The Wisconsin high school baseball season kicks off on April 27, opening day for regular season action under WIAA regulations. Over the next several weeks, leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2021 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, leading into a countdown 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. These preseason previews are also assembled with the help of Joe Waite and his comprehensive Baseball Wisconsin Yearbook, and the 2021 edition will soon be available for purchase here.

Our 2021 preseason coverage continues today.

Team: Arrowhead
Preseason Rank: No. 6
2019 Record: 12-14
Conference: Classic Eight
WIAA Division: 1
Head Coach: Nick Brengosz

TOP PLAYERS

OUTLOOK

Arrowhead’s 2020 spring season looked promising, led by a competitive senior group that were robbed of the chance to capitalize on an intriguing mix of experience and youth. That 2020 season also prevented Arrowhead’s 2021, 2022, and even 2023 classes from gaining meaningful experience that they could apply to this spring. Still, this Classic Eight powerhouse is rostering one of the most talented teams in the region – and, thus, the state – fully capable of another run to state.

This traditionally large program generally has a lot of talent to choose from, and its exciting underclassmen complement the juniors in the dugout who will, obviously, have even less experience than you might expect from that incoming class.

Firstly, we’ll start with the few seniors who bring back at least a little varsity action. RHP Brady LaMack, committed to Carroll, will slot inside the rotation and RHP Caelen Nickel should eat some innings too. Classmates and team captains 1B Josh Ferrito, INF Evan Nyhouse, and OF Max Bredeson will lay the foundation for the youth and inexperience that shapes the rest of the roster. Nyhouse is an above-average athlete with a loose left-handed bat, set to handle second base, most likely. Bredeson is one of the top athletes in the state, committed to play football at Michigan, following in his brothers’ footsteps. So, he’ll wrap up his baseball career this spring occupying an everyday outfield spot, carrying prominent pop in his right-handed bat.

These juniors will fill most of the remaining holes on the roster, but it’s a particularly skilled bunch, led by bulldog ace RHP Mason Buss, committed to Kansas State. Buss is one of few true aces in the state. An uber competitive righty who attacks the strike zone with mid- to upper-80s stuff, and the feel to land his slurve-like breaking ball wherever he wants. His confident demeanor and natural feel to pitch has him highly ranked in the state’s 2022 class.

Mason Buss (8/2/20)

Illinois State commit and junior, OF James Duncan, is another one of the top-ranked ‘22s in Wisconsin. The athleticism inside his lean 6-foot-2, left/left profile offers up a ceiling that few others in the state can reach. A rhythmic, loose, and fast left-handed bat should soon become one of Arrowhead’s most valuable.

Fellow junior OF Jayce Weber is another noteworthy athlete, with sub-6.90 speed, whose right-handed swing features some twitch and bat speed – as well as some surprising strength on impact. Junior pitchers LHP Michael Carpenter and RHP James Vargas both have proved to be tough at-bats in-game. Both are also athletic two-way players who will pull their weight on both sides of the ball, and both also project best long-term on the mound. Carpenter’s quick, loose arm from the left side was up to 84 mph this offseason, compounded by a swing-and-miss, high-spin breaking ball. 

Vargas throws a lot of strikes with his heavy mid-80s fastball that works very well alongside his go-to changeup, and he throws a downer slider, too. His three-pitch mix and feel to use it should make him one of the more valuable arms on this staff, even amidst all the talent elsewhere on the rotation. He also makes loud right-handed contact and moves well for his size, helping fill a versatile role somewhere on the infield.

James Vargas (3/14/21)

Look for more juniors like INF Emiliano Ramos, OF Jacob Stevens, C Ryan Mikoda, RHP Mason McKellar, and 1B Nolan Carrington to earn their share of opportunities as well. Ramos’ right-handed bat strength had been a weapon previously, and he could unlock more of it in his junior spring to further bolster this dangerous lineup.

And, as always at Arrowhead, the Warhawks are also rostering some of the state’s best underclass talent. Though, we don’t expect it to take sophomore C Thomas Curry long to be heard, literally. He’s a top-10-ranked sophomore in the state, featuring arguably its best bat. Curry’s right-handed bat strength is second to none, as he’s reached triple-digit highs already off the barrel. His muscular stature allows for advanced impact rates, but Curry utilizes his inherent strength naturally, and to all fields. Additionally, he’s shown above-average actions from behind the plate, equipped with an arm that should ward off potential base-stealers.

Thomas Curry (3/14/21)

Sophomore INF Ethan Hindle is another one of the state’s top athletes. He moves fluidly on defense, underscored by a 6.66 time in the 60-yard in March, and his loose righty bat features bat and hand speed, and he’s long shown a knack for the barrel in-game. Hindle, like Curry, shouldn’t need much time to acclimate to the varsity scene.

BOTTOM LINE

A winning culture, quality coaching, and competition at every position has Arrowhead churning out 20-plus wins and conference crowns almost every year. The 2019 season was an aberration, and we’re considering the Warhawks back in full force this spring, stocked with depth and some of Wisconsin’s best players, representing all classes. We’re calling the Classic Eight the state’s most competitive conference in 2021, and Arrowhead has an excellent chance to emerge from the group with their eyes locked on a state bid.

Make sure to follow @PBRWisconsin on Twitter for the most up-to-date coverage throughout the 2021 season.

Find more information on the 2021 Warhawks below:

+ Team Website
+ Team Schedule
+ Team Twitter

PRESEASON POWER 25 COUNTDOWN