PBR Wisconsin All-State: Second Team

In his return to high school baseball for his senior season, Vierling was the heart and soul of a Homestead team that made a sectional appearance in the 2022 playoffs. Coming off of an eighth place finish in the North Shore Conference in 2021, the Louisville commit led the Highlanders to second place in conference and an overall record of 20-8 in 2022. The former PBR Super 60 participant swung an impressive .459 batting average, including three home runs throughout the course of the season, and he walked 18 times in comparison to his seven strikeouts. Behind the dish, only six baserunners were able to successfully steal off of him.

Soule was the guy in the Oregon lineup during the 2022 season. The Wisconsin-Stevens Point commit dominated at the plate as he hit .547 and had an OPS of 1.464. Those explosive numbers led to his selection as the Badger West Player of the Year. Soule did damage on the basepaths for Oregon this season too. He scored 26 runs, and stole 17 bases to cap off his high school career. In his time at Oregon, Soule broke seven offensive records, including single-season and career batting average. 

Counsell followed up his successful sophomore season with an even better junior season for Whitefish Bay. The Michigan commit did his thing offensively this season, as he finished with a .483 batting average and had 31 RBIs from the leadoff spot. As the table-setter for the Blue Dukes, the former PBR Future Games participant was a tough out as he walked 20 times, and struck out only four times. Counsell, along with Hindle, will be two of the top returning infielders in the WIAA for the 2023 season.

The No. 1-ranked prospect in Wisconsin’s 2022 class had a quality season for the Milton Red Hawks and he guided the program to a WIAA Division 1 State Championship. The Louisville commit hit .452, scored 33 runs, had 14 extra-base hits, and an OPS of 1.287. He was named the Badger East Player of the Year in 2022 as well. Kilen was a large piece of Milton’s state title run, and it seemed fitting that he scored the final run in Milton’s run-rule win in that championship game.

While Ostrenga will be attending Iowa in the fall for his work on the gridiron, his 2022 baseball season was a fitting finish to his baseball career at Sun Prairie, should he focus on football only from here on out. The senior hit .458 at the plate, had 19 extra-base hits, drove in 43 runners, and he was a part of Sun Prairie state appearance in all three of his seasons in the program. Ostrenga was a large presence in the middle of a Cardinals lineup all season, as he was recognized as a Big Eight first team all-conference player, and helped lead Sun Prairie to a 26-4 overall record. 

Konkol’s most memorable hit came at the WIAA state tournament, as he earned Denmark the Division 2 state championship with an RBI double against Jefferson. The St. Cloud State commit’s final hit represented the success he had offensively all season. Konkol hit .457 in the middle of the 2021 and 2022 state championship teams in Denmark. His 1.174 OPS, 14 walks, and 11 stolen bases made the Vikings outfielder a large threat to many opposing teams in 2022.

The uncommitted sophomore took a large jump both offensively and defensively for Wautoma in 2022, as he led the Hornets to a 19-3 record, and a South Central Conference championship. At the plate, Dunn got a hit in exactly half of his at-bats, leading him to a 1.468 OPS. He also did quality work on the mound, as he had a 1.96 ERA, and struck out 65 batters. Dunn’s excellent performance in his sophomore season makes him a high-follow prospect in Wisconsin's incoming junior class, and he's set to represent Team Wisconsin at the PBR Future Games later this month.

The No. 2-ranked right-handed pitcher in the state's Class of 2023 had another successful year for Hortonville on the bump. The Arizona State commit was named co-Pitcher of the Year in the Fox Valley Association, alongside the aforementioned Leitner. On the mound, Burns was a perfect 7-0 and he had an ERA and WHIP of 0.88 and 0.99, respectively. He only gave up one earned run in conference play, and had one of the most notable performances of the year, as he threw 10 innings against Appleton West and struck out 20 batters.

The Carroll University commit was a workhorse for Oconomowoc this season, as the righty threw 66 ⅓ innings for the Raccoons. He had an impressive record of 9-1, including one save and 87 strike outs. Naumann had an ERA of 1.27, as he gave up a minimal 12 earned runs over the course of the season. He went a perfect 9-0 in the Classic 8 Conference, one of the state's toughest perennially, and he was a first team all-conference pitcher, and recorded three complete games for Oconomowoc in their successful '22 spring season. 

Similar to many of the other pitchers nominated, Weadge had an ERA below one this season, finishing at 0.87. His WHIP was in the same range too, sitting at 0.89 after throwing 48 ⅓ innings this season. The St. Cloud State commit had a 6-1 record for Hudson, and led them to a sectional appearance. The lefty also struck out 59 batters in his senior season for the Raiders.

As arguably one of the best two-way players in Division 2 in Wisconsin, Reese was dominant for the University School of Milwaukee on both offense and defense. The Lafeyette commit had a .603 batting average and 22 extra-base hits, including eight home runs and three triples. Those hits helped him finish with 48 RBIs and a 1.849 OPS. On the mound, Reese threw 47 innings, struck out 90 batters, and had a WHIP of 1.00. The former PBR Future Games participant was flat-out dominant this season and he proved it by being named the Midwest Classic Player of the Year, in addition to this lofty Second Team honor.

Lee finished his senior season at Edgerton as the top hitter and pitcher for the Crimson Tide. The righty got a hit in exactly half of his at-bats including 10 doubles, two triples, and five home runs. The Winona State commit finished with a strong 1.397 OPS. He was Edgerton’s most reliable arm as well. In 56 innings of work, Lee had an ERA of one, striking out 83 batters, and only walking 20 batters. As one of the best players under long-time head coach Mike Gregory, Lee led Edgerton to a 20-5 record. Edgerton was a surprising success story in 2022 and Lee had a ton to do with it.