State tournament preview: West Bend West vs Franklin
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 second semifinal between West Bend West and Franklin begins after the first semifinal. Here's our breakdown of the matchup.
The rundown
West Bend West is undefeated at 31-0 this summer and won the North Shore Conference. The Spartans are making their 14th appearance at the state tournament, and first since 2013 when they fell in the championship game. To get to this point, they won playoff games over Shorewood, Homestead and defending champion Menomonee Falls. They spent the entire season as our No. 1 ranked team in the state—from preseason to the final rankings of the year.
Franklin is 27-6 this season and took third place in the Greater Metro Conference behind Oak Creek and Marquette. The Sabers are making their 11th state tournament appearance, and their second in three years. They lost in the championship game in 2015. They were ranked No. 5 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 both teams do not include stats from sectionals.
Hitting
West Bend West: 43 points
Franklin: 40 points
Both of these teams can mash, but West Bend West has a slight edge. The Spartans hit .355 as a team, led by freshman Lucas Broske’s .480 average. Purdue recruit Evan Albrecht had the highest average among everyday starters at .473. He had five extra-base hits and drove in 27 runs. Oklahoma recruit Anthony Schlass had a .460 average, 12 doubles and a team-high 42 RBIs entering sectionals. UW-Milwaukee recruit Jack Thelen’s average sat at an even .400 before sectional play. He had 13 doubles and 34 RBIs. Infielder Logan Rupnow hit .365, and outfielder Justin Schroedel batted .327 with five doubles and a home run.
The Sabers also have impressive numbers at the plate. They hit .351 as a squad and have nine significant contributors that bat over .300. Carson Manning leads the way in the midst of an all-state caliber season. The senior infielder entered sectionals with a .443 average to go along with 10 doubles, three triples, three home runs and 33 RBIs. Madison College recruit Nathan Aide came in with a .427 average and six doubles, three triples and two home runs. He hit two more homers at sectionals. Outfielder Kyle Lewis hit .409 with five extra-base hits. Sophomore infielder Matt Devinger had a .365 average with eight doubles, a homer and 26 RBIs. Overall, the Sabers had seven players enter sectional play with five doubles or more.
Pitching
West Bend West: 45 points
Franklin: 40 points
The Spartans have been lights-out on the mound this year. They’ve posted seven shutouts, and held opponents to two runs or fewer in 25 of their 31 games. Anthony Schlass has gone above and beyond the role of ace this summer. Entering sectionals, he was 9-0 with a 0.30 ERA in 47.1 innings. There’s a lot of depth behind him, too. Freshman Gavin Hinckley was 6-0 with a 1.80 ERA going into sectionals, and then allowed just three hits against two-time defending champion Menomonee Falls in the sectional final. Logan Rupnow was 6-0 with a 2.40 ERA coming into the week. Oregon State recruit Nathan Burns, the No. 2 ranked pitcher in Wisconsin’s Class of 2017 by Prep Baseball Report, has had limited action this summer but was 5-0 with a 2.03 ERA headed into sectionals. If that’s not enough depth for you, Nate Fleischman (1.47 ERA), Riley McClarran (1.54 ERA) and Evan Albrecht (1.70 ERA) all have been good on the mound too.
Franklin has a pair of top-tier pitchers that have led them this summer. Caleb Willert brought a 7-0 record and 1.63 ERA into sectionals, while Ryan Keesler was 5-2 with a 2.13 ERA. One of those two will likely get the start on Friday. Robbie Koper (3-1, 1.12 ERA), Jake Michalski (3-0, 1.17 ERA) and Aaron Simmons (2-0, 2.06 ERA) provide depth in the pitching staff. The Sabers held opponents to two runs or fewer in 20 games this season.
Base running
West Bend West: 6 points
Franklin: 6 points
These teams are fairly comparable on the base paths. West Bend West stole 72 bases with a 91 percent success rate, while Franklin swiped 59 bags. Evan Albrecht did almost half the damage for the Spartans. He stole 30 bases, and the next highest total on the team was Nate Block’s 8. Anthony Schlass had seven steals. Kyle Lewis led Franklin with 18 steals, and Nathan Aide and Carson Manning were close behind with 12 and 11, respectively.
The verdict
West Bend West: 94 out of 100 points
Franklin: 86 out of 100 points
This is everything you want out of a state tournament game. Two of the top teams in the state will be squaring off for a spot in the state championship. The total points in this breakdown may seem a little lopsided, but that’s just because West Bend West is one of the best Wisconsin high school baseball teams in recent memory. Their stats and undefeated record reflect that. There’s good news for Franklin, though. The Sabers played a very tough schedule this year, and they picked up six wins against teams ranked in the top 10 of our final rankings this year. Nobody’s been able to beat No. 1 though, and until someone does, the Spartans will be favored in every game they play.
