Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 11 Marquette University

KEY PLAYERS LOST

X-FACTOR

+ OF Parker Wyatt (2023; Dayton commit) will headline this Hilltopper lineup during his senior campaign. Last year, Wyatt was a main contributor offensively as he returns a .375 batting average and he also caused havoc on the basepaths as he swiped 27 bases last year, too. Currently ranked No. 33 in Wisconsin’s senior class, Wyatt is amongst the state’s top athletes and his 6.61 speed allows him to man the centerfield position with ease, something that this Hilltopper pitching staff will certainly appreciate. Our most showcase look at Wyatt came at July’s Top Prospect Milwaukee event and there he took one of the loudest rounds of the day, averaging an exit velocity of 90.8, with his hardest coming off at 96.7 mph. Now going into his final high school season, Wyatt will look to repeat and maybe even improve on his successful junior campaign, and lead this Hilltopper squad to yet another deep playoff run. 

OF Parker Wyatt (Marquette University) has some of the loudest tools in the state’s 2023 class. Aggressive bat speed, sound bat-to-ball skills, and he ran a 6.76 yesterday. He took one of the top BP rounds at Tuesday’s event.#TPMKE | ? PROFILE: https://t.co/CnJ5aE7Vb2 pic.twitter.com/FsovX9S0i5

— PBR Wisconsin (@PBRWisconsin) July 13, 2022

IMPACT UNDERCLASSMEN

+ Sophomores C/INF Jonah Borchardt (2025) and C/1B Elery Hardwick (2025) might not be instant factors into Marquette's offensive plans this spring, but the two are talented enough to figure into the lineup eventually, and that would only mean that they've done enough to force their way in. Borchardt is an athletic 5-foot-10, 175-pound backstop who looks like he's on his way to becoming a reliable receiver and catcher prospect in the state, and we were impressed with his overall performance at February's West MKE ID event in Waukesha. He also swings a short, compact right-handed bat that projects to generate offense as he continues to get stronger and mature. While we've not yet seen Hardwick in a showcase setting, he's shown strength inside a right-handed swing at various PBR Tournaments, and that could help him earn some at-bats at some point this season too.

Jonah Borchardt (2/18/23) 

OUTLOOK

Last year, this similar Marquette squad took home a share of the touted GMC title and were just one game away from making an appearance in the state tournament. Now, with a good chunk of that team returning, they look to compete yet again in the GMC and make an even deeper run in the playoffs. 

When talking about this Hilltoppers pitching staff, RHP Luke Agnew (2023; Wichita State) is going to be the ace, as expected. While we have long known Agnew as one of the states top arms, in the summer of 2022 he came out firing at the PBR at The Rock 17U Summer Championships, where he was dominant. During his handful of appearances throughout the weekend, Agnew ran his fastball up to 91 mph and showed feel for both a breaking ball and changeup. As he enters this final prep season before he heads off to Wichita, he will be headlining this staff and he certainly will be a key piece in how successful this Marquette squad will be. 

Luke Agnew (7/24/22)

RHP Andrew Halser (2024) is another hard-throwing righty who is expected to possess a starting role this spring. Listed at a high-upside 6-foot, 165-pounds, Halser was in attendance at the Milwaukee Preseason ID earlier this month and there he ran his fastball up to 87.1 mph from an easy and repeatable delivery. As for his offspeed, he is able to spin in a 11/5 curveball for strikes and kill spin on a fading changeup. During the 2022 season, Halser earned some valuable experience as just a sophomore, and now as a junior, he will be taking over a much larger role as the team's No. 2 after Agnew, a critical responsibility inside one of the most competitive conferences in the state over the last few years. RHP/SS Ian Reno (2023) will be one of the names to come out of the ‘pen during the 2023 season, also.

RHP Drew Halser (@muhsbaseball, 2024) earned some solid experience on the mound for the ‘Toppers this spring as an underclassmen.

In his short two-inning start, Halser relied heavily on a FB that topped at 83 mph, with the ability to go in-and-out. #BadgerState | @ProspectsBSB pic.twitter.com/3cbIaKZNmF

— PBR Wisconsin (@PBRWisconsin) July 1, 2022

To start the season, RHP/OF Samuel Wronski (2023; Emory), a second team all-conference selection last year, will be rehabbing an injury that will keep him away from the mound for the first chunk of the season. While it is unfortunate for this team as Wronski was one of the teams best arms out of the ‘pen last year, he will still be in the everyday lineup and he returns a .311 batting average from last year. 

Samuel Wronski (7/12/22)

Offensively, a handful of experienced juniors will be key pieces for this Hilltoppers lineup. 1B Michael Cesarz (2024) is a physical right-handed hitter who has produced hard-hit contact in front of our staff before, and after a productive summer season, he's poised to be very productive for Marquette's offense on the daily. 2B Joseph Halser (2024) is an athletic infield prospect who came away a winner from the Milwaukee Preseason ID a little over a week ago, as he took a clean round of BP and averaged an exit velocity 86.3 mph. Rounding out this group of juniors who have varsity experience is DH/3B Jack Hardt (2024) who returns a .320 batting average and features a strong left-handed swing that can provide some thud in the middle of this lineup. 

CIF Michael Cesarz (Marquette, 2024) has plenty physical upside in his frame. His heavy barrel was on full display today, blasting a 2B to the pull-side gap and hitting a long foul ball that easily went into the parking lot at Franklin Field.#PBRatTheRock | @stiksacademy pic.twitter.com/Glnn2fdXxX

— PBR Wisconsin (@PBRWisconsin) July 16, 2022

Other offensive contributors will be the aforementioned Reno, C Grant Speilbauer (2024), and Cole Terry (2023) during their first seasons at the varsity level. 

BOTTOM LINE

As the Hilltoppers bring back a good majority from last year's successful squad, they're our pick to repeat at the top of the GMC after sharing the conference title with Brookfield Central a season ago. Central remains a threat to their chances, as does Menomonee Falls which made it further than both in the postseason, but Marquette has the most balanced roster, in our view, and we think that'll help them navigate the spring the best of the three. There is experience scattered throughout this team, highlighted by some high-level arms at the top of their rotation and also a multitude of bats that have proved themselves at the varsity level already, elevating expectations in 2023.

Make sure to follow @PBRWisconsin on Twitter for the most up-to-date coverage throughout the 2023 season.

Find more information on the 2023 Hilltoppers below:

+ Team Website
+ Team Schedule
+ Team Twitter

PRESEASON POWER 25 COUNTDOWN