Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 18 Muskego
March 25, 2022
The Wisconsin high school baseball season kicks off on March 29, opening day for regular season action under WIAA regulations. Over the next two weeks, leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2022 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, counting down through the official PBR Wisconsin Preseason Power 25 Rankings.
Perennially, we’ve submitted a Preseason Questionnaire to high school head coaches across the entire state. Their responses have been flooding in and we’re using the detailed insight they’ve provided in our team-by-team preseason analysis.
Our 2022 preseason coverage continues today.
Team: Muskego
Preseason Rank: 18
2021 Record: 21-3
Conference: Classic Eight
WIAA Division: 1
Head Coach: Jacob Paige
ROSTER PREVIEW
| NAME | POS | CLASS | COMMITMENT |
| Adam Balcerak |
OF |
2022 | Madison JC |
| Heath Venne | C | 2022 | Wisconsin-La Crosse |
| Cristiano Ramirez |
INF/RHP |
2022 | Wisconsin-Stevens Point |
| Salvatore Zizzo |
C |
2022 | - |
| Ethan Engelfried |
RHP |
2022 | Carthage College |
| Zachary Olson |
RHP |
2023 | - |
| Sam Steuber |
OF/RHP |
2023 | - |
| Steven Wintheiser |
OF |
2023 | - |
| Ashton Kampa |
OF/LHP |
2023 | - |
| Jack LaRose |
INF |
2023 | - |
| Brock Lulewicz |
SS/3B |
2024 | - |
| Bradyn Horn | OF/LHP | 2024 | - |
| Daniel Hauboldt | MIF | 2025 | - |
KEY PLAYERS LOST:
+ LHP Alex Hayes (2021; Madison JC)
+ C Anthony Tomczak (2021; Wisconsin-Stevens Point)
+ OF Peyton Seebacher (2021; Wabash Valley JC)
+ RHP Mitchell Crawley (2021; Wisconsin-Stevens Point)
+ LHP Blake Read (2021; Miami-Ohio)
+ RHP Alex Jamroziak (2021)
+ LHP Ryan Sell (2021; Rock Valley JC)
X-FACTOR:
Zachary Olson, RHP, 2023: Olson wasn’t with Muskego last season as he spent the spring recovering from an injury, but the 6-foot-3, 200-pound uncommitted junior is now healthy and ready to roll. We recently saw Olson at the South Milwaukee Preseason ID on March 6th, where our scouts had this to say about him:
"Working through an easy and controlled delivery, his fastball worked up to 87.5 mph with 18 inches of vertical break, 15 inches of horizontal break, and spinning at a 2,250 rpm average. Considering the way Olson moves, and his personal room for development, it’d be easy to assume he’ll reach into the low-90s with his fastball over time. His curveball offers a small wrinkle with 2,300 rpm spin, and the changeup offers 18 inches of horizontal break. Olson is an interesting upside arm that’d leave evaluators unsurprised if/when he pops. "
Olson will look to regain his status as one of the state's top pitching prospects this year and it all starts in a few days. Muskego has plenty of open innings they'll have to fill due to graduating an abundance of arms and Olson elevating himself to potential ace status could unlock a new level for this team.
STAT RAT:
.749: Head coach Jacob Paige's winning percentage since he took over the Warriors program 12 years ago. Paige will forever be remembered as the last coach to win a WIAA Summer State title, doing so back in 2018. The Warriors have perennially been contenders in one of Wisconsin's toughest conferences since he's been at the helm, claiming a share or outright victory of the Classic Eight title five times since 2015.
OUTLOOK:
As has become the custom under head coach Jacob Paige, Muskego has consistently been one of the more competitive teams at the state’s Division I level and are always a force to be reckoned with in the deep Classic Eight Conference. They were a dominant group last season, as the Warriors won 21 games, a share of the conference title, and made it to a sectional final before falling to state-bound Union Grove. Led by a special senior class that featured multiple first team All-State selections, including C Anthony Tomczak (Wisconsin-Stevens Point) and LHP Alex Hayes (Madison JC), Muskego was perennially a top-five team in our Power 25 rankings last spring. They graduated 80% of their innings on the mound and 75% of their returning starts - two extremely high marks and difficult voids to makeup. With those 14 seniors gone, many of which were everyday contributors, the Warriors face quite the challenge in filling the shoes left behind by their memorable 2021 class.
