Prep Baseball Report

PBR Wisconsin High School Select: Preview


By Diego Solares & Andy Sroka
Wisconsin Staff

This Friday and Saturday, May 14 and 15, we're hosting 18 area high school programs at The Rock Complex in Franklin to take in some intriguing WIAA match-ups as part of the inaugural PBR Wisconsin High School Select. Get to know the teams attending below:

No. 2 Oak Creek Knights 

Head coach Scott Holler recently won his 400th career game and the Knights are rolling early in the spring season, entering this weekend as the top-ranked team on our current power rankings. They’re led by arguably the state’s strongest pitching staff, an upperclassmen heavy unit that’s combined to throw four no-hitters already across just eight games. Tyler Peck (2021; Ohio), Luke Klekamp (2022; uncommitted), and Tyler Gall (2021; Bryant & Stratton) make up a true three-headed monster atop the Knights’ starting rotation, while seniors Jacob Thoresen (Lake County CC) and Isaac Engelbrecht (Fort Scott CC) provide Oak Creek with stability on the back half of this staff. 

Offensively, Oak Creek continues to trot out one of the younger everyday lineups among contenders at the D-I level. They’ve started three freshmen up the middle in most of their games, with CF Cade Palkowski, SS C.J. Trask, and C Nathan Hanel eating up the bulk of playing time at those respective positions. Sophomore Evan Calderon has taken a full grasp on the everyday second base job, and even juniors 1B/C Ryan Santi and CIF Cole Rodriguez didn’t have much varsity experience under their belt entering this season. Regardless of their youth, Oak Creek continues to win games and they’ll keep riding this dominant pitching staff to victories throughout the WIAA season. They’ll be tested for the first time this weekend, however, as Oak Creek is scheduled to play No. 4 Kimberly and No. 9 West De Pere on Saturday morning. 

No. 4 Kimberly Papermakers

The Papermakers will draw two tough assignments this weekend, squaring up against perennial powerhouse Oak Creek followed by a matchup against Arrowhead. It’ll be a true testament to what Kimberly has to offer, as they’re a team we’re stoked to see more of throughout the season. 

Kimberly hasn’t lost yet and their roster is, yet again, fairly talented from top to bottom. Bradley commit Cal McGinnis (2021) is one of the area’s best players and INF Colin Obermann (2022) provides a formidable pairing with McGinnis up the middle. Sophomores INF Kale Twombly and C Maxwell Kalk are two other follow names on this Papermakers’ roster. UConn commit RHP Thomas Ellisen (2021) and RHP Evan Johnson (2022) are handling business on the mound for Kimberly, putting the Papermakers in a strong position to succeed this spring. 

No. 5 Union Grove Broncos

You’ll be hard pressed to find a team across the state that’s been firing on all cylinders like Union Grove has this spring. The Broncos have, quite frankly, dominated everyone they’ve played so far, cruising to a perfect 10-0 record and outscoring their opponents at an impressive 113-21 clip.

We highlighted the Broncos’ pitching staff as a strength in their preseason preview and that unit has lived up to all expectations. Seniors Isaiah Cerfus (Madison JC) and Noah France (Madison JC) have both pitched extremely well, while southpaws Kaden Pfeffer (2021; Century) and Taylor Brauer (2021; McHenry County CC) complete a quality quartet of arms for Union Grove. 

Everyone seems to be hitting for Union Grove and they don’t really have a hole in their lineup as things stand right now. Sophomore OF Owen Nowak has hit non-stop out of the leadoff spot, while INF Josh DeGroot (2022), OF Remmi Sweet (2022), and C Brady Katterhagen (2021; UW-Platteville) make up the heart of this order, each slugging their way to strong offensive starts. Wabash Valley CC commit Nicklas Williams (2021) and the aforementioned Cerfus provide power to this lineup, and even names like INF Ethan Horon (2022) and RHP/CIF Eric Williamson (2022) are producing at the bottom of Union Grove’s lineup. 

Like a few other ranked teams in attendance, Union Grove will be truly tested for the first time all season this weekend. They’re squaring up against a competitive Tremper Trojans’ team on Friday night and will almost certainly draw one of the Wauwatosa East aces when they play the Red Raiders Saturday morning.

