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: New Berlin Eisenhower Lions
Preseason Rank: No. 3
Head Coach: Joe Dathe
WIAA Division: 2
Conference: Woodland West
2025 Record (Finish): 24-5 (WIAA D2 State Champions)
Key Players Lost: Sam Hirthe, Carter Hollenback

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ROSTER PREVIEW

No. of Returning Players: 11
No. of Returning Pitchers: 8
Team Strengths: Deep playoff experience; pitching, returning bats, baserunning, team 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 New Berlin Eisenhower's top-three performers averaged across each category:

Category	Top-3 Avg.	State Rank	Out of
Avg. Exit Velocity	93.7 mph	No. 5	of 102
Max Exit Velocity	99.0 mph	T-No. 14	of 102
Bat Speed	74.6 mph	No. 4	of 102
Max FB Velocity	88.3 mph	T-No. 4	of 71
Top 60-Yard	6.88 s	No. 13	of 102

INDIVIDUAL DATA STAND-OUTS:

• Cal Schneider (6-foot-1, 155 pounds)
  
  • max fastball: 87.0 mph (89th state percentile)
  • FB horizontal break: -17.5 in (No. 5 overall in Wisconsin among LHPs)
• Caleb Johns (6-foot, 182 pounds)
  
  • max EV: 104 mph (T-No. 12 overall in Wisconsin)
  • avg EV: 99.1 mph (No. 4 overall in Wisconsin)
  • bat speed: 81.5 mph (No. 1 overall in Wisconsin)
  • max fastball: 91.0 mph (T-No. 17 overall in Wisconsin)
  • CB spin: 2,635 rpm (No. 9 overall in Wisconsin)
  • rot. accel.: 23.0g (97th state percentile)
  • 60-yd. dash: 6.99s (84th state percentile)
  • 10-yd. split: 1.60s (T-No. 20 overall in Wisconsin)
• Alex Michna (5-foot-11, 205 pounds)
  
  • max EV: 98.0 mph (87th state percentile)
  • avg EV: 93.8 mph (95th state percentile)
  • bat speed: 73.9 mph (94th state percentile)
  • rot. accel.: 19.0g (90th state percentile)
  • 60-yd. dash: 6.78s (95th state percentile)
• Collin Harrington (5-foot-10, 162 pounds)
  
  • avg EV: 88.1 mph (80th state percentile)
  • 60-yd. dash: 6.87s (91st state percentile)
  • vert. jump: 26.3 in (93rd state percentile)
• Joshua Bonin (6-foot, 236 pounds)
  
  • max fastball: 87.0 mph (86th state percentile)
  • FB spin: 2,170 rpm (81st state percentile)
  • CB spin: 2,272 rpm (80th state percentile)
• Mason Jones (5-foot-10, 196 pounds)
  
  • 60-yd. dash: 7.01s (83rd state percentile)
• Max Nemoir (6-foot, 214 pounds)
  
  • max fastball: 87.0 mph (86th state percentile)
  • IVB (rise): 20.7 in (No. 6 overall in Wisconsin)
  • FB spin: 2,255 rpm (90th state percentile)
  • CB spin: 2,297 rpm (81st state percentile)
• Rell Nabert (6-foot-1, 184 pounds)
  • max fastball: 86.0 mph (80th state percentile)
  • IVB (rise): (84th state percentile)
  • FB spin: 2,293 rpm (93rd state percentile)

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X-FACTORS

INF/RHP Caleb Johns (2026, Rock Valley JC signee) is entering his senior year, looking to help lead the Lions to another deep playoff run as they defend their state title. Johns was no doubt a key part of the lineup and staff when called upon last spring, but will now take on a more important and elevated role this spring. Ticked up frame this winter with a similar ticked up two-way toolset that can help make up for the losses from last spring's squad.

The top left-hander in a deep Wisconsin 2027 class, LHP Cal Schneider (2027; Louisville commit), looks to build off a near-perfect sophomore year and lead New Berlin Eisenhower into a deep playoff run. In his sophomore year, the lefty tossed 63.2 innings, striking out 92, walking 10, allowing only three earned runs, with a 0.33 ERA. Schnieder took home First Team All-State honors and will now set his eyes on Player of the Year Honors. There’s a lot to love about the way Schneider conducts himself on the mound, as the arsenal continues to tick up as we head into the spring.

