Mutter, Melendrez carried big sticks in 2015
If your last name begins with “M,” it’s pretty safe to say you had a good spring baseball season in western Racine County in 2015.
Dylan Malecki, Aaron Mutter and Zach Melendrez led their respective teams, Waterford, Burlington and Union Grove, to success on the ball diamond and all deserved heavy consideration for the 2015 All-Area Baseball Player of the Year.
Now in its second edition, the All-Area squad features the best of the best from Waterford, Burlington, Union Grove and Catholic Central high schools.
The best 15 players are picked by the Southern Lakes Newspapers sports staff (mostly by me), and stuff like stats, impact, clutch moments and team success is all factored in.
Malecki was the area’s best pitcher, and Melendrez and Mutter were the top sluggers.
Based on a 19-5 record and their first conference championship since rejoining the Southern Lakes Conference in 2009, the Waterford Wolverines landed the most players with seven, followed by Burlington’s four, Grove’s three and Catholic Central’s one.
Not coincidentally, that was the order in which the four teams finished record-wise.
Enjoy the picks. There was a ton of top-notch talent in the area, so don’t feel left out if your name wasn’t chosen.
Player of the Year
Dylan Malecki, senior, Waterford
Though the three M’s all stated their case for POY, the accolade unanimously goes to Malecki.
The senior hurler, a right-handed power pitcher that can flat bring it, was named Racine County Player of the Year, first team all-SLC and team MVP.
He enjoyed the most consistent season out of any pitcher in most of southeastern Wisconsin, as he started the year 9-0 with an ERA in the 1.65.
His last two starts resulted in two losses and 11 earned runs in seven innings, but these were Malecki’s only hiccups in 66-1/3 strong innings.
He finished with an earned-run average of 2.64, which was second in the area among pitchers with at least 40 innings.
Malecki only received nine at-bats at the plate, and he said he believes he’s a good hitter. However, the mature Malecki understood his focus was on pitching.
He said the SLC title was the highlight of the season.
“Winning conference was the best thing that happened for the school’s baseball program. It put us back on the map,” Malecki said.
Malecki shut down strong clubs like Westosha Central, Wilmot and Lake Geneva Badger.
A veteran savvy combined with a high baseball IQ and understanding of how to pitch made Malecki a dominant force.
Malecki struck out 57 batters and only allowed 58 hits. He added a save to his win total of nine, which was only three less wins than Burlington’s total and one less than the Grove.
Malecki only walked 13 batters and led the area with a WHIP (walks plus hits divided by innings pitched) of 1.070.
So what was key to the pitcher’s huge season?
“The person that had the biggest impact on me was my dad,” Malecki said. “He helped me get to where I am in baseball. No one else has been even close to helping me get to where I am.”
“Without him, I probably wouldn’t even be playing baseball. I want to thank him for being my everything in baseball.”
First team
Aaron Mutter, junior, Burlington
Nobody in the Southern Lakes Conference can hit a baseball higher or farther than Mutter.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound slugger cracked five home runs, the most in the area, added 26 RBIs (second) and posted an other-worldly OPS (on-base plus slugging) of 1.125.
Burlington coach Scott Staude said Mutter, who added three wins and a 3.63 ERA on the hill, came through when his team needed him the most.
“Mutter had an incredible year,” Staude said. “He ended up being our most consistent pitcher by the end of the year and started the regional game. He was our No. 4 hitter all year. Whenever there were runners in scoring position, he seemed to come through this year.”
Mutter hit .360 with 27 hits, 17 runs, six doubles, two sacrifice flies and 11 walks.
One of the most feared hitters in the area, Mutter plays with the GRB Rays, a Madison-based club team, in the offseason. With a big, ferocious swing, Mutter gets his money’s worth on every hack.
Mutter earned first team all-county and all-conference honors.
Expect Mutter to be a front-runner for area POY in 2016.
Zac Melendrez, senior, Union Grove
The area leader in doubles (11), hits (34) and RBI (27), Melendrez hit .370 and helped the Broncos to a playoff victory in 2015.
A tall, muscular physique helped Melendrez develop into the team’s best power hitter.
Melendrez added a home run and 24 runs.
“Zac was a good defensive third baseman and a team leader,” said Union Grove coach Michael Arendt.
Melendrez landed a first-team spot on the all-county squad and was an honorable mention all-SLC pick.
Ryan Kiedrowski, senior, Waterford
The first catcher on the squad, Kiedrowski was voted team MVP and earned first team all-county honors.
He was a second team all-SLC selection behind POY Marshall Gilbert of Westosha Central.
Kiedrowski had a sweet stroke in 2015, as he tallied 25 hits and a .379 batting average.
His 17 RBIs were fourth in the area, and Kiedrowski added 10 walks.
Kiedrowski smashed five doubles.
He was solid defensively and helped Malecki and teammate Tony Ray form the most dynamic pitching duo in the area.
Mason Rodriquez, senior, Union Grove
This speedy outfielder can flat-out bang the ball.
Rodriquez was chosen slightly ahead of Waterford’s Matt Wezyk for the fifth spot on the All-Area squad.
Both were first team all-county and both hit for an eye-popping .377 average, but Rodriquez enjoyed a historic night with the season on the line.
