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: Franklin
Preseason Rank: No. 14
2019 Record: 20-8
Conference: Southeast
WIAA Division: 1
Head Coach: Steve Drobot

TOP PLAYERS

OUTLOOK 

The Sabers enter this 2021 spring season with a fairly new roster from top to bottom as they’re one of the more inexperienced teams we’ve previewed, thus far, though still packed with talent. A quality 2020 class was unfortunately denied the chance to compete inside the Southeast last year, which in turn has left a lot of holes on this roster to be filled by young players who have not gotten the chance to play – or even practice – with their high school teammates much.

Returning as the only projected starter from last season’s team, senior RHP/C Joe Turco (Wisconsin-Platteville) figures to play an important role in the final season of his prep career. Turco is currently penciled in as the team’s top rotation arm and he’ll also see time behind the plate, where we’ve become accustomed to him as a top-100 prospect in the state’s 2021 class. Another senior arm inside this rotation is RHP/OF Jordan Bierdemann (uncommitted), who’s an athletic 5-foot-10, 160-pound right-hander set to see innings behind Turco throughout the spring. Completing this trio of seniors for the Sabers as someone who could see time in the outfield this spring is Dyson Klubertanz (uncommitted).

Moving down to the 2022 class, the Sabers have several uncommitted juniors that we’ve become quite familiar with over the last calendar year, starting with RHP/INF Evan Iwinski and SS/RHP Carson Flugaur. Both of these players came away as major winners in their own way after this past winter’s showcase circuit, and both have risen up the state’s ‘22 rankings, launched last Friday.

Iwinski is a wiry 6-foot-1, 180-pound athlete that showed a major uptick in his arsenal on the mound, bumping his fastball up into the 86-88 mph range with seemingly more in the tank. He’ll step right in as a huge part of this Sabers rotation and could ultimately end up being their most successful arm this spring should he fully harness command for his breaking ball – a pitch that’s flashed above-average action in the past.

Evan Iwinski (3/21/21)

The pure athletic and statistical improvements that Flugaur made over the offseason were impressive, and it showed on two separate occasions over the past couple months. He knocked his 60-yard dash time from last June’s 7.36 down to a 6.68, topped out at 90 mph across the infield, and he’s now comfortably sitting at 84-86 mph with his fastball on the mound. His ability to translate that athleticism and strength onto the field, primarily in the batter’s box, is what currently makes Flugaur an arrow-up name in the state’s junior class. He’ll play an all-around role for the Sabers as a likely candidate to see innings on the mound and he could also possibly be their starting shortstop.

Carson Fluguar (3/6/21)

There are a handful of other juniors expected to start in important positions for the Sabers this season. OF Max Semancik can be an asset for this team on defense in center field, and his left-handed stroke profiles nicely at the top of this lineup. Built at a strong and sturdy 6-foot-2, 195-pound frame, INF Keaton Arendt showed well at our Milwaukee Preseason I.D., and the strength he possesses inside his right-handed stroke could be an impactful addition to the Sabers’ lineup. Another bat strength-type for the Sabers is right-handed-hitting 1B/OF Jack Baretz, a physical 6-foot-3, 215-pound athlete who we’ve routinely seen make loud contact in a showcase setting.

This year’s underclass group for Franklin has the potential to be a special crop for the Sabers that could ultimately be the defining factor as to how much success they have this season. 

3B Boston Halloran checks all the boxes as a legitimate middle-of-the-order weapon on offense, even as a sophomore. All he did last summer was hit and he continues to impress our staff each time we get our eyes on him. Even without any experience at the varsity level, Halloran can step right in and be a high-end offensive contributor for the Sabers. 

Boston Halloran (3/7/21)

Another member of the Sabers’ sophomore class who should see consistent playing time is RHP Noah Musolf. Built at a lanky, high-waisted 6-foot, 155 pounds, Musolf brings quality depth to Franklin’s pitching staff. He was up to 84 mph with his fastball at our Milwaukee Preseason I.D. and it plays with a natural horizontal ride that makes it difficult for right-handed hitters to square him up. His changeup looked much improved as well and it looks like he’s starting to develop a feel to spin his slider, too. C/INF Maxamillion Martin is another sophomore that could see playing time this season for the Sabers. 

Dipping down to the 2024 ranks, RHP/SS Grayson Flugaur and SS/RHP Cooper Kamlay could each carve out a role for themselves in their first season of WIAA action, even as freshmen. Flugaur is a rising freshman follow in the state for his innate athleticism and two-way abilities that showed well in-game in front of our staff last summer, and then again this past March. He’s an advanced right-handed hitter for his age, though he could contribute right away for the Sabers on the mound, where he’s reached an 82 mph high on his fastball and also has a sharp swing-and-miss breaking ball in his arsenal. At our South Milwaukee showcase, Fluguar was also up to 88 mph across the infield, while showcasing natural middle infield actions.

Like Flugaur, Kamlay can also positively reinforce this pitching staff and give the Sabers another strike-throwing option to trot out onto the mound. Kamlay’s another high-level athlete (a 6.91 runner) who could be a solid defensive asset on the infield, and he was up to 81 mph from the bump in mid-February.

BOTTOM LINE 

Even though they’ll have to rely on several inexperienced names to fill key positions on this roster, this Franklin team has the talent and depth to make some noise at the D1 level. If they’re able to overcome an eventual learning curve and put all these pieces together, this Sabers team could find themselves playing deep into the WIAA playoffs.

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

Find more information on the 2021 Sabers below:

+ Team Website
+ Team Schedule
+ Team Twitter

PRESEASON POWER 25 COUNTDOWN