The batterymates at pitcher and catcher will look to put the Verona baseball team on the map as they try to make a run to the WIAA Division 1 state tournament this year.
Verona went 19-11 and tied Madison West for fourth in the Big Eight Conference at 13-7 last season. The Wildcats made a run to a Division 1 sectional championship and lost to Middleton 3-1.
“I think this is the deepest team I have ever had,” Verona coach Brad D’Orazio said. “We are two or more deep at every position.”
Verona returns its two of its top three pitchers – senior Jack DeTienne and junior Nolan Witkowski. DeTienne, a Xavier University commit, is ranked as the 194th-best prospect in Prep Baseball Report’s Draft HQ top 200 prospects. DeTienne went 5-1 last year and struck out 40 in 32 ⅔ innings. He earned second-team Big Eight All-Conference honors at shortstop. DeTienne hit .292 with a .356 on base percentage. He led the team with two home runs and 11 extra base hits.
“I think the biggest thing was his jump in velocity,” D’Orazio said of DeTienne becoming a MLB draft prospect. “He was throwing 88 to 90 mph and touched 92 mph last year. This summer he was throwing 92 to 94 mph and hit 96. That took him to the next level. He has worked hard and grown into his body. He has grown into his frame and has a smooth delivery.”
Verona has five starters back. Senior Nate Novinska returns at catcher after earning first-team Big Eight All-Conference last year. Novinska hit a team-best .415 with two home runs and 21 RBIs last year. The other starters returning are senior first baseman Owen Davis, along with senior outfielders Tre Grignon and Garrison Codde. Davis hit .273 and Grignon hit .241 last year.
Witkowski went 6-2 with a 1.70 ERA last season to earn second-team all-conference honors. Witkowski struck out 52 in a team-high 45 ⅓ innings last year. Other pitchers back are senior Dylan Hesch, an Upper Iowa pitching commit, senior Braden Rozga and senior Alex Rech. Rech and DeTienne combined tossed a no-hitter against Janesville Parker last season. Hesch has starting experience at shortstop and second base.
Rozga had a 1.47 ERA and was used in relief pitching situations last season.
“We expect to compete for the Big Eight Conference championship this season,” D’Orazio said. “We expect our pitching to be our strength.”
Hesch was coming off a knee surgery last year and that may have slowed his time on the mound.
“We are looking for him to factor in more this season,” D’Orazio said.
Despite making a run to the sectional two straight years and nine of the past 11 seasons, Verona isn’t ranked in the Wisconsin Prep Baseball Report’s preseason top 25 rankings. Monona Grove is ranked fifth and Sun Prairie East is ranked ninth.
Janesville Craig won the Big Eight title with a 19-1 mark last year. D’Orazio said he expects Sun Prairie East, Janesville Craig, Middleton and Sun Prairie West to be some of the top teams in the conference this year.
“None of that matters to me,” D’Orazio said. “At the end of the day, that is based on the people teams have coming back. Hopefully, we can fly under the radar a little bit.”
See newspaper for schedule.
