fox Cities later this spring.

It's also worth mentioning that tomorrow, April 21, the WIAA is meeting virtually to determine the course of action for the remainder of the 2019-20 athletic calendar:

This preseason, we’re marking the start of our high school coverage with this post of ‘Watchlist Squads’ – teams that fell short of our initial Preseason Power 25 ranking. Tomorrow, and through the rest of the week, we’ll focus more closely on individual ‘Bubble’ teams before our Power 25 Countdown begins this time next week, with our No. 25-ranked program in the state for the 2020 spring.

WATCHLIST SQUADS

DIVISION-1

+ Marquette University: The Hilltoppers entered last spring inside the PBR Wisconsin Power 25 but fell short of lofty expectations. They graduated a few of last year’s reliable options from both the mound and the plate, but they’re going to compete and they should bounce back big. Senior RHPs Jake Orthober (St. Thomas commit) and Luke Skudlarczyk (Heartland CC) should handle the Nos. 1 and 2 duties, though RHP Joey Pettit will certainly be able to chip in. Backstop Jonah Wronski (2020; Emory) is a vocal defender and has the skillset to handle the run game as well as the staff, all while handling run-producing responsibilities. Junior Bradon Ahn (uncommitted) looks set to be the everyday shortstop. There are also some 2022s who could help shore up the staff, like Gavin Gawronski, who we just saw up in the Fox Cities last month. There, too, INF Adam Bretsch (2021) had a solid day and can be counted on to help the ‘Toppers in ‘20. 

+ DeForest: DeForest is returning a large chunk of last year’s team that came a few wins short of taking the Badger North conference title. They’re an impressive bunch led by their talented junior class that they will rely on for most of their overall production. Cal Olson (uncommitted) is one of the top outfielders in the conference, arguably the most productive, and he’s back with his classmates, juniors and UW-Milwaukee commits 1B Justin Hausser, RHP Keagon Kaufmann, as well as INF Mason Kirchberg (uncommitted). Outside of his offensive production, Olson also led this team on the bump last year as a sophomore with a 1.67 ERA and is prepared to do so this year as well. Kaufmann and Kirchberg also poured in valuable contributions from a pitching standpoint, while the latter hit .312 as an everyday infielder for the Norskies. Hausser is a force right smack in the middle of their lineup that led their team in hitting last season with a .412 batting average. This team was close to winning conference last season and with another year of experience under their belt are capable of doing so in 2020.

Mason Kirchberg (3/15/20)

+ South Milwaukee: The Rockets won 14 games last spring with much of the same roster, though they were forced to trudge through some injury which most definitely hampered the team’s upside. Despite losing SS Xavier Watson (2019; Illinois), the Rockets return a strong 2020 group that includes RHP Charlie Campbell (Madison JC) and OF Jacyk Uehling (Northern Illinois). Fellow seniors OF Omar Wright (Lake County CC) and UTL Chris Brown (Lakeland College) extend the depth on the roster and in the lineup, too. Junior RHP Dom Goodenough (uncommitted) has a big arm and can operate as the No. 2 behind Campbell, and keep an eye on some of the underclassmen looming; sophomore INF Nate Snead might break into the team at some point this spring.

+ Madison Memorial: Without some key members of its 2019 squad, it’s tough to peg the Spartans. However, there’s some genuine talent in the dugout here, and some key contributors from last year’s Regional-winning squad. Uncommitted C Kyle Murphy is sturdy, strong backstop with right-handed juice, and he’s a leader from the crouch. Junior SS Kyle Yu (uncommitted) is an easy-going, athletic right-handed bat who’s going to energize this lineup. Senior Kole Kerkhoff is going to be relied on to eat some innings and occupy some spot on the infield – his versatility is his biggest tool. RHP Seth Gonring (2020), a Saint Mary’s (MN) commit, should also take on a go-to role from the mound. Sophomore OF/LHP Aaron Jungers is also one of the most talented players on the roster and he has the chance to pitch and start in the outfield.

+ West Bend West: West returns a fairly stout senior group, led by RHP Gavin Hinckley (Indian Hills CC) and 1B Lukas Broske (Lake Land JC). Hinckley was their ace on the mound, pitching to the tune of a 1.72 ERA and giving them a chance to win each game he pitched in. Broske led their team with a .418 batting average and contributed quality innings on the mound, too. Senior OF/RHP Brad Weber is another key two-way player for West with a smooth left-handed stroke and a competitive mix of pitches on the hill. Tyler Young (2021; uncommitted) impressed our staff at an event a few weeks ago and could factor into the Spartans everyday lineup. West has some interesting pieces that could gell together and make them a team to watch as the spring rolls on. 

+ Middleton: The Cardinals won 14 games last year and return a healthy amount to create a more optimistic outlook regarding their chances in the Big Eight. C/OF Adam Casali (2020; Wisconsin-Whitewater) is headed into his third spring on varsity, an all-around reliable senior to have behind the plate. Senior RHP/OF Ben Collier is back and so is his .412 batting average and 41 innings – he K’d 46 batters last year, too. 6-foot-5 senior RHP Logan Schultz groomed a 2.50 ERA in 36 innings as a junior last spring. INF/RHP Jacob Meinholz (2020; Wisconsin-Stevens Point) is also an above-average athlete with actions – he reached base at a .527 clip last spring. RHP/OF Josh Stumpf is another big senior arm here, and he’s preparing for a fourth year as a member of Middleton’s varsity squad. 

