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. Today, and for the remainder of the week, we’re going to be individually detailing our ‘On the Bubble’ teams – teams that earned serious consideration for our Preseason Power 25 Rankings, but ultimately fell just short.

Our 2020 preseason coverage continues today.

Team: Muskego
Preseason Rank: On The Bubble
2019 Record: 15-7
Conference: Classic Eight
WIAA Class: D-1
Head Coach: Jacob Paige
Playoff Run: Sectional Semifinalist
2019 Final Rank: On The Bubble
Returning Starters: 5
Returning Pitchers: 3 

OUTLOOK

The 2020 version of the Muskego Warriors were a team that competitive players stretched across the field and through its staff. On paper, it’s a deep squad, one with true hopes to compete at the top of the historic Classic Eight Conference, even against the likes of Catholic Memorial.

Because of that depth, Muskego will be back in 2021 with a healthy talented roster, considering their own class of 2021 is one of the tops in the conference. LHP/1B Alex Hayes, LHP Blake Read (Miami-Ohio), OF Peyton Seebacher, LHP Ryan Sell, LHP Corey Plahuta, C Anthony Tomczak, and OF Evan Weber make up one deep class that will have the Warriors ready for another deep postseason run – and its first-ever spring trip to state – once baseball is finally back. This rotation is packed with steady left-handers and the luxury of a deep ‘pen would have been one of the team’s biggest strengths in 2020.

There would have been some big-time sophomores in this dugout this spring, too: C Heath Venne and INF/RHP Cristiano Ramirez. Venne is an advanced defender for his age and his premium strength works well in the right-handed box. Ramirez would have been one of the staff’s top right-handers already and he brings some upside in the infield, too.

The Warriors unfortunately lost out on a huge chance to rally back to state after a successful first season of spring that saw them fall just a little short of a repeat trip. They won’t skip a beat in 2021, though.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

The seniors here were primed to perfectly weave themselves into this deep 2021 class, solidifying a sturdy roster. OF Scott Bulski (Wisconsin-Whitewater) is an athletic and strong right-handed bat in an order that required his presence; Cooper Grohman and Nathan Faust (Wisconsin-Oshkosh) are a pair of reliable infielders; LHP Jacob Tyczkowski (Marian-WI commit) is a yet another talented lefty on staff who we’ve seen up to 83 mph in the past; and big lefty and Winona State football recruit, Jacob Leczynski, had been the team’s go-to arm when it won summer state in 2018 and was unfortunately robbed of capping his baseball career with more hardware.

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