Prep Baseball Report

Become a Member

More +

Two of the top teams in the state lose top players for the year

April 16, 2013

By Steve Nielsen
Scouting Director - Wisconsin

With only a handful of games under their belt two of the top programs in the state recently received huge blows to their programs, losing two of the top seniors in the state and player of the year candidates to injuries.

Defending state champion Sun Prairie will have to defend their title without one of their major pieces to the puzzle. Senior shortstop and Virginia commit Tony Butler will be out for the entire 2013 season. Butler, the No. 3 prospect in the state, is undergoing surgery to repair a labrum on his non-throwing shoulder that was torn when he dislocated it diving for a baseball earlier this year in the Metrodome.

Butler was also a player of the year candidate who is coming off of a season in which he hit .521 and stole 16 bases on his way to receiving 1st Team All-State honors as well as 1st Team All-Conference as well. Butler will be sorely missed by the Cardinals as he was also a heavy contributor on the mound as well. Coach Hamilton compared the loss of Butler “like the Yankees losing Derek Jeter, Mark Teixeira and CC Sabathia all in one injury”. That’s just how much Butler meant to the Cardinals. As the ace of the staff, the unquestionable team leader and best offensive threat it will be nearly impossible for one player to fill those shoes.

Coach Hamilton knows that nobody can replace the All-State shortstop but says, “We will have to step up as a team”. The Cardinals will look to junior Justin Krebs to hold down the shortstop spot in Butler’s absence.

The Old Abes of Eau Claire Memorial are the No. 6 ranked team according to the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association. Off to a 1-2 start losing a double header to Onalaska, Coach Sparger and the Old Abes have been looking for something to jump start their season. Unfortunately the opposite is true. Eau Claire Memorial has just lost their starting shortstop, Grant Peikert. Peikert is the No. 12 prospect in the state and is committed to Northwestern. Peikert will be out for the remainder of the season as he is undergoing hip surgery to repair a torn labrum, the same surgery Alex Rodriguez recently underwent.

Coach Sparger said “He is going to be greatly missed as he is one of the most dynamic players in the state, with his ability to get on base and steal second and third base it will hurt our scoring chances.” He also went on to say that Peikert “has terrific range at shortstop which takes base hits away from the opponents on a regular basis.  This is a major blow for us as he has brought so much to the program since he was a freshman.”

More Wisconsin News