State Tournament Preview: Ithaca vs. Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran
The 2016 edition of the spring baseball state tournament begins on June 14. There will be 20 teams competing for a state championship across four divisions. The Division 1 quarterfinals and semifinals take place on Tuesday, followed by the Divisions 2-4 semifinals on Wednesday. All four Divisions will play their championship games on Thursday. Today, we're breaking down the Division 4 semifinals. First up: Ithaca vs. Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran.
The rundown
Ithaca is 21-3 this year and the champion of the Ridge & Valley Conference. The Bulldogs are back at the state tournament for the third consecutive year. In 2014, they lost in the semifinals. They were defeated in the state championship game last year. Their road to Appleton saw them beat Seneca and Riverdale in regional play and both Highland and Hillsboro in sectional action.
Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran is 13-7 this season. The Blazers finished in fourth place of the Packerland Conference. This is their first ever appearance at the state tournament. To get to this point, they beat Oakfield and Wild Rose in their regional before beating Rio and Catholic Central at sectionals.
Here’s a breakdown of the matchup based on the following categories: hitting, pitching, and base running. The teams are rated on a 100 point scale, with 100 being the best. There are a possible 45 points in both the hitting and pitching categories, and 10 in the base running category.
*Note: All stats listed do not include games from sectionals.
Hitting
Ithaca: 32 points
Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran: 32 points
In this matchup, we’ve got a push in the hitting department. Ithaca and N.E.W. Lutheran had comparable offensive stats this season. Ithaca batted .297 as a team this spring. Hitting at a .385 clip, Caleb Olson had the highest batting average among starters for the Bulldogs. He also led the team with 25 RBIs. Luke Oelke batted .333 with 10 RBIs, while Nolan Clary and Jacob Huebsch both hit .301. Those four were the only Bulldog starters to bat over .300, but overall they had eight hit over .250. The Bulldogs hit five home runs this season, so there is some power in their lineup.
The Blazers had similar numbers to Ithaca this season. As a team, they hit .294. Preseason Third Team All-Wisconsinite Tanner Natzke led the team in both batting average (.422) and extra base hits (eight). Brock Reisler wasn’t far behind with a .393 average and five extra base hits. Erik Voskamp (.340 average) tied with Mitchell Lynch (.239 average) for the team’s highest RBI tally at 15. Lucas Bukowski hit .358 this spring as just a freshman. Overall, the Blazers had four starters bat over .300, and five hit over .250.
Pitching
Ithaca: 35 points
Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran: 27 points
Ithaca has a definite edge on the mound in this game. Jacob Huebsch, their ace, is 9-1 this year with a 0.56 ERA in 63 innings. He had 101 strikeouts before even reaching sectionals. He has pitched nine innings at the state tournament in his career, so there will be nothing that's new to him out on the mound at Fox Cities Stadium. The Bulldogs’ second option is Nolan Clary, who has posted a 2.06 ERA in 34 innings this spring. He has also pitched in the state tournament before. The other two Ithaca pitchers that saw significant innings this year are Aaron Huebsch (0.82 ERA) and Luke Oelke (1.75 ERA).
N.E.W. Lutheran’s pitchers do not have the types of numbers that Ithaca’s do. Mitchell Lynch is the ace for the Blazers. He went 5-1 this year in 35 innings. He posted an ERA of 5.00. The Blazers’ number two man is Jed McClellan. He has a 2-2 record with a 4.72 ERA in 26.2 innings this year. Their relievers fared a little bit better this spring. Bryce Heninger (2.18 ERA) and Lucas Bukowski (2.86 ERA) have both seen substantial time on the mound. There is hope for the Blazers’ pitchers despite their less-than-stellar numbers. In the sectional semifinals against defending state champion Rio, Lynch tossed a complete game with seven strikeouts. In two games during regional action, the Blazers only gave up two runs total.
Base running
Ithaca: 8 points
Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran: 6 points
Ithaca also gets the advantage on the base paths. The Bulldogs stole 79 bases this season, led by Luke Oelke and Nolan Clary’s 13 swipes apiece. Joey Clary and Cody Klossowski both stole 10 bags for the Bulldogs. They’re certainly threats to steal when they get on base.
The Blazers stole 54 bases this year with an excellent 92% success rate. Brock Reisler led the squad with 11 steals, while Samuel Meerstein chipped in with 10. Erik Voskamp was a perfect 7-for-7 on stolen base attempts this season.
The verdict
Ithaca: 75/100 points
Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran: 65/100 points
The Bulldogs are making their third straight state tournament appearance, and they are the favorites in this semifinal matchup. Being the underdog won’t bother Green Bay N.E.W. Lutheran though. They’ve made it this far as a Cinderella team of sorts, and they showed they are mentally tough in two nail-biting finishes to their sectional games. The Bulldogs have experience playing on the big stage, while the Blazers are making their first ever appearance. On the other hand, that may not matter too much, as N.E.W Lutheran won a sectional title in their first ever appearance in that round. One thing is for certain: The Blazers’ pitching needs to continue to pitch like it has toward the end of the season, or Ithaca could prove to be too much of a challenge for the young team from Titletown.
