Prep Baseball Report

Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 23 Marquette University


By: Diego Solares
Associate Scout, Staff Writer

The Wisconsin high school baseball season kicks off on March 29, opening day for regular season action under WIAA regulations. Over the next week, leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2022 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, leading into a countdown through the official PBR Wisconsin Preseason Power 25 Rankings.

Perennially, we’ve submitted a Preseason Questionnaire to high school head coaches across the entire state. Their responses have been flooding in and we’re using the detailed insight they’ve provided in our team-by-team preseason analysis. These preseason previews are also assembled with the help of Joe Waite and his comprehensive Baseball Wisconsin Yearbook, and the 2022 edition is available for purchase now.

Our 2022 preseason coverage begins today. 

Team: Marquette University
Preseason Rank: 23
2021 Record: 12-15
Conference: Greater Metro
WIAA Division: 1
Head Coach: Sal Bando Jr.

ROSTER PREVIEW

NAME POS CLASS COMMITMENT
Max Stocco
INF
2022 Lenoir-Rhyne
Gavin Gawronski
RHP
2022 North Central
Michael Zidanic
RHP
2022 Saint Mary's-Minnesota
Jack Hrdlick
RHP
2022 -
Ethan Goll C 2022 -
Luke Agnew
RHP
2023 Wichita State
Parker Wyatt
UTL
2023 -
Samuel Wronski
RHP/OF
2023 -
Andrew Halser
3B/RHP
2024 -
Joseph Halser
OF/RHP
2024 -
Jack Hardt
OF/CIF
2024 -

KEY PLAYERS LOST:

+ INF Adam Bretsch (2021)
+ INF Caleb Hauser (2021)
+ Nick Hansen (2021)
+ Noah Perkovich (2021)

X-FACTOR:

RHP Luke Agnew (2023; Wichita State): Over the last year or so, Agnew has transformed himself into one of the state’s top arms, regardless of class. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound junior represented Team Wisconsin at the Future Games last summer and committed to Wichita State shortly afterwards. He owns tons of upside on the mound and an advanced feel for his arsenal, featuring a quality three-pitch mix with a high-80s fastball and potential swing-and-miss changeup. Each time Marquette trots Agnew out on the mound they do so with the expectation to win and he’ll certainly have to elevate himself to ‘ace’ status in order for the Hilltoppers to accomplish their goals this season. 

STAT RAT

7: The amount of wins head coach Sal Bando is away from breaching the 200 victory mark. This will be Bando’s 12th year as a WIAA head coach and he’s posted a 193-112 mark in that span, good for a 63% career winning mark.

OUTLOOK

The Hilltoppers struggled throughout the course of last spring with a relatively young team that didn’t have much varsity experience due to the canceled 2020 season. They finished three games below .500 and sixth in the Greater Metro Conference standings as a result. 

A large chunk of last year’s group returns, however, with an entire year at the high school level under their belt and now, with that added seasoning, Marquette is gearing up for a shot at their first conference championship since 2014.

The unquestioned strength of this group is their pitching staff. It’s a rotation anchored by the aforementioned Agnew, but is rounded out by several talented, returning arms that’ll all pitch at the collegiate level. Seniors RHP Gavin Gawronski (2022; North Central College) and RHP Michael Zidanic (2022; Saint Mary’s, MN) bring much-needed experience as strike-throwers capable of handling innings in bulk. RHP/OF Samuel Wronski (2023) was a winner in our eyes across our winter Preseason ID circuit, flashing upside on two different occasions attached to a wiry 6-foot-2, 180-pound frame. He features a mid-80s fastball with above-average vertical traits and a high-spin breaking ball capable of generating whiffs at the high school level. Coming out of the ‘pen as their “stopper” is RHP Jack Hrdlick (2022), who’s another strong armed right-hander on this staff that flashed above-average velocity to our staff this summer, running his fastball up to 85 mph.

Samuel Wronski (2/19/22)

Offensively, the Hilltoppers are going to be led by a stable group of prospects that all produced last season. Senior INF Max Stocco (2022; Lenoir-Rhyne) played everyday for this team and will do so again this year. He’s penciled in as their starting shortstop and brings a potential top-of-the-order left-handed bat to this lineup. The aforementioned Wronski will play the outfield when he’s not on the mound and was this team’s second All-Conference honoree with UTL Parker Wyatt (2023) taking home the other honor. Wyatt, a top-50 prospect in the state on our rankings, was a recent winner at this past weekend’s Milwaukee Preseason ID. He stands at a proportionally strong 5-foot-11, 185-pounds with plenty of athleticism attached, running a 6.61 in the 60-yard dash and blasting baseballs across the yard in BP on a swing-to-swing basis. Wyatt’s advancements over the off-season have him poised for a big spring and, internally, the Hilltoppers view him as their go-to producer offensively.

Parker Wyatt (8/7/21)

A handful of underclassmen will be expected to bring everyday contributions to the table as well. 3B/RHP Andrew Halser (2024) boasts above-average arm strength for his age, running his fastball up to 84 mph this winter at one of our events. He’s likely to slot into a starting spot on the infield and his brother, OF Joseph Halser (2024), will occupy one of the outfield spots in this lineup, next to Wyatt and Wronski. Left-handed hitter OF/CIF Jack Hardt (2024) should also see playing time as a sophomore.

BOTTOM LINE

The Hilltoppers have something to prove this year and, luckily, have a returning group capable of doing so. They’ll ride the backs of their impressive pitching staff all season long and are firmly in contention for the Greater Metro Conference title if their key offensive pieces take the next step.

Make sure to follow @PBRWisconsin on Twitter for the most up-to-date coverage throughout the 2022 season.

Find more information on the 2022 Hilltoppers below:

+ Team Schedule
+ Team Twitter

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