Verona still the team to beat

Home Talent League

Western Section

Verona won 7-1 at Wiota on Sunday to clinch home field advantage and a first round buy in the playoffs. Essentially, they force Wiota or Monroe, the two teams with a chance to score the big upset, to come to Verona.

Ben Wallace looked fantastic on the road yesterday. He was locating well, and the off-speed pitches kept Wiota off balance. Verona has now defeated the Indians twice by a combined score of 19-2.

Southeast Section

Fort Atkinson and Dan Dean had another great showing with an 11-1 win, and they are the best team in the section at the moment. Utica lost another game, and Stoughton fell to McFarland. Suddenly, the teams in the West Division are struggling to close the season.

With Utica and Stoughton playing Fort Atkinson next weekend, McFarland may have the easiest schedule to claim the division. They are 1½ games back in second place.

Northern Section

Middleton clinched first place in the East Division on the Northern section. The other three spots are still up for grabs. In the West, Reedsburg held on for a big 10-9 win, and Sauk Prairie continued to roll forward.

With Reedsburg and Sauk Prairie facing off in the final season game on Aug. 1, the game is very important. However, they are in the playoffs at the moment. The other two spots are between Plain, Cazenovia and Mazomanie with neither team close to finishing at .500.

Eastern Section

It is still a free-for-all at the top of the section. Sun Prairie won and moved into second place behind DeForest who came closer to showing they deserve the top with a 6-0 win over Waterloo. Cottage Grove was upset, however, and they fell down to a tie for third with Monona.

Cottage Grove still has a great chance to win with three games against the three teams tied or ahead of them in their final four. Sun Prairie will have a big game against Lodi next week to try and continue their climb.

Verona shows off offense in Western Section; East a free-for-all

Home Talent League

Western Section

Verona is dominating with two impressive victories, both by 10 runs, over Dodgeville and Wiota. The Cavaliers are hitting and pitching well, and they have shown they can beat everyone.

The only team that beat them, Monroe, lost to Wiota 3-0 on Sunday. At the moment, Wiota is still in second, but Verona is catching stride at the right time.

Southeast Section

Utica and Fort Atkinson are the teams to beat in this section, and they both had some nice wins on the weekend. Utica defeated McFarland for the second time, and they are 9-1 ahead of Stoughton.

Kyle Bates and Matt Ellingson both had wins, and they are on a tough staff for any team. Fort Atkinson edged Whitewater with good pitching by Dan Dean. It’s too bad the game between Utica and Fort Atkisnon was rained out last week, because it would have been the two best teams to see who gets bragging rights.

Northern Section

The three-way tie for first in the East Division came to an end with a big win by Middleton over Cross Plains. Ashton also won, and the East is anyone’s still.

The West Division saw the two top teams continue their dominance. Sauk Prairie and Reedsburg remain No. 1 and No. 2, and they will face each other on the last game of the season. If they continue on this path, they should be battling for first place.

Eastern Section

The section has many teams in the mix, but the big winners of the weekend were Lodi and Deforest who both had big wins over their rivals. Lodi is in first place, but the other teams can easily finish first.

The section will come down to the final few weeks, but Lodi is the team to beat at the moment. The one run win over Sun Prairie was huge with them on their heels.

Prep Thursday: How did they do?

To conclude this season’s Prep Thursday coverage, let’s take a look to see how previous featured teams and players have fared down the stretch of the spring season.

May 27 – Kettle Moraine Lutheran Soccer, Samantha and Abigail Hoerchner.

Since I Am Sportacus talked with the sister scoring duo, the Flyway Conference champion Kettle Moraine Lutheran soccer team has become Division 3 Regional champions. The No. 1 seeded Chargers defeated Living Word Lutheran, 3-0 and Brookfield Academy 2-1 to advance on to Sectionals. KML is the host school for the Sectional and will attempt to return to the State tournament on their home field. The Chargers take on Cedar Grove-Belgium tonight for the opportunity to play in the Sectional final.

