Prep Baseball Report

Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 7 Catholic Memorial


By Andy Sroka & Diego Solares
Wisconsin Staff

The Wisconsin high school baseball season kicks off on April 27, opening day for regular season action under WIAA regulations. Over the next several weeks, leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2021 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 2021 edition will soon be available for purchase here.

Our 2021 preseason coverage continues today.

Team: Catholic Memorial
Preseason Rank: No. 7
2019 Record: 19-7
Conference: Classic Eight
WIAA Division: 2
Head Coach: Sean Smith

TOP PLAYERS

NAME POS CLASS COMMITMENT
Joe Giricz RHP 2021 MSOE
Anthony Gross OF 2021 Washington (MO)
Kellan Short RHP 2021 Madison JC
Grant Beth OF/LHP 2022 -
Braydon Cooper RHP 2022 -
Rory Fox INF/RHP 2022 Notre Dame
Aiden Haney INF 2022 -
Charlie Jarvis C/OF 2022 -
J.T. Kelenic OF 2023 -
Presley Wachowiak RHP/INF 2023 -
Keith Williams INF/DH 2023 -

OUTLOOK

A strength for this Crusaders’ team is their ability to trot out a quality arm on a game-to-game basis. There are several names littered throughout a deep pitching staff that’ll log innings for Catholic Memorial and RHP Kellan Short is expected to headline that group. He brings a veteran experience to the mound as a trusted strike-thrower who’s been competing at the varsity level for some time now, and his ability to consistently locate all of his pitches for strikes is what makes him such an effective asset to this club. Senior Joe Giricz is another member of the state’s 2021 class who will get innings for Catholic Memorial this spring.

Kellan Short (7/14/20)

The power-type arms on this staff are represented by this 2022 class, as SS/RHP Rory Fox and RHP Braydon Cooper each bring a loud arsenal to the hill. Fox is comfortably one of the top players in the entire state and he’s an extremely athletic arm with mid- to upper-80s heat combined with the feel to spin a breaking ball at 2,400-plus rpm. Cooper is built at a large, sturdy 6-foot-3, 200 pounds, and his stuff saw an uptick in velocity this past winter as he reached an 89 mph high at the Milwaukee I.D., while sitting at 86-88 throughout his ‘pen. Both of these two juniors are expected to play an important role, in some capacity, on the mound for Catholic Memorial – and Fox has a pivotal role inside the lineup.

The Crusaders are particularly balanced for a D2 squad, with talent and athleticism spread evenly across the diamond and inside the batting order. And it’s hard to think of a better way to jumpstart an offense than etching senior OF Anthony Gross’ name to the top of the order. The Wash. U recruit is a compact right-handed hitter who was among the hottest bats we saw last summer. Junior 2B Aiden Haney also has a top-of-the-order profile, with natural bat-to-ball skills and a savvy glove that fits best at second base. The aforementioned Fox will finally get to feature regularly inside this Catholic Memorial squad, though we were all robbed of the chance to see Fox and his brother Luke in this lineup at the same time, competing for a state title in 2020.

Anthony Gross (7/14/20)

Regardless, Fox’s own competitiveness will help energize this dugout regularly. As will the athleticism of junior C/OF Charlie Jarvis, who swings a fast and loud right-handed bat, perfectly capable of owning a major run-production role for Catholic Memorial game in and out. Jarvis is also one of the top uncommitted athletes in the state’s 2022 class. OF/LHP Grant Beth is another important junior to note here. With two-way appeal, Beth has previously stood out for his advanced inherent strength, built inside a robust left/left profile. We’ll see where he shows best in his junior spring.

Charlie Jarvis (2/21/21)

Catholic Memorial will miss its 2020 class, but there are some 2023 reinforcements on the way, prepared to contribute early, including OF J.T. Kelenic. He’s a lanky 6-foot-3, 195-pound athlete with upside offensive levers, boasting one of the top offensive ceilings in the state – though he’s still working to fully tap into his elite upside. His progression will move Catholic Memorial’s needle this spring.

You can expect two other sophomores to see plenty of the field in 2021: 1B Anthony Rieck and 3B/RHP Presley Wachowiak. Rieck is a physical athlete, strong 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, and he moves well for that size. He posted impressive batted-ball metrics at the Milwaukee I.D., continuing to project as a middle-of-the-order threat while still of value at first base, defensively. Wachowiak is a high-follow right-handed pitcher in the state’s 2023 class, but like most advanced ballplayers his age, he can affect the game from beyond the mound. He carries some bat strength in his right-handed bat as well, which the Crusaders would gladly use.

Lastly, sophomore INF/DH Keith Williams has exploded onto the radar following his performance at the Milwaukee I.D., where he recorded elite exit speed marks, routinely measured in the 94-plus mph range, with a 98.3 max. It’s a highly physical left-handed swing, equipped with loose, athletic levers that looks like it must find a way into this lineup as often as possible.

Keith Williams (3/21/21)

BOTTOM LINE

Catholic Memorial is a perennial D2 contender and 2021 remains the same, though with a new face at the top of the dugout, with head coach Sean Smith. Smith is plenty familiar with both the talent inside the dugout and the WIAA season as a whole, so there won’t be much of a learning curve for the Crusaders’ to adjust to the new environment – expect the same kind of results this season, featuring another roster that can hold its own against any program in any division.

Make sure to follow @PBRWisconsin on Twitter for the most up-to-date coverage throughout the 2021 season.

Find more information on the 2021 Crusaders below:

+ Team Website
+ Team Schedule
+ Team Twitter

PRESEASON POWER 25 COUNTDOWN