The Wisconsin high school baseball season kicks off on March 31, opening day for regular season action under WIAA regulations. Over the next two weeks, leading up to opening day, we'll be publishing our team previews ahead of the 2026 spring season, touching on programs spanning all state classifications, counting down through the official Prep Baseball 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.

Our 2026 preseason coverage continues today.

High School: Marquette University Hilltoppers
Preseason Rank: No. 15
Head Coach: Sal Bando Jr.
WIAA Division: 1
2025 Record: 13-14
Key Players Lost: Elery Hardwick (Bryant & Stratton JC), Luke Spielbauer

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ROSTER PREVIEW

No. of Returning Players: 7
No. of Returning Pitchers: 5
Team Strengths: Pitching depth and competitiveness; improved defense.

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DATA CENTER

TEAM RANKS:

This data is sourced from the 2026 Wisconsin winter showcase circuit and select 2025 events, compiled by Prep Baseball. We took the top-three metrics recorded by players from each high school in the following categories. Here is how Marquette University's top-three performers averaged across each category:

Category	Top-3 Avg.	State Rank	Out of
Avg. Exit Velocity	90.6 mph	No. 16	of 102
Max Exit Velocity	98.0 mph	T-No. 23	of 102
Bat Speed	72.2 mph	T-No. 16	of 102
Max FB Velocity	87.7 mph	T-No. 9	of 71
Top 60-Yard	7.05 s	No. 33	of 102
10-Yard Sprint	1.64 s	No. 12	of 102

INDIVIDUAL DATA STAND-OUTS:

• Damian Kosempa (6-foot-1, 194 pounds)
  
  • max fastball: 92.0 mph (T-No. 9 overall in Wisconsin)
  • FB spin: 2,485 rpm (No. 1 overall in Wisconsin)
  • SL spin: 2,978 rpm (No. 1 overall in Wisconsin)
  • vert. jump: 27.7 in (97th state percentile)
• Ben Schroeder (6-foot, 216 pounds)
  
  • max fastball: 86.0 mph (80th state percentile)
  • FB spin: 2,437 rpm (No. 5 overall in Wisconsin)
  • CB spin: 2,626 rpm (No. 11 overall in Wisconsin)
  • SL spin: 2,739 rpm (No. 4 overall in Wisconsin)
• Ryan Mahn (6-foot-4, 191 pounds)
  
  • max EV: 97.0 mph (84th state percentile)
  • avg EV: 89.7 mph (87th state percentile)
  • 10-yd. split: 1.63s (93rd state percentile)
• Silas Kwaterski (6-foot, 180 pounds)
  
  • avg EV: 89.3 mph (85th state percentile)
  • 10-yd. split: 1.66s (84th state percentile)
• Boden McGourthy (6-foot-2, 198 pounds)
  
  • max EV: 97.0 mph (84th state percentile)
  • bat speed: 72.9 mph (90th state percentile)
  • rot. accel.: 20.0g (93rd state percentile)
  • 60-yd. dash: 6.98s (85th state percentile)
• Charlie Wronski (6-foot, 186 pounds)
  
  • max EV: 99.0 mph (91st state percentile)
  • rot. accel.: 17.0g (83rd state percentile)
  • vert. jump: 25.0 in (86th state percentile)
• John Bark (6-foot-1, 234 pounds)
  
  • avg EV: 88.5 mph (82nd state percentile)
  • bat speed: 72.4 mph (89th state percentile)
• Jett Allen (6-foot, 212 pounds)
  
  • max EV: 98.0 mph (T-No. 19 in state's 2028 class)
  • avg EV: 92.7 mph (T-No. 9 in state's 2028 class)

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X-FACTOR

RHP Damian Kosempa (2026, Maryville commit) currently ranked No. 64 in the Badger State’s senior class, looks to bring veteran experience and a top of the rotation arm to this Hilltoppers squad following an impressive season last year, posting a 2.33 ERA across 60 innings pitched earning him first team All-GMC honors. A performer at the recent Wisconsin Preseason Procase, Kosempa's fastball topped out at 92 MPH with an average spin rate of 2,485 RPM. With plenty of feel to spin a slider as well, up to 3,137 RPM, and feel for a changeup, Kosempa will have a big role in the success of the Hilltoppers this upcoming season. 

𝕎𝕚𝕤𝕔𝕠𝕟𝕤𝕚𝕟 ℙ𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕠𝕟 ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕔𝕒𝕤𝕖 🧀

RHP Damian Kosempa (Marquette University)

6-1 | 193 lbs

🔺FB: 90-92 mph
🔺SL: 83-84, 2978 avg RPM
🔺CH: 83-84, -3.8" avg IVB

Maryville University commit#WIProCase

👤: https://t.co/3lTSqtO5U8 pic.twitter.com/Xl9TcpW5sK

— Prep Baseball Wisconsin (@PrepBaseballWI) March 20, 2026

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ANOTHER X-FACTOR WORTHY NAME

LHP Ben Schroeder (2027, uncommitted) currently ranked No. 42 in the state, is another player worthy of the X-Factor label, looking to provide quality innings in this Hilltoppers pitching staff after being injured last year. A participant at the Wisconsin State Games this past summer as well as at the recent Milwaukee Preseason ID, where he impressed our staff showcasing a peak fastball velocity of 86.2 MPH with an average spin rate of 2,333 RPM. To pair, Schroeder also throws two quality off-speed pitches with plenty of feel to spin with his curveball (2,626 avg. RPM) and change up (1,913 avg. RPM). All in all, Schroeder will look to have a big junior season contributing to the Hilltoppers’ success. 

