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. We also declared 18 more programs official ‘On the Bubble’ teams, teams that earned sincere Power 25 consideration.

Today, we continue our countdown to No. 1, the top-ranked team on the PBR Wisconsin Preseason Power 25. We’ll be releasing a team a day in our lead-up to No. 1, and we’re onto No. 16 this evening.

Team: Wauwatosa East
Preseason Rank: No. 16
2019 Record: 16-8
Conference: Greater Metro
WIAA Class: D-1
Head Coach: Pete Schwichtenberg
Playoff Run: Sectional Semifinalists
2019 Final Rank: On the Bubble
Returning Starters: 6
Returning Pitchers: 5 

OUTLOOK

On paper, Tosa East looked like the Greater Metro Conference favorites headed into 2020, rostering one of the deepest and most talented pitching staffs in the state. The Red Raiders don’t have the offense that can rally back and forth in a slugfest, but then again, how many of those types of contests will they be in?

This rotation is that deep, and it’s headlined by one of the top juniors in the state’s 2021 class: LHP Tommy Meyer, a Northern Illinois commit who climbed even further up the rankings after a breakthrough performance at our South MKE I.D. in early March. He was up to 88 mph from the left side with a hammer breaking ball that looks like an outpitch now and at the next level. Meyer is authentic ace material on a staff with additional candidates.

Tommy Meyer (3/1/20)

Fellow southpaw Cal Dobbe (2021) is a strike-throwing lefty with a feel mix that helps him earn outs and stifle offenses at this level especially. He was arguably the team’s most effective arm as a sophomore last spring and he groomed a 2.06 ERA to show for it.

Sophomore Thomas Harper is the younger brother of staffmate and senior Phillip, who we’ll discuss in the section below, and he looked like another young arm to lean on early in his prep career. Back in February, Thomas was up to 84 mph with early feel for his change-curve combo, but both project well, as does his spindly 6-foot-4 frame.

Thomas Harper (2/16/20)

This group will also welcome one of the top follows in the state’s freshman class, RHP Evan Shapiro. He’s a towering 6-foot-4 presence who delivers the ball at the steep angle, making it extra tough to square up. Shapiro was up to 84 mph in Madison earlier in the year and it looked like he could’ve found some way to earn some work despite the depth on staff.

This group did however graduate a couple key bats, Chris Fuerst (Bryant & Stratton, WI) and Adam Hill (Wisconsin-Whitewater), and there are some question marks about where their 2020 offense is going to come from.

There are some rising names to know who could have positively impacted this group, like juniors Maurice Rockette and Zach Ortner – both probably bring more to the roster as defenders, as they’re a pair of above-average runners. Sophomore Eli Michaelis is an interesting name to know here. He swings a loose right-handed bat and was up to 82 mph himself from the mound back in October.

It would have been exciting to see if fellow sophomores like Alex Esser, Noah Crawley, and Parker Thompson could have earned themselves some playing time as well, because this lineup could have used a boost from an unexpected source.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

The senior battery of Phillip Harper (Wisconsin-Parkside commit) and C Caden Crawley were two of the most important pieces to the Tosa East puzzle in 2020. Crawley’s handling of this excellent pitching staff was of critical importance to the team, and he was also very possibly the squad’s best returning bat; he hit .314 as a junior.

Caden Crawley (7/16/19)

As for Harper, he’s a jumbo 6-foot-6, 210-pound righty with a low- to mid-80s fastball that plays up with his extension and tilt generated. He also recorded a sub-3.00 ERA as a junior and was entrenched as a regular starter in this rotation, further establishing its depth and quality.

Ben Murphy would have made his way back to his role as the team’s everyday shortstop, where he works well. He also hit .302 as a junior and would have been vital inside the offense, too. Senior outfielders Ben Kraft and George Dizard would have also vied for considerable playing time, and Dizard could have strove for some work from the mound.

Clearly, the Red Raiders would have owned one of the area’s – and the state’s – best pitching staffs, which would have helped them through the GMC. The questions on offense could have hurt them in the one-game elimination setting that is the playoffs, but this rotation could also carry them to victories over any squad on these rankings. We’re disappointed we won’t get to see just how far pitching can take a program in 2020 – but much of this group will be back in 2021.

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