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: Wisconsin Lutheran Vikings
Preseason Rank: No. 18
Head Coach: Steve Kargus
WIAA Division: 1
2025 Record: 17-8
Key Players Lost: Wynn Hotchkiss, Henry Szymanski

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ROSTER PREVIEW

No. of Returning Players: 7
No. of Returning Pitchers: 5
Team Strengths: Starting pitching; returning high-level performers.

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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 Wisconsin Lutheran's top-three performers averaged across each category:

Category	Top-3 Avg.	State Rank
Avg. Exit Velocity	90.1 mph	No. 22	of 102
Max Exit Velocity	100.0 mph	T-No. 8	of 102
Bat Speed	73.7 mph	No. 8	of 102
Max FB Velocity	86.7 mph	T-No. 11	of 70
Top 60-Yard	6.70 s	No. 2	of 102

INDIVIDUAL DATA STAND-OUTS:

• Cooper Sievert (5-foot-10, 188 pounds)
  
  • max EV: 100.0 mph (93rd state percentile)
  • avg EV: 91.8 mph (92nd state percentile)
  • bat speed: 75.2 mph (No. 16 in state's 2027 class)
  • 60-yd. dash: 6.75s (No. 18 in state's 2027 class)
• Eli Dreier (6-foot-2, 216 pounds)
  
  • avg EV: 88.7 mph (83rd state percentile)
  • bat speed: 72.4 mph (89th state percentile)
  • max fastball: 91.0 mph (T-No. 9 overall in Wisconsin)
  • FB spin: 2,300 rpm (No. 14 in state's 2027 class)
  • rot. accel.: 19.0g (90th state percentile)
• Carter Fry (5-foot-11, 155 pounds)
  • max EV: 98.4 mph (91st state percentile)
  • 60-yd. dash: 6.44s (T-No. 1 overall in Wisconsin)
  • vert. jump: 27.7 in (No. 26 overall in Wisconsin)
• Andrew Belott (5-foot-11, 188 pounds)
  
  • max EV: 99.0 mph (91st state percentile)
  • avg EV: 89.7 mph (87th state percentile)
  • bat speed: 71.2 mph (83rd state percentile)
  • 60-yd. dash: 6.90s (89th state percentile)
  • vert. jump: 29.2 in (T-No. 13 overall in Wisconsin)
• Seth Mierendorf (6-foot-1, 225.1 pounds)
  • max EV: 101.0 mph (95th state percentile)

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X-FACTOR

SS Cooper Sievert (2027; West Virginia commit) last year put together one of the most impressive seasons out of the Wisconsin ’27 class. The shortstop slashed .385/.547/.600, with a 1.147 OPS, five doubles, three home runs, 22 RBIs, nine strikeouts, and 18 walks. A season impressive enough to land him Third Team All-State Honors, along with an invite to the Future Games. Now looking towards his junior year, Sievert is set to be a leader and catalyst within the lineup and up the middle. A player who has always operated at a high level, Siveret is looking to take major steps and lead this Wisconsin Lutheran squad into a deep playoff run. 

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NEWCOMER TO WATCH

OF/RHP Egann Sundby (2028; uncommitted), after a freshman year where he saw limited playing time, is now looking to have a larger impact this year. It was a slow first year, only seeing 39 at-bats, collecting one double, one triple, and six RBIs. While on the mound, the right-hander saw only one inning, striking out two. Despite this, Sundby projects to be a key piece heading into the spring. Set to compete for an everyday role both in the lineup and on the pitching staff. Since last season, the body has continued to develop, adding strength throughout the frame, setting up for a potentially powerful sophomore year. 

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TEAM OUTLOOK

Wisconsin Lutheran returns with legitimate aspirations after going 17-8 in 2025, and the foundation for a deep run is firmly in place. Seven position players and five pitchers are back, giving head coach Steve Kargus one of the more experienced rosters in the greater Milwaukee area. The program does absorb the losses of Wynn Hotchkiss and Henry Szymanski, two contributors who will need to be replaced, but Kargus is candid about where his club stands heading into the spring. "With a core group of high-level talent, expectations are high, and the leadership this group provides is bringing the entire program up," he said. "Defensively, we are very solid all around, starting pitching is returning, and offensively, we are just looking for a little more consistency, but the talent level is there."