+ Elkhorn: The Elks are a dark horse program to steal the Southern Lakes Conference in 2020. Burlington is retooling in 2020 having graduated a few of the best seniors in the state, though Union Grove remains loaded. Still, Elkhorn returns all of their arms and seven starters. Starting backstop and team captain Mason Buelow will return to his seat behind the plate where his leadership will help guide a talented 2021 class, led by RHP/UTL Austin Bestul (uncommitted). Bestul is an all-around athlete who looked excellent at a fall camp with athletic actions on both the infield and outfield, with a strong round of BP from the right side. He’s also a low-80s arm with solid-average breaking stuff. He’s a top-40-ranked player in the state. Right/right two-way junior Noah Anzalone (uncommitted) will also contribute on both sides of the ball, as will sophomore Brayden Marks (uncommitted).

Austin Bestul (3/15/20)

+ Waukesha South: The Waukesha-area programs, outside of Catholic Memorial, all come with question marks, but the Blackshirts have some interesting pieces inside their dugout, including live-armed RHP/OF Eli Hoyt (2021; uncommitted). He broke out last month where he was up to 88 mph with excellent offspeed, and he’s a talented athlete who will pull his weight on offense and in the outfield. C/INF Nick Nowak (2021; uncommitted) has a reliable, versatile toolset and will be able to help South in a multitude of ways. Junior OF Jordan McNello (uncommitted) is also fresh off a sound performance at a recent showcase. Hulking senior RHP/1B Brody Cypert (Bryant & Stratton, WI) will also help the South rebound this spring, from both the mound and the batter’s box.

Eli Hoyt (2/16/20)

+ Rufus King: The Generals are the odds-on pick to represent Milwaukee at state at the end of the season. They finished second to Reagan in the Milwaukee City conference last year, but they also return eight starters and five arms, including 2B/SS Darryl Jackson (2021; uncommitted), who’s been on the rise this winter, as well as fellow juniors INF Natanael Pinet (uncommitted) and OF Keshun Nelson. C Derek Sowinski should also offer some senior stability here, too. Jackson, specifically, was just 91 mph across the infield at the South MKE I.D. at the start of March, and he’ll be able to set the table on offense consistently, too.

+ Hudson: Despite winning just five games last spring, the Raiders should not be underestimated within the Big Rivers Conference in 2020. Creighton commit John Erickson (2020) will motor the Raiders, and there’s some depth inside this rotation. Senior RHP/OF Teddy Donna (uncommitted) has solid stuff and can pound the zone with three pitches. There are also three uncommitted juniors here worth knowing: RHP/INF Owen Anderson, RHP Riley Hess, and OF Matteo Bonnin. Anderson was up to 86 mph on the mound last month, Hess touched 81 at the same event, and Bonnin is a 6.87 runner with a quick left-handed bat. They can surprise some people in 2020.

DIVISION-2

+ River Falls: The Wildcats won the Big Rivers conference in 2019 and are poised to compete for the conference title yet again this season. They return both of the best player’s from last year’s team: senior RHP/1B Joe Stoffel and junior OF/LHP Jaden Schwantz. Stoffel was their go-to arm last season, going 6-0 on the season with a 0.83 ERA and earning 1st Team All-BRC honors. Schwantz is a toolsy, athletic left/left OF that led the Wildcats with a .418 batting average last spring with a 2.63 ERA on the mound and also earned All-BRC honors. Ragan Pinnow is one of the state’s top sophomores and is set to man the hot corner again for the Wildcats. He’s a powerful bat with middle-of-the-order potential that is ready to put the first-year varsity jitters behind him en route to a strong second season. River Falls is making the jump to D1 this season, which will make their route to Appleton harder, but their squad is capable of turning some heads this season.

Ragan Pinnow (11/3/19)

+ Cedarburg: It’s almost always a good thing to return virtually the same team year over year, and that’s what Cedarburg did in 2020. Eight members of last year’s starting lineup are back, including seniors 1B/3B Sean Menzel (2020; Wisconsin-Oshkosh), LHP Ayden Spykstra (2020; Wisconsin-Whitewater), Sam Tomashek (2020); Menzel has some pop, Spykstra was up to 84 mph from the left side early last year, with an above-average slider/change combo. But, it’s looking like INF/RHP Colin Dailey (2021; uncommitted) might break out as a junior to be one of the Bulldogs’ best players. He popped up big in October and looked even better last month, where he sat 84 mph and touched 87, with solid offspeed. He’s a premium athlete with bat strength and his arm helped him reach 92 mph across the infield, too. Lanky sophomore Noah Josephson (uncommitted) spent his freshman spring as the team’s starting shortstop and his athleticism is just another interesting piece to this Cedarburg squad.