No. 6 Pewaukee Pirates 

We’re only going to see Pewaukee one time this weekend, as the Pirates will play Milwaukee Lutheran on Friday night in a Woodlands West conference matchup. Pewaukee has yet to lose this season and this team doesn’t look like it’s going to slow down anytime soon. Valpairaso commit RHP/SS Grant Ross (2021) won our first Player of the Week honors this season after a dominant performance on both sides of the ball and he’s firmly entrenched in the Player of the Year conversation right now. 

RHP/INF Logan Dobberstein (2022; Kansas State) threw a perfect game earlier this season and he’s provided ace-like stuff on the mound for Pewaukee, all while giving the Pirates plenty of value on offense, too. Southpaws Gavyn Bowen (2023) and Nick Doubek (2022) have each strung together a handful of quality outings on the mound, while RHP/CIF Luke Sopha (2022) is another legitimate threat on the mound nestled within this pitching rotation. 

Senior LHP/OF Vince Zipperer (Cornell College) has secured an all-encompassing role for his final season for the Pirates, striking the ball well as a middle-of-the-order bat and operating as a valuable relief arm, too. OF Carson Hansen (2022) trended upward on our prospect rankings after a strong off-season and he’s riding a hot streak entering this weekend, having homered a handful of times over Pewaukee’s last few games. Sophomore OF Logan Schill is another name swinging a hot bat for the Pirates, coming off a three-hit performance against New Berlin West on Monday and starting to fully acclimate himself to pitching at the varsity level. We’re excited to see Pewaukee play throughout the remainder of the spring season, especially after their recent bump to the D-1 level. 

No. 7 Wauwatosa East Red Raiders 

After clinging on to win an 11-inning showdown with Menomonee Falls, the Red Raiders fully control their destiny when it comes to the Greater Metro Conference title. They’re currently undefeated, sitting comfortably at 10-0 with a few quality wins on their resume. 

The name of the game for Wauwatosa East is their pitching staff; a group capable of shutting any opponent down on any given day. We predicted that LHP Tommy Meyer (2021; Northern Illinois) and RHP Thomas Harper (2022) would serve as co-aces for this team, and the two-headed monster perched atop the Red Raiders’ rotation has certainly lived up to our expectations. They’re backed up by LHP Cal Dobbe (2021; Wisconsin-Whitewater), RHP Brandon Marquardt (2021), and RHP Trevor Marquardt (2021), all of which have pitched at a high level for head coach Pete Schwichtenberg’s squad. 

As dominant as their pitching has been, the Red Raiders’ offense has just started to consistently find its footing over the last few games. Mentioned above for his success on the mound, Meyer has actually been the Red Raiders’ most productive bat this season and junior backstop Alex Esser has swung it well for Wauwatosa East in all 10 games. Outfielders Mo Rockette (2021), Eli Michaelis (2022), and Zachary Ortner (2021) have each slowly started to hit as of late, too. 

The Red Raiders draw arguably the hardest crop of teams this weekend, as they’ll square off against Arrowhead in the tournament’s opener and follow that up with Union Grove on Saturday morning. 

No. 9 West De Pere Phantoms 

West De Pere truly missed out on what would have been a potential state championship caliber team last year due to the cancellation of the WIAA season, but the Phantoms appear to be picking things right up. 

West De Pere is off to an 8-0 start and their offense has put up 10+ runs in half of their games this season. It’s a unit capable of exploding on any given night, with OF Joshua Blount (2021; Illinois State), C Kaden Kosobucki (2021; Northern Illinois) and CIF Braydon Skenandore (2021; Wisconsin-Oshkosh) making up a dangerous middle-of-the-order group. It seems like OF Jourdon Schuyler (2021; Wisconsin-Oshkosh) hits at least one double on a game-to-game basis, and OF Joshua Brud (2021) is another experienced name atop this Phantoms’ lineup that’s starting to swing it well. 

The Phantoms’ pitching staff is made up of multiple upperclassmen arms that have strung together quality performances to date, but the lack of a true “ace” type arm is the lone knock for this club moving forward. RHP Bryce Van de Hei (2021) and RHP Drake Vandeven (2021) are two senior arms perched atop this rotation, while right-handers Ethan Susa and Sam Cherney have each also pitched well to date for the Phantoms. 

West De Pere will certainly be challenged this weekend, as they’ll square off against undefeated Oak Creek at 1:00 p.m. and follow that up with a game against a Catholic Memorial team looking to make some noise this weekend. Coming out victorious in both of those games could catapult West De Pere into the upper echelon tier of D-1 programs. 