May 20 – Michael Handel, Sun Prairie Baseball

Handel threw a perfect game when I Am Sportacus spoke with him. His Cardinal baseball team went on to tie rival Middleton for the Big Eight Conference championship. Sun Prairie earned a No. 2 seed in its WIAA Division 1 Regional but was bounced by No. 10 Oshkosh North, 8-0, after receiving a first-round bye. North went on to the Sectional final before losing to Madison LaFollette.

May 13 – Eileen Gehring; Edgewood track and field

Gehring had a hectic WIAA Division 1 State Track and Field meet. She brought home three medals, two of which were the gold variety. After finishing second in qualifying heats, Gehring won the 100-meter dash title with a raced clocked at :12.11. She also won the 400-meter championship. She had the fastest prelim time at :57.75 and lowered it to :56.72 to win the 400 finals. She took sixth in the 200-meter dash, clocking :26.09.

May 6 – Lancaster softball

The Flying Arrows finished the regular season undefeated en route to winning the Southwest Wisconsin Conference with a 14-0 record. River Valley finished a distant second at 12-3. Lancaster will play in a Division 3 Sectional final versus Poynette Friday. The No. 1 seeded Flying Arrows have allowed just four runs to be scored by opponents while marching through the Regional and Sectional semifinal. Lancaster won convincingly over Darlington, Mineral Point and Riverdale to reach Sectionals. Once there, the Flying Arrows (23-0) defeated La Crosse Aquinas 4-2 to get one game away from the State tourney.

April 22 – Waterloo Baseball

Waterloo tied pre-season favorite Wisconsin Heights with an 11-5 record to claim a share of the Capitol-South Conference title. The Pirates earned a No. 2 seed in their Division 3 Regional and a first round bye. Waterloo got past Deerfield before falling to Capitol Conference crossover rival Watertown Luther Prep, 1-0. Luther Prep proved to be a formidable foe, advancing all the way to the Sectional final before succumbing to La Cross Aquinas.

The I Am Sportacus team would like to congratulate all prep athletes on their successful season. I Am Sportacus would like to extend a sincere thank you to all the coaches and players who have participated in Prep Thursday interviews. Please check the blog regularly this summer until Prep Thursday features begin again in the fall.

Handel perfect on May 14; Hopes Sun Prairie is perfect for Big Eight title

Michael Handel is a pitcher for the Sun Prairie high school baseball team, and he pitched a perfect game on May 14 versus Beloit Memorial. The Cardinals won 10-0 in six innings.

Handel talks about the special game, and he speaks about the possibility of a Big Eight championship.

I Am Sportacus Episode 1

Adler and Handel showdown

Anthony was in Middleton for a big baseball doubleheader. Michael Handel and Shane Adler help their teams split in the only meetings between Middleton and Sun Prairie this year. Check out the Wisconsin State Journal story here.


http://host.madison.com/sports/high-school/baseball/article_a2a025fa-4a7b-11df-8245-001cc4c03286.html

Sun Prairie Trying Not to Get Caught Looking Ahead

Sun Prairie and Middleton are considered favorites to make the Division 1 WIAA baseball state tournament, but fighting for the tough Big Eight conference title comes first.

Although Sun Prairie and Middleton are ranked the highest, the conference has players who could beat a team on any night.

Sun Prairie head coach Rob Hamilton said the 8-1 win versus Madison Memorial was bigger than the upcoming doubleheader at Middleton on Saturday.

“We could not look past Memorial,” said Hamilton. “We sort of stubbed our toe the night before against Oshkosh North. We made some blunders that could have had a hangover effect, but our team really bounced back well.”

The conference can give any team a tough match up, especially if a team makes mistakes and doesn’t play to its potential.

“We go with the approach that every game is a huge game in the Big Eight,” said Hamilton. “You might be able to beat a Middleton, and the very next day you have to face a kid from Beloit, a tough lefty, that can beat you just as easily. So, we try not to get too wrapped up in who we’re playing, but just kind of worry about our dugout.”

