CONFERENCE PREVIEWS

METRO CLASSIC 2016 champion: Greendale Martin Luther. 2017 favorite: Martin Luther. Other contenders: Racine Lutheran/Prairie, Shoreland Lutheran. Top players: Burlington Catholic Central – Frank Koehnke, jr., INF. Martin Luther – Luke Howard, jr., INF. Racine Lutheran/ Prairie – Troy Eckert, sr., OF; Dalton Heffel, jr., INF; Alex Westman, sr., OF. Shoreland Lutheran – Jordan Keckhaver, jr., P; Sam Kirby, sr., INF. St. Thomas More – Ryan Backes, jr., INF. Outlook: Dominican has 30 players in the program and a full junior varsity team for the first time in a decade, says coach Nate Friday. Willie Mitchell, a senior, will play at Olive Harvey College next year. Martin Luther won its first league crown in at least 10 years last season. Lutheran/Prairie’s Westman, one of only two first-team all-conference players who return, hit .467 last year. Eckert batted .442 and Heffel hit .375. Shoreland Lutheran’s Trey Johnson, who won the conference player of the year last season, graduated. Kirby and Keckhaver made all-conference second team. MIDWEST CLASSIC 2016 champion: Lake Country Lutheran. 2017 favorite: Lake Country Lutheran. Other contenders: Brookfield Academy, St. Francis. Top players: Brookfield Academy – Taylor Just, sr., P. Heritage Christian – Peter Go, sr., UTIL. Lake Country Lutheran – Ryan Nehls, sr., P; Jon Rossing, jr., OF; Joe Lipsky, sr., SS. Living Word Lutheran – Jacob Bolwerk, jr., P; Jimmy Juergensen, soph., P. Milwaukee Messmer – Malik Jihad, sr., INF. St. Francis – Kyle Brickner, sr., C; Michael Hartmann, sr., INF. University School – Will Koch, sr., UTIL.; Tim Schwieters, sr., OF. Outlook: Brookfield Academy’s Just was 5-3 with a 2.05 ERA and made first-team all-league as a junior last year. Heritage Christian’s new coach is Armand Go. Senior Peter Go, who will play at UW-La Crosse, hit .515 last year in making all-league second team. Lake Country Lutheran’s Lipsky hit .418 with 36 RBI last year while Rossing’s batting average was .402. Nehls had a 0.97 ERA. St. Francis’ Brickner and Hartmann, as well as Keaton Rock, made all-conference second team. University School’s Koch was 6-1 with a 2.78 ERA and made first-team all-league, while Schwieters made second team after hitting .397 with 22 stolen bases. MILWAUKEE CITY 2016 champion: Riverside (Gold Div.), South (Blue Div.). 2017 favorites: Riverside, South. Other contenders: King, Reagan. Top players: King – Kiante Mack, sr., OF. Riverside – Tyrese Mitchell, sr., C; Savier Pinales, jr., INF; Sean Quiles, sr., INF; Antonio Valadez, sr., INF. Outlook: Bay View coach Jeff Geil enters his 10th year with the

Redcats, but they return just one player in sophomore Josh Heim. King has a talented pitching staff led by junior Tomas Pinet, and the Generals also have many seniors. Riverside’s Valadez had a 0.69 ERA in City games, Pinales hit over .400 with four homers and 21 stolen bases, and Mitchell and Quiles each hit at least .300. Only three players return from the all-Blue Division first team and all three are from South. SOUTHEAST 2016 champion: Kenosha Indian Trail. 2017 favorite: Indian Trail. Other contenders: Kenosha Tremper, Kenosha Bradford. Top players: Indian Trail – Kyle Antos, sr., C; Nick Elsen, sr., OF; Ryan Hoerter, sr., P. Tremper – Nathan Renner, sr., UTIL; Hunter Weddel, sr., OF. Racine Case – Mike Lepow, jr., OF. Racine Horlick – Kyle Semrad, jr., INF. Outlook: Bradford has won 10 straight regional championships. The Red Devils’ Isaac Lawler and Mikey Pillizzi, seniors and thirdyear varsity athletes, will play at UW-Parkside. Indian Trail has to replace Gavin Lux, who was selected in the first round of the draft by the Dodgers last year. The Hawks still have Hoerter (Auburn), Elsen (Kent State), Antos (Bradley) and senior Griffin Klein (UW-Parkside). Tremper has plenty of pitching depth and will be strong on defense. The Trojans need experience hitting against varsity pitching, however. SOUTHERN LAKES 2016 champion: Burlington. 2017 favorite: Burlington. Other contenders: Waterford, Westosha Central. Top players: Burlington – Zach Campbell, sr., OF; Dale Damon, sr., IF; Jacob Lindemann, sr., P. Elkhorn – Ian Nowell, sr., OF. Lake Geneva Badger – Brady Fields, jr., IF; Tyler Love, sr., OF. Waterford – Matt Korman, sr., IF. Westosha Central – Garrett Gilbert, sr., C; Trent Jones, sr., OF. Wilmot – Troy Hickey, sr., P. Outlook: Reigning Division 1 state champion Burlington has to replace Aaron Mutter, who won the conference player of the year award last season. But Lindemann, Campbell and Damon, who each made allconference first team, return. Delavan-Darien will be led by Ethan Cesarz, Jacob Benzing and Noal Brouwer, as all three made all-Southern Lakes honorable mention. Elkhorn returns 10 seniors, including Jet Weber (Indian Hill CC) and Brandon Komar (Madison Area Technical College). Lake Geneva Badger returns as many as six starters, highlighted by Love, who hit .500. Union Grove’s Bradley Hansen returns after hitting .377. Waterford coach Lance Bestland begins his 25th season and will count on Korman and fellow senior Ryan Jungbauer. Westosha Central’s Gilbert (.398) and Jones (.321) made first-team all-conference and Tanner Bykowski, another senior, hit .488 and drove in 37 runs – but made the second team. Wilmot returns all of its pitchers, highlighted by Hickey (Oklahoma State). Eight defensive starters return, too.

WISCONSIN LITTLE TEN 2016 champion: Arrowhead. 2017 favorite: Oconomowoc. Other contenders: Arrowhead, Catholic Memorial. Top players: Arrowhead – Jeff Holtz, soph., C; Tanner Williams, sr., INF. Catholic Memorial – Jonathan Dominguez, sr., INF; Ben Dragani, sr., INF/P. Hartford – Griff Lukes, jr., INF. Oconomowoc – Zach Clayton, sr., INF/P; Sean Meyer, sr., C. Watertown – Mike Harshbarger, sr., P/INF. Outlook: Arrowhead has to replace Nate Brown, who won the league’s player of the year honor last season. The reigning Division 1 state runner-up Warhawks feature Holtz (Indiana) and Williams (Winona State), and have a new coach in Nick Brengosz. Lukes, an infielder for Hartford, made all-conference second team after hitting .388 with 11 RBI. The Orioles have to replace several pitchers, however. Milwaukee Lutheran, which finished as Division 2 state runner-up, returns just one full-time player. A large number of last season’s junior varsity team will be on the roster. Watertown’s new coach is Andy Cashin, who will count on Harshbarger. The pitcher made allleague second team a year ago. Wisconsin Lutheran also has a new coach in Steve Kargus. He says his team is athletic and strong defensively, but is young. OTHERS Kettle Moraine Lutheran senior outfielder Sam Zarling hit .418 last year and drove in 16 runs. Seniors Joey Behm and Matt Voigt also hit over .300.