The Wisconsin high school baseball season kicks off on March 29, opening day for regular season action under WIAA regulations. Over the next week, leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2022 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, counting down 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.

Our 2022 preseason coverage continues today.

Team: Greendale
Preseason Rank: 19
2021 Record: 21-7
Conference: Woodland West
WIAA Division: 1
Head Coach: Brian Johnsen

ROSTER PREVIEW

NAME	POS	CLASS	COMMITMENT
Tristan Ellis	MIF/RHP	2022	Minnesota
Keegan Norton	1B	2022	Saint Mary's - Minnesota
Andrew Justus	MIF/RHP	2022	Milwaukee School of Engineering
Will Vaile	1B/C	2022	Wisconsin-Whitewater (football)
EJ Kuster	RHP/1B	2023	-
Joe Morzy	OF	2023	-
Jack Lentz	P/INF	2023	-
Jack Bauer	MIF/RHP	2024	-

KEY PLAYERS LOST

+ RHP Patrick Jankowiak (2021)
+ INF Joseph Toetz (2021; Northeast CC)
+ C Keegan Kapocius (2021)
+ OF Will Brust (2021; Wisconsin-Oshkosh)

IMPACT UNDERCLASSMAN

Jack Bauer (2/19/22)

+ INF Jack Bauer (2024): As a freshman, Bauer was a key contributor to this Greendale squad last season - a team that was perenially inside our Power 25 rankings. Expectations are high for Bauer going into his sophomore year, but he's capable and eager of stepping up to the plate and playing an even bigger role this spring. Bauer was a winner at our West Milwaukee Preseason ID a little over a month ago. He's a twitchy athlete, running a 7.01 in the 60-yard dash, followed by a BP session where he sprayed line drives throughout. Defensively, Bauer’s athleticism aids him in traveling to the ball quickly and he owns above-average arm strength for his age as well, topping at 87 mph on his throws to first. These tools equate to a stable presence on the infield dirt, giving Greendale one of the area's more talented up-the-middle duos. He'll also have to shoulder an increased workload on the mound with important innings departing via graduation for the Panthers. With an entire season of varsity experience under his belt, Bauer's impact on both sides of the ball is certain to be felt.

X-FACTOR

Tristan Ellis (3/7/21)

+ INF/RHP Tristan Ellis (2022; Minnesota): Reigning Woodland West Conference Player of the Year, Ellis will look to put the finishing touches on a stellar prep career in fashion. He did most of his work on the mound for Greendale, pitching to a perfect 6-0 record, and the expectation is that he'll once again be their ace in 2022. When Ellis is not on the mound, however, the Gopher signee will patrol the infield dirt as this team's starting shortstop, teaming up with the aforementioned Bauer up the middle. Ellis put together an equally impressive season offensively, batting .405 with impressive power numbers to pair while hitting at the top of this lineup. There's no doubt Ellis is one of the area's most talented players and he'll look to make a repeat run at Player of the Year honors while leading Greendale for a spot atop the Woodland West.

OUTLOOK

Following a successful 2021 season, where they won 21 games, the Panthers bring back a large chunk of contributors from last years team - roughly 63% of their innings and 87% of their at-bats. They did graduate some important names, like INF Joe Toetz (2021; Northeast CC) and OF Will Brust (2021; Wisconsin-Oshkosh), but talent is still evident on this Panthers' roster. Now with an even more seasoned and talented roster, the Panthers seem to be one of the top teams in the competitive Woodland West Conference.

Filling the rotation around Ellis won't be an easy task, especially with RHP Patrick Jankowiak (2021) no longer on this roster. Greendale will turn to RHP EJ Kuster (2023) for an increased bulk of innings, especially after he received valuable experience last year as a sophomore. We recently came away impressed with Kuster at our West Milwaukee ID after his ‘pen. Standing at a proportionally strong 6-foot-3, 206 pounds, Kuster showed an uptick in velocity, sitting 85-86 mph throughout. Although the higher velocity was noteworthy, the amount of arm side run (20+ inches) he generated on his fastball was arguably the bigger takeaway. He also mixed in a effective splitter located low in the zone and a hard breaking ball with slurve-type movement. MIF/RHP Andrew Justus (2022; Milwaukee School of Engineering) and P/1B Jack Lentz (2023) are two names that will see time on the mound, too. 

EJ Kuster (2/19/22)

A core group of seniors return from last year's team, giving Greendale familiarity and experience inside this lineup. 1B Keegan Norton (2022; St. Mary's-Minnesota) brings a powerful left-handed stroke to the middle-of-this-order and showed that in flashes last spring. Built at 6-foot-1, 225-pounds, 1B/C Will Vaile (2022) will most likely be an everyday starter for Greendale and brings another strong bat to the table, as he's committed to play football at the collegiate level. Justus can be a scrappy spark-plug atop this lineup, with Kuster and Bauer chipping in as well. Junior OF Joe Morzy (2023) found success last spring, batting .412 in brief action, and is likely poised for an everyday role this year, too.

Keegan Norton (10/23/21)

BOTTOM LINE

Experience will be the driving force for Greendale this season, as nearly all of their key pieces are back for another shot at the Woodland West Conference title. The road there won't be an easy one, but the Panthers have always been a competitive bunch under head coach Brian Johnsen and that won't change in 2022.

Make sure to follow @PBRWisconsin on Twitter for the most up-to-date coverage throughout the 2022 season.

Find more information on the 2022 Panthers below:

+ Team Website
+ Team Schedule
+ Team Twitter

PRESEASON POWER 25 COUNTDOWN