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TEAM OUTLOOK

New Berlin Eisenhower arrived in Appleton last spring and exited as Division 2 state champions, capping a remarkable 24-5 season that included a perfect 12-0 run through the Woodland West conference, a regional title, and a sectional title. The Lions did it with one of the deepest pitching staffs in the state, a lineup that batted .308 collectively and scored 181 runs, and a defense that held opponents to fewer than two earned runs per game. Replicating that production in 2026 will require a roster that returns 11 position players and eight pitchers, and coach Joe Dathe is already framing the challenge in terms of process rather than pressure.

"The Lions are looking forward to the uphill grind," Dathe said. "We have a lot of talent coming back, however, we have a lot of work to do in order to make it back to Appleton."

The graduation losses are few, but real. Sam Hirthe and Carter Hollenback were two of the most productive players on last year's championship club, and really two of the best in the entire state. Hirthe batted .405 with 30 hits, 25 RBI and a .548 on-base percentage while also going 7-1 on the mound with a 1.15 ERA and 79 strikeouts in 54.2 innings. Hollenback hit .455 with five home runs, 27 RBI, and a team-leading 40 hits across 29 games. Together, they represented the backbone of a lineup that won a state title, and replacing that combination of production and leadership is the central task of the offseason. The senior class stepping into that void is experienced and capable. RHP/1B Caleb Johns (2026; Rock Valley JC) enters his fourth year as a varsity starter and is within reach of surpassing 100 career hits as a Lion. He hit .344 last season with nine extra-base hits and showed two-way ability as a pitcher and bat-first threat at first base. Johns looked better than ever before this offseason when we saw him at our Milwaukee Preseason ID on March 21, and he could become one of the top two-way performers in the state this spring, just like Hirthe produced for this team a season ago. C/3B Mason Jones (2026; Bryant & Stratton JC) is regarded by Dathe as one of the best catchers in the area, praised for his game management and command of the running game after throwing out four of five would-be basestealers in 2025. OF/RHP Collin Harrington (2026; Rock Valley JC) hit .309 with three home runs and 14 RBI while posting a .912 OPS from the outfield, and RHP/OF Joshua Bonin (2026; UW-La Crosse) profiles as a legitimate rotation piece after pitching 16.2 innings with 22 strikeouts and a fastball that will earn whiffs all by itself. INF/P Charlie Wait (2026) and INF/RHP Ryne Cefalu (2026) round out a senior group that has a lot of experience under their belt.

The junior class may be where the ceiling of this 2026 group truly lies. LHP/1B Cal Schneider (2027; Louisville) was arguably the best high school pitcher in Wisconsin a season ago, going 11-0 with a 0.33 ERA and 92 strikeouts across 63.2 innings, numbers that set all kinds of single-season records. He returns as the unquestioned ace and the anchor of a rotation that also features Johns and Bonin. RHP/3B Max Nemoir (2027) went 2-0 with a 0.72 ERA and 15 strikeouts in 9.2 innings in a limited role last season and, along with INF/RHP Cole Biscobing (2027), is expected to see high-leverage opportunities that did not exist when Schneider and Hirthe were the ones absorbing all the innings. OF/RHP Alex Michna (2027) earned first-team all-conference honors as an outfielder last spring, batting .311 with six extra-base hits and 26 runs scored while bringing an element of athleticism and range that few opponents can match. Michna was another one of the most impressive juniors that we saw along our preseason showcase circuit this winter, and we're excited to see what he'll become in his junior year. INF/C Carter Monreal (2027) was a sophomore starter at second base in 2025, hit .367 with 22 hits and 16 RBI, and projects as a middle-of-the-order presence alongside Johns this spring.

With 11 returning position players, eight returning pitchers, and a projected rotation headlined by Schneider, Johns, Bonin, and Nemoir, the Lions enter 2026 with legitimate repeat state-title aspirations even after replacing two cornerstones of last year's championship club. Dathe has scheduled games against ranked Muskego, Arrowhead, and Badger to test his group early and often, and the Woodland West, which the Lions ran through undefeated in 2025, will once again serve as the proving ground. The question is not whether this team has the talent to make a deep run. The question is whether a roster stocked with returning starters and a Louisville-bound ace can find the leadership to replace what walked out the door with Hirthe and Hollenback.

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BOTTOM LINE

New Berlin Eisenhower has the pitching depth, the offensive firepower, and the playoff experience to make a serious run at back-to-back Division 2 titles. If the senior class steps into a full leadership role and the junior core continues its upward trajectory, the road back to Appleton runs directly through the Lions.

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Find more information on the 2026 New Berlin Eisenhower program below:

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

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POWER 25 COUNTDOWN