3rd Team Preseason All-Wisconsin

The 2016 spring baseball season is nearly here, and with it comes a plethora of fantastic players taking the field all around the state. We’ve set out to pick the best of the best: players who can influence games in ways that others can’t and help lead their teams to success. Obviously, there are hundreds of players in the state but only a handful of spots available on our preseason All-Wisconsin teams. As a result, there will be players that could have made the teams, but were left out for one reason or another. To pick the teams, we used the following selection criteria: statistics from the previous year, overall talent/ability as a player, and strength of opposition faced throughout the year. The most emphasis was placed on statistics from last year. With all of that in mind, let’s take a look at Wisconsin Baseball Central’s Preseason All-Wisconsin teams. In this edition, we have the 3rd team.

Catcher: Keegan Johnston, Westfield

Johnston was easily Westfield Area’s best hitter last spring. He batted .416 with 12 extra base hits (including 3 home runs) and 24 RBIs. His on-base percentage was .554 and his slugging percentage was .675. With similar or improved numbers this year, he may capture the 1st team all-conference honors that eluded him last year.

Infielder: Grant Frazer, Oconto

Infielder: Trajan Prochnow, Rio

This is the second consecutive year that Frazer has been named 3rd Team Preseason All-Wisconsin. Last spring he hit .375 for the Blue Devils with 19 RBIs and 20 runs scored. The Central Michigan University commit posted a .484 on-base percentage and struck out just nine times in 72 at bats.

Prochnow had a highly successful freshman season for Rio last spring. He won a state championship with the Vikings thanks to his exploits at the plate and on the mound. He hit .430 with 8 doubles, 2 home runs, and 26 RBIs in the three-hole. As a pitcher, he went 7-0 in 48 innings with a 1.45 ERA and 60 strikeouts. He threw a complete game shutout in the Division 4 state championship game against Ithaca, which is impressive for any player, let alone a freshman.

Infielder: Trev Anderson, Stevens Point

Anderson may be known more as a basketball player, but he is also a fantastic athlete on the baseball diamond. Last year, he collected unanimous 1st team All-Wisconsin Valley Conference honors after posting a .459 batting average. Stevens Point has a knack for producing solid infielders, and Anderson personified that with his performances last year.

Infielder: Quinn Pierner, Bay Port

Bay Port may have lost 8 of their 9 starters from last year’s team, but they should be in good hands when they pass the torch to Quinn Pierner. The Pirates’ lone returning starter batted .404 last season with 7 extra-base hits and 11 RBIs. He also had a solid summer playing for the Ash Port Legion team. As Bay Port reloads this spring, they’ll likely look to Pierner to play an even bigger role than last year.

Outfielder: Payton Nelson, Wausau West

Nelson lit up the competition as a sophomore last spring. He was a unanimous 1st team All-Wisconsin Valley Conference outfielder thanks to his .462 batting average. In conference play, he struck out just once in 44 plate appearances. With similar numbers this year, he’ll have more awards coming his way.

Outfielder: Turner Wittig, Ashwaubenon

Wittig batted .425 last year for Ashwaubenon and was named 1st team All-FRCC as a result. He tallied 9 extra base hits, 18 RBIs, and 21 runs scored for the Jaguars. His on base percentage was .500 and he also stole 7 bases. He was also Ashwaubenon’s ace on the mound with a 2.10 ERA in 53.1 innings.

Outfielder: TD Walker, Milwaukee Lutheran

Walker, a Jacksonville University commit, was the three hitter for the state champion Red Knights last year. He hit .410 with a team-high 14 extra base hits and 33 RBIs. He also stole 12 bases and scored 16 runs. Milwaukee Lutheran will try to defend their state championship this spring, and Walker will be right in the thick of things.

Designated hitter: Tanner Natzke, Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran

Natzke had a breakout season last year and proved to be a difficult player to get out for N.E.W. Lutheran. He batted .651 for the Blazers and drew 23 walks, which led to his on-base percentage being upwards of .700. He also scored 33 runs. Packerland Conference foes should definitely take note.

Pitcher: Mack Blashka, St. Mary Central

Blashka dominated on the mound for the Zephyrs last season. He pitched 49 innings and went 7-1 with a 0.57 ERA and 61 strikeouts. His efforts were enough to earn 1st team All-Olympian honors, an improvement on being named 2nd team as a sophomore. With similar numbers this year, it’s not out of the question to think that all-state honors are next.

Pitcher: Chase Nyborg, Janesville Craig

Nyborg was one of the pitchers that made last year’s state champion Janesville Craig’s pitching rotation so great. He worked 46.1 innings for the Cougars and posted an 8-0 record, 1.35 ERA, and tallied 35 strikeouts. In the state semifinals, he threw a five hit shutout against Oconomowoc to propel his team to the championship game. Now that he’s a senior, he figures to be the Cougars’ ace this year.

Pitcher: Ryan Gassner, Marathon

Gassner was a big reason why Marathon only lost three games last year and made it to the state semifinals. The southpaw pitched 61.2 innings for the Red Raiders and went 9-1 with 8 complete games, a 1.58 ERA, 3 shutouts and 120 strikeouts. He and several of his teammates will be back this year to try to improve on last season’s great showing.

Leave a comment below to let us know what you think!