2023 RECAP: Saint Croix Falls won its third consecutive conference title, but eked it out over Hayward by one game and two games ahead of Northwestern. Ashland and Cumberland joined the Saints as regional champs, but both fell in the sectional semis, with Cumberland losing to Saint Croix Falls. The Saints who were Division 3 State runner-up in 2022, took home gold last season, winning the Division 3 State Championship in Appleton.

2023 SEASON INFO (Standings, All-Conference, Stats, etc.)

2024 FORECAST

Head Coach: Tom Danczyk (3rd year at Hayward; 3rd overall) 28-16 record
2023 Record: 19-5
2023 JV Record: N/A
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: 12
Returning Starters: Nate Harrison (sr), Xzavier Stojek (jr), Trenton Kirkland (jr), Sam Schmidt (sr), Tyler Eaton (jr), Kyle Gajewski (jr), Micah Bacon (sr), Dawson Jorczak (jr)

Forecast: Hayward expedited the timeline of contending last season, as the Hurricanes surprised many coaches and finished second in the conference, just one game behind eventual state champ Saint Croix Falls. With that being said, Coach Danczyk's squad is the heavy favorite in 2024, returning all but one player from last year's team. Harrison (Dakota County JUCO commit), Stojek, Kirkland, Schmidt, and Eaton make up five returning all-conference players. Harrison may be the top pitcher in the conference and went 6-0 with a 1.98 ERA last season. All five mentioned above also hit over .300 last year, giving the Hurricanes some real pop in the lineup. Hayward came into 2024 ranked thirteenth in the WBCA Division 2 Preseason Coaches Poll. The Hurricanes are hoping for more than just its first conference title since 2018, but are hoping to make a real run at Appleton come June, and they've got the horses to do it.

Head Coach: Matt Vold (6th year at Falls; 6th overall) 86-16 career record
2023 Record: 28-3
2023 JV Record: N/A
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: N/A
Returning Starters: Wyatt Connors (sr), Peyton Steffen (sr), Eli Prokop (sr), Willem Hoefler (jr)

Forecast: Saint Croix Falls had a great run the past few seasons, culminating in the program's first ever state championship. That team graduated seven seniors that earned all-conference honors last year. So how do the Saints land so high in our predictions? Easy, Matt Vold has continued to build a monster of a program that has seen success at all levels in high school play. So though this Saints team doesn't return many that were game changers at the varsity level, they will replenish those roles with athletes who have achieved success.

Head Coach: Ryan Teal (3rd year at Northwestern; 3rd overall) 30-13
2023 Record: 16-7
2023 JV Record: 9-2
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: 5
Returning Starters: Bo Teal (jr), Tyler Nelson (sr), Austin Lahti (jr), Cooper Lawton (jr), Anthony Calore (soph)

Forecast: Northwestern has played second fiddle to Saint Croix Falls and Hayward a lot over the years, minus 2019 when they won a league crown. This season, the Tigers would love to change that narrative. Coach Teal has the makings of a roster to play spoiler, but not sure if anyone is catching Hayward. Tyler Nelson is the lone senior on the team and is one of the top pitchers in the conference. He'll have Boden Teal and Austin Lahti joining him back in the rotation. That trio plus Cooper Lawton and Anthony Calore all hit over .300 last season and are a strong nucleus in the lineup. 2024 may not be the year that Northwestern breaks through as conference champ again, but should be competitive nonetheless.

Head Coach: Joe Waite (6th year at Cumberland; 30th overall with the program) 114-103 record
2023 Record: 15-13
2023 JV Record: N/A
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: N/A
Returning Starters: Cooper Schramski (jr), Ryan Lundmark (sr), Gavin Prinsen (sr), Uriah Johsnon (jr), Nathan Schmidt (sr), Landon Wickstrom (jr)

Forecast: The Beavers are led by Hall of Fame inductee and the Baseball Wisconsin Yearbook writer Joe Waite. The pitching staff returns nearly 60% of the innings pitched including Prinsen, Schramski, and Schmidt; all of whom also are good at the plate. Cumberland won three of four conference titles from 2013-2016 but have struggled to get back to that point since. The Beavers should compete in the middle of the conference once again, and push the top teams throughout 2024.

