2023 RECAP: Coleman won its eighth straight conference title in 2023 and ninth in the last ten season. The Cougars have had a stranglehold on the conference for a long while under long-time coach Kent Casper. Crivitz finished second and Niagara third in the standings. The conference as a whole struggled come postseason play as no team advanced beyond the regional semifinal round.

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

2024 FORECAST

Head Coach: Kent Casper (30th year at Coleman; 30th overall) 463-151 career record
2023 Record: 19-2
2023 JV Record: N/A
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: N/A
Returning Starters: Logan Kurth (sr), Gavin Pusick (soph), Tyler Rennie (jr)

Forecast: Coleman may be the most dominant program in its conference in the entire state of Wisconsin. WBCA Hall of Famer Kent Casper enters his 30th season at the helm with 463 career wins. Returning co-Player of the Year Logan Kurth returns as both the top pitcher and batter in the league. The Lake County CC commit went 8-1 with a 1.05 ERA and hit .483 last season. Sophomore Gavin Pusick was phenomenal as a freshman, batting .491, and ever improving. The Cougars are currently ranked eighteenth in the WBCA Division 3 Coaches Poll and have are second in the conference standings. With Casper at the helm, it would be awfully surprising if Coleman didn't share at least a share of the conference crown come year end.

Head Coach: Brad Richtig (1st year at Niagara; 1st overall)
2023 Record: 10-8
2023 JV Record: N/A
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: N/A
Returning Starters: Christian Hedmark (sr), Blake Holmes (sr), Ed Swanson (sr), Cody Bath (sr), Easton Holmes (jr), Aiden Sweig (jr), Brandon Weiland (soph), Elijah Champagne (soph), Mason Holmes (soph)

Forecast: Niagara is ready to climb to the top of the Marinette & Oconto standings for the first time in a long time. The Badgers return everyone from its ten-win season last year including four all-conference players in Blake Holmes, Christian Hedmark, Ed Swanson, and Cody Bath. First year head coach Brad Richtig has a roster that is primed to break through and are doing so just now. Niagara is 5-0 in conference play, including a season opening 2-0 win over Coleman. Will the Badgers be the team to dethrone the mighty Cougars? I think there's a good chance of that in 2024.

Head Coach: Jeff Dorschner (15th year at Crivitz; 15th overall) 179-141 career record
2023 Record: 14-10
2023 JV Record: 11-6
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: 10
Returning Starters: Tegan Werner (sr), Logan Marvin (jr), Pierce Polomis (soph), Colten Tarmann (soph), JJ Brand (soph)

Forecast: Crivitz has played second fiddle to Coleman in the conference for quite a while, though they did split the conference crown in 2022. Coming into 2024, the Wolverines will start just one senior and one junior, leaning heavily on a big sophomore group and a handful of incoming freshmen. Tegan Werner is one of the top players in the conference and a returning all-conference performer after hitting .415 from the plate and pitching to a 1.13 ERA. Sophomore Pierce Polomis also earned all-conference honors last year and returns to the top of the rotation. Coach Dorschner has had his success at Crivitz and will need to do once again, just with a younger squad.

Head Coach: Jon Betts (7th year at Wausaukee; 22nd overall) 47-46 record
2023 Record: 7-13
2023 JV Record: N/A
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: N/A
Returning Starters: Connor Schroeder (sr), Kayden Suennen (jr), Ryan Wojcik (sr), Christian Deschane (sr), Luke Smith (jr), Callahan Betts (jr), Evan Suennen (jr)

Forecast: Wausaukee returns most of its roster from last year's 7-13 squad. Coach Betts return four arms in Schroeder, Suennen, Wojcik, and Betts that were part of the rotation last season. That group will need to take a step forward however as they struggled to keep opposing teams from scoring in 2023. The Rangers are 2-3 in conference play so far in 2024, but have surrendered 42 runs in the process.

Head Coach: Michael Nompleggi (1st year at Lena; 1st overall)
2023 Record: 9-11
2023 JV Record: N/A
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: 7
Returning Starters: Tyler Shallow (jr), Logan Graef (sr), Colt Miller (soph), Anthony Seefeldt (sr), Dane Comins (jr), Caleb Schlosser (jr)

Forecast: Lena will have plenty of experience returning in 2024 and that's a good thing as the Wildcats will be under the tutelage of first year head coach Michael Nompleggi. Shallow, Graef and Miller are all returning all-conference selections and give the new skipper a trio to lean on when it comes to talented players in the field and experience in dugout.

Head Coach: Ken VandeCorput (1st year)
2023 Record: 5-16 
2023 JV Record: N/A
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: N/A
Returning Starters: Brady Kristof (sr), Michael Bailey (jr)

Forecast: The Gillett/Suring co-op did not provide any information to WSN or the Baseball Wisconsin Yearbook, so forecasting this team in 2024 may be difficult. What we do know is the Hornets have struggled in 2024 after doing so in 2023. They are currently 0-4 in league play and have scored just one run in those four games.

Head Coach: Derek Birling (1st year at STAA; 1st overall)
2023 Record: 0-19
2023 JV Record: N/A
2023 Freshman Record: N/A

Returning Letter Winners: N/A
Returning Starters: Tug Paidl (jr), Henry Piasecki (jr), Teagan Anderson (jr), Dakota Yother (sr), Esteban Carlson (jr)

Forecast: Saint Thomas Aquinas is the fourth team in the conference to welcome in a new head coach this season in Derek Birling. They've already won more games than the 0 they had in 2023, having gone 2-6 thus far in the year. Junior Tug Paidl and Henry Piasecki headline a relatively experienced group for the Cavaliers, one that has proven its take a step forward already in 2024.

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.