No. 12 Whitefish Bay Blue Dukes

A recent addition to our weekly power rankings, we’re excited to get our first look at Whitefish Bay this weekend when they face off against Franklin on Saturday morning. The Blue Dukes are a bit short-handed this season, with a handful of high profile prospects currently not playing, but head coach Jay Wojcinski’s squad continues to win games regardless. Seniors MIF Brady Counsell (2021; Minnesota) and 1B Brady Marget (2021; Tulane) are each off to hot starts, slugging the baseball with ease for the Blue Dukes. What they’ve gotten out of underclassman MIF Brady Counsell (2023) and SS J.D. Dix (2024) has helped propel this team to 11 straight wins, while several other names have continued to pour in valuable contributions. 

No. 15 Arrowhead Warhawks

The Warhawks continue to be one of the state’s strongest rosters and they have an impressive winning resume, with two victories over Catholic Memorial and a split with Muskego. 

Arrowhead is a team capable of winning games in multiple ways, but the strength of this team is certainly every game that RHP Mason Buss (2022; Kansas State) toes the rubber. Unquestionably one of the WIAA’s most competitive arms, Buss brings a true “ace” type effect to the Warhawks each time he toes the rubber. Behind him in their rotation are LHP Michael Carpenter (2022) and SS/RHP James Vargas (2022), both of whom have been consistent producers for Arrowhead on the mound. 

The Warhawks’ offense appears to be getting on track as they enter this weekend. They’re coming off a 13-run outburst against Kettle Moraine on Tuesday and it’s only the second time we’ve seen Arrowhead’s bats truly come to life. Sophomores C Thomas Curry (2023) and MIF Ethan Hindle (2023) are two top-ranked prospects in Wisconsin’s 2023 class that appear to be handling their first taste of varsity action rather well. Illinois State commit OF James Duncan (2022) will always be a staple in the middle of this lineup and names like INF Evan Nyhouse (2021), CIF Emiliano Ramos (2022), and the aforementioned Vargas complete a lineup capable of really doing damage when it’s on track. 

Arrowhead will kick the weekend off with a matchup on Friday against Wauwatosa East; a game that could potentially pit two high-quality arms against each other. Then they’ll square off against Kimberly on Saturday afternoon, so the Warhawks will come away from this weekend having played two top-10 teams in the state and with plenty of competitive experience under their belt. 

No. 16 Kenosha Tremper Trojans

The lone loss for Tremper this season came last Saturday, when the Trojans were defeated by Greater Metro Conference staple Brookfield East 5-2. Outside of that game, Tremper has handled most of their opponents rather handedly and they’ll enter this weekend’s play coming off a sweep of No. 23 Kenosha Indian Trail. 

Tremper has found multiple ways to win games this year but their offense, so far, has been the strength of this team. They’ve jumped all over opposing pitching staffs, putting up 10+ runs in six of their 10 games, including twice in their recent series against Indian Trail. Seniors INF Ben Loyd (Notre Dame) and C Joe Ricchio (Fort Scott CC) continue to hit at the top of this lineup and left-handed hitting 1B Ivan Jake (2022) has been an extra-base machine thus far. Names like OF Ryan McGonegle (2021; Wisconsin-Parkside) and 2B Austin Labreche (2021) have both consistently hit in the middle of Tremper’s lineup, too. 

On the mound the Trojans are led by a true ace in RHP Torin Byrnes (2022), who’s lived up to that frontline tag we threw on him in the preseason and has performed well in all of his starts thus far. Their depth on the mound after Byrnes can be a question mark at times, but RHP Kaileb Lyon (2021; Rock Valley JC) and RHP Wyatt Modory (2022) are each talented arms we’re expecting to see at some point this weekend, capable of giving this staff a boost when it needs it. 

Tremper will get a true top-five test on Friday night when they square off against Union Grove in the night cap; a game that could possibly feature two high-octane arms on the mound. Then they’ll finish our weekend off with a game at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday night against the Marquette University Hilltoppers. 

No. 17 Catholic Memorial Crusaders 

The Crusaders have had an up-and-down start to the season, having lost three games already and they’re about to really hit the ground running against Classic Eight competition. Regardless of their record, however, Catholic Memorial’s roster is littered with talent from top to bottom and they’re capable of flipping the switch to get back on track rather quickly. 

