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: Arrowhead Warhawks 
Preseason Rank: No. 6
Head Coach: Nick Brengosz
WIAA Division: 1
Conference: Classic 8
2025 Record (Finish): 20-6 (share of fifth straight conference championship)
Key Players Lost: Yamato Takahashi (MIT), PJ Hamel (McHenry County JC), Peter Kussow (MLB Draft, Mets), Brendan Foley (injury), Graiden Liethen (MSOE)

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ROSTER PREVIEW

No. of Returning Players: 5
No. of Returning Pitchers: 4
Team Strengths: Pitching, defense; experienced junior class.

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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 Arrowhead's top-three performers averaged across each category:

Category	Top-3 Avg.	State Rank	Out of
Avg. Exit