SLN EXCLUSIVE
Southern Lakes Newspapers All-Area Baseball 2016
SLC dominates inaugural squad with summer stars sprinkled in
By Mike Ramczyk
Sports Editor ([email protected])
Is high school football really here?
Remember the good, old days when summer actually meant June, July and August?
Now, summer for high school athletes means June and July, but if you play football, your August is dedicated to the gridiron.
I understand. Football is a physically demanding sport, and schools don’t want to play in December, but it’s getting ridiculous.
Next year, high school football is scheduled to begin in July.
Have no fear, readers, we are taking you on one more trip down memory lane this week, with the last morsel of spring and summer – the very first Southern Lakes Newspapers All-Area Baseball team.
Last week, the All-Area Softball squad was dominated by the Southern Lakes Conference, and this week’s list offers the same conference, but a record seven athletes from one school on the first team.
That’s right, the 2016 Burlington Demons went 25-5 and won the WIAA Division 1 spring baseball state championship, and to the victor go the spoils.
Burlington was the best baseball team in the area by far and proved it when it mattered most. The Demons knocked off the defending state champs, pitched a shutout in the semifinal and overcame a 4-0 deficit to win the state title against mighty Arrowhead, 6-4.
Seven players hit better than .360, and the team boasted a 2.65 earned-run average.
Burlington was only the third Southern Lakes Conference team to win a state title, and it was the first boys state title for Burlington High School since the 1965 cross country squad did it.
History was made, records were broken, and they may not be touched for a long, long time.
Just like we did with the softball squad, our sports team joined forces after long hours watching games at the diamond, countless conversations with coaches and players and detailed research to bring you this year’s baseball team.
Sports Correspondents Kevin Cunningham, Jason Arndt, Chris Bennett and I analyzed not only statistics but also intangibles.
With 16 teams from Racine, Kenosha, Walworth and Waukesha counties, it wasn’t easy.
Who shined brightest on the biggest stage?
Who’s a good player on a not-so-good team?
Who flat-out looks like a ballplayer?
All factors were considered, and now the fun can begin.
Ladies and gentlemen, it’s not a unicorn, but you haven’t actually seen this before, the 2016 SLN All-Area Baseball team:
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Aaron Mutter, senior, Burlington
This was extremely close between Mutter, Bryan Sturdevant and Cal Tully, but the edge goes to the most feared hitter in the area, Mutter.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound powerhouse hit .450 with 45 hits, 19 doubles, five home runs and a school-record 42 RBIs.
Mutter was second team all-state as an outfielder, first team all-district and was named the SLC player of the year.
What set the Division 2 Winona State recruit apart was his improvement on the hill, as he finished 6-1 with a 3.61 ERA and 48 strikeouts.
Mutter shut down Waterford in the conference title game, stymied Kenosha Bradford in the sectional final and two-hit Green Bay Preble in the state tournament.
He pitched on two days’ rest in the state championship game and allowed four runs in the first inning, but he didn’t hang his head.
Instead, Mutter bombed a near-400 foot shot off the wall later in the game and scored the game-winning run on a suicide squeeze bunt in the seventh inning.
The senior leader showed poise and stepped up when his team needed him most.
A soft-spoken young man, Mutter is humble and lets his big bat and strong right arm do his talking.
Winona State is recruiting him as a college pitcher.
As soon as they see “Mutt” hit a ball 420 feet in batting practice, the coaching staff will probably be forced to insert him in the lineup.
COACH OF THE YEAR
Scott Staude, Burlington
Whereas player of the year took much discussion, Staude’s nod was a no-brainer.
In his 18th season, Staude had the benefit of tons of talent, but he played the chess game better than any opposing skipper, especially in the state championship game.
Staude pulled the plug on Mutter after Burlington fell into a 4-0 hole, but his decision to pitch Cal Tully in relief paid off better than anyone could’ve expected.
Tully had pitched nine innings all season, but he proceeded to allow two hits over 5-1/3 innings, and it made Staude look like a genius.
To top it off, Staude had Aaron Sturdevant lay down a suicide squeeze with Mutter, who isn’t the fastest runner, at third base. The execution was flawless, and it gave the Demons a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
Staude knew his players had the talent, and he pushed them to reach their potential all season long.
He even made sure the Demons practiced at the same field as Arrowhead hours before the state championship, and he allowed them to stick around and watch Arrowhead take batting practice.
