Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 17 Eau Claire North

March 18, 2016

The Wisconsin high school season kicks off on March 29, the first day for regular season games. Most teams will begin practicing on March 21, getting their rosters set and finalizing their lineups.

Over the next several weeks, leading up to opening day, we will be rolling out team previews of high school teams all across the state and across all classifications, eventually launching our Preseason Power 25.

We have been sending out our annual Preseason Questionnaire to coaches all across the state and as the responses flood in we will bring you a snapshot of what to expect along with top players and keys to success for that particular team. If you don’t see your team’s season preview make sure your head coach fills out his Preseason Questionnaire.

Team: Eau Claire North
Preseason Rank: 17
2015 Record: 16-8
Conference: Big Rivers
WIAA Division: 1
Head Coach: Bob Johnson
Playoff Run: Regional
2015 Final Rank: Not Ranked

TOP PLAYERS

Name	State	School	Class	Pos	Commitment
Adam LaRock	WI	Eau Claire North	2016	SS	Iowa
Tanner Halvorson	WI	Eau Claire North	2017	LHP
Lukas Lanners	WI	Eau Claire North	2016	3B
Zac Stange	WI	Eau Claire North	2017	IF

X-FACTOR

Senior Adam LaRock is one of the top prospects in the state, and will be called upon to pull double duty for the Huskies both on the mound and with the bat. LaRock is an Iowa commit, and coming off a second-team all-conference season in 2015 where he hit .393 and went 4-2 on the mound with a 2.28 ERA.

OUTLOOK
The Huskies are returning in 2016 with three all-conference arms returning to the mound. Junior LHP Tanner Halvorson was a first-team all-conference selection last year after posting a 6-3 record with a 1.42 ERA. The southpaw looks primed and ready for a 2016 campaign, recently siting 82-84 mph with well-above average secondary stuff at the Madison Preseason I.D. Couple that with the mid-upper 80's fastball of Adam LaRock and you have a pretty formidable 1-2 punch to rely on come playoff time.

Coach Johnson and the Huskies should be one of the favorites in the Big Rivers conference along with cross town rival Eau Claire Memorial. Both North and Memorial return a hefty portion of their 2015 pitching staff's as reigning champs River Falls graduated a lot of senior starters.

If you are a high school coach and have yet to send in your Preseason Questionnaire please fill one out HERE.