This offense as a whole is certainly one of the more explosive groups we’ll see this weekend. They’re truly capable of putting up runs in bunches, led by names such as OF Anthony Gross (2021; Wash-U), INF/RHP Rory Fox (2022; Notre Dame), MIF Aiden Haney (2022) and C Charlie Jarvis (2022) at the top. All four of those bats are off to strong starts this spring and Catholic Memorial’s run consistency honestly relies on the youth that makes up the bottom half of this lineup. OF J.T. Kelenic (2023), INF/RHP Presley Wachowiak (2023), and 1B AJ Rieck (2023) have all shown what they’re capable of in short bursts this spring and when this trio is clicking, the Crusaders’ offense can truly be a nightmare for opposing pitchers. 

Fox and RHP Braydon Cooper (2022) are the two names-to-know atop this Catholic Memorial pitching staff as two high-octane arms that can each shut down an opposing lineup when they’re on. Filling out the rest of this group are two strike-throwing, competitive senior arms in RHP Kellan Short (Madison JC) and Joe Giricz (Milwaukee School of Engineering) with junior southpaw Grant Beth (2022) being another armed tossed into the mix. They should be getting the aforementioned Wachowiak back on the mound in the coming weeks, which would provide a major reinforcement to the Crusaders’ staff and give them another potential ace-type arm. 

As you can see, Catholic Memorial’s roster is unbelievably talented and they’re eager to make some noise heading into this weekend. We’ll see them on Saturday afternoon where they’ll play a double-header against No. 9 West De Pere and Neenah. 

Brookfield East Spartans 

The Spartans haven’t gotten off to the start this spring that they likely envisioned, but they’ll have a chance to right the ship this weekend with matchups against Waukesha West and Neenah. It’s a top-heavy offense led by OF Ryan Karst (2022), MIF Harrison Toone (2021; Southwestern CC), and INF Cade Honkamp (2022), with names like 1B Logan LeTourneau (2021) and CIF/OF Fred Pierce (2022) filling out right behind them. 

Franklin Sabers 

After dropping their first two games of the season to Indian Trail, the Sabers have gone 6-1 since then with the only loss coming on a walk-off against Muskego. They’ve been tested a few times, but this team is right there in contention with Kenosha Tremper for the Southeast Conference regular season crown. 

The Sabers pitching staff has flashed brilliance at times this spring and we’ve seen dominant outings from both C/RHP Joe Turco (Wisconsin-Platteville), RHP Jordan Bierdemann (2021), and RHP/INF Evan Iwinski (2022) so far. Freshman RHP/INF Cooper Kamlay (2024) and RHP/INF Grayson Flugaur (2024) have each pitched well in the opportunities they’ve gotten on the mound, too. 

Despite being fairly young from top to bottom, the Sabers’ offense can really do some damage when things are clicking. OF Max Semancik (2022) had 10 hits in week two of the regular season out of the leadoff spot and sophomore INF Boston Halloran (2023) has been one of the better offensive underclassmen in the WIAA this spring. Filter in names like Turco, Dyson Klubertanz, 3B Keaton Arendt (2022), and 1B Jack Baretz (2022) and it’s not hard to see what Franklin’s potential offensive ceiling looks like. 

We’re only going to see Franklin once this weekend, but it’ll be a great test for the Sabers as they draw undefeated Whitefish Bay on Saturday morning. We’ll certainly check in on them as the spring rolls on, especially when they square off against conference rival Oak Creek. 

Greendale Panthers 

Coming off a 13-strikeout no-hitter by RHP Patrick Jankowiak (2021), momentum is high for the Panthers as they enter the weekend with one game against Martin Luther on Saturday evening. They’ve got some quality wins on their resume and one of their losses was a hard-fought battle against Oak Creek, nearly handing the Knights their first loss of the season last week. 

The Panthers are a senior heavy group led by plenty of players that have been around the program for a long time. SS Joe Toetz (2021) and OF Will Brust (2021; Wisconsin-Oshkosh) are two key offensive threats for Greendale, with names like C/1B Keegan Kapocius (2021) and OF Connor Kramp (2021) filtering in around that duo. The aforementioned Jankowiak is another 2021 graduate that you can toss into the mix for Greendale. 

