Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 5 Green Bay Preble

The Stefiuk brothers hold the key to a deep playoff run. Preble will have a similar road to Appleton as they did in 2017 and are an easy favorite in the Fox River Classic. Senior Paul and sophomore Ryan have the stuff to shut down any offense in the state, and if the Hornets find themselves at state again, the duo have to potential to single handedly get them to the title game.

Paul, a Bradley commit, brings an 87-89 mph fastball with a hard 12/6 curveball that gets a ton of swings and misses. Ryan works from the left side of the mound and has a similarly lively fastball with a deep curveball and plus potential change. Last season, in just over 16 innings as a freshman, he struck out 28 batters. He’s harnessing truly dominant stuff.

This one-two punch could be the ticket to a Preble run to state.

Ryan Stefiuk (3.11.18)

Coach Conard and the Hornets are coming off of a remarkable 2017 season, where they looked virtually unbeatable until they ran into Eau Claire North in the state quarterfinals. Green Bay Preble finished with a 29-1 record and an undefeated 26-0 in the regular season.

In 2018 they will again rely on a formidable pitching staff. RHP Jarrett Scheelk, RHP Griffin Summers, and RHP Will Conard are all graduated, but the Hornets shouldn’t skip a beat with the Stefiuk brothers and Wagner stepping up into more significant roles. The trio brings premium stuff to the mound, both Stefiuks can work in the upper 80s with swing-and-miss secondary stuff, and Wagner has a mid-80s fastball that plays well in the strike zone along with his secondary stuff. Quinn Williquette is a serviceable southpaw who also should see a bigger role as a senior. Williquette posted a 1.62 ERA as a junior and struck out 10 in 13 innings pitched.

On the offensive side of the ball, Preble returns half of last year’s lineup, most notably three returning all-conference selections. The sophomore Wagner and senior Casey Roeser were first-team selections and Colin Dougherty cracked the second team. As well as anchoring the middle of the lineup, the three will likely command the middle of the diamond as well with Roeser behind the plate, Wagner at shortstop, and Dougherty in center field.

The Hornets will fill in around the three with the likes of Zach Reiner, Bryce Miller, and Josh Nicklaus, who were all varsity mainstays last season.

BOTTOM LINE

To mimic their 2017 regular season success is a tall order, and not necessarily needed to make a deep postseason run. Coach Conard will have the luxury of what should be a dominant staff once again, and one of the better offensive bats in the state’s sophomore class in Wagner. The Preble recipe for success will likely look similar to last season after posting a team ERA under 1.50. Preble only allowed three or more runs in three games last season, unfortunately one of those came in the state quarterfinals, their one blemish on the season.