Top-10 Stories of 2019: No. 3 Webster goes back-to-back in undefeated season
December 31, 2019
For one season and one season only, the smallest WIAA Division-3 school, the Webster Tigers, climbed all the way to the Fox Cities to win the state’s D-3 title. Returning, pound for pound, one of the state’s best rosters, the Tigers were summoned back to the D-4 ranks in 2019 to defend their state championship.
Behind the Washburn brothers, Jack (2019; Oregon State commit) and Owen (2021; South Carolina), as well as Hunter Rosenbaum (2019; West Virginia), Webster backed up its 2018 title with another undefeated season and D-4 championship, successfully defending the title in two different classes. Jack Washburn dazzled in his senior season and ended his prep career on the highest of notes when he allowed just two hits and punched out 12 batters in the state championship game against another undefeated D-4 squad, Mineral Point.
It was going to be a heavyweight fight in an unlikely Division, but Webster’s powerful offense was fully prepared for this battle and Jack didn’t need much offense behind him as it was.
Check out our game story from the day of where we were on-site in Appleton.
D-4 CHAMPIONSHIP
No. 8 Webster – 11
No. 22 Mineral Point – 1
The Webster Tigers (30-0) completed their undefeated 2019 season with a convincing state championship win over an undefeated Mineral Point (27-1) team. The two teams squared off without a blemish on their respective records, but the pitching dominance and bats of the Tigers proved too much for Mineral Point.
Mineral Point landed the first punch of the game with a run I the bottom of the first on a wild pitch after Justin Baehler tripled to right field. A punch that seemed to wake up senior RHP Jack Washburn and the Tigers.
The Tigers quickly answered with five runs in the top of the second, and Washburn did not allow a hit the rest of the game.
For Washburn, it was arguably the best outing we've seen from the 6-foot-2, 205-pound right-hander. Washburn pitched masterfully with a nearly untouchable fastball/curveball combination. His curveball played plus throughout the contest working in the 76-79 mph range, along with a fastball that sat 86-88 mph, and touched 89 mph in the seventh. But most importantly, Washburn did not walk a batter, throwing 65 of 96 pitches for strikes. Washburn finished with 12 strikeouts, allowing just two hits.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Tigers banged out 11 runs on 12 hits. Owen Wasburn, Jack Washburn, Trevor Gustafson and Coleton Peterson each had two hits.