The Middleton High School Varsity Baseball Team kicked off its season during MHS spring break, taking a “business trip” to Florida for spring training. Head Coach Brent Jorgensen brought along 25 players – 18 varsity players and seven junior varsity players. These athletes were given the opportunity to showcase their skills and the work they put in during the offseason. The trip involved multiple five-plus hour practices, as well as two scrimmages at the end of the trip. The Cards played against two teams – one from New Jersey and one from Minnesota. The 25 players were split into two teams with each team winning their respective games.
Once the team arrived back home in Wisconsin, there was no relaxing; they played their first regular season game just five days later against the Waunakee Warriors on Fri., April 4. The season opener was a heart-breaking defeat, losing to the Warriors four to five via walkoff. However, the Cardinals showed resilience by going on a four-game win streak after the initial crushing loss. Middleton has been a hot and cold team this year, with a streak where they lost five out of six games, but they most recently went on a seven-game win streak.
The majority of Middleton’s lineup is returning starters with countless innings of varsity baseball experience. A few of these players are looking to take their skills to the next level, with four seniors being committed to D3 colleges. Koeplin Look, a two-year varsity starting catcher for the Cards, will be taking his talents to UW-Oshkosh to play alongside his pitcher, Tommy Wincek, who will also be a UW-Oshkosh Titan. Similarly, another pair of players will be attending a different college together. Charlie Tompach, a three-year varsity outfielder, is committed to Edgewood College. Bennett O’Connor, who was named as an All-Conference pitcher last season, will be furthering his athletic career at Edgewood College as well.
The Middleton High School Varsity Baseball Team looks to finish their season strong. They will match up against a tough opponent in the Vel Phillips Memorial Spartans. They have the opportunity to claim the conference title if they sweep the Spartans next week. The Cards and Spartans will face off next week on Tues., May 27 and Thurs., May 29. If the Cardinals can pull it off, they will have plenty of momentum heading into the playoffs.
