State tournament preview: Beloit Memorial vs. Sun Prairie
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: Beloit Memorial vs. Sun Prairie in the Division 1 quarterfinals.
The rundown
Beloit Memorial has an 18-10 record this season and finished in sixth place in the Big Eight Conference. The Purple Knights are playing at the state tournament for the first time since 1993. To get to this point, they beat Oregon in regional play and Janesville Craig and Verona at sectionals.
Sun Prairie is 23-6 this year and took second place in the Big Eight Conference. They are at the state tournament for the fifth time in the last six seasons. They won their regional by beating Hartford, and advanced through sectionals with wins over Fond du Lac and Oconomowoc. They were ranked No. 5 in Division 1 in the final WBCA rankings of the season.
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 Beloit Memorial do not include stats from sectionals.
Hitting
Beloit Memorial: 33 points
Sun Prairie: 38 points
Sun Prairie has better numbers at the plate in this matchup. The Cardinals bat .330 as a team and have six starters hitting over .300. Outfielder Carson Holin led the club with a .432 average. He had 10 extra-base hits and 21 RBIs. Walker Jenkins hits .387 for the Cardinals seven extra-base hits. Alex Oakley bats .385 with eight extra-base hits, including four triples. Ty Hamilton (.366), Luke DePrey (.357), Ben Hauser (.356) and Jack Zander (.303) are the other Sun Prairie starters hitting above .300.
Beloit Memorial hits .303 collectively and is led by Drew Freitag and his .451 average. He’s driven in a team-high 24 runs this season. Matt Elliott hits .354 for the Purple Knights, while Avery Lewis bats .310. Miguel Betancourt has a .295 average with 14 RBIs, and Trent Porter hits .280 with 15 runs driven in. Steven Makinen hits .272 with 14 RBIs for Memorial.
Pitching
Beloit Memorial: 35 points
Sun Prairie: 38 points
The Cardinals have been a little bit better than Memorial on the mound this season. The Cardinals have a well-balanced pitching staff led by Taylor Jansen and Taylor Middaugh. Jansen is 7-1 with a 2.55 ERA in 38.1 innings this year, while Middaugh is 5-0 with a 1.04 ERA across 47 innings. Either one would be a good option to start this game. Walker Jenkins (5-0, 1.04 ERA), Joe Hauser (23 IP, 2.44 ERA) and Alex Oakley (5-0, 3.23 ERA) provide good depth for the Cardinals.
Beloit Memorial will likely go as far as its pitching can take it. Miguel Betancourt shut down third-ranked Janesville Craig in the sectional semifinals. He was 5-1 with a 1.67 ERA in 54.1 innings prior to sectionals. If he’s on the mound, he could keep the Purple Knights in the game long enough to pull off an upset. There isn’t a ton of depth behind Betancourt. Drew Freitag (4-4, 3.97 ERA) and Brandon Stavn (2-2, 4.15 ERA) both started a handful of games this year, while Corbin Ovist (4-3, 2.69 ERA) pitched well in relief.
Base running
Beloit Memorial: 5 points
Sun Prairie: 5 points
Both teams have decent speed on their rosters. Beloit Memorial stole 40 bases with a 91 percent success rate this year. Four players did almost all of the damage for the Purple Knights. Drew Freitag and Trent Porter both stole 10 bases, while Miguel Betancourt had seven and Matt Elliott had six.
Stolen base number aren’t available for Sun Prairie, but they managed to leg out 16 triples as a team, so they’re not exactly slow on the bases. Ben Hauser had six triples to lead the team, and Walker Jenkins has good speed as well.
The verdict
Beloit Memorial: 73 out of 100 points
Sun Prairie: 81 out of 100 points
Sun Prairie will enter this game as the favorite, and for good reason. The Cardinals have played better than the Purple Knights this year, and beat Memorial earlier in the season. Beloit is certainly capable of springing an upset, though. Their pitching gave up three total runs in two sectional games, leading to a win over one of the best teams in the state. If they can frustrate Sun Prairie’s bats long enough, the Purple Knights will be right in this one. If not, the Cardinals will likely prove to be too much to handle.
