2023 RECAP: Aquinas and Onalaska finished 10-2 and shared the conference crown last season. It was the third straight year Aquinas has shared the title and second in three years for Onalaska. Playing in a mostly Division 1 and 2 conference, Aquinas took advantage of dropping down to DIII in the playoffs and advanced all the way to the Division 3 State Championship game, losing to Saint Croix Falls.

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

2024 FORECAST

Head Coach: Mike Dee (8th year at Aquinas; 8th overall) 124-23 career record
2023 Record: 24-3
2023 JV Record: N/A
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: N/A
Returning Starters: Tanner Peterson (sr), Will Deets (sr), Eddie Peters (sr), Kole Keppel (sr), Cullen Sackman (jr), Jacob Thornton (jr), Kyle White (jr), Waylon Hargrove (soph), Aedan David (soph)

Forecast: Aquinas suited just two seniors last year and advanced all the way to the Division 3 State Championship game. It should come as no surprise that the Blugolds are the favorite in the conference and were the top ranked team in the WBCA Division 3 Preseason Coaches Poll. The rotation returns the top three pitchers in Tanner Peterson (Winona State commit), Will Deets (Gustavus Adolphus commit), and Eddie Peters (Xavier commit). Peterson and Deets combined to go 16-3 with sub-1.25 ERAs while Peters had seven saves and a 0.84 ERA. The lineup will be potent once again. Aquinas carries the advantage of playing schools bigger than them during the regular season and then dropping down come playoff time. However, that can not take away from the talent of the Blugold roster and what Coach Dee has done with the program in eight years.

Head Coach: Brock Gnadt (4th year at Onalaska; 4th overall) 46-26 career record
2023 Record: 15-6
2023 JV Record: N/A
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: N/A
Returning Starters: Kaden Kokaisal (sr), Brady Kuhn (sr), Carter Gilhausen (sr), Adam Skifton (sr), Zavier Lawrence (sr), Brody Mickschl (sr), Caden Perziena (sr), Owen Treanor (sr)

Forecast: Onalaska will be a very senior heavy loaded team in 2024 and looking to repeat as conference champs. Carter Gilhausen, a UW-La Crosse commit, will lead the Hilltopper batting order along with Kokaisel, Kuhn, and Lawrence; all who hit over .300 from the plate. On the mound, Adam Skifton will return as ace. He's committed to play football at Augustana next season, but will head the Onalaska pitching rotation in his final sport season. Brock Gnadt is in his fourth season as the Hilltoppers skipper and will have a strong group looking to defend its crown.

Head Coach: Andy Ellenbecker (7th year at Logan; 7th overall) 39-72 record
2023 Record: 12-11
2023 JV Record: N/A
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: N/A
Returning Starters: Johnny Leaver (sr), Lucas Eilertson (sr), Bradley Check (jr), Tyler Rumsey (sr), Gabe Weber (sr), Kobe Szafran (sr), Nick Joley (sr), Jackson Bosch (soph), Carson Nelson (sr)

Forecast: Logan finished above .500 for the first time in seven years in 2023 and return most of the squad in 2024. The Rangers will lean on Tyler Rumsey atop the rotation after he went 6-2 with a 1.75 ERA last year. In the order, Johnny Leaver will lead things off after batting .368 a year ago. Coach Ellenbecker had Logan improve last year and is hoping this team will take another step in its development and commitment in 2024. If so, the Rangers will be a tough out.

Head Coach: Mark Wall (7th year at Holmen; 7th overall) 66-50 career record
2023 Record: 12-10
2023 JV Record: N/A
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: N/A
Returning Starters: Calvin Gilbertson (sr), Eli Edwardson (sr), Jack Walter (sr), Alex Kronfeld (sr), Braeden Linse (jr), Paul Goryl (jr), Aaron Plozsay (jr)

Forecast: Holmen is four years removed from back-to-back conference titles but are one of the top growing districts in the state. The Vikings will be led by Mark Wall for the seventh season and he'll have two college committed seniors to lean on in Alex Kronfeld (North Iowa Area CC) and Calvin Gilbertson (UW-Eau Claire). Kronfeld will lead the rotation while Gilbertson is the lead bat for the Vikings. Last season, Holmen was middle of the road in most aspects of the game and it showed in the 6-6 finish. Improving incrementally may be the difference in Holmen's final standings.

Head Coach: Garrett Grosch (1st year as head coach; 7th with Central)
2023 Record: 14-13
2023 JV Record: N/A
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: N/A
Returning Starters: Zack George (sr), Jude Alvarado (jr), Dawson Lapic (jr)

Forecast: Central may struggle in 2024 as the Riverhawks will be an almost brand new team. Only three players return with varsity experience and they welcome in a new head coach, Garrett Grosch. This team will need to rely heavily on contributions from quite a few players from the lower levels. Though it may be a rebuilding year at Central, the program is only one year removed from back-to-back titles.

Head Coach: Nate Mitchell (1st year as head coach; 5th year with Sparta)
2023 Record: 4-17
2023 JV Record: N/A
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: 5
Returning Starters: Ryne Brueggeman (sr), Zach Gibson (jr), Owen Berendes (jr), David Fabry (soph), Owen Berrendes (jr), Walker Green (sr)

Forecast: Sparta struggled in a lot of facets of the game last season, finishing just 1-11 in league play and scoring a league worst 26 runs while surrendering a league worst 96. Already 2024 is looking up for the Spartans as they've got one conference win and are 2-2 overall. Brueggeman and Gibson were both all-conference selections last season in the field and are the top returning bats in the order. To take a larger step forward, the rotation will need to be better at getting outs.

Head Coach: Ryan Brookman (9th year at Tomah; 9th overall) 80-90 career record
2023 Record: 6-18
2023 JV Record: N/A
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: N/A
Returning Starters: Jackson Steffel (jr), Jake Spiers (sr), Jake Squires (jr), Connor Granahan (sr), Owen Gerke (sr)

Forecast: Tomah finished second to last in the conference in the standings and point differential last season. The Timberwolves don't return much in terms of experience, which could be a good or bad thing. The experience gained by the younger plays will pay off as the year goes by,  but Coach Brookman's squad will need to get better as a whole.

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.