Talent does return for coach Paige, however, and that starts with a formidable group that were a part of last year’s squad. OF/RHP Adam Balcerak (2022; Madison JC) earned all-conference honors as a junior in 2021 on the mound, but an injury will limit him to only offensive production this spring. Still, Balcerak is a high-level athlete with key, coveted experience at the varsity level. Muskego does return their starting middle infielders, with INF/RHP Cristiano Ramirez (2022; Wisconsin-Stevens Point and SS/3B Brock Lulewicz (2024) back after strong springs. Penciled in at the top of this lineup rather frequently, Ramirez batted .303 last season and gives the Warriors a familiar face on both sides of the ball. It’s possible he gets work on the mound as well in a relief role, where we’ve seen him have success in the past. Lulewicz has quickly earned a reputation as one of the state’s premier infield defenders, starting as a freshman at shortstop on a routine basis for Muskego last spring. He’ll look to build off his .294 batting average this spring and form a quality up-the-middle duo with Ramirez, giving Muskego stability at key defensive positions.
There are other notable returnees of mention, including seniors C Salvatore Zizzo (2022) and RHP Ethan Engelfried (2022; Carthage). Zizzo, who duals as a linebacker on the Warriors’ football team, is a strong right-handed hitter that’s flashed above-average juice to our staff in the past and will be part of a duo tasked with recreating the production left behind by Tomczak. Engelfried is an upside 6-foot-3, 165-pound prospect committed to Carthage College that’s been up to 84 mph with a fastball that features above-average movement characteristics. With the abundance of innings departing from this pitching staff, it’s possible that Engelfried sees an increased role from last season.
Two junior outfielders that were both on varsity last season and emerged from the South Milwaukee Preseason ID as winners: OF/RHP Sam Steuber (2023) and OF Steven Wintheiser (2023). Steuber, a multi-sport athlete, saw playing time as a sophomore and used a productive off-season to elevate his metrics across the board - 6.76 60-yard dash, 89 mph max outfield velocity, and an 86 mph high on his fastball. He’s likely to be an integral two-way contributor for this 2022 Warriors’ team. Wintheiser also plays on the Warriors’ football team and he, like his counterpart, is an athletic right-handed hitter with above-average arm strength from the outfield, peaking at 87 mph at our event.
Muskego will welcome a talented bunch of reinforcements to this team. They were without both C Heath Venne (2022; Wisconsin-La Crosse) and the aforementioned Olson last season, yet these two are certainly capable of being all-conference selections this spring, respectively. Venne is a strong, highly athletic dual-sport athlete that will pair up with Zizzo to make up one of the area’s better one-two backstop duos. He’s a top-50 prospect in the state’s senior class with plenty of raw power attached to his right-handed stroke. We highlighted Olson earlier, but another incoming arm to note is OF/LHP Bradyn Horn (2024). The 6-foot, 164-pound sophomore was one of the biggest winners at the West Milwaukee Preseason ID a few weeks ago, displaying an all-around impressive skill-set. His contributions to this year’s team likely lie on the mound, where we saw him throw a true four seam fastball with carry at 81-82 mph for strikes. He flashed a sharp curveball to complement it and a confident changeup with above-average arm side action as well, equating to a quality three-pitch mix for the sophomore southpaw. Though he’s young and inexperienced, Horn’s talent on the mound does give him an edge - one that could lead to increased playing time in his first season at the varsity level.
There’s a few more names-to-note that could see playing time for Muskego in 2022. INF Jack LaRose (2023) is viewed internally as a strong right-handed hitter capable of getting some big at-bats for this team. The same can be said for 1B/LHP Ashton Kampa (2023), who’s a large, physical left/left prospect that brings some thump to this lineup and another left-handed arm to their pitching staff. Freshman MIF Daniel Hauboldt (2025) was another winner from this winter, showcasing a clean right-handed stroke with repeatable line drive feel and sure-handed actions on defense.
BOTTOM LINE:
Muskego’s historically been one of the state’s more successful programs, but it’s not unknown that things will be different for the Warriors this spring given how much they graduated in a rich 2021 class. Regardless, a talented core of returners and coach Paige’s track record of winning has us optimistic about this team for 2022.
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Find more information on the 2022 Wildcats below:
+ Team Website
+ Team Schedule
+ Team Twitter