The mind games paid off, and Staude’s confident swagger rubbed off on his kids.
Leadership starts at the top, and nobody connects with his players quite like Staude.
Staude also brought in former Milwaukee Braves pitcher Tom Lee to work his team, a diamond in the rough that was the perfect cherry on top to a deep pitching staff.
Staude began his coaching career with Burlington in the late 1990s and struggled through years of single-digit wins.
His persistence and dedication permeated throughout the school and community, and baseball has become a way of life in Burlington.
“It seems like a movie script,” Staude said in June. “Winning the state baseball title has been an amazing feeling. It brings back fond memories of all the great players who have played for us the past 18 years.”
“The more years you coach, you realize just how hard it is to win a state baseball title. It takes just the right players and a little bit of luck to go your way.”
FIRST TEAM
Bryan Sturdevant, senior, Burlington
Nicknamed “Big-Game Bryan,” the senior second baseman cleaned up when award season rolled around.
Staude called Sturdevant the “glue to our championship run,” and with good reason.
Sturdevant hit .481 and broke the school record with 51 hits.
He was named first team all-state, first team all-county, first team all-district and first team all-conference.
Sturdevant added 12 doubles, 23 RBIs and 40 runs, and decided late in the season that he will play baseball at Division 3 perennial power UW-Whitewater.
In nine innings on the mound, he didn’t allow an earned run.
Sturdevant played second base with a smooth confidence and made most tough plays look easy.
A natural hitter, Sturdevant was a senior leader and always sacrificed for the team, including a key sacrifice bunt to ignite the Demons’ game-winning rally in the state championship game.
Sturdevant lives and breathes the game, and he said team chemistry is why Burlington won state.
Cal Tully, senior, Burlington
The shortstop earned first team all-county and all-conference honors, but what he did in the state title game against Arrowhead will be talked about in the area forever.
Tully came up nails in the biggest game in the history of Burlington baseball.
To quote SLN sports correspondent Chris Bennett during the voting process, “the only thing anyone will talk about when the book is penned on the 2016 Demons is the fact that they won the Division 1 state title.”
“More than anyone, Cal Tully, and his performance as a pitcher and presence as a leader, is why that magic event occurred.”
Tully threw a grand total of nine innings all season, and hadn’t pitched more than three innings in a game all year.
“I knew it was my last game as a Demon, and I was going to give it my all for my guys,” Tully said moments after winning the title.
“It was one of the gutsiest performances I’ve ever seen,” Staude said of Tully’s heroics.
Tully mixed speeds beautifully against Arrowhead, with a little bit extra on the fastball and a big break in his curveball.
He dominated the Warhawks and their four Division 1 college recruits.
Tully is a dynamic shortstop and combines lateral quickness with a rifle arm. He will play at UW-La Crosse.
Tully batted .362 with 34 hits, 10 doubles, 31 RBIs and 26 runs. He had a .435 on-base percentage.
For the season, Tully had a 0.82 ERA.
Jacob Lindemann, junior, Burlington
The best pitcher in the area proved it all year long, as Lindemann routinely made hitters look silly with his high-80s fastball and back-breaking curveball.
Lindemann was barely touched all season, and his performances at sectionals and state defined clutch.
After allowing three earned runs in the first inning at the first game at state, Lindemann settled down to blank Janesville Craig the rest of the way.
The Division 1 Witchita State recruit had Major League Baseball scouts at several games.
Lindemann has a shot at being drafted to the Major Leagues right out of high school in 2017.
The first team all-district and third-team all-state hurler went 10-1 with an 0.81 ERA in 64-1/3 innings.
He struck out 74, walked 20 and only allowed 36 hits and eight earned runs.
Dale Damon, junior, Burlington
The left-handed slugger manned the hot corner and did his best work at the state tournament, where he earned MVP honors with a .600 batting average in three games.
Damon’s two-out, two-run single on a full count tied the state championship game at 4-4 in the seventh inning.
Damon is sure-handed with an accurate throwing arm at third base, and he is a dangerous hitter that gives pitchers fits with his plate discipline.
Damon hit .477 with 42 hits, 35 RBIs and a .552 on-base percentage to earn first team all-SLC honors.
Matt Korman, junior, Waterford
Waterford coach Lance Bestland said Korman is an all-around talent that worked hard in the offseason to make himself better.
The extra hours in the gym paid dividends, as Korman batted .395 with a .442 on-base average and a .654 slugging percentage.
