Athens wins first state title since 1982
Athens pitcher Klay Ellenbrecker leaps into the arms of catcher Connor Westfall after winning the state championship on Thursday (Alex Strouf/Wisconsin Baseball Central).
GRAND CHUTE -- Athens’ two first inning runs and its superb defense were all it took to hoist the Division Four championship on Thursday morning. In the top of the first inning, Athens sophomore Seth Coker hit a ball deep to right-center field which scored both runners that were on base. That was all the Bluejays needed to grab their first state championship since 1982. In fact, Athens hung six jerseys in their dugout from the 1982 season. “We shouldn’t even be in the same sentence as the 1982 team,” said Seth Coker. “But here we are. Somehow.” Coker is a big reason they mocked the 1982 team’s result. The sophomore finished the tournament 6-for-6 with 4 RBI. Seth’s father, Bill, is the head coach of the Athens squad that finished the season 17-7. “Seth had a great tournament. I’m so proud of him,” said Bill Coker. “He’s very self-motivated. He’ll think about the team before himself.” WIAA Deputy Director Wade Labecki presented Coker, the player, with the state championship game ball. “It’s unbelievable,” said Seth. “It hasn’t even hit me.” Athens junior Klay Ellenbecker was on the mound for the Bluejays on both Wednesday and Thursday. Luckily, Ellenbecker only threw 29 pitches in the semifinals, which allowed a reset for Thursday’s championship game. This is the first season where the WIAA has limited pitchers to a pitch count of 100. Anything under 30, you only need to rest for the night. That’s what he did. And he was sharp on Thursday. Ellenbecker threw a complete game shutout of 101 pitches. He allowed six hits, walked a pair, and struck out four. “Never gets wrapped up. His emotions never go so high or so low,” said coach Coker. “You never know if struck out or hit a homerun. His presence out there is incredible.” Hundreds of fans wearing blue and gold filled the right field line seats on Thursday morning, showing that despite being the smallest school remaining, they had the biggest spirit. “I can’t believe the outpour of the community,” said Bill. “There might not be anybody left in town!”
