State tournament preview: Iola-Scandinavia vs. Laconia
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. Next up: Iola-Scandinavia vs. Laconia in the Division 3 semifinals.
The rundown
Iola-Scandinavia is 17-6 entering the state semifinals. The Thunderbirds finished in third place in the Central Wisconsin 8 Conference this season. They’re making their first-ever appearance at the state tournament. To get this far, the fourth-seeded Thunderbirds beat Amherst, Wittenberg-Birnamwood and Weyauwega-Fremont in regionals and Spencer and Coleman at sectionals.
Laconia enters the state tournament with a 12-11 record. The Spartans finished in fifth place in the Flyway Conference, and are making their first-ever appearance at the state tournament. The No. 3 seed won its regional by defeating Pardeeville, Lourdes Academy/Valley Christian and Markesan. They won their sectional by topping Southern Door and Kenosha St. Joseph.
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.
Hitting
Iola-Scandinavia: 33 points
Laconia: 36 points
Laconia has performed slightly better than Iola-Scandinavia with the bat this year. The Spartans hit .321 collectively, and have five starters hitting over .300. Seth Gosse’s team-high batting average is .420, and he has seven extra-base hits this year—three of which are home runs. Trevin Henker hits .371 with 14 RBIs for the Spartans, and Drew Gunnink bats .338 with three doubles and a home run. Outfielder Jake Beattie enters the tournament with a .319 average, and Hunter Engelhardt is close behind at .306 with six doubles and two home runs.
Iola-Scandinavia, who hits .279 as a team, is led by Jayden Sivertson and his .403 average. He hit 12 doubles this year, along with a triple and a home run. Freshman Justin Sivertson hits .327 for the Thunderbirds. Carter Kurki is batting .319, and Seth Korb has a .310 average. The Thunderbirds have a balanced attack which has scored an average of just over six runs per game in the postseason.
Pitching
Iola-Scandinavia: 40 points
Laconia: 32 points
The Thunderbirds have a definite edge on the mound in this matchup. They have a team ERA of 1.61, and their No. 1 and No. 2 pitchers have been fantastic this year. Seth Korb is 5-3 with a 1.14 ERA in 49.1 innings this season, while Connor Kurki is 5-0 and has posted a 0.89 ERA in 47 innings. Their third option, Carter Kurki, has a 2.41 ERA in 29.1 innings.
Laconia’s ace is Drew Gunnink. He’s 7-4 this season with a 2.36 ERA in 65.1 innings. Bryce Engelhardt has a 2.46 ERA in 42.2 innings. The only other pitcher that has more than seven innings pitched on the roster is Hunter Engelhardt, who is 3-2. There’s not a ton of depth on the pitching staff, so they’ll need their starter to take them deep into the game.
Base running
Iola-Scandinavia: 5 points
Laconia: 5 points
These two are pretty even on the base paths. Iola-Scandinavia stole 46 bases this season with a 78 percent success rate. Jayden Sivertson had a team-high nine steals, and four other Thunderbirds had six apiece.
Laconia stole 45 bases this year, only getting caught 17 percent of the time. Jake Beattie did almost half of the damage for the Spartans, stealing 19 bases over the course of the year. Cormac Madigan stole eight bases, and Trevin Henker had five.
The verdict
Iola-Scandinavia: 78 out of 100 points
Laconia: 73 out of 100 points
Iola-Scandinavia will enter this game as the favorite, which is no surprise given the difference between the two teams’ records. Both teams have made surprising runs to the state tournament after getting hot at the right time. Laconia ended the regular season on a four game losing streak, but has clearly turned things around. Iola-Scandinavia knocked off No. 2 ranked Coleman in the sectional finals, so they’re bound to be confident when they take the field in Appleton. At this point, it’s anyone’s game to win. Both teams are hot, and that’s all that matters at this point. The disparity in the pitching depth might prove to be a key in this matchup.
