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Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 17 Franklin

March 15, 2024
By: Maddox Durst
Staff Writer

The 2024 Wisconsin high school baseball season is quickly approaching and, as usual, excitement is abound throughout the state. Players and coaches have been working in preparation for the upcoming season and, as is the case each year, there are some very talented players and teams across the Badger State.

Teams across the state have goals and aspirations to finish their seasons in their respective WIAA Division State Championship, but there is plenty of work to be done before that becomes reality. We hope to familiarize our readers with many of the teams with this initial Preseason Power 25 release which will take us right up to first pitch.

Please keep checking back throughout the season as we will be your one-stop shop for everything related to high school baseball across Wisconsin. Each week we will be releasing our Power 25, Players of the Week, Diamond Notes, Scout Blog and much more.

Our 2024 preseason coverage continues today.   

High School: Franklin Sabers
Preseason Rank: 17
Head Coach: Steve Drobot
WIAA Division: 1
Conference: Southeast
2023 Record (Finish): 26-5 (State Semifinalists)
Key Players Lost: Noah Musolf (Madison JC), Dylan Cunningham (Wisconsin-Stevens Point), Boston Halloran (Oakland), Lucas Farin (Wisconsin-Oshkosh), and Maxamillion Martin (Kaskaskia JC).

ROSTER PREVIEW

Team Strengths: Pitching and defense
No. of Returning Starters: 3
No. of Returning Pitchers: 6

NAME STATE CLASS POS COMMITMENT
Cooper Kamlay WI 2024 RHP/INF Wisconsin-Oshkosh
Grayson Flugaur WI 2024 RHP Kirkwood CC
Joseph Herrick WI 2024 LHP/1B Minnesota Duluth
Evan Saxe WI 2024 OF -
Nathan Kasmierczak WI 2024 UTIL -
Ben Hefter WI 2025 INF/RHP -
Ben Verges WI 2025 LHP/1B -
Mitchell Semancik WI 2025 MIF -
Bennett Schueller WI 2026 RHP/OF -
Dominick Walters WI 2026 C -

X-FACTOR

+ RHP/INF Cooper Kamlay (2024, Wisconsin-Oshkosh commit) emerged as one of the most reliable prospects for head coach Steve Drobot and the Sabers in the 2023 season. He is primed for a strong 2024—coming off of his junior year where he hit .578 in 16 games and pitched to a 1.11 ERA. Kamlay was 5-0 on the mound—using a three-pitch mix to keep opposing lineups off balance. The right-hander ranges in the low-to-mid-80s on the bump and frequently goes to a cut-fastball that avoids barrels and provides swings and misses. The senior commanded the zone with ease in 2023—punching out 52 batters in comparison to only giving up 11 walks. Kamlay enters 2024 as the ace of this group that only dropped five games last season and still has a reliable defense to work with in his final season of prep baseball.

Cooper Kamlay (4/22/23)

NEWCOMER TO WATCH

+ RHP Bennett Schueller (2026) is an upside follow as a sophomore on the mound who will be a key contributor for Franklin in the 2024 season. Standing at 5-foot-11, 154-pounds, Schueller earned some time on the varsity stage last year as a freshman—accumulating 10.1 innings of work on the mound. The right-hander works a lively fastball that continues to develop, in addition to a reliable slider and splitter. Schueller even garnered some attention as a hitter at the Grand Park Fall Championships, where he showcased his barrel awareness and some power at the plate. Schueller will be key to the depth of this Franklin group both on the mound and in the field—providing a spark for a team that lost multiple contributing seniors from 2023’s group.

Bennett Schueller (3/5/23)

TEAM OUTLOOK

Franklin entered the 2023 season with an abundance of talent that needed to be replaced from one of the strongest 2022 groups in the state. They did so, which led them to a 26-5 record and were a game away from the Div. 1 State Championship game.

It’s time for the Sabers to do it again, and they have the pieces to make a similar run—especially within their pitching staff.

After the aforementioned Kamlay, Franklin is getting a big boost with the return of RHP Grayson Flugaur (2024; Kirkwood CC), who was out all of last season with an injury. While he will still be out in the first few weeks of WIAA play, Flugaur is an electric, competitive pitcher who can carry his team to victories. Before his injury, the right-hander ranged in the mid-to-upper-80s (T89 mph) with the fastball—including a nasty breaking ball in his arsenal. While we don’t necessarily know how much Flugaur will be able to contribute right away, the senior will be a key piece to Franklin’s success later on in the season.

LHP Joseph Herrick (2024; Minnesota-Duluth) took on a major relief role for the Sabers last season—holding a 4-2 record with a 2.76 ERA in 33 innings of work. Aside from his relief work, in three games started, Herrick tallied two complete games and proved he could navigate opposing lineups with ease. His 39 strikeouts from last year build momentum for the left-hander as he enters his senior season as one of the top returning pitchers in the Southeast Conference.

Surrounding the three seniors are a pair of juniors in RHP/INF Ben Hefter (2025) and LHP/1B Ben Verges (2025). Both athletes have thrived on the gridiron for the Sabers’ football program according to Drobot, but are primed for strong junior seasons on the diamond as two-way prospects. Hefter was a standout during the summer and got some innings for Franklin down the stretch in 2023. In getting that experience as a sophomore, Herrick will look to take the next step in a starting role for the Sabers.

Verges showed well at the Top Prospect Games in Milwaukee this past summer—twirling a fastball in the mid-80s with life and run through the zone. Verges stands at a physical 6-foot-3, 225-pounds, and gets downhill in his delivery. As he continues to develop his offspeed arsenal, the left-hander can build off of a 2-0 record from last season—pitching to a 2.00 ERA in 13 innings of work.

Ben Verges (7/11/23)

As for the offense—in addition to a couple of those pitchers—MIF Mitchell Semancik (2025) played an important role as a second baseman for Franklin in their state run last year. Semancik hit .326 as a sophomore—providing a positive spark at the bottom of the order for the Sabers. His consistency at the plate and on the infield was noteworthy, as he will have to step up in this order for the team to find success.

C Dominick Walters (2026) is another multi-sport athlete who will put his talents on display for Franklin this spring. He will have to replace the work of C Dylan Cunningham (2023; Wisconsin-Stevens Point) and will be tasked with guiding this deep pitching staff to victory. The aforementioned Schueller and OF Prescott Sanford (2027), a 2023 Team Wisconsin Junior Future Games participant, join Walters as underclassmen looking to make an early impact within this Franklin program.

BOTTOM LINE

+ As is the case with multiple teams in the WIAA this spring, the offense remains a question mark for the Sabers. If they can find sparks from multiple contributors, the group will be in a good place. The pitching staff for Franklin can compete with some of the best in the state and will look to carry them early on in the spring before temperatures begin to rise. Franklin gets their season started with a rematch against the lone team they eliminated at the 2023 State Tournament in the Burlington Demons on Apr. 4.

Find more information on the 2024 Franklin program below:

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