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TEAM OUTLOOK

Marquette University enters 2026 carrying lessons of a 13-14 rebuilding season, one that head coach Sal Bando Jr. describes as a year spent leaning heavily on a sophomore-laden roster while navigating a couple lineup-altering injuries. Those dues have been paid. The Hilltoppers now return seven position players and five pitchers, and they do so with a rotation that Bando believes gives them a legitimate chance to compete in one of Wisconsin's toughest conferences, the Greater Metro. The challenge, and it is a real one, is replacing the offensive production of graduated All-GMC standouts Elery Hardwick and Luke Spielbauer, who each posted an OPS north of 0.960 last spring. That is a combined void at the heart of the order that this group will need to fill collectively rather than individually.

The story of Marquette's 2026 season begins and ends on the mound, and that is no small compliment. RHP Damian Kosempa (2026; Maryville commit) returns as the unquestioned ace after a dominant junior campaign in which he made 11 starts, posted a 2.33 ERA across 60 innings and struck out 78 batters, earning first-team All-GMC honors along the way. Kosempa was one of the most improved players of this past winter, working into the low-90s with a breaking ball and changeup combination that were among the best two secondaries we saw all winter. Directly behind him steps LHP/OF Ben Schroeder (2027), the 6-foot, 216-pound southpaw who missed the 2025 spring with an injury. Schroeder was always projected as a high-end arm, and his return alone reshapes the ceiling of this program.

"Returning 1st Team All GMC Kosempa at the top of our rotation and adding a No. 2 like Schroeder, whom we missed last year, gives us a very competitive one-two punch," Bando said.

RHP/3B Charlie Wronski (2027) made two starts as a sophomore and logged a 3.00 ERA in 23.1 innings, showing the competitive makeup to handle a larger role, while veteran RHP Charlie McElherne (2026) brings three years of varsity experience to a rotation that also lists LHP/1B Harrison Schwabe (2027) as a promising piece after a 4.00 ERA in 28 innings of work last spring. This starting five gives the Hilltoppers as much rotation depth as any program in the entire state.

Offensively, the roster is built around a group of players who are collectively taking the next step. SS/RHP Ryan Mahn (2027) hit .333 with an .899 OPS as a sophomore, batting fourth and establishing himself as one of the more complete young players in the conference. 1B/RHP Leo Sanders (2026), a 6-foot-5 slugger who also missed time last season with injury, returns healthy and brings legitimate power potential to the middle of the order alongside 1B/3B Gavin Coury (2026), a four-year varsity fixture who hit .232 with a .630 OPS in 2025 and is expected to improve in a senior campaign. OF Lucas Perez (2026) gained valuable experience as a starter a year ago and should take a step forward in production this spring. OF Boden McGourthy (2027) and C/OF Silas Kwaterski (2027), who hit .316 in his varsity opportunities last season, each give the lineup two more juniors capable of extending what could become one of the deeper orders in the Greater Metro if the collective takes the leap Bando is anticipating.

"We expect last year's varsity sophomores to take the next step as they have gotten stronger and worked hard all winter," Bando said. "The GMC has a ton of arm talent. If we are better hitters against the fastball, we should be a contender."

The path forward for Marquette is clear. The rotation is the engine, capable of keeping this team in every game on a brutal schedule that includes Sun Prairie East, Brookfield Central, Brookfield East, Wisconsin Lutheran, Menomonee Falls and Whitefish Bay. The offense carries more questions, with limited returning production in the daily lineup, but the ingredients for a genuine breakout are present in a group that logged its varsity reps a year ago and spent the winter putting in the work to build on them. Bando has constructed a roster that punches well above its experience level on the mound, and if the offense finds even a portion of what Hardwick and Spielbauer provided, the Hilltoppers have the makings of a team that makes noise in the GMC race.

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BOTTOM LINE

The Hilltoppers own one of the premier rotations in the state of Wisconsin, and Kosempa and Schroeder at the top of the staff gives Marquette the kind of pitching infrastructure that wins conference titles. Whether this group reaches its ceiling comes down to how quickly a young, hungry offense matures against the relentless arm talent of the GMC.

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Find more information on the 2026 Marquette University program below:

+ 2026 Team Schedule
+ Visit the Prep Baseball Wisconsin Preseason Power 25 homepage

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POWER 25 COUNTDOWN