2015 All-State Tournament Team
The 2015 spring state tournament is in the books and four state champions have been crowned. There were some thrilling games and incredible individual performances along the way. Here’s our team of the best performers at Fox Cities Stadium this week.
Catcher: Cody Klossowski, Ithaca
Klossowski finished the tournament 3-for-5 at the plate with 2 RBIs for the Bulldogs. The junior was Ithaca’s best hitter in the Division 4 state title game with a 2-for-3 performance.
Infielder: Brian Grove, River Falls
Grove, a senior second baseman, had an unreal tournament performance. He went 4-for-4 with an inside the park home run and 4 RBIs in the Division 1 quarterfinals against Milwaukee Reagan. He followed that up by going 4-for-5 with 3 doubles and 2 RBIs in the semifinals. Do the math, and Grove finished 8-for-9 (which is good for an .888 batting average) with 5 extra base hits and 6 RBIs in just two games.
Infielder: Joe Lipsky, Lake Country Lutheran
If you hit a walk-off in the state championship game, chances are you’re going to make this list. Lipsky sent Lake Country Lutheran out as champions with a walk-off 2 RBI single in the Division 3 title game. That capped off a really good tournament showing for the sophomore, who went 4-for-7 with 3 RBIs in two games.
Infielder: Alex Dee, Aquinas
Dee was a force to be reckoned with at the plate for Aquinas in both of their Division 3 tournament games. In the semifinals, he went 3-for-3 with a double, triple, 3 RBIs, and 3 runs scored. In the state championship, the senior went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. Overall, that was a 5-for-6 tournament performance with 4 RBIs and 3 extra base hits.
Infielder: Christian Gerner, Milwaukee Lutheran
Milwaukee Lutheran didn’t mash the ball much at the state tournament, but Gerner sure did his part. The junior went 3-for-6 with 2 RBIs over two games. He drove in the winning run in the Division 2 semifinals against West Salem, and without his timely hitting in the 2nd inning of the state title game, the result may have been a different story.
Outfielder: Ben Carew, Kimberly
Carew was a monster at the plate for the Papermakers throughout their three games at the tournament. In the quarterfinals, the junior went 1-for-2 and drove in one of Kimberly’s 2 runs. In the semis, he was 2-for-3 with 2 stolen bases and an RBI in the 9th inning. Finally, in the state title game he went 3-for-3 with a double for the Papermakers.
Outfielder: Jack Euclide, Lake Country Lutheran
Euclide finished the tournament 4-for-5 at the plate with 2 RBIs for the Lightning. In the Division 3 state championship, he hit 2 doubles that were crucial to LCL winning the title.
Outfielder: JT Smithback, Janesville Craig
Smithback was one of the few batters for either team to have a good day at the plate in the Division 1 state title game. He went 2-for-3 for the Cougars in that game, which followed up his 2-for-6 with 3 RBIs performance on the first day of the tournament.
Designated Hitter: Nick Martzahl, Notre Dame
Martzahl, a senior outfielder, had a really good tournament for the Tritons. He went 2-for-2 with a double and 2 RBIs in the Division 2 semifinals. In the state championship game, he went 1-for-3 with an RBI and a stolen base. He nearly drove in the tying run in the 6th inning, but Milwaukee Lutheran second baseman Alex Weber robbed him of a hit by making a jumping catch of the line drive over his head.
Pitcher: Ty Yewman, Notre Dame
Yewman, a senior, had a historically good pitching performance in the Division 2 semifinals. He pitched a complete game and struck out 17 in the victory over River Valley. He took a perfect game into the 5th inning and gave up just 3 hits in his 7 innings of work.
Pitcher: Logan Wonn, Oconomowoc
Wonn threw a complete game shutout of the state’s best offense in the Division 1 quarterfinals on Tuesday. He allowed just 5 hits and struck out 3 to notch the victory.
Pitcher: Nick Winter, Milwaukee Lutheran
Winter pitched 7 innings of fantastic baseball in the Division 2 semifinals on Wednesday. Facing a 23-4 West Salem lineup, he allowed just 1 hit and two walks while striking out 8 to notch a shutout.
Pitcher: Adam Klos, West Salem
Klos was Winter’s counterpart on the mound in the Division 2 semifinal game between Milwaukee Lutheran and West Salem. He pretty much matched Winter blow for blow and pitched about as well as you possibly can despite taking the loss. He threw 6 innings and scattered 5 hits while striking out 10 and allowing just one run.
Pitcher: Chase Nyborg, Janesville Craig
Nyborg was dominant in the Cougars’ Division 1 semifinal win over Oconomowoc. He pitched all 7 innings, allowed just 5 hits, and struck out 7 to complete the shutout and send his team to the state championship game.
Player of the Tournament: Brian Grove, River Falls
