By NATE BEIER | For the County Line
Last year was a big year for Brookwood baseball and Brookwood athletics in general.
Coach Paul Olbert helped guide the Falcons to their first-ever baseball title with an 11–3 league record. The title was the fifth for Brookwood in the 2013–14 school year: Boys cross country, girls cross country, football, girls basketball and baseball all won championships, the most in any single school year for the Falcons.
However, though the conference championship was a tremendous accomplishment, the top-seeded Falcons were felled by second-seeded and eventual state qualifier Ithaca in a regional final 5–2.
Advancing to the sectional tournament, which will be in Bangor this year, remains paramount on Olbert’s list of goals.
“Our goal is to go to the sectionals, which it is every year,” Olbert said. “We focus more on post-season play than winning conference, although being the (conference) champions is a nice reward.”
Staying at the top of the Scenic Bluffs Conference will be a challenge for Brookwood this year, as the team graduated seven from its lineup last year.
Leading the way for Brookwood, Jack Hansen finished with a batting average of .400 and Cory Ottum hit .338. Both were first-team all-conference selections a year ago. Olbert thinks that Jaden Havlik, Kolin Muehlenkamp and Colt Manley also will grow to be an integral part of the Brookwood offense.
On the mound, Jack Hansen also will lead the defense. Hansen was 9–1 as a starter last year with an earned run average of 1.87. The depth of the Falcons’ pitching rotation should be a strength, according to Olbert.
The Falcons open the season Thursday against Cashton and travel to Wonewoc-Center on Monday.
Around the SBC
Bangor appears to be the favorite heading into the season, according to the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association polls. The Cardinals, and 2014 pitcher of the year Canon O’Heron, qualified for sectionals for the first time since 2006 after defeating Hillsboro 8–3 in a regional final. Bangor then went on to knock off Augusta in a sectional semifinal 6–3 before falling to Ithaca 4–2 in the sectional final, which Brookwood hosted in Wilton. Bangor swept Brookwood in league play last year.
Necedah also appears to be poised for a championship run behind a strong, experienced pitching rotation and was picked to finish second in the coaches’ poll. New Lisbon will try to fill the void left by graduating 2014 Player of the Year John Costello with a bevy of eager underclassmen, and Cashton will continue to rebuild after a down year last spring. Royall, too, may feature a slew of young players in its lineup.
Hillsboro is picked to finish fourth; and Wonewoc-Center, eighth, but both feature new head coaches, which could lead to some growing pains early on.
Necedah travels to Royall to open the season April 2. Hillsboro hosts New Lisbon on April 2, and Bangor hosts Wonewoc-Center.