Head Coach: Josh Villella (9th year at Spooner; 9th overall) 90-60 career record
2023 Record: 13-14
2023 JV Record: N/A
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: N/A
Returning Starters: Mason Sobralski (soph), Jesse Morales (jr), AJ Anderson (jr), Alex Kissack (sr), Evan Potaczek (jr)

Forecast: Spooner was young last season, fielding just three seniors. Coach Villella enters his ninth year at the helm for the Rails and will do so with an experience bunch. Mason Sobralski was the only freshman named to an all-conference team last year after batting .341 and manning the outfield. He is the top underclassmen in the entire conference in 2024 and will only get better. With another light senior group, this Spooner squad will gain some great experience throughout the year.

Head Coach: Chris Kempf (28th year at Ashland; 28th overall) 451-181 career record
2023 Record: 15-11
2023 JV Record: N/A
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: N/A
Returning Starters: Mike Zunker (jr), Jake Neff (sr), Taylor Sechen (jr), Wyatt Lund (soph), Brayden Connors (jr)

Forecast: Ashland may be one year away from contending for the conference title in the Heart O'North. With a small senior group and many players seeing extended action as underclassmen last season. the Oredockers may be one year away. Zunker and Neff both were named second team all-conference honorees last season and give WBCA Hall of Fame coach Chris Kempf stability at the top of his rotation and batting order.

Head Coach: Riley Herbes (1st year as head coach; 6th year at Ladysmith)
2023 Record: 8-16
2023 JV Record: N/A
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: N/A
Returning Starters: Matthew Roach (sr), Jaxen Donohue (jr), Laine Gerber (jr), Braden Little (jr), Timmy Meltz (jr), Jack Summerfield (jr), Manny Moore (sr)

Forecast: Like Ashland, Ladysmith returns a lot of players who saw extended action as sophomores last season. That includes all-conference selections Tyler Eaton and Jaxen Donohue. Senior Matthew Roach also earned all-conference honors last season and is the lone senior for the Lumberjacks. This young squad has already knocked off the favorite Hayward in 2024, which maybe eludes to the fact that Ladysmith has arrived a year sooner just like Hayward did last year.

Head Coach: Justice Groothousen (1st year at Cameron; 4th overall) 17-31 career record
2023 Record: 7-14
2023 JV Record: N/A
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: N/A
Returning Starters: Tyson Lucas (sr), Wyatt Halverson (sr), Kory Murray (sr), Mike Reynolds (jr), Ryker Ebert (soph), Gannon Ebert (sr), Colten Kunert (soph), Kobe Sevals (sr), Brady Quinn (sr)

Forecast: Cameron struggled last season, surrendering the third most runs in the conference at 143. Justice Groothousen takes over for the Comets in his first season with the team after coming over from Flambeau. He'll have the entirety of last year's squad at his disposal, including a large contingent of seniors. With one more year of development, the hope is that this group will be more consistent in every facet of the game.

Head Coach: Mickey Hover (5th year at Barron; 5th overall) 16-38 record
2023 Record: 7-16
2023 JV Record: N/A
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: N/A
Returning Starters: Zac Edwards (soph), Danny Edwards (jr), Adam Wirth (jr), Brett McDonough (jr), Dawson Sinclair (soph), Glendon Thompson (soph), Aidan Bartlett (sr)

Forecast: Young teams seems to be the story of a lot of the Great Northern programs in 2024. The Golden Bears are no exception, as just one senior is listed a returning starter and many sophomores and juniors return after seeing extended action in 2023. Already this year, the Golden Bears are 2-1 in conference play, though they do have a -5 run differential in those three games.

Head Coach: Ryan Denucci (2nd year at Chetek; 2nd overall) 4-17 record
2023 Record: 4-17
2023 JV Record: N/A
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: 8
Returning Starters: Connor Evitch (jr), Benson Paulson (sr), Ethan Brown (soph)

Forecast: Chetek struggled last season, scoring a league worst 64 runs and giving up a league worst 168. The Bulldogs hope to take a step forward in 2024 and will need to lean on junior Connor Evitch to eat up innings on the mound and lead the young batting lineup.

Conference Previews are based on information submitted by coaches, 2023 award info, statistics available to WSN, and other sources including the Baseball Wisconsin Yearbook. To purchase your copy of the Baseball Wisconsin Yearbook, click here.