Colin Dailey (3/8/20)

+ Greendale: The Panthers will miss their 2019 class, headlined by Paul Toetz, who’s now at Indiana, but despite their youth, Greendale will remain competitive in 2020. The juniors are the leaders here, which speaks to how young they’ll be on Opening Day. All-Conference backstop Keegan Kapocius (uncommitted) is back, as is OF Will Brust and the aforementioned Toetz’s younger brother Joseph. Sophomore SS/2B Tristan Ellis (Purdue) is one of the top sophomores in the state – a hard-nosed competitor who will pace the top of this order and patrol the middle of the infield that will continue to see some time on the mound this year. Junior RHP Patrick Jankowiak led the Panthers with a 0.82 ERA and could end up being their top starting pitcher this season. Senior INF Braxton Claypool (uncommitted) stole some attention at a PBR tournament at The Rock in the summer, and he might bloom late into a reliable piece for this squad, too.

+ Jefferson: The Eagles have a senior class that has loads of experience under their belts and are eager to compete for a Rock Valley conference title. They’re lead defensively by senior shortstop Reese Fetherston (2020; uncommitted), a savvy defender with plenty of varsity experience under his belt. From a pitching standpoint, first-team All-RVC member Jared Vogel (2020; uncommitted) returns as the staff’s ace after a 6-3 season with a 1.76 ERA and brings plenty of upside as an arm with his lanky 6-foot-7 frame. RHP/UTL Tyler Danielsen (2020; uncommitted) and 3B Logan Wagner (2020; uncommitted) are two more key contributors to this team.

+ Denmark: Led by Hall of Fame coach Bill Miller, the Vikings finished in the top half of the North Eastern conference and this year’s squad could potentially compete with Wrightstown for the conference title. Denmark’s success will revolve around their pitching staff, where a handful of key junior arms are preparing for their third year of varsity ball. RHP Brennen Miller (2021; uncommitted) went 8-1 last season with a 1.51 ERA and earned second-team All-Conference honors. Southpaw Reece Piontek cemented himself as one of the top left-handed arms in the state and could end up surpassing his teammate as the top arm on this staff. We’ve seen him touch 85 mph with his heater and show off a potential swing-and-miss breaking ball in our recent looks. Logan Paplham (2021; uncommitted) will see some action on the mound this year, too. The Vikings have some question marks surrounding their offense as a whole, but they’re more than capable of winning games on the mound with the talent they have.

Reece Piontek (2/16/20)

DIVISION-3

+ Eau Claire Regis: Eight returning starters make their way back inside the Ramblers’ dugout, five of whom have been Regis starters since their sophomore seasons. Naturally, it’s a senior-dominated environment led by 2B Mason Bauer and UTL Matt Klink. Both hit over .440 last season and are surrounded by fellow capable bats like Ben Boda (2021), Joe Edge (2020), Luke Rooney (2020), Tristan Root (2020), and Drew Goettl (2021). Klink was credited with five wins and brings back a 2.48 ERA. Keep an eye on freshman RHP Cole Selvig, too. He was up to 84 mph around this time last month at one of our showcases and he can certainly enhance Regis’ chances at a D-3 run.

+ Amherst: Amherst won’t have it easy inside the Central Wisconsin East Conference with Iola-Scandinavia still operating as the favorite there – and arguably the state’s D-4 favorite, too – but the Falcons have a one-two punch atop their rotation that’s capable of creating a postseason run. Senior Cyle Zblewski and sophomore Benjamin Lee will do the heavy lifting from the mound. Zblewski maintained a sub-1.00 ERA last spring and earned a spot on the first team all-conference squad. As for Lee, he looks like a sincere sophomore follow in the state, as evidenced by a strong performance at the Fox Cities I.D. last month. There’s also some depth in Amherst, too, coming from Sterling Lutz (2020) and Jake Hoffman (2022), the two who will be leaned on most at the plate.

Benjamin Lee (3/8/20)

+ Lake Country Lutheran: The Lightning are a senior-heavy squad that won 18 games last year and fell as game shy of tying Living Word for the Midwest Classic crown. The 2020 class looked like a good one to bet would build the Lightning into a postseason player, led by OF/LHP Jack Leverenz (IU-Kokomo). Leverenz will be asked to operate as the team’s primary run producer, as well as its go-to arm – he did it in 2019 and he can do it again. Fellow seniors Andrew Schumacher, Corey Lindner, Will Brazgel, and Tyler Martins help provide this lineup with some quality depth that can help carry them to a deep D-3 run.

DIVISION-4

+ Deerfield: The D-4 Demons return five to their starting lineup after winning 20 games in 2019. They’ll also insert the top-ranked freshman in the state into the dugout: Cal Fisher (Notre Dame). Fisher is a physical right-handed hitter with a natural, innate feel for the barrel, which should allow him to quickly establish himself as one of the top bats in the D-4 class, and really, the state. Beyond Fisher, Deerfield will be starting five players who’ve been on varsity since they were freshmen, 2020s Tyler Haak, Carson Galla, Clayton Mathwig, Kadin Mathison, and Bene Lemke. They were downed by Mineral Point in last year’s Sectional, but look primed to make it back there and potentially beyond.

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