Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association

With today being the opening day of the official first practice for baseball teams state wide, the WBCA will be releasing our preseason polls over the next four nights, starting with Division IV.

1. Blair-Taylor: Tavian Shramek, last year’s state leader in strikeouts and victories, showcases his pitching prowess once more with 117 strikeouts and an impressive 0.04 ERA as a junior. With Blair Taylor boasting 80% returning pitching innings and a lineup of seven experienced starters, the team is poised to build on their 17-4 record and shared Dairyland Large title with eventual State Champion Eleva-Strum.

2. Belmont: Belmont finished 17-4 last season behind junior Josiah Ruiz’s 10-1 record and fellow junior Tanner Simmons’ .475 average. With the Braves welcoming back crucial 1st Team All-Conference players to offset the loss of three seniors, and aided by incoming freshmen, they will be looking to Ruiz and Simmons to drive their ambitions this year. They have most of their pitching and seven starters back.

3. Pittsville: Coming off a school-record 23-4 season, Pittsville boasts an 87% return of pitching innings and six starters. Led by Co-Players of the Year Logan Zickert and Dawson Luther, along with 1st Team All-Conference player Ben Friday, the team is set for another strong season with their top players excelling in both hitting and pitching roles.

4. Ithaca: In the upcoming season, the return of six starters and the majority of pitching innings from last year sets a solid foundation for success for the Bulldogs. Sammy Clary’s impressive 21-2 career pitching record and .370 lifetime batting average demonstrate his value to the team. The team’s 20-2 record last season and Clary’s role in their 2023 state championship victory further emphasize his importance as a key player.

5. Pacelli: After an 18-12 season and a sectional championship win, Pacelli will bring back 70% of their pitching innings and six starters for Hall of Fame coach Wayne Sankey. Last year’s success was attributed to a strong rotation and improved defense. With four freshmen starting at the state tournament, the Cardinals aim to show their success was not a fluke, with an experienced trio of seniors leading the pitching staff.

6. Northwood-Solon Springs: Northwood-Solon Springs secured State Silver last year with a 19-2 record and returns five starters, along with half of their pitching innings for this season. Seniors Jared Schultz and Junior Isaiah Ahlberg will lead the 2025 team both on the mound and at the plate, while new freshmen players aim to fill gaps from the 2024 class. Schultz, the 8-Man Football Offensive Player of the Year, played a crucial role in guiding the team to the State Semifinals.

7. Gibraltar-Washington Island: Gibraltar closed last season at 18-10 and has 90% of their pitching innings and all but one starter returning for the upcoming year. It will be Coach Jay Kita’s final season, marking a sentimental end with his son, Brady. Brady, a standout catcher, recorded a .517 batting average as a junior and earned the title of NE District DIV Player of the Year in the same season.

8. Johnson Creek: Johnson Creek closed with a 24-5 record and reached the State tournament last season. They have 75% of their innings returning and five starters back. Senior Dugg Hartwig, a standout with a .429 batting average and a 6-2 pitching record, and junior Aiden Smith, who held a perfect 7-0 record, will be key players for the team.

9. Seneca: The Royals concluded last season with a 17-6 record and will strive to outdo Ithaca in the Ridge & Valley Conference. Senior Dawson Davidson, who had  a 5-3 record and a 1.53 ERA last year, is set to lead a pitching staff that is almost the same as last year. The team welcomes back seven starters, with five of them having batting averages above .333.

10. Rib Lake: Another Hall of Fame coach, Dick Iverson, starts his 42nd season in Rib Lake with a team favored to win the Marawood North. The team will see five starters returning, although only half of last year’s innings on the mound will return.

11. Marshfield Columbus: Marshfield Columbus Catholic clinched the East Cloverbelt title last season with a 16-4 record. They are set to return half of their pitching staff and five starters for the upcoming season. One of the seniors, Drew Lang, is expected to play a vital role with his experience in pitching and at-bats. Lang is looked upon to contribute in the outfield and play a significant part in the lineup.

12. Barneveld: Barneveld’s Hall of Fame Coach Lance Schmitz guided the Golden Eagles to 17 wins last year and looks to challenge Belmont for the Six Rivers conference title. Five returning starters will cover the outfield and three infield spots, while the team hopes for a standout pitcher like Ty Thousand to shine this season.

13. Royall: Beginning his 57th season, Hall of Fame coach Joe Vitcenda leads a team that has the potential to challenge Bangor in the Scenic Bluffs. The team is bringing back 2/3 of the pitching innings from last year. Additionally, half of the starters are returning, including Senior Seth Brandau, a versatile three-year starter known for excelling in multiple positions for the Panthers.

14. Edgar: Edgar won 13 games last year and is welcoming back nearly all of their pitchers, with all but one starter returning. Jase Apfelbeck, Leyton Schuett, and Dakota Ellenbecker are the senior leaders driving the Wildcats forward this spring.

15. Independence-Gilmanton: The Indees were champions of the Small Dairyland last year and bring back six starters for the 2025 season. Despite starting three freshmen in the infield, the Indees aim to compete for another piece of the Dairyland conference Title.

17. Oakfield: Oakfield had an impressive 18-4 record last season, marking the final year for head coach Aaron Schepp after 24 years at the helm. Incoming coach Jonah Krug will inherit six returning starters from that successful team. The team is favored to win the Trailways East title.

18. Palmyra-Eagle: Hall of Fame coach Tom Davey guided Palmyra-Eagle to an impressive 18-5 record last year. The team is set to compete against Johnson Creek and Deerfield for the Trailways South title. While they have 40% of their pitching returning, only two starters are back. However, one of those starters is Devin Patrick, who is considered potentially the best player in Panther history.

19. Rosholt: Rosholt is the third team from the Central Wisconsin South conference to be ranked. Although they only won 10 games last year, all players are returning for rookie head coach Paul Hammerschmidt.

20. Flambeau: The Falcons posted a 13-6 record last season with over half of their pitchers returning and seven starters. Coach Dan Kopacz will have a solid group of juniors to work with this season.

21. Loyal: Loyal is set to compete with Columbus Catholic for the Cloverbelt East title. The Greyhounds had a youthful team last year, with only one senior remaining. With eight returning starters this season, Loyal boasts a lineup full of young talent.

To download a PDF of the rankings and to see which Sectional each of the ranked teams falls into, click the icon below.

Based on this, we evaluated the strength of each of the eight sectionals as compared with each other.

1. Sectional 2 (Marinette) 90
2. Sectional 3 (Blair) 49  
3. (tie) Sectional 1 (Athens) 36
4. (tie) Sectional 4 (Oakfield) 36

Again, this is a very unscientific list and based solely on the strength of top 21 teams list this preseason.  It does not account for teams outside the Top 21 Poll. You can see this spring's Sectional Assignments by clicking the pdf icon below.  That list also includes a printable version of the rankings.  As always, we wish all coaches and players a very successful season and that each team achieves growth this spring.