Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 4 Catholic Memorial

May 22, 2020
By Andy Sroka
Staff Writer, Associate Scout

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. 4 this evening.

Team: Catholic Memorial
Preseason Rank: No. 4
2019 Record: 19-6
Conference: Classic Eight
WIAA Class: D-2
Head Coach: Sean Smith
Playoff Run: Regional Finalists
2019 Final Rank: No. 19
Returning Starters: 6
Returning Pitchers: 8 

OUTLOOK

Today, we reveal our top-ranked Division-2 squad headed into the would-be 2020 spring season: Catholic Memorial. The Crusaders would have returned all of their innings from a season ago, one in which they finished tied atop the vicious Classic Eight though were ultimately cut short in a hotly contested Regional final against previously ranked Pewaukee, at No. 9. We were looking forward to the makings of another early, if unfair, playoff matchup this season but it wasn’t meant to be.

The reason why we’ve ranked Catholic Memorial five spots higher in the preseason is the senior depth on the mound. Between the two teams, the Crusaders are the ones rostering one of the most impactful players in the state, in Luke Fox. We’ll get to this senior group in the following section, as it was the foundation and motor set to charge the Crusaders through the 2020 campaign, but these juniors and underclassmen in the dugout are here to assure the program that Catholic Memorial will be back in 2021.

Juniors OF Anthony Gross, RHP Kellan Short, RHP Joe Giricz would have each had sizable roles on this year’s team and all have been on the rise since the conclusion of last spring season, when they were just sophomores. Gross is a compact, strong, and fleet-footed outfielder and he’s among the most notable uncommitted position players in the state’s 2021 class. He could have been a useful top-of-the-lineup weapon for this year’s team. Short is a barrel-chested righty who’s been ticking up on the mound; he was up to 85 mph in October with a hammer breaking ball he’s still finding the feel to locate. And Giricz debuted at that same October showcase, sitting in the low-80s with an aggressive curveball and splitter.

Anthony Gross (2/16/20)

It’s the sophomores and freshmen en route that will help keep Catholic Memorial as this perennial contender.

INF/RHP Rory Fox, Luke’s younger brother, is looking like a high-follow sophomore in a loaded 2022 class. He was set to start in his sophomore spring up the middle where he has deft, athletic actions on defense. Fox also swings a smooth left-handed bat that helped him seamlessly transition to the varsity level as just a freshman in 2019. It looked like 2B Aiden Haney was going to be Fox’s double play partner on the right side of the infield. He’s a compact athlete with strong defensive actions and a short, quick right-handed bat geared for a top-of-the-order profile.

Fellow sophomore Charlie Jarvis was maybe the most substantial transfer in the state. He started as a freshman for Arrowhead but is now at the Waukesha private school where he fills a big need for the Crusaders behind the plate. He’s one of the top catchers in his class and is already accustomed to receiving many of the arms on this staff, as most play on the same travel team in the summer, including the high-profile seniors.

Charlie Jarvis (2/16/20)

RHP Braydon Cooper and LHP/OF Grant Beth are another pair of sophomores to look forward to. Cooper has a quick, loose arm with natural strength that was up to 85 mph back in March, with some offspeed feel. Beth is a two-way prospect with overall strength that works from the left-handed batter’s box, as well as the mound.

And then there’s freshman J.T. Kelenic, the younger brother of Jarred – one of the top prospects in the Seattle Mariners’ system who’s already looking like one of the best players to come out of Wisconsin. J.T. is a big outfielder who would have had the opportunity to win a regular spot out there in 2020, though will surely be relied on next spring and beyond. And freshman RHP Presley Wachowiak broke out this winter and he was all the way up to 86 mph in February, while flashing a sharp 12/6 breaking ball, as yet another young, noteworthy follow to keep an eye on in this dugout.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

One of the most prestigious prep athletes in Wisconsin’s history was shorted of a fitting end to his high school career at the cancellation of the 2020 spring season: LHP/OF Luke Fox (Duke commit). Fox had done it all on the gridiron, quarterbacking the Crusaders, but he had not yet helped guide Catholic Memorial to state glory on the diamond. This spring looked like his best chance, with the roster behind him, and he himself looking sharper than ever last summer.

Fox was up to 89 mph from the left side in July, with sink, while mixing in an advanced changeup and breaking ball. He continually pitches with poise, confidence and his outstanding athleticism is a separator for him. Fox roams center field when he isn’t pitching and he also hit .360 last spring. Unfortunately, this was supposed to be the best chance at a storybook ending for his historic prep career. Regardless, we’re excited to see what Fox makes of his next step at Duke.

Alongside Fox at the top of this rotation was going to be the flamethrower Chris Byhre, an Eastern Kentucky commit. He was credited with four wins as a junior with a 2.93 ERA and he’d really begun to unlock his feel to pitch following his junior spring, into the summer. We’d seen him up to 92 mph, but he needed to dial it back significantly at times to find the zone. A diligent offseason could have helped Byhre harness is electric arm strength to anchor a staff alongside Fox.

Chris Byhre (2/17/19)

In addition to these two, RHP Jack Durst (Wisconsin-La Crosse) would have helped extend the depth of arms inside this rotation, after an effective junior spring in which he recorded four wins and a 2.33 ERA. Infielders Matt Klement (Milwaukee School of Engin.) and Sean Walsh (Bryant & Stratton, WI) were also here to serve as reliable senior depth. Klement’s a corner infielder who can hit, as he tallied a .460 batting average last season. And Walsh is a glove-first player with solid bat-to-ball skills.

While the Crusaders have a daunting Sectional field to break out of, this group had all of the ingredients of supporting themselves as D-2 favorites. A focused senior core could have reigned in a highly talented underclass group to help guide this program to Grand Chute. Catholic Memorial was our top-ranked D-2 program to start the spring and our favorites to win it all in June.

RELATED CONTENT