State tournament preview: Eau Claire North vs. Green Bay Preble
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: Eau Claire North vs. Green Bay Preble in the Division 1 quarterfinals.
The rundown
Eau Claire North is 21-2 this season and won the Big Rivers Conference. The Huskies are at the state tournament for the second straight year. They fell in the quarterfinals last year, and are seeking their first state title since 2011. They’ve tallied postseason wins over Menomonie, Stevens Point and Eau Claire Memorial to get to Appleton. They were ranked No. 2 in Division 1 in the final WBCA rankings of the year.
Green Bay Preble is the last unbeaten team in Wisconsin at 29-0. The Hornets won the Fox River Classic Conference and are at the state tournament for the second consecutive season. They got knocked out in the semifinals last June. Their road to Appleton saw them beat Ashwaubenon, D.C. Everest and De Pere. They were ranked No. 1 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 both teams do not include stats from sectionals.
Hitting
Eau Claire North: 40 points
Green Bay Preble: 35 points
The Huskies have an edge with the bat. They hit .347 as a team and have six starters hitting over the .300 mark. Jaelin Williams had a team-high .467 average, and preseason All-Wisconsin pick Zac Stange has a .420 average. Ryan Venne hits .386 for the Huskies with seven extra-base hits, followed by Tanner Halvorson, who hit .385 with eight extra-base hits (three of which were triples). John Bickle bats .333 for North, and Noah Hanson hits .306.
Preble has two starters hitting over .400 as well. Will Conard leads the club with a .413 average, followed closely by freshman Max Wagner, who is hitting .410 with 12 extra-base hits. Colin Dougherty has a .357 average, and Jarrett Scheelk hits .329 with 12 extra-base hits for the Hornets. Preble has a handful of starters hitting just under .300: Taylor Bagniefski (.299), Casey Roeser (.293) and Jayden Adrians (.289). Roeser and Adrians have been the biggest run-producers for Preble this year.
Pitching
Eau Claire North: 45 points
Green Bay Preble: 45 points
These teams are as good as it gets on the mound in Wisconsin this year. Eau Claire North ace Tanner Halvorson was 9-0 with a 1.19 ERA entering sectionals, and then tossed a two-hitter with seven strikeouts in the sectional semis. Nick Hestekin was 6-0 with a 0.42 ERA going into sectionals, while Ryan Venne was 4-0 and had posted a 0.56 ERA. Their fourth pitcher, Noah Hanson, had a 1.62 ERA in 13 innings.
Preble also has a number of top-tier pitchers. Madison College commit Jarrett Scheelk was 9-0 with a 1.36 ERA entering sectionals. Minnesota State commit Will Conard was 5-0 with a 2.33 ERA. The Hornets took a hit when Griffin Summers was lost to a season-ending injury late in the year—he was 5-0 with a 0.37 ERA. They have very capable replacements though. Bradley commit Paul Stefiuk came into sectionals with a 0.49 ERA, and Ryan Stefiuk (the top-ranked player in Wisconsin’s class of 2020 by Prep Baseball Report) had a 1.30 ERA. Max Wagner (0.43 ERA in 16.2 innings) and Quinn Williquette (1.62 ERA in 13 innings) also did well in limited work.
Base running
Eau Claire North: 5 points
Green Bay Preble: 10 points
Preble loves to run, run, and run some more. The Hornets stole 119 bases this season (including sectional games) with a 91 percent success rate. Jarrett Scheelk led the team with 24 steals, while Taylor Bagniefski had 20. Max Wagner and Colin Dougherty both stole 16 bags. The Hornets put a great deal of pressure on opposing pitchers and defenses with their running game.
The Huskies didn’t attempt to steal nearly as much as Preble, but when they did they were very successful. Entering sectionals, they stole 40 bases and only got caught seven percent of the time. Zac Stange had a team-high 10 steals, while Jaelin Williams had seven. Carson Lemanski stole five bags.
The verdict
Eau Claire North: 90 out of 100 points
Green Bay Preble: 90 out of 100 points
These are the top two ranked teams in Wisconsin, and the numbers reflect that. There is virtually no way to separate these teams based on the stats. They both have lights-out pitching and powerful offenses. Both teams have state tournament experience. Preble is the last undefeated team in the state, but this will be their first game of the season against a team ranked in the top 10. North has beaten some ranked teams this year. Could that make a difference in this quarterfinal battle? That’ll be decided on the field. All we know for now is that on paper, this should be the best game of the state tournament.
