State tournament preview: Webster vs. Independence/Gilmanton
The state tournament begins on June 13 with the Division 1 quarterfinals and semifinals, followed by the semifinals for Divisions 2 through 4 on June 14. All four state championship games will take place on June 15. We're breaking down every quarterfinal and semifinal matchup. First up: Webster vs. Independence/Gilmanton in the Division 4 semifinals.
The rundown
Webster enters the state tournament with a 21-6 record and as the champions of the Lakeland West Conference. The Tigers are coached by former MLB pitcher Jarrod Washburn. This is the Tigers’ first ever appearance at the state tournament. They got this far by beating Siren and Shell Lake in regional play and Butternut/Mercer and Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran at sectionals.
Independence/Gilmanton is 22-5 this season and took second place in the Dairyland Conference behind Eau Claire Immanuel Lutheran. The Indees are making their first state tournament appearance since 1948. Their road to Appleton saw them defeat Lincoln and Eleva-Strum in their regional, and Royall and De Soto 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: Stats listed for Independence/Gilmanton do not include stats from sectionals.
Hitting
Webster: 35 points
Independence/Gilmanton: 30 points
Webster has the advantage at the plate in this matchup. The Tigers batted .324 as a team this year, compared to Independence/Gilmanton’s .289. Webster has five starters hitting over .350, led by Hunter Gustafson, who is having an all-state caliber year. The junior is hitting .524 this season with 19 extra-base hits (including seven home runs) and 49 RBIs. Jack Washburn hits .411 for the Tigers and has 32 RBIs. Trevor Gustafson (.380), Trenton Wols (.378) and Brad Sigfrids (.359) have all had great years at the plate for Webster.
Isaac Pape has been Independence/Gilmanton’s top hitter this season. The junior is batting .466 with five home runs and 32 RBIs. He leads the Indees in practically every statistical category. Overall, the Indees have four starters hitting over .300. Andrew Grulkowski is hitting .457 this spring. Dayne Keenan has a .324 average with eight extra-base hits and 14 RBIs. Blane Olson hits .313 with 19 RBIs. The other Indee starters hit .250 or lower.
Pitching
Webster: 32 points
Independence/Gilmanton: 37 points
The Indees get the nod on the mound for their overall pitching depth. Ace Jesse Pientok is 9-1 in 64.1 innings this year with a 0.87 ERA. He walked just nine batters all year heading into sectionals. Samuel Killian is 5-3 with a 1.66 ERA, and Dayne Kennan is 4-1 with a 2.50 ERA. In 17.2 innings, Blane Olson has a 0.81 ERA.
Webster has a dominant ace, but the other pitchers haven’t quite matched his level this season. Jack Washburn is 8-0 in 53.2 innings and has posted a 0.65 ERA. He has 101 strikeouts, which is good for an average of almost two per inning. No. 2 man Jordan Larson is 8-1 in 42.2 innings with a 2.79 ERA. Trevor Gustafson is 4-1 with a 3.10 ERA, and Caleb Pardun has a 1.59 ERA in 22 innings.
Base running
Webster: 10 points
Independence/Gilmanton: 7 points
Webster has been prolific on the base paths this season, and has a slight advantage in this category. The Tigers stole 110 bases this year with a 92 percent success rate. Jack Washburn led the club with 25 steals, while Austin Spafford stole 18 and Trevor Gustafson swiped 16. The Tigers had five players steal at least 10 bases.
The Indees are no slouch on the bases either. They swiped 72 bases this year with a 92 percent success rate. Three players did most of the damage for the team. Isaac Pape had 16 steals, Dayne Keenan had 15 and Andrew Grulkowski had 13. The Indees had nine players steal at least four bases.
The verdict
Webster: 77 out of 100 points
Independence/Gilmanton: 74 out of 100 points
Webster will enter this state semifinal as the slight favorite. The Tigers have a very well-rounded team that is strong in every facet of the game. The Indees certainly have a team capable of taking down the Tigers though. In a year where a lot of underdogs reached the state tournament, this game will be a battle between two of the top teams in the state. Given the ability of both teams’ ace pitchers, it might come down to which team is able to score the first few runs of the game.
