State tournament preview: Kiel vs Marquette
The 2017 WIAA summer baseball state tournament begins on July 21 at Kapco Park in Mequon. Four teams will vie for the state championship. The first semifinal between Kiel and Marquette University begins at 11:35 a.m. Here's our breakdown of the matchup.
The rundown
Kiel is 19-8 this summer and took third place in the Eastern Wisconsin Conference. The Raiders are making their first state tournament appearance since 1969, and their second overall appearance. To make it to state, they beat Howards Grove in regional play and won their sectional with victories over Plymouth and New Holstein.
Marquette is 26-7 this season and took second place in the Greater Metro Conference behind Oak Creek. This is the Hilltoppers’ second consecutive appearance at the state tournament. They fell to Menomonee Falls in the championship game last year. To get to Kapco Park, they beat Mukwonago, Wauwatosa East and Waukesha North in postseason action. The Hilltoppers were ranked No. 3 in our final 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 Kiel do not include stats from sectionals.
Hitting
Kiel: 35 points
Marquette: 45 points
Marquette has a decided advantage at the plate thanks to arguably the best offense in the state (including spring teams). They hit .354 as a team and knocked an incredible 87 extra-base hits. Their seven most-used players all hit over .300. Michigan State recruit Peter Ahn leads the club with a .457 average. He hit 11 doubles, eight triples and five home runs while driving in 42. Furman recruit Pat Sisk is close behind with a .453 average to go along with eight doubles, five home runs and 35 RBIs. UW-Milwaukee recruit Zach Nogalski hits .434 and has bashed nine doubles, nine triples and one home run. Infielder Zach Schmidt has a .423 average with seven doubles. The Hilltoppers have three other starters hitting over .315.
Kiel doesn’t have quite the gaudy numbers that Marquette does (not many teams do). The Raiders hit .304 collectively and have five starters hitting over .300. Entering sectional play, Trent Nickel led the team with a .400 batting average. He hit four doubles and two home runs. Austin Conrad had a .387 average with five doubles, a triple and 26 RBIs. Austin Goehring hit .373 and was easily the team’s top slugger. He hit four doubles, a triple and six home runs to drive in 31 runs. Trace Woepse hit .333, and Michael Endries batted .319.
Pitching
Kiel: 35 points
Marquette: 35 points
The Raiders and Hilltoppers are similar on the mound. Kiel’s top pitcher this year has been Austin Conrad. The sophomore was 7-3 with a 2.66 ERA entering sectionals. No. 2 man Jonathan Meyer filled his role very well with a 6-1 record and a 1.53 ERA. Nathan Goehring was solid in relief with a 2.50 ERA.
Marquette’s most-used pitcher this summer has been Austin Trowbridge. The senior is 6-0 with a 2.04 ERA. Zach Nogalski (5-2, 3.72 ERA), Cole Schaefer (2-0, 2.31 ERA) and Andrew Zeidler (3-1, 1.42 ERA) have also seen a lot of time on the mound.
Base running
Kiel: 9 points
Marquette: 10 points
Both of these teams feature some adept base stealers. Marquette stole 97 bases as a team, led by three players who had 16 each: Peter Ahn, Pat Sisk and Zach Nogalski. Hank Lamers stole 15 for the Hilltoppers, and Rob Gueldner had eight steals.
Kiel had 77 stolen bases entering sectionals. Trent Nickel led the club with 16, and Jonathan Meyer had 14. Michael Endries stole 12 bases, and Connor Voelker and Austin Goehring both had seven.
The verdict
Kiel: 79 out of 100 points
Marquette: 90 out of 100 points
Marquette closed out the season ranked as our No. 3 team in the state, and the numbers back that up. The Hilltoppers will be the favorite over unranked Kiel thanks to their explosive offense which has scored 24 runs in three playoff games. The Raiders’ pitching allowed an average of 1.33 runs in their playoff games, and they’ll need another strong performance on the mound if they are going to be able to pull off an upset. If it turns into a slugfest, Marquette may start to run away with it.
