Eisenhower and New Berlin West baseball teams look to build off 2022
NEW BERLIN, Wis. — Both high school baseball teams from New Berlin came into the season looking to improve on the 2022 season with some returning stalwarts and some fresh faces on the diamond.
New Berlin Eisenhower is coming off a season that saw them exceed expectations finishing with a 17-10 regular season mark and a first round bye in the playoffs. The Lions return nine players off that roster looking to build off the experience of last season. The annual coaches poll saw Eisenhower ranked as the #12 team in Wisconsin Division 2.
“I’m excited about the potential of this group to build on what we did last season and make this season an extremely special one in Eisenhower history,” said Head Baseball Coach, Nicholas Wycklendt. “We have a great mix of experience and young talent but our leaders are focused on the job at hand.”
One of those leaders is returning ace, Adison Tevz, senior pitcher and designated hitter. Tevz led the team in innings and strikeouts last season and looks to build off that dominance in his senior season. Also returning to a solid pitching staff are junior Austin Drayna, who led the team in ERA and won co-MVP honors a year ago, as well as sophomore Sam Hirthe and Charlie Cefalu (MATC commit). Expected to be a big boost to the staff is highly regarded freshman Caleb Johns. Johns is one of the top-rated two-way in the state according to Prep Baseball Report (PBR), coming in ranked #8 in Wisconsin.
Offensively, the Lions return six of their nine starters from a year ago. Catcher Kayden Berenz should help lead that attack after being named defensive player of the year and co-team MVP by his peers and finishing with an All-Conference Honorable Mention award. Other returners include honorable mention and star soccer player, Jack Bretzmann, Adam Hirthe, Drayna and Cefalu. Another strong bat joining the group is senior transfer and Rock Valley CC commit, River Lindsey. One of the fastest players in the state will man the leadoff spot and shortstop for the Lions.
Overall, the Lions should be an improved team with the additions of Lindsey, Johns and a slew of internal improvement from players across the roster. The team was invited to participate in the PBR at the Rock High School Invitational where they’ll face off against Catholic Memorial and Thomas More. But first comes an opening day double-header at Wisconsin Brewing Company field against local rival New Berlin West.
West came in facing a different challenge heading into their season. How do you replace one of the most dominant pitchers in the state? Southpaw Vincent Gohlke is now pitching for the UIC Flames but dominated on the field for the Vikings last year. Gohlke had 92 strikeouts and only 5 earned runs allowed across 52 innings pitched. The Vikings will look to offset that loss on the mound with a steady offense led by a number of returning players.
All-Conference catcher and offensive juggernaut, Dominic Kibler returns to man the middle of the order for the Vikings. Kibler batted .373 with 5 home runs and 25 RBI, leading the team in both categories. Not far behind is his younger sibling, Daniel, who returns to build off his team-leading .384 batting average. Senior Myles Rewolinski and Rocco Conrad should round out the middle of the order looking to help slug their way to some wins.
The Vikings finished with a 14-13 record in the 2022 regular season but did go on a playoff run with wins over Pius and Wisconsin Lutheran before losing a 2-1 battle against Whitnall in the Regional Finals.
Leading the pitching staff will be senior Tyler Hewitt and junior Payton Kaiser, the only two pitchers that had more than 20 innings pitched in 2022. The duo will look to steady the staff of youngsters.
West hopes to get contributions across the lineup from talented, if not unproven, players looking to gain valuable varsity experience. Players include outfielders Ben Shingledecker and Ben Miller as well as Conrad and newcomer Nathan Hines as well as pitcher Jake Taheri.
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