The Cardinals haven’t been 100 percent so far and the hitting has struggled a bit. But the pitching, led by senior Michael Handel, and the defense have kept them in games.

Handel is 2-0, and has given up two earned runs in 12 innings. Sun Prairie also had a good performance from Ryan Tanner who only allowed an earned run versus Waunakee; a team some believe may win the Northern Badger this year.

“I’ve been very happy with our pitching and defense,” said Hamilton. “We have really had to rely on some kids without mound experience. They’ve stepped up and answered the call so far. I have to say I am a little disappointed in our hitting, but our pitching and defense has kept us in most of the games, and they have won most of our games so far.“

Even with the early success and the tough road ahead, the talk of returning to the state tournament remains in the discussion. Some may see the evaluated expectations as a distraction, but Hamilton doesn’t see any added pressure at all.

“I think these kids are just accustomed to expecting to win,” said Hamilton. “I don’t think it is anything new to them. I think they realize it is difficult to make this team… It is a tough thing to battle through.

“The expectations of finishing first or second in the Big Eight… I don’t really think it really adds extra pressure to them,” he continued. “I would think it would alleviate some, because they assume they are always going to be in it.“

The Cardinals did make sure the players were ready for the tournament, however. They scheduled some tough non-conference games. Waunakee, DeForest, Oconomowoc, the projected Little Ten champion, and Oshkosh North are all teams located in the same sectional as Sun Prairie. The match ups give the athletes a chance to feel what it may be like later in the year.

“We try to not get too wrapped up in any talk,” said Hamilton. “Once the game starts, I don’t think anybody is worried about the tournament talk… Come tournament time, I think our non-conference season really helps us. We tried to schedule some pretty competitive games so these kids are tournament ready.“

For now, Sun Prairie will focus its time on the next game. The game just happens to be against Big Eight foe Middleton. Middleton is 4-0 versus Sun Prairie in the past two seasons, and they have averaged 11 runs a game during the stretch.

“Middleton has always been a big rivalry of ours, and we haven’t fared well in the past few years,” said Hamilton on the upcoming doubleheader. “We are hoping to change that this Saturday.”

Pitching strong for Big Eight baseball early; Middleton and Sun Prairie looking sharp

Local high school baseball looking to compete at high level

South central Wisconsin opens the regular season starting Mar. 31, and it looks like the area will see some good baseball in all four divisions.

The Wisconsin Baseball Coach’s Association poll contains at least one local school for each division, and there are many who may be contending for a state title come June.

Although it is too early to tell, Division 1 schools Middleton, ranked No. 2, and Sun Prairie, ranked No. 4, both have a senior core surrounded by talented new comers. Middleton, the defending Big Eight champions, lost in the WIAA semifinals last year, but the experience gained by the returning starters will be a key strength if they want to compete with Sun Prairie.

Sun Prairie finished third in the Big Eight last year, and they lost in the quarterfinals of the WIAA state playoffs. They have some returning starters with experience in a difficult conference. Last year, three Big Eight schools went to state, and it looks as though these two will have a chance to return.

Madison Edgewood is ranked No. 4 in Division 2, and they have high hopes to defend their state title. It won’t be easy. Prairie du Chien is ranked No. 3 and will be looking to return to state since their 2008 championship appearance. Also joining the competition will be Rock Valley powerhouses No. 5 Beloit Turner and No. 7 Jefferson as well as No. 10 Mauston. With all the competition, the season will be very important. The better seeds in the tournament will have a slight edge.

In Division 3, defending Northern Capitol champion Watertown Luther Prep is ranked No. 1. As it stands, they have key returning starters from last year’s success with the experience of playing some tough teams in last year’s tournament. They are the favorites to win the conference, and they should win enough to receive a nice seed in the tournament.

Finally, Barneveld and Southwestern are ranked No. 6 and No. 8 respectively in Division 4. Barneveld made it to the WIAA semifinals last year, and both teams will contend in their conferences. Barneveld plays in the tough Six Rivers conference, while Southwestern will need to play at a high level in the SWAL, where six teams finished at .500 or better.