Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 19 Burlington
March 9, 2015
By Steve Nielsen
Scouting Supervisor – Wisconsin/Illinois
The Wisconsin high school season kicks off on March 31, the first day for regular season games. Most teams will begin practicing on March 23, getting their rosters set and finalizing their lineups.
Throughout the month of March we will be counting down our Preseason Power 25 Team Rankings leading up to the No. 1 team right before opening day.
CLICK HERE for complete Preseason Power 25.
No. 19 Burlington
2014 Record: 17-9
WIAA Classification: 1
Conference: Southern Lakes
Head Coach: Scott Staude
2014 Playoff Run: Lost Regional Opener
TOP PLAYERS
Dane Helnore, RHP/3B, 2015 (UW-Stout)
Houston Cowan, RHP, 2016
Aaron Mutter, RHP/1B, 2016
Tanner Stommen, MIF, 2016
Jacob Lindemann, RHP, 2017
Zach Campbell, OF, 2017
UP AND COMING
RHP Jacob Lindemann and OF Zach Campbell are two sophomores that should provide an impact for the Demons in 2015. Last year Coach Staude had five sophomores who contributed at the varsity level last year so the squad is familiar with young talent stepping up. Lindemann is one of the top arms in the 2017 class and has already seen his fastball sit in the 84-86 mph range, while Zach Campbell is also a highly rated left handed hitting outfield in the sophomore class and has a knack for finding the barrel.
X-FACTOR
Youthful talent. As mentioned above the Demons will likely be staring a majority of underclassmen. Only Dane Helnore returns as a senior who put up significant numbers, so the younger Demons will have to rely on last years’ experience and hopefully play like seniors.
OUTLOOK
The Demons are one of my favorite sleepers in 2015. Burlington had an early exit in the 2014 playoffs being upset by Racine Park in the first round, so many may be selling them short. Burlington has a really good young group of talented players, many of which gained varsity experience in 2014. Senior Dane Helnore, a UW-Stout commit, is a first team all-conference returner and will be one of the senior leaders Coach Staude will look to on the mound and in the field. The Demons should be strong on the mound, returning 11 of their 17 wins (Helnore, Cowan and Mutter). Throw sophomore standout Jacob Lindemann into that mix and there’s no telling how many games Burlington could win in 2015. Wilmot is undoubtedly the favorite to win the Southern Lakes conference again but Burlington could be a lot closer than people think.
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