INF/RHP Tristan Ellis (2022; Purdue) has been at the forefront of Greendale baseball for the last three years as the Purdue commit broke camp with the varsity team as a freshman. He’s an extremely competitive arm for the Panthers and provides them plenty of sure-handed stability up the middle, too. What he brings to the table for Greendale is essential to their success now and down the road. Another junior, 1B Keegan Norton, has arguably been Greendale’s best hitter to date. The left-handed hitting cleanup man for the Panthers’ continues to slug doubles left and right for his squad, cementing himself as a true middle-of-the-order presence. Sophomore RHP EJ Kuster has given Greendale some competitive outings on the mound, too. 

Greendale is a team we’re excited to see more out of this spring, especially when they draw Pewaukee and New Berlin West in Woodland West conference play.  

Marquette University Hilltoppers 

Head coach Sal Bando has the Hilltoppers playing competitive baseball early on. They beat Brookfield East and Wisconsin Lutheran rather handedly, competing with Menomonee Falls, Sussex Hamilton, and Germantown to the end in eventual losses. We’ll see the Hilltoppers once this weekend, as they’ll play the final game of the invitational against Tremper on Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. 

Marquette’s roster is particularly talented up the middle, with SS Brady Ahn (2021) and INF Max Stocco (2022) giving this team a strong duo on the dirt. Sophomore INF Parker Wyatt completes a quality trio of infielders for this team, as the right-handed hitting Wyatt has started off his varsity career on a high note. 

Marquette is led by a few talented arms on the mound, such as RHP Gavin Gawornski (2022) and RHP Luke Agnew (2023) - two high ceiling arms in their respective classes that are still getting their feet wet at the varsity level. Senior RHP Joe Jarecki is a strong-armed, big-bodied arm that’s seen time on the mound for Marquette this spring as well. 

Martin Luther Spartans 

We’ll see Martin Luther for the first time this spring at The Rock on Saturday, as the Spartans will play against Waukesha West and Greendale, respectively. It’s a team with a handful of names we’ve never seen before, but one we're familiar with is SS/RHP Jacob Hartlaub (2021; Ball State), who we're excited to see as a prep. Hartlaub has performed well into the spring season so far and recently struck out 13 batters over five innings on Tuesday. Two more arms worth noting on this Spartans’ team are RHP Brody Hoppert (2021) and RHP Bailey Lemke (2021), the latter striking out 14 batters in a game against Lake Country Lutheran last week. 

Milwaukee Lutheran

The D2 Red Knights will spend their one game at this event opposing Pewaukee on Friday night. We’re eager to get to know the players inside Milwaukee Lutheran’s dugout, as many of these players have not been to a PBR event in the past, so we’re looking forward to seeing this squad’s standouts. It appears as if junior Isaac Schmidt and sophomores Rosario Pratchett and Aaron Klein have been this squad’s go-to players this season, so we’ll be keying in on them and the team as a whole.

Neenah

This is a unified group of mostly upperclass talent that should make for a competitive couple of games against Brookfield East and Catholic Memorial on Saturday afternoon and early evening. Neenah seniors INF Chase Hanselman (Benedictine, IL) and Jaden Hackbarth (McHenry County JC) are a pair of athletic, reliable defenders with sound bat-to-ball skills that fit in perfectly atop this lineup. Their most valuable player, however, is junior RHP/1B Gradin Taschner (uncommitted), who is among the top-ranked uncommitted pitchers in the state. We saw him pitch very well last week against Hortonville, where he was up to 92 mph with an even sharper breaking ball than we’d seen in previous looks. Additionally, Taschner swings a fast, powerful right-handed bat that slots in well at the center of this order. Fellow ‘22 Payton Kramer (uncommitted) is another athletic and dependable player on this roster who operates smoothly around shortstop. There’s several other quality pieces inside this order who we’re looking forward to seeing again on Saturday.

Waukesha West Wolverines

Although the Wolverines are sitting at an even 4-4 record, Waukesha West’s played in some hard fought games this year, including a victory over ranked Muskego. They have a legitimate ace on the mound in RHP Tyler Hug (2021; Wisconsin-La Crosse, football) with a handful of other quality arms like RHP Jared Hansen (2021),  RHP Ty Sherman (2022) and RHP/OF Ben Cook (2022). Another follow athlete on this squad is sophomore INF/RHP Ethan Brown, who made a name for himself after a strong winter showing. Waukesha West will face off against Brookfield East and Martin Luther this weekend.

MAY 14 SCHEDULE

MAY 15 MORNING/AFTERNOON SCHEDULE

MAY 15 EVENING SCHEDULE

RELATED CONTENT