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. 5 this evening.

Team: Waunakee
Preseason Rank: No. 5
2019 Record: 19-6
Conference: Badger North
WIAA Class: D-1
Head Coach: Spencer Lee
Playoff Run: Regional Finalists
2019 Final Rank: No. 15
Returning Starters: 5
Returning Pitchers: 6 

OUTLOOK

The ‘Kee was set to return one of the state’s most complete and robust pitching staffs which would have surely buoyed them back to the top of the Badger North, a conference they’ve at least shared the title for the past three springs. This sincerely talented Class of 2020 was geared to rebound from an early playoff exit in 2019 after winning the D-1 state championship the year prior.

In the section below, we’ll detail the legacy these seniors are leaving behind. It’s a special class that’s going to leave a long-lasting impact on the program while continuing to play at the next level. And while the program will look a lot different in 2021, it’s still in good hands.

Sophomore Luke Ross, a recent Minnesota commit, is an especially gifted left/left prospect and he’s established himself as one of the top members of this state’s 2022 class – which is seriously saying something, given how good this class is consistently proving itself to be. At first, Ross’ polish on the mound looked like the carrying force behind his prospect status, but his left-handed bat has developed just as swiftly and it looked ready to make a strong impression on this lineup, despite the seniors that were going to occupy the top half of the order.

Luke Ross (3/15/20)

Fellow sophomores Luke Shepski and Trevor Stevens look capable of shoring up this rotation, alongside Ross, after these 2020s are graduated and this staff looks totally different. Shepski’s an athlete who’ll also take over an infield spot and he’s been up to 83 mph for us on the mound, but there’s reason to think he’s ticked up since we last saw him. Our staff saw Stevens just in March, where he was up to 83 mph, with feel for a breaking ball and changeup. OF Quentin Keene also looked like he vying for some playing time this spring, too.

And it’s hard to say if he’d find himself varsity opportunities so soon, but RHP/INF Jack Shepski looks like a follow freshman, with athleticism similar to his brothers’. 

The juniors here could have used the 2020 spring to acclimate themselves to the varsity level. The talent inside Waunakee’s 2019 and ‘20 classes prevented this group from earning a ton of early experience, so they’ll be a little new to the environment despite their senior status in 2021.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT

Four seniors on this team were named to the All-Badger North First Team as juniors last season: RHP/INF Taiten Manriquez (Madison JC commit), RHP/INF Joe Hauser (Arizona State), RHP/1B Nick Smith (Michigan State), and OF Will Ross (Saint Louis). Few teams in the state can boast about hosting this kind of next-level talent inside its everyday lineup.

Each have some prominent two-way capabilities, especially at the prep level, notably the ASU recruit Hauser. His feel repertoire is advanced for his age and he also brings with him actions fit for the left side of the infield with a strong right-handed bat. Hauser hit .386 last spring and also provided us with one of the moments of the season.

Manriquez would have primarily covered shortstop when he wasn’t pitching. He’s a competitive player with all-around actions who played a big role on the team that wound up winning it all in 2018. Each of the three starters on this staff have No. 1 upside in a high school rotation, and Manriquez also offers some stability at shortstop while also hitting .353 as a table-setter.

For much of 2019, Smith was one of the top uncommitted arms in the area until he found a spot at Michigan State. He throws a hard and heavy fastball, up to 90 mph for us in live-game action, backed up by a biting slider. He was throwing more strikes in the summer and it could have helped him cap off his prep career by helping hoist the Warriors back to state – and he actually hit .368 as the team’s first baseman when he wasn’t pitching.

Nick Smith (3/10/19)

Finally, Will Ross, Luke’s brother, is a compact and strong hitter who makes exceptional contact from the right side. He’ll fit into a corner outfield role for the Billikens come the fall, but he could have filled out what would have been a lethal top half of the order in Waunakee.

Will Ross (3/10/19)

This senior class deserved the chance to make up for a surprising and early defeat in the state’s 2019 playoffs as reigning champs. With one of the top starting rotations in the state, the Warriors should have been able to capture a fourth-straight conference crown while pursuing some more glory at state.

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