In a playoff victory on the road at Lake Geneva Badger, Rodriquez went 5-for-5 to help the Broncos upset the Badgers and advance to the regional final.
Rodriquez added the area’s best on-base percentage (.547), 26 hits, 22 runs, 23 walks (area leader) and six stolen bases.
Arendt describes the first team all-SLC player as a “great outfielder.”
Matt Wezyk, junior, Waterford
It’s guys like Wezyk that ensure Waterford will be a favorite to repeat as SLC champs in 2016.
A .377 hitter, Wezyk had 26 hits, 21 runs and 17 walks. He got on base at a .522 clip.
For his banner season, Wezyk was named first team all-county and all-SLC.
A sure-handed infielder, Wezyk helped form the best defense in the area.
Though largely considered a contact hitter and on-base threat, Wezyk showed power and timely hitting with 16 RBIs.
Bryan Sturtevant, junior, Burlington
Our third junior on the list could be the next Dylan Malecki in 2016.
Sturtevant led the entire area with a .402 batting average and showed promise on the mound, finishing with the Demons’ lowest ERA (2.19) in 16 innings of mostly relief work.
“Bryan is a solid choice for All-Area,” Staude said.
Sturtevant busted out with two hits and two RBIs, including a triple, in Burlington’s 6-5 playoff loss.
A talented contact hitter, Sturtevant totaled two triples, 28 hits and 15 runs.
Currently, he is tearing up the pitching scene for the city’s American Legion squad.
Expect Sturtevant to contend for POY next year.
Nolan Girard, senior, Catholic Central
The four-year starting catcher was the heart and soul of the Hilltoppers.
A team captain in 2015, Girard was an all-county second teamer and earned first team all-Metro Classic.
“Nolan is one of the most intensely competitive players I have ever had in 46 years of coaching,” said Catholic Central coach Tom O’Connell. “He developed into an excellent defensive catcher whom few ran on.”
Girard hit .367 with an impressive .451 on-base percentage, and he slugged well with two home runs and 13 RBIs.
Thrust into the pitching staff due to a low numbers of pitchers, Girard mustered a 2-3 record in 26 innings.
Tyler Terrian, junior, Waterford
Left off the all-conference and all-county teams for some strange reason, Waterford junior Tyler Terrian enjoyed as good of a season as anyone on our list.
Terrian ranked in the area leaders in hits (26), doubles (8), RBI (20), runs (19), walks (17), batting average (.366) and on-base percentage (.495).
Look for Double T to make a serious run for POY in 2016.
Honorable mention
Dane Helnore, senior, Burlington
One of the most refined and smooth baseball players in the region, Helnore was a four-year starter, something that’s only been done one other time in Staude’s 17 years as coach.
An all-area and all-conference pick as a sophomore and junior, Helnore was an all-conference and all-county pick this season.
“Dane had a tremendous career,” Staude said. “The batting average was down a little bit this year, but it was still a very solid year.”
Helnore, a two-year captain, manned the hot corner with ease and will play at UW-Stout next season.
He hit .303 with 23 hits, 16 RBIs, seven doubles, two home runs and 16 runs scored.
Michael Schmidt, junior, Waterford
A second team all-SLC selection, Schmidt led the area in runs with 27.
He also smacked 25 hits and enjoyed a .338 batting average.
With 13 RBIs and 15 walks, Schmidt added six extra-base hits (four doubles, two triples).
A speedster on the base paths, Schmidt was always hustling for an extra base.
Schmidt joins a strong core of teammates in 2016. Watch out for the Wolverines.
Chris Saltzmann, junior, Waterford
Another uber-talented Waterford junior, Saltzmann was named first team all-county and first team all-conference.
A .339 hitter, Saltzmann was a defensive stalwart in the outfield.
He roped seven doubles and totaled 24 runs and 16 RBIs.
Saltzmann led the Wolverines with a .516 slugging percentage.
Luke Gannon, senior, Burlington
A large, physically-imposing presence at catcher, Gannon hit .360 and boomed three blasts with 19 RBIs.
Gannon had 25 hits, one of the top marks in the area. He was an honorable mention all-conference pick.
Blake Hansen, junior, Union Grove
Hansen has all the intangibles of a star.
As good a person as a baseball player, Hansen hit .339 with 20 hits, 12 RBIs, 13 runs and a .423 on-base percentage.
Hansen was named second team all-county and second team all-SLC.
“He’s an extremely tough out at the plate and a good outfielder,” Arendt said. “Blake works his tail off and is one of the kids you love to coach.”
Tony Ray, junior, Waterford
Poised to become the top pitcher in the SLC in 2016, Ray was the unsung hero for the Wolverines this season on the mound.
While Malecki mowed down just about every team in his path, Ray provided a great change-of-pace pitcher for opponents.
An honorable mention all-SLC pick, Ray boasted an area-best 2.01 ERA with a 6-1 record and one save.
Ray struck out 35 batters in 45-1/3 innings, and he came up big in the end of the season.
Ray shut down heavy-hitting Burlington in Waterford’s conference-clinching victory, then he pitched three scoreless innings of relief in the Wolverines’ playoff loss.
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