Prep Baseball Report

Preseason Power 25 Countdown: No. 20 Whitefish Bay


By Maddox Durst
PBR Wisconsin Staff

The Wisconsin high school baseball season kicks off on March 28, opening day for regular season action under WIAA regulations. Over the next week, leading up to opening day, we’ll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2023 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, counting down through the official PBR Wisconsin Preseason Power 25 Rankings.

Perennially, we’ve submitted a Preseason Questionnaire to high school head coaches across the entire state. Their responses have been flooding in and we’re using the detailed insight they’ve provided in our team-by-team preseason analysis. We also utilized some of the information published inside the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association's 2023 Yearbook, which is available for purchase here.

Our 2023 preseason coverage continues today.

Team: Whitefish Bay
Preseason Rank:
No. 20
2022 Record: 26-3
Conference: North Shore
WIAA Division: 1
Head Coach: Jay Wojcinski

ROSTER PREVIEW

NAME POS. SCHOOL CLASS COMMITMENT
Sean Callahan OF Whitefish Bay 2023 -
John Campbell OF Whitefish Bay 2023 -
Jack Counsell MIF Whitefish Bay 2023 Michigan
Gavin Farnsworth RHP Whitefish Bay 2023 -
Zoltan Lauko C Whitefish Bay 2023 -
Austin Wienke 1B Whitefish Bay 2023 -
J.D. Dix SS Whitefish Bay 2024 Alabama
Ben Van Bell C Whitefish Bay 2024 -
Benjamin Volpe INF Whitefish Bay 2024 -


KEY PLAYERS LOST

+ C Caleb Bowers (2022; North Dakota State, football)
+ OF Ryan Carew (2022)
+ OF/RHP DJ Kojis (2022; Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
+ OF/RHP Michael Lippe (2022; Louisville)
+ INF/RHP Mitchell Voit (2022; Michigan)

X-FACTOR

+ INF JD Dix (2024; Alabama commit): Currently sitting as the No. 8 ranked player in the 2024 national rankings, and No. 1 overall in Wisconsin's junior class, Dix is one of the most electric prep players in the country. He will be manning the shortstop position at Whitefish Bay for his third straight season. At 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, Dix is a premium athlete and an authentic switch-hitting shortstop. His fluidity on the infield, with clean mechanics and a strong, accurate arm, separates him from most on the diamond. At the plate, the Alabama commit hits with power from both sides, as he looks the part as one of the most complete prospects to ever emerge from the Badger State, and the latest in a long line of stellar prep shortstops. His presence and play will have a monumental impact on the success of the Blue Dukes in 2023, as he returns after hitting .558 a season ago.

STAT RAT

133: The number of stolen bases the Blue Dukes acquired in conference play during the 2022 season. In 18 games in the North Shore Conference, Whitefish Bay averaged about seven stolen bases as a team per game. Their aggressiveness on the basepaths throughout the entirety of the 2023 season will be key to their run production and putting pressure on opposing defenses.

OUTLOOK

Whitefish Bay arguably graduated one of the best classes of seniors in recent memory, part of who led them to an impressive 26-3 record, as they lost three star players who have gone on to play college baseball at the Division I level. After an historic 2022, where the Blue Dukes remained in the No. 1 spot on the state's Power 25 rankings throughout the entire regular season, in his 16th year at the helm, head coach Jay Wojcinski looks to reload with some fresh-faced players, though still headlined by a core a familiar names.

Despite the loss of multiple seniors, Whitefish Bay still has some pieces of the team that went 26-3 last year. Among those is Dix, who has elevated himself to be one of the best players in the nation, who will be continuing to produce from the shortstop position. His middle infield partner, 2B Jack Counsell (2023; Michigan) had a very successful offseason, including representing the state at the PBR Super 60 in early February. The 6-foot-0, 175-pound middle infielder showed well, running a 6.65 60-yard dash, and maxing out at 97 mph from an exit velocity standpoint, at the plate. Both him and Dix create one of the best middle infields in the state, and the nation for the Blue Dukes.

Jack Counsell (2/5/23)

1B Austin Wienke (2023) will also complement those two on the infield, as the senior had a very productive 2022, hitting .491 during the season, setting himself up well for a successful 2023. C Zoltan Lauko (2023), OF Sean Callahan (2023), and UTIL Kevin Carew (2023) will be asked to fill larger roles throughout the season as well, after getting some experience at the varsity level as juniors. Junior INF Benjamin Volpe (2024) has shown well in front of our staff a few times over the past year or so, including recently at the Milwaukee Preseason ID, where he took a sound round of batting practice while showing well defensively, rounding out one of the best infields in the state. Volpe should be able to make up some of the production left behind by the legendary 2022 group, and it projects to be enough to help hoist Bay to the top of the North Shore once again. And it's early, but freshman OF Charlie McIntyre (2026) is an athlete with the ability to cover ground in the outfield, even if he might not be quite ready to be leaned on as a table-setter type of hitter inside this lineup in his first year within the program.

Whitefish Bay will have questions on the mound, as they don’t return a majority of their starting pitchers from the prior season. RHP Gavin Farnsworth (2023) has the most experience of the staff, as he went 4-1 last season for the Blue Dukes, and he's shown our staff mid-80s velocity while returning the most innings on staff. Dix and LHP John Campbell (2023) may also be asked to start games and cover some innings for the pitching staff. Backstop Ben Van Bell (2024) will have a role to play here as well, showing solid defensive actions at a showcase this winter, and a simple right-handed swing that flashed some strength on impact.

BOTTOM LINE

The Blue Dukes will be reliant on their star prospects during the 2023 season, along with a senior class that has a number of projected starters, though the majority of whom haven’t had too much varsity experience entering this season. Whitefish Bay will be an interesting follow in 2023, as they look to retain their crown at the top of the North Shore Conference, winners of three straight conference titles.

Make sure to follow @PBRWisconsin on Twitter for the most up-to-date coverage throughout the 2023 season.

Find more information on the 2023 Blue Dukes below:

+ Team Website
+ Team Schedule
+ Team Twitter

PRESEASON POWER 25 COUNTDOWN