He socked three homers and tallied 39 RBIs in 81 at-bats.
Korman is a leader on and off the field, and his ceiling is nonexistent.
The first team all-SLC infielder and team MVP will undoubtedly contend for All-Area player of the year next season.
Austin Emanuel, senior, Mukwonago
How many athletes can play only one season of high school baseball and win conference player of the year?
For our first catcher on the team, it was a piece of cake.
Emanuel has played club ball since he was eight years old, and he finally decided to play for the Indians, whose season is during the summer with mostly Milwaukee-area teams.
Mukwonago won 13 games in the five-team Classic 8 conference, and Emanuel stood out every time he graced the field.
The Hitters alum earned second team all-state honors, and he will play Division 1 college baseball at Western Illinois University later this year.
Emanuel hit .476 with 30 hits, and he struck out 25 batters in 19 innings pitched.
Mukwonago coach Danny Cochran said Emanuel is like a manager on the field, according to a lakecountrynow.com article.
“Austin Emanuel deserved the POY award in our conference because of how well rounded he is a as a player,” Cochran said. “Having him play such an important position as catcher was huge for our team. Austin plays beyond his years as a mature and intelligent baseball player.”
Troy Hickey, junior, Wilmot
At times wild and erratic on the mound, the overpowering fire-baller has potential for greatness.
Still raw at times, when Hickey is on his game, it’s lights out for opposing batters.
In 38-2/3 innings, Hickey struck out 55, walked 33 and did not allow a home run all season.
Overall, he compiled an 0.54 ERA and tossed a no-hitter at Elkhorn.
Though Hickey hit .276, he demonstrated tremendous plate discipline, drawing seven walks for a .432 OBP.
Additionally, he stole a team-leading 11 bases in 18 games.
Hickey is committed to play college baseball at Division 1 Oklahoma State University.
Tony Ray, senior, Waterford
Though he stands under 6-feet tall, Ray is larger than life on the mound.
He once told me one of his pitching idols is Tim Lincecum, a Cy Young winner who uses deception and a creative delivery to baffle hitters.
Ray does the same, with an explosive windup and crafty arsenal of pitches.
He tied 2015 Waterford Union High School graduate Dylan Malecki’s record for wins in a season with nine.
Ray was a first team all-SLC pitcher, going 9-3 with a 2.62 ERA.
Ray struck out 56 batters and walked 37 in 69-1/3 innings.
Last weekend, he was a catalyst to Waterford’s appearance in the Wisconsin Legion AA state championship game.
Ray is a cerebral assassin on the mound, as he often outsmarts hitters.
He has a high baseball IQ, and his competitive spirit is high.
Zach Campbell, junior, Burlington
The ignitor for the state champs, Campbell is a talented outfielder who can steal bases, pitch and rake.
He earned the save by retiring Arrowhead 1-2-3 in the seventh inning to seal the state title, and his left-handed bat provided a single in the Demons’ decisive seventh-inning comeback.
Campbell earned first team all-SLC honors after hitting .440 with 44 hits, five doubles and 35 runs scored.
He had an impressive .504 batting average with 14 stolen bases.
Campbell is another Hitters player, as he travels around the Midwest for baseball tournaments when he’s not getting things started for the Demons.
Staude said the leadoff batter is the catalyst for the Demon lineup.
Garrett Gilbert, junior, Westosha Central
A second team all-district selection, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound catcher also earned first team all-SLC.
Gilbert hit .398 with five home runs, 25 RBIs, nine doubles and an OPS (on-base plus slugging percentage) of 1.254.
Gilbert was in the running for conference player of the year, according to Westosha Central coach Jacob Morman.
“Garrett was one of our captains and had a tremendous season for us,” Morman said. “He is one of the best players in the conference.”
Aaron Sturdevant, junior, Burlington
The second team catcher in the all-SLC voting may have been snubbed.
Sturdevant laid down a textbook suicide squeeze bunt to drive in the eventual winning run in the seventh inning of the state championship, and oddly enough, Staude said the powerful hitter always wants to bunt.
Sturdevant may not say more than three words when questioned about his game, but his actions on the field speak at high volume.
He hit .426 with 40 hits, nine doubles, 31 RBIs and a .450 on-base percentage in 2016.
Sturdevant also was named first team all-Racine County.
Sturdevant handles the pitching staff with ease and calls a good game behind the plate.
