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Sun Prairie East dominates competition, continues strong season at Middleton Sectional

June 5, 2024
By: David Go
Wisconsin Staff

Sectional Tuesday has come to a conclusion in the Badger State, as 20 teams punched their ticket to the State Tournament by winning two games yesterday. The Prep Baseball Wisconsin staff was able to head out to three separate locations, providing timely updates of each matchup.

Now, we break down some of what we saw—continuing with the Middleton Sectional. Stay tuned with our coverage throughout the rest of the week as the WIAA playoffs come to a conclusion.

GAME ONE: MADISON MEMORIAL VS NO. 3 SUN PRAIRIE EAST

1B John Hadley VI (2024; Wisconsin-Milwaukee commit) and the top-seeded Sun Prairie East Cardinals advanced past Madison Memorial with a 6-4 win to begin Tuesday’s Middleton sectional slate. The UW-Milwaukee commit hit a three-run homer in the third inning to give Sun Prairie East a 4-0 lead, later scoring on INF Isaac Wendler’s (2024) go-ahead two-run single.

Hadley has a smooth left-handed swing that leads to plus power without compromising the bat-to-ball skills - the kind of swing that should translate to the next level. His actions are athletic at first, and he even showed ability to play a quality left field in the contest.

Wendler’s single came an inning after Madison Memorial knotted the contest at four, propelled by three successive hits with men in scoring position—including an RBI double from 1B Noah Grosspietsch (2024), a two-RBI double off the bat from INF Tyler Craig (2025) and a run-scoring single from INF Oliver Soldat (2025).

Sophomore LHP Joey Tamboli (2026) tossed three scoreless frames to finish the game for Sun Prairie East, reaching 80 mph with good feel for a changeup, along with a breaking ball. Senior RHP Drew Kavanaugh (2024; Wisconsin-Eau Claire (football)) threw the first four innings for Sun Prairie East, allowing four earned runs all in the fourth inning.

RHP Cashton Jones (2024; Edgewood College) tossed six innings for the Spartans, allowing three earned runs while striking out four. The Edgewood College commit worked in the 80-84 mph range with his fastball, also showcasing a slider at 72-74 mph with good two-plane break down in the zone, as well as a changeup at 76-77 mph.

OF/LHP Ezra Liggon (Madison Memorial, 2026) faced two hitters in the game, sitting 79-81 mph with the fastball and 69-72 on the curveball from a high-¾ arm slot. The swing is smooth from the left side and the athleticism is evident as he gets down the line well.

GAME TWO: NO. 14 MONONA GROVE VS NO. 19 VERONA

RHP/INF Calvin Moreau’s (2026) Monona Grove squad beat RHP Jack DeTienne’s (2024; Xavier) Verona Wildcats 3-1 in one of the state’s biggest pitching matchup of the year on Tuesday. The uncommitted Moreau is ranked third in the state’s class of 2026, while DeTienne is the second-ranked prospect in the class of 2024.

Moreau worked in the 86-88 mph range, a fastball that has carry and plus command. His changeup was 77-78 mph with heavy downward action, playing like a splitter. The two-plane breaking ball was 73-74, which was effective when thrown down in the zone. The delivery has some crossfire action, but does not compromise his ability to throw strikes in the slightest.

Calvin Moreau [6/4/24]

DeTienne has an electric arm, working 88-92 mph with true backspin and a ton of carry on the fastball. The breaker is a gyro slider that he ran around 81-82 mph, garnering a plethora of swings and misses on. He works from a medium-high leg lift into a high-¾ arm slot, a delivery that projects well for the future. DeTienne worked from behind in the count, leading to some early trouble but settled in as the day progressed.

Jack DeTienne [6/4/24]

Monona Grove managed three runs off DeTienne across the second and third innings on a pair of run-scoring hits by freshmen INF Eli Bauler (2027) and INF Luke Chynoweth (2027).

Chynoweth, who hit fifth in a strong Monona Grove lineup, has a smooth right-handed stroke that should lead to plus power as he fills out. While he still has a slight frame, the actions were good at third base and the athleticism is evident.

The contest ended with Verona’s DeTienne at the plate with the tying run at second and winning run on first. RHP/INF Kaden Connor (2025; Xavier), who relieved Moreau after the sophomore hit the pitch count limit, threw a fastball up and in that struck the knob of DeTienne’s bat and landed in play. C Terek Verhage (2025; St. Thomas - MN) retrieved the ball and stepped on home just in time to send Monona Grove to the Sectional Finals.

GAME THREE: NO. 14 MONONA GROVE VS NO. 3 SUN PRAIRIE EAST

Sun Prairie East left little doubt who was the most complete team on Tuesday, dominating Monona Grove 11-1 to clinch a berth to the State Tournament. The Cardinals scored in each of their four frames, pouncing on the Silver Eagles’ secondary arms with a five-run first inning. They later added three runs in the second, one in the third and two in the fourth.

INF Max Glusick (Sun Prairie East, 2025) kicked off the first-inning rally with a one-out double, scoring on Kavanaugh’s single a batter later. After a pair of walks loaded the bases, Sun Prairie East proceeded to reach base with the next three batters via single, walk and error. A squeeze bunt and fly out ended the inning.

Glusick showed excellent ability to play shortstop—looking the part while possibly sticking there at the next level. The swing has a slight uppercut to it that leads to gap-to-gap power to go with plus bat-to-ball skills.

The three-run second inning came after Hadley plated Glusick and C Manuel Abreu Socorro (2026) drove in a pair with his single. Abreu is a well-built sophomore with some pop who should continue to add polish to his game as he matures.

Following a 45-minute rain delay, Sun Prairie East tacked on three more to finish off the Silver Eagles in just five innings. RHP Brady Stelzer (2026) tossed a complete game, allowing just one earned run in his five innings of work to send the Cardinals to Appleton, as they will play in their first game on Monday.

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