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Top 10 Stories of 2023: No. 10 Ithaca Wins D4 State Title in Dramatic Fashion

December 18, 2023
By: Maddox Durst
Staff Writer

At the end of each calendar year, the PBR Wisconsin staff reflects back on the 10 most intriguing headlines that surrounded the baseball scene in the Badger State. Through the end of the month, we will break down the most impactful storylines from an eventful 2023 campaign, ending with our No. 1 story revealed Dec. 30.

Ithaca is a small town nestled in the ‘Driftless Area’ of southwest Wisconsin. Right off of Highway 58 is Ithaca High School, which houses 143 students over four grades.

As of 2018, Ithaca’s population was listed at 611 people. On June 15 – with many of those residents in attendance – INF Ethan Cockroft (2023) gave his town gold.

A line drive to left-centerfield capped off a seven-run comeback for the Bulldogs, as INF/RHP Micah Salisbury (2024; uncommitted) stepped on home plate, ripped his helmet off and launched it up in the air in celebration.

Ithaca was taking on Pecatonica – another team from the southwest corner of the Badger State. The two teams each had different paths to the state championship. The Vikings were nearly flawless in their campaign – dropping just one game before their journey to Appleton. On the other hand, the Bulldogs entered the state tournament as heavy underdogs with a 19-7 record.

That’s the magic of playoff baseball though.

Pecatonica blitzed Ithaca to begin the game – carrying offensive momentum from a close 7-6 victory two nights before against McDonnell Central Catholic. The dynamic duo of INF/RHP’s Tyler McKeon (2024; uncommitted) and Jameson Johnson (2024; Rock Valley JC commit) ignited the offense to push the Vikings out to a 2-0 lead.

3B Coy Ruegsegger (2023) – the lone veteran on the diamond for Pecatonica – barreled a single to left field to further extend the margin. After three shutout innings from McKeon, the Vikings held a 5-0 advantage early on.

From there, the Bulldogs flipped the script and began to chip away. They tallied one run in the fifth on a sacrifice fly, and followed it up with a three-run sixth inning.

Salisbury drove in one run during that time from the middle of their order. The two-way prospect showcased intriguing tools on the big stage, and illustrated his efforts at the PBR Iowa Fall Review in October – a couple months later. At 6-foot-2, 180-pounds, Salisbury posted max EV’s in the 90 mph range, and remains uncommitted heading into his senior year.

He notched his second RBI of the game with a single to centerfield – cutting Pecatonica’s lead to one in the seventh inning. Before Salisbury’s single, INF Sammy Clary (2025) – another standout on Ithaca’s squad – drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.

All of this set up INF Logan Anderson (2024), who took advantage of an error from Pecatonica’s second baseman to tie the ballgame.

Down to their final out, tied at 7-7, Cockroft got his opportunity to play hero, and delivered. His base hit ended the ballgame and put Fox Cities Stadium into a frenzy.

Ithaca and Pecatonica return the pieces to create a rematch in Appleton this upcoming spring, behind the likes of Salisbury, Clary, Johnson and McKeon. These two young teams grew at a rapid pace in 2023, and set the stage for success in 2024.

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