He is a complete player and was a big run producer at the No. 5 spot in the Demons’ lineup.
SECOND TEAM
Jason Curtis, junior, Whitewater
1st team all-Rock Valley North, 7-1, 1.45 ERA, 71 K, 58 IP, team went 22-7 and advanced to Division 2 sectional final, Janesville Gazette all-area
Tanner Strommen, senior, Burlington
Missed beginning of season due to shoulder surgery, .375 avg., HM all-SLC, 27 hits, 17 RBI, .452 OBP
Played designated hitter primarily for Demons
Jordan Krueger, senior, Mukwonago
Division 1 University of Illinois-Chicago recruit, 43-1/3 IP, 2-5, 57 K, 3.23 ERA, 1st team all-Classic 8
Frank Koehnke, sophomore, Burlington Catholic Central
2nd team all-Racine County, .444 avg., 27 RBI, 8 2B, 2nd team all-Metro Classic third baseman
Michael Schmidt, senior, Waterford
Fundamentally-sound infielder, clutch hitter, .313 avg., .429 OBP, 2nd team all-SLC, 2nd team all-county, helped Waterford Legion to AA state title game, 21 RBI, 32 R, 18 BB
Juliann Sonn, senior, Whitewater
Janesville Gazette All-Area infielder, .387 avg., 36 hits, 28 RBI, 3 HR, cleanup hitter, only 4 K in 108 plate appearances, 1st team all-Rock Valley North
Tanner Bykowski, junior, Westosha Central
.488 batting avg., 39 hits, 37 RBI, 2 HR, 15 2B, 1.360 OPS, .560 OBP, .800 slug., 2nd team all-SLC
“Tanner was deserving of first team all-SLC but fell just short behind the Burlington players,” said Central coach Jacob Morman. “Tanner works extremely hard and is a very gifted baseball player. He had the best all-around season on our team.”
Grant Tully, sophomore, Burlington
Played through broken hand during state championship game to tally late hit and stolen base, walk-off single beat Westosha Central, .288 avg., 19 H, 15 RBI, good speed running bases, solid outfielder, HM All-County
Brady Fields, sophomore, Lake Geneva Badger
2nd team All-SLC infield, led team in RBI, voted team captain, offensive POY, team MVP
Ian Nowell, junior, Elkhorn
2nd team all-SLC OF, .441 batting average, .963 fielding percentage
Joe Morman, senior, Westosha Central
2nd team all-SLC 1B, .414 avg., 36 H, 27 RBI
“Joe was a kid you could always count on to come up in big situations and do his job,” Coach Morman said.
Bradley Hansen, Union Grove
2nd team All-County, .377 avg., .444 OBP, 29 hits
“Super kid, outstanding swing, late season slump took him down from .450 average he had most of season,” UG coach Michael Arendt.
MAKE SHADED BREAKOUT BOX
HONORABLE MENTION
Trent Jones, Westosha Central
.321 ba, 27 R, 11 SB, 1st team all-SLC
Nick Ruffalo, sr, East Troy
1st team all-RVC North
Owen Dirksmeyer, sr., Burlington Catholic Central
.465 ba, 2nd team all-county, starting pitcher
Mark Schauf, sr, Walworth Big Foot
1st team all-RVC South infielder
Will Sallis, sr, Palmyra-Eagle
1st team all-RVC South OF
Ty Poulson, sr, Palmyra-Eagle
1st team all-RVC South OF
Jake Benzing, jr, Delavan-Darien
HM All-SLC OF
Gunner Peterson, soph, Wilmot
24 RBI, HM All-SLC, 3 HR, .521 OBP
Bryce Parrish, soph, Whitewater
.400 BA, 25 RBI, 9 2B, 1st team All-RVC North
Chris Saltzmann, senior, Waterford
.273 BA, HM All-County
Matt Wezyk, senior, Waterford
.304 BA, .443 OBP, 14 BB, HM All-County
Michael Guss, senior, Williams Bay
1st team All-Trailways South IF
Tyler Love, jr, LG Badger
Missed 8 games, .500 BA, recovered from ACL injury, “amazing outfielder,” said coach Aaron Zweifel
Joey Nilo-Lofton, senior, Union Grove
Catcher, HM All-SLC, .306 BA, .457 OBP, 15 RBI, HM All-county, Legion All-Star
“Outstanding defensive catcher, great left-handed bat, runs well,” Arendt said
Playing at Madison College this fall
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