The WIAA playoffs are coming down to the wire in the Badger State, as Regional play has come to a conclusion after an eventful week. Many of the top seeds survived their first couple of rounds of action—emerging as Sectional contenders come Tuesday, June 4.

With the talent that has evolved and will be showcased on Tuesday, the Prep Baseball Wisconsin staff will be rolling out preview pieces beforehand.

The Glendale Sectional will host three teams from the North Shore Conference, along with the No. 1 seed in Wisconsin Lutheran. The Vikings currently rank at No. 15 in the Power 25, and will be joined by Whitefish Bay, Homestead and No. 18 Nicolet at Maslowski Park.

WISCONSIN LUTHERAN (19-6)

The Vikings emerged as champions of a tough Woodland West Conference—featuring teams such as Pewaukee and New Berlin Eisenhower at the top. Their program brings in a healthy mix of talented upperclassmen and underclassmen to their roster—looking to continue their winning ways after cruising to a 5-0 win against Marquette University in the Regional Final.

SS/RHP Eddie Rynders (2024; Kent State commit) has enjoyed one of the strongest seasons in the WIAA as a two-way star for Wisconsin Lutheran, fresh off of a 2-for-4 performance against the aforementioned Hilltoppers. Rynders is a premium prospect in the Badger State, garnering national attention as Wisconsin’s No. 2 ranked prospect in the 2024 class. He has been productive on the mound for the Vikings as well—looking to get some innings at Maslowski Park on Tuesday.

RHP Jake Ross (2024; Bryant & Stratton) is the ace of this unit, fresh off of a complete game shutout against Marquette University in their win—striking out seven batters in the process. Ross has been a workhorse for Wisconsin Lutheran all season—presenting a three-pitch mix that has been effective on the varsity stage for multiple years now.

After that, a plethora of underclassmen have stepped up on the big stage for the Vikings—nearing the 20-win mark in their first season. OF Carter Fry (2027), UTL/RHP Cooper Sievert (2027) and INF/RHP Eli Dreier (2027) are three freshmen to watch out for as they develop in their respective prep careers. Each has made a positive contribution to the team, including some work on the mound, in addition to their presence at the plate.

Wisconsin Lutheran will kick things off on Tuesday with a semifinal matchup against Whitefish Bay, as first pitch is set for 10:00 AM.

WHITEFISH BAY (19-8)

The defending Division 1 State Champions are looking to make another run back to the State Tournament, and are now two wins away from doing so after shutting out Wauwatosa East in their Regional Final game.

MIF JD Dix (2024; Wake Forest), the No. 1 ranked prospect in the Badger State’s 2024 class, made his return to the shortstop position for the first time this spring—continuing to showcase his advanced defensive skill set as the year evolves. Dix has had a storied career, which includes a state championship. He is always a threat at the top of the Blue Dukes’ order as a switch-hitter, and will look to continue to extend his prep career on Tuesday.

JD Dix [5/13/24]

OF/LHP Charlie McIntyre (2026) has been a swiss-army knife for Whitefish Bay throughout his first two years on varsity, as the scrappy left-handed hitter has been an on-base machine all season long. The outfielder has had a knack for walks and finding barrels—reaching base in over half of his plate appearances in 18 games of conference play. INF Ben Volpe (2024; Wisconsin-Oshkosh), C Harrison Bortolotti (2026) and C/1B Ben Van Bell (2024) join McIntyre and Dix as the main threats in the batting order.

As for the pitching staff, LHP Tyler Andrews (2024; Wisconsin-Milwaukee) has been a force for the past two seasons, as he has not skipped a beat in 2024. The ace will look to maintain his momentum after twirling six innings of shutout baseball against the Red Raiders, where he tallied 12 strikeouts. His presence, along with the help of McIntyre and others in relief, will be key for the Blue Dukes to find that magic once again.

HOMESTEAD (12-14)

It has been an up-and-down season for the Highlanders, for the most part. Yet, they were able to catch fire over the past two weeks of action with wins over Power 25 teams in Nicolet and Kettle Moraine Lutheran—sparking an upset over Germantown on Thursday.

It’s been the two-way performance of INF/RHP Paul Nuetzel (2024; Madison JC) that has carried Homestead to this point, as Nuetzel dominated his start against the Chargers and the Warhawks to tally a couple of wins. The right-hander threw a complete game in their playoff matchup—punching out nine batters against a competitive Germantown lineup. The switch-hitter has also shown well at the plate in prior looks with a smooth, effortless swing—showcasing a knack for the long ball.

OF/LHP Jackson Brewer (2024; Columbia) made his return to the lineup this past week after dealing with an injury throughout the middle portion of the season—bringing power and speed to the middle of this lineup. C Griffin Bowers (2024; St. Thomas - MN (football)) has been quite productive this spring at the plate, all while managing the game from behind the dish.

Role players such as INF/RHP Ryan Apel (2025) have stepped up for the Highlanders amongst a strong senior class, as they were the last team to defeat the Knights in the 2024 regular season. They’ll get another shot at the Knights in the semifinals, starting at 1:00 PM.

NICOLET (21-6)

The Knights finished in second place in the North Shore Conference, and ascended past the 20-win mark to make it to Sectionals, as they’ll get to enjoy their entire playoff run on their home diamond at Maslowski Park in 2024.

Their production starts with the two-way presence of INF/RHP Nolan Sandee (2024; Northern Illinois), a quick, scrappy middle infielder who poses a threat at the top of their lineup, in addition to being one of their better arms on the mound. RHP/C Ben Ott (2024; Wisconsin-La Crosse (football)) has shined on the mound for Nicolet—emerging as a high-leverage arm that can get outs in important moments. He also has had a trend of extra base hits—providing some pop in the middle of their order throughout any given game. The combination of those two leaders have powered Nicolet to 21 wins on the season entering Tuesday’s matchup.

OF Hayden Konzcal (2027) has impressed with the bat for the Knights—putting together a quality season as a freshman on a ranked team. His pull-side power paired with a controlled aggressive at the plate has made Konczal a name-to-follow in the near future. INF James Wirth (2025) and 1B Gabe Nelson (2024) round out a strong lineup that has produced all season long.

RHP Jack Stuck (2025) got the win in game one against Milwaukee King to earn a Regional Championship, as the right-hander has been consistent all year and may see some innings right away on Tuesday.

The championship game takes place at 4:00 PM on June 4, as this Glendale Sectional proves to be highly anticipated in the Division 1 field.

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