Pitcher Finalists
Wisconsin Sports Network is proud to showcase the WSN Senior Baseball Awards presented by Taco Bell.
The pre-season watch list has been trimmed down to five finalists. Winners are announced the week of the spring baseball state tournament.
WSN Senior Baseball Awards -- Pitcher Finalists:
Ryan Bloom, Boyceville -- Bloom has been a dominating presence on the mound for the Bulldogs, racking up a 12-1 record with 183 strikeouts in just 85 innings. Boyceville is 19-2 on the year and ranked 3rd in the latest Coaches Poll as Bloom, who threw two no-hitters as a junior, has posted a sparkling 0.82 ERA and 0.59 WHIP. A Second Team All-District choice last season, Bloom is also a threat at the plate with 4 homers, 17 RBI, and a .426 batting average this season.
Taylor Ditter, Sheboygan South -- A Second Team All-Conference choice as a junior, Ditter has taken his game to a new level this season. He made headlines when he pitched 35 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings over a stretch in the middle part of the season. For the year, he's 7-1 with a 1.00 ERA and a school-record 89 strikeouts in 55 2/3 innings. He will pitch at UW-Oshkosh next season.
Nate Hoffman, Sun Prairie -- It has been an incredible last two seasons for Hoffmann, who has three no-hitters in that span and was a First Team All-Area, All-District, and All-Conference selection as a junior. Sun Prairie is unbeaten in Big Eight play and has been ranked #1 in the WBCA Coaches Poll most of the year. Hoffmann has accumulated a 7-0 record with a 0.79 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, and 78 strikeouts in just 53 1/3 innings of work.
Justin Langley, Clinton -- Langley's numbers are staggering this season, as the UW-Milwaukee recruit has certainly pitched his way onto this list. In helping the Cougars to a Rock Valley-South title and 19-5 overall record this year, Langley has gone 9-1 this season with a microscopic 0.21 ERA and 148 strikeouts in 66 innings. "He dominated in games like no pitcher I have seen in our league," Clinton head coach Scott Cernek said. Off the field, Langley is one of the Clinton valedictorians with a 4.0 GPA.
Ryan Radue, Fox Valley Lutheran -- Pitching a no-hitter is a rare occurrence, but there are some players (including a few on this list) that have been good enough to do it multiple times. Radue, who has signed with Connecticut, took that a step further however, pitching no-hitters in back-to-back games. He threw a 5-inning perfect game against Winneconne on May 10th, then followed it up with a 5-inning no-no against Xavier on May 17th that saw him record all 15 outs via strikeouts. As if that wasn't enough, his previous start he went 7 hitless innings against Freedom before losing the no-hitter in the 8th. The start after striking out 15 against Xavier, he K'ed 19 against Little Chute. The Eastern Valley Player of the Year, Radue is 8-1 with a 1.46 ERA and 107 strikeouts in 53 innings.
To view the Watch List, click here.
Lists are compiled from statistical information available to WSN, coach nominations, player evaluations, and other resources.
Tag(s): News Travis Wilson
