Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 12 Catholic Memorial

The Wisconsin high school season kicks off on March 26th, the first day for regular season games.

Leading up to the opening week of games we will be rolling out team previews of our top 25 high school teams all across the state and across all classifications, counting down our Preseason Power 25.

We will bring you a snapshot of what to expect along with top players and keys to success for that particular team.

Team: Catholic Memorial
Preseason Rank: 12
2018 Record: 17-7
Conference: Classic Eight
WIAA Division: 2
Head Coach: Tim Gotzler
Playoff Run: Sectional Finals
2018 Final Rank: NR
Returning Starters: 7
Returning Pitchers: 4

TOP PLAYERS

KEY PLAYERS LOST

Jacob Kaiser, C (Iowa Western CC)

NEWCOMER TO WATCH

Outfielder Anthony Gross got a glimpse of varsity last year as a freshman, and it was an eye opener for sure. Gross came up big in crunch time, delivering a walk-off single to beat Martin Luther 6-5 in the sectional semifinals. Look for Gross to continue that momentum into 2019 and be a potential regular in the Crusader lineup as a sophomore.

Anthony Gross (10/21/18)

STAT RAT

Luke Fox filled up all the stat categories in 2018. He hit .419 for the Crusaders when he wasn’t pitching to the tune of a 0.71 ERA. Fox earned first team All-Classic Eight and second-team All-District honors for his efforts. Fox is an easy multi-sport athlete and it shows on the baseball diamond. His best asset likely lies on the mound where he sits in the mid 80’s and can run it up to 87 mph. Fox committed to Duke University earlier this winter in early February.

X-FACTORS

One of the biggest blows to the Catholic Memorial 2019 team did not come from graduation, but rather injury, as senior 1B/RHP Rich Byhre suffered a season-ending injury in basketball season this year. For Coach Gotzler and the Crusaders, it's one thing to plan on losing key contributors to graduation, but losing a player due to injury is another. How the Crusaders respond and fill the void of an all-conference selection is to be determined, but they have plenty of talent stockpiled in the program.

OUTLOOK

For Catholic Memorial, they are the only D2 program in a heavyweight of a D1 conference. That regular season load should test them enough come playoff time to get out of the Ripon Sectional. This year’s sectional assignments split Catholic Memorial and Waupun, a matchup that CM lost in the Sectional Finals, 1-0, to the eventual D2 State Champs last season. So a rematch would have to come at state.

And Fox Cities Stadium is where the Crusaders have their eyes set. Their biggest strength in 2019 will be their ability to rely on their pitching. Coach Gotzer returns a trio of juniors on the mound all with sub 3.00 ERA’s - LHP Luke Fox (2-1, 0.71) headlines the group, the southpaw is a Duke commit, and has the stuff to pitch at a high level come crunch time. RHP Chris Byhre (3-0, 2.60) may have the best stuff on staff, easily the best fastball. Byhre recently ran his heater up to 92 mph at the West Milwaukee Preseason I.D. this winter. He’s a big-time arm with a big-time fastball, and Coach Gotzler will expect him to win big-time games. RHP Jack Durst rounds out the returners on the mound returning a respectable 3-1 record with a 2.80 ERA.

Chris Byhre (2/17/19)

Byhre and Fox also bring back the top batting averages at .419 and .409 respectively. Both will also be asked to drive in runs as well as keeping them off the scoreboard.

The missing bats of Jacob Kaiser and Rich Byhre will not go unnoticed, but there is depth to fill in. Seniors Joe Koscinski (.381), Alex Cyskiewicz (.320) and Matt Schultz (.323) all return .300+ batting average to a deep lineup. Junior Matt Klement hit .348 as a sophomore and easily has the skill set to take another step forward. Also look to junior Sean Walsh to provide a lift on the infield, and potential defend one of the middle infield spots.

Coach Gotzler will have a few underclassmen to potentially add to the team depth in 2019. Both Anthony Gross and Kellan Short saw limited varsity action as freshmen, but it was action nonetheless. While he still might be a year away, freshman Rory Fox, younger brother to Luke Fox could follow in his brother’s footsteps.

BOTTOM LINE

Catholic Memorial has the pitching and depth to make a deep WIAA playoff run in 2019, and most of the sectional finalist roster from 2018 returns. While they do have a plethora of returning production, it’s not heavy in the senior class. It’ll be the junior class that will be asked to carry most of the load, especially on the mound. If they do this, count on the Crusaders to be representing the Classic Eight in Grand Chute.

Make sure to follow @PBRWisconsin on Twitter for the most up-to-date coverage throughout the season.

Find more information on the 2019 Crusaders below:

• Full Schedule

• Gamechanger

• Twitter