State tournament preview: West Salem vs. Beloit Turner
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: West Salem vs. Beloit Turner in the Division 2 semifinals.
The rundown
West Salem is 22-4 this season and won the Coulee Conference title. The Panthers are at the state tournament for the third consecutive year. They lost in the semifinals in both of their last two trips to Appleton. To get there this year, they beat Arcadia and Black River Falls in regional play and Adams-Friendship and Prescott at sectionals. They were ranked No. 7 in Division 2 in the last WBCA poll of the year.
Beloit Turner enters the state tournament with a 25-3 record and as the champion of the Rock Valley South Conference. The Trojans are at the state tournament for the first time since 2001, when they won the Division 2 championship. They won their regional by defeating Monroe and Brodhead/Juda and took the sectional title with wins over top-ranked Catholic Memorial and Mount Horeb. The Trojans were ranked No. 2 in Division 2 in the final WBCA state rankings.
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 both teams do not include stats from sectionals.
Hitting
West Salem: 37 points
Beloit Turner: 40 points
Turner absolutely mashes the ball, and they have better numbers at the plate than West Salem. The Trojans have two starters hitting over .500. Mitch Seager has had a state Player of the Year caliber season. The junior outfielder is hitting .540 with 13 doubles, three home runs and 42 RBIs. Junior infielder Hunter Waldsmith is doing much of the same. He has a .517 batting average with nine doubles, three home runs and 43 RBIs. Preseason All-Wisconsin honorable mention selection Ethan Burns is hitting .420 with seven extra-base hits. Sam Behm has a .352 average, and Hunter Martindale’s is .333. The rest of Turner’s starters hit .250 or lower, which makes getting the top hitters in the lineup out that much more important. That’s easier said than done.
West Salem is no slouch at the plate either. The Panthers have two starters hitting over .400: Braxton Ghelfi (.408) and Ryan Beirne (.403). Ghelfi has six extra-base hits this year, three of which were triples. Beirne has a team-high 27 RBIs. Catcher Trevor Kastenschmidt hits .344 for the Panthers with 19 RBIs. Nick Schultz (.324), Austin Kennedy (.308) and Alec Gorski (.302) are the other Panther starters to hit above .300. All nine of their starters hit at least .250.
Pitching
West Salem: 38 points
Beloit Turner: 35 points
West Salem gets the nod on the mound, largely thanks to the dominance of their top two pitchers. Alex Jeranek, who started in the semifinals last year, has been a bona fide ace this year. He was 10-1 with a 0.69 ERA in 50.2 innings entering sectionals. No. 2 man Alec Gorski was 5-0 going into sectionals with a 1.13 ERA in 43.1 innings. Nick Schultz (2-1, 3.50 ERA) and Jon Arentz (1-0, 2.63 ERA) provide solid depth in relief.
The Turner pitching staff is flying high right now, allowing just one run apiece to Catholic Memorial and Mount Horeb (two of the top teams in the state) at sectionals. Hunter Martindale and Hunter Waldsmith have been rock solid on the mound this year. Martindale was 8-1 going into sectionals and had posted a 1.51 ERA across 46.1 innings. Waldsmith entered sectionals with an 8-0 record and a 2.11 ERA in 56.1 innings. Mitch Seager (4-1, 2.47 ERA) and Sam Behm (2-1, 3.61 ERA) have both had success on the mound too.
Base running
West Salem: 6 points
Beloit Turner: 7 points
There’s not much separating these two teams on the bases. Beloit Turner stole 71 bases prior to sectionals this season, but what stands out about the Trojans was their success rate. They were only caught stealing one time in 72 attempts, good for a 99 percent success rate. Mitch Seager led the team with 14 steals, and Ethan Burns (11), Cole Walker (11) and Sam Behm (10) weren’t far behind.
The Panthers also did well on the base paths. They stole 61 bases with a 90 percent success rate. Braxton Ghelfi was a menace on the bases, tallying 21 steals. Austin Kennedy had the next-highest total at 10, and Ryan Beirne stole nine bags.
The verdict
West Salem: 81 out of 100 points
Beloit Turner: 82 out of 100 points
This matchup is everything you want in a state tournament game. Two of the top teams in the state will be going at it for a berth in the state title game. Two great offenses will go up against two great aces. For some West Salem players, this will be their third time playing at the state tournament. Experience can help a lot in games like this. Playing at Fox Cities Stadium will be a new experience for every Turner player, although the Trojans had some guys finish as state runner-up in the American Legion Class AAA state tournament last summer, so they’re not entirely new to the big stage either. The Trojans beat top-ranked Catholic Memorial and No. 8 Mount Horeb last week, so they know what it takes to take down top teams. Get your popcorn ready for this one, because it has the potential to be one of the best games of the tournament.
