Edgar baseball advances to state

By Casey Krautkramer

Edgar’s varsity baseball team started scoring runs in the fifth inning of its 12-8 come-from-behind home win in Thursday’s WIAA Division 4 regional championship. The Wildcats haven’t quit scoring runs since then. Edgar beat Rib Lake, 9-1, in the sectional semifinal and Northwood/ Solon Springs, 14-1, in the sectional championship on Tuesday at Tucker Westfall Memorial Field in Athens to advance to the state tournament for the second time in the last three years.

Wildcats senior Jase Apfelbeck was dominant on the mound in Edgar’s 9-1 win in last Wednesday’s home regional semifinal against Clear Lake. He struck out 10 batters while only surrendering five hits and one walk in seven innings. Edgar junior leadoff hitter Lucas Stahnke nearly batted for the cycle with a double, triple and home run agains the Warriors. Apfelbeck also homered in the victory.

Edgar was down, 4-0, to Chippewa Falls McDonell in Thursday’s home regional championship before sophomore third baseman Sawyer Weiland’s solo home run to left field in the second inning. McDonnell scored a run in the second inning and two more in the third against Edgar senior starting pitcher Leyton Schuett. He found himself in a pickle again in the fourth inning when McDonell senior David Anderson, the grandson of Lenny and Judy Berg of Edgar, walked and eventually scored to give the Macks a 7-1 lead. Stahnke relieved Schuett on the mound and struck out three straight Mc-Donell batters to end the threat.

Edgar mounted its comeback against McDonell in the fifth inning. Sophomore left fielder Aiden Butler’s leadoff single and senior designated hitter Brock Mauer’s walk then led to Stahnke’s threerun homer to right field. Apfelbeck kept the team’s hitting momentum going in the fifth inning with a single to center field. Edgar senior centerfielder Dakota Ellenbecker then smacked a two-run homer over the centerfield fence to bring the Wildcats within a run, 7-6, of the Macks.

McDonell tacked on another run in the top of the sixth inning for an 8-6 advantage, but Edgar scored six runs in the bottom half of the inning to take its first lead of the game, 12-8. Stahnke pitched a 1-2-3 last inning to preserve Edgar’s regional championship victory.

Stahnke explained how he and his teammates were able to come back from a 7-1 deficit to beat McDonell.

“Right away they put us in a deep hole but what it came down to was me trusting my abilities and my teammates’ abilities to keep battling and just chipping away and then we had that really big inning and there was no stopping us,” he said.

Edgar head coach Connor Handrick reflected on his team winning the regional championship the way it did with a huge come-from-behind victory.

“It is an unbelievable feeling,” he said. “There isn’t many like it. I mean, in baseball games when you get up by seven, eight or nine runs usually you feel like you are in the driver’s seat and it feels really good but to be in this position and come back and win the way we did is just an amazing feeling.”

Wildcats’ sectional wins

Edgar starting pitcher Apfelbeck had a stellar performance on the mound in the team’s 9-1 sectional semifinal win against Rib Lake on Tuesday in Athens. He struck out nine batters while surrendering six hits and two walks. Apfelbeck reached his 100-pitch count with only one batter left to face in the top of the seventh inning.

See WILDCATS QUALIFY FOR STATE/ page 20

DUST SETTLES ON THE WILDCATS REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP WIN- Edgar seniors Leyton Schuett, left, and Jase Apfelbeck are shown scoring runs in the dust they made from sliding into home plate in the team’s late-inning comeback 12-8 home WIAA Division 4 win against Chippewa Falls McDonell.

STAFF PHOTOS/CASEY KRAUTKRAMER

Lucas Stahnke Wildcats qualify for state

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Stahnke relieved him and got the hitter to fly out to center fielder Ellenbecker to end the game. Rib Lake starting pitcher Talon Scheithauer was charged with the loss.

Ellenbecker and Schuett led Edgar with two RBIs apiece. Brock Mauer, Sawyer Weiland, Apfelbeck and Schuett each collected an RBI for the Wildcats. Ellenbecker and Stahnke each scored twice. Senior first baseman Fletcher Weiland doubled.

Northwood/Solon Springs beat Washburn, 9-6, in the other sectional semifinal in Athens to advance into the sectional against Edgar. Schuett batted three for four with three singles, three RBIs and two runs scored in the Wildcats’ 14-1 sectional final victory against the Evergreens to advance into next week’s state tournament. Stahnke was three for five with two doubles, an RBI and three runs scored. Apfelbeck hit one for four with a walk and three runs scored. Left fielder Brock Mauer batted one for four with a walk and two RBIs. Junior catcher Gavin Mauer was one for four with an RBI double and a run scored.

Edgar starting pitcher Schuett struck out eight batters while surrendering three hits and five walks in five innings to earn the win. Stahnke pitched the final two innings. He struck out three batters while not giving up any hits and only walking one batter and surrendering one run in the bottom of the seventh inning.

Schuett, Ellenbecker, Apfelbeck, Stahnke and Brock Mauer were all on Edgar’s baseball team that made its first appearance in the state tournament in school history in 2023. That year Edgar lost, 4-3, to Ithaca in the WIAA Division 4 state semifinal. The Bulldogs ended up winning the Division 4 state championship, which is something the Wildcats are hungry to accomplish this season.

The WIAA will seed the four Division 4 state teams this week consisting of Edgar (18-7), Stevens Point Pacelli (25-4), Pittsville (22-7) and Johnson Creek (226). Pacelli and Pittsville shared the Central Wisconsin South Conference championship this season. The No. 2 seed will play against the No. 3 seed at 9 a.m. and the No. 1 seed will play against the No. 4 seed at the conclusion of the first game in Division 4 state semifinals on Tuesday, June 17. The Division 4 state championship is at 9 a.m. on Thursday, June 19.

HUGE DEFENSIVE PLAY- Edgar junior catcher Gavin Mauer gets a throw from his older brother, senior left fielder Brock Mauer, and tags out Rib Lake’s Blake Henderson in the fourth inning of Tuesday afternoon’s WIAA Division 4 sectional semifinal at Tucker Westfall Memorial Field in Athens. Edgar went on to beat Rib Lake, 9-1.

SN PHOTO/MATT FREY

ROUTINE CATCH- Edgar senior first baseman Fletcher Weiland catches a throw from sophomore third baseman Sawyer Weiland for the first out of the seventh inning, retiring Rib Lake’s Tyler Matyka.

SN PHOTO/MATT FREY

CORRALLING THE BASEBALL- Edgar senior left fielder Brock Mauer fields a base hit by Rib Lake’s Blake Henderson in the fourth inning of the Wildcats’ 9-1 win on Tuesday in Athens.

SN PHOTO/MATT FREY