Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 20 Wisconsin Lutheran
March 13, 2024
The 2024 Wisconsin high school baseball season is quickly approaching and, as usual, excitement is abound throughout the state. Players and coaches have been working in preparation for the upcoming season and, as is the case each year, there are some very talented players and teams across the Badger State.
Teams across the state have goals and aspirations to finish their seasons in their respective WIAA Division State Championship, but there is plenty of work to be done before that becomes reality. We hope to familiarize our readers with many of the teams with this initial Preseason Power 25 release which will take us right up to first pitch.
Please keep checking back throughout the season as we will be your one-stop shop for everything related to high school baseball across Wisconsin. Each week we will be releasing our Power 25, Players of the Week, Diamond Notes, Scout Blog and much more.
Our 2024 preseason coverage continues today.
High School: Wisconsin Lutheran Vikings
Preseason Rank: 20
Head Coach: Steve Kargus
WIAA Division: 1
Conference: Woodland West
2023 Record (Finish): 20-5(Lost Regional Semifinal)
Key Players Lost: Logan Abramowski & Isaiah Johnston.
ROSTER PREVIEW
Team Strengths: We will be very versatile and explosive on the mound and at the plate. Defense will be very solid across the board.
No. of Returning Starters: 13
No. of Returning Pitchers: 5
| NAME | STATE | CLASS | POS | COMMITMENT |
| Eddie Rynders | WI | 2024 | INF | Kent State |
| Jake Ross | WI | 2024 | RHP/UTIL | Bryant & Stratton |
| Jacob Belott | WI | 2024 | 2B | - |
| Connor Raabe | WI | 2024 | C | - |
| Caden Maertz | WI | 2024 | 1B | - |
| Ethan Dunn | WI | 2024 | RHP/3B | - |
| Zach Eggert | WI | 2024 | OF/RHP | - |
| Ben Gittins | WI | 2024 | 3B/OF | - |
| Tim Fredrick | WI | 2024 | C | - |
| Wynn Hotchkiss | WI | 2025 | CIF | - |
| Henry Syzmanski | WI | 2025 | LHP/1B | - |
| Andrew Belott | WI | 2026 | C/UTIL | - |
| Braden Abramowski | WI | 2026 | RHP/OF | - |
| Eli Dreier | WI | 2027 | RHP/INF | - |
| Cooper Sievert | WI | 2027 | RHP/INF | - |
| Carter Fry | WI | 2027 | OF | - |
X-FACTOR
+ SS/RHP Eddie Rynders (2024; Kent State commit) is set to lead this Vikings squad on both sides of the ball during his fourth and final season at the varsity level. Rynders is the reigning conference player of the year, as he did it all for the Vikings in 2023. He batted at a .411 clip while also providing five wins and a sub-2.00 ERA on the mound and he will be looked to do more of the same in 2024. Already this year, Rynders has made some noise on the national level following his standout performance at our annual Super 60 Showcase, which features a number of MLB Draft prospects from around the country. Despite the amount of talent there, Rynder fit right in and would catch the attention of Prep Baseball’s Vice President, Scouting Shooter Hunt; here is what he had to say regarding Rynder’s day: “Rynders delivered some of the best swings of the event providing a glimpse at a potential hit/power combination in the future. Delivering heavy barrels with upwards of 102.2 mph exit velocities and 391 ft. max distance, the left-handed hitter out of Wisconsin was balanced while portraying some controlled violence to a swing that saw him turn the barrel in a tight window with a propensity for lifting.”
After his impressive day in Chicago, Rynders now has his eyes set on his senior spring season, where he will be looking to go out crowned conference champion and maybe even more.
Eddie Rynders (2/4/24)
NEWCOMER TO WATCH
+ While there are a number of talented ‘Newcomers’ to this Vikings team, RHP/INF Eli Dreier (2027) seems to have all the abilities to contribute right away. Dreier, who is built at an upside 6-foot-1, 194 pounds, already features an advanced fastball that was up to 85.5 mph way back at October’s Southern Wisconsin Open. He also possesses a quality feel for a sharp curveball with late bite in the low-70s and a slightly harder slider with more lateral sweep, too. He not only is expected to contribute on the mound, but he also has the talents to make some noise with the bat. From the right-side, Dreier swings a short and quick bat that already has produced exit velocities upwards of 92.6 mph and we have seen that swing create loud contact in game, too. Currently slotted in at No. 10 in our initial Class of 2027 rankings board, Dreier certainly is someone Coach Kargus will rely on this season.
Eli Dreier (10/14/23)
TEAM OUTLOOK
Last season the Vikings captured their first Woodland West Conference Championship after taking a big step forward in many aspects of the game. While they did falter in the regional semi-final matchup, they head into 2024 as our pick to take home the Woodland West title yet again with a large chunk of their team back.
Senior right-hander Jake Ross (Bryant and Stratton commit) is set to be the rock of the Vikings’ pitching staff. Last season, he logged a 5-2 record while pitching to a 2.70 ERA, which resulted in him earning a First-Team All-Conference selection. This season he will be relied upon maybe even more and will provide consistency paired with quality stuff at the top of the Vikings rotation.
Jake Ross (3/18/23)
As for relief pitchers, the Vikings will rely on a number of them. RHP Ethan Dunn (2024) is a veteran arm that Coach Kargus will roll out there out of the ‘pen as he recorded a 3.28 ERA last season. Another experienced bullpen arm is expected to be LHP Henry Syzmanski (2025), who had a quality sophomore campaign in which he tallied a 1.84 ERA and he is set to contribute even more as an upperclassmen. Names like OF/RHP Zach Eggert (2024), CIF/RHP Wynn Hotchkiss (2025), LHP Brayden Abramowski (2026) and RHP Cooper Sievert (2027) are also expected to see some time in relief roles, too.
Offensively, the Vikings possess an experienced and talented lineup, highlighted by the aforementioned Rynders. Besides him, Wynn Hotchkiss is coming off a sophomore season in which he logged a .432 batting average while also providing some pop in the heart of the Vikings order. Ethan Dunn and Jake Ross are two other veteran bats that played big roles in the Vikings’ success last year as Dunn batted just over .400 and Ross just under respectively. Another senior leader for the Vikings’ offense is C Connor Raabe who batted .303 last season. While the Vikings do have a number of veteran bats, they will be relying on a number of inexperienced ones to fill some big voids this season. Amongst those are 2B Jacob Belott (2024), OF Carter Fry (2027), and C/UTIL Andrew Belott (2026) to just name a few.
Wynn Hotchkiss (6/20/23)
BOTTOM LINE
+ The Vikings seem to be a rising team inside of the Badger State after collecting their first Woodland West title last season. Now with a tight-knit core of players from last year’s team back and some talented underclassmen set to contribute right away, the Vikings look to take home that title yet again in 2024.
Find more information on the 2024 Wisconsin Lutheran program below:
- Follow the Vikings on X: @WL_VikingBsball