The offense runs through SS Cooper Sievert (2027; West Virginia), who was arguably the most productive player in the program last season, and one of the top middle-infielders in the state as a whole. Sievert hit .397 with a 1.173 OPS, three home runs, 22 RBI, and 19 stolen bases in 2025, production that made him one of the more complete offensive contributors in southeastern Wisconsin. The showcase metrics back it up: Sievert posted a 100.0 mph max exit velocity at the 93rd state percentile, a 75.2 mph bat speed ranked No. 8 in the state overall, and a 6.75-second 60-yard dash at the 96th state percentile. He is one of the more dynamic two-way threats in the state's 2027 class and slots in as a projected starting pitcher as well. Joining him in a lineup that ranked T-No. 8 in the state in max exit velocity is C Andrew Belott (2026; Wisconsin-La Crosse), who hit .231 with a .427 on-base percentage, 10 RBI, and 16 stolen bases last spring. Belott's 99.0 mph max exit velocity ranked T-No. 22 among Wisconsin's 2026 class, and his 29.2-inch vertical jump landed him T-No. 13 overall in the state. He also brings legitimate arm-side production to the mound, sitting at 2,324 rpm slider spin at the 81st state percentile.

The rotation is the engine of this team, and it returns intact. P/INF Eli Dreier (2027) is among the headliners after posting a 1.68 ERA with 47 strikeouts across 25 innings in 2025. The 6-foot-2, 216-pound right-hander touched 91.0 mph on his fastball in winter showcase work, placing him T-No. 9 overall in Wisconsin and T-No. 5 in the state's 2027 class, backed by a 2,300 rpm fastball spin rate at the 94th state percentile. Dreier, a Futures Game participant, also hit .309 with 20 RBI at third base last spring, giving Kargus a genuine two-way weapon. P/OF Brayden Abramowski (2026) leads the staff after a standout 2025 campaign, going 36.1 innings with a 1.16 ERA, 46 strikeouts, and a 1.18 WHIP across 11 appearances. P/INF Ayden Schneble (2027) figures into both the rotation and bullpen, while RHP/1B Nathan Grace (2027) adds intrigue as a relief option after posting a curveball spin rate of 2,589 rpm, ranked No. 13 overall in Wisconsin and No. 7 in the 2027 class, paired with 19.0 inches of induced vertical break that ranked T-No. 23 in the state.

The depth of the lineup behind the top four spots will be an area to monitor as the season develops. OF Carter Fry (2027), a Futures Game participant, hit .295 with a .817 OPS, two triples, and 13 stolen bases last spring, and provides athleticism and sneaky power in center field. INF Chase Muma (2027) batted .262 with a .423 on-base percentage, six doubles, and 11 stolen bases, showing a quality approach at the plate. C Seth Mierendorf (2027) brings significant raw power to the mix, posting a 101.0 mph max exit velocity at the 95th state percentile and a 73.6 mph bat speed at the 93rd percentile in winter work. Coach Kargus identified impact underclassmen OF Egann Sundby (2028) and INF Daniel Jupp (2028) as players capable of contributing right away, with Sundby already showing a promising 82.0 mph fastball in winter showcases. Filling out the bottom of the order with consistent at-bats and building out the back end of the bullpen are the primary development areas Kargus identified, but with this much returning talent and a bat speed ranking of No. 8 in Wisconsin, the Vikings have the pieces to make serious noise in Division 1 play.

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BOTTOM LINE

Wisconsin Lutheran has the arms, the athleticism, and the experience to push deep into the Division 1 postseason, and a 20-win regular season is well within reach. The ceiling is as high as this program has seen in years; the floor is still a team that can win close games with its pitching staff alone.

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Find more information on the 2026 Wisconsin Lutheran program below:

+ Follow them on social media: @WL_VikingBsball
+ Visit the Prep Baseball Wisconsin Preseason Power 25 homepage

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