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: Denmark Vikings
Preseason Rank: 24
WIAA Division: 2
Conference: North Eastern
2023 Record (Finish): 30-2 (2023 WIAA Div. 2 State Champions)
Key Players Lost: Lucas Miller (Wisconsin-Whitewater), Ethan Ovsak, Rheis Johnson (St. Mary’s University of Minnesota), Nolan Perry, Izaac Dittmer.

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ROSTER PREVIEW

No. of Returning Starters: 3
No. of Returning Pitchers: 3

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X-FACTOR

+ RHP/1B Grant Schroeder (2024; Rock Valley JC commit) is an arm that will have to step up for the Vikings to fill their pitching rotation. In the past, Denmark has relied on multiple arms to guide them through a season—including the likes of RHP’s Lucas Miller (2023; Wisconsin-Whitewater) and Ethan Ovsak (2023) last year. Schroeder is a lean athlete standing at 6-foot-3, 175-pounds, and presents some quality traits on the mound. The right-hander has a mature feel for the zone and showed well over the course of the 2023 season with a commanding three-pitch mix. Schroeder spins his breaking ball well, and has shown an increase in velocity in all three of his pitches. With his numbers up in the mid-to-upper-80s in live action with his fastball, the Rock Valley JC commit enters 2023 as one of the top arms-to-watch in the North Eastern Conference and beyond.

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STAT RAT

+ 89: The amount of wins that the Vikings have accumulated over the past three seasons as a program. With their three straight state championships in a row in the Division 2 field, Denmark has emerged as one of the juggernauts of the WIAA Baseball scene. Since 2021, the Vikings have lost two games in the North Eastern Conference, and have consistently been a flawless program on the diamond for a couple of years.

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TEAM OUTLOOK

After winning their third straight state championship in a thrilling 11-inning battle against St. Thomas More, Denmark will have to endure some changes for 2024. Legendary head coach Bill Miller announced over the offseason that he would be stepping away from the program—leaving the Vikings without an official skipper entering the 2024 season. Regardless, the program remains strong and returns seven athletes who earned a bit of playing time and a lot of success over the past year.

It starts with RHP/INF Jaycob Dittmer (2024) for the Vikings. Dittmer pitched to a 9-1 record last campaign—exiting the season with an impressive 1.46 ERA. He also manned the shortstop position for Denmark. The projectable prospect will step into the ace role for the Vikings after pitching in the last two state tournaments. Schroeder and RHP Connor Paplham (2025) round out an unproven rotation, aside from the past work of Dittmer.

Role players have been a key part of Denmark’s successful stretch, and the script looks to be quite similar in 2024. OF Eli Kapinos (2024) enjoyed a strong 2023—hitting .313. He will look to take that next step as a powerful threat in the middle of the Vikings’ order.

INF/C Joshua Gajeski (2025) and C Ebyn LaForest (2024) are two prospects who got some varsity experience under their belt in 2023, and return as starters for Denmark starting in late March. They will be responsible for replacing the work of savvy veteran C Rheis Johnson (2023; Saint Mary’s (MN)), who was the strong anchor behind the dish in the past.

The Vikings’ program remains strong and close-knit, as it will take a great effort from surrounding teams to dethrone one of the most successful teams in the Badger State since the 2021 season.

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BOTTOM LINE

+ Experience and senior leadership will be key for this group down the line, as they will need their pitching and defensive fundamentals to remain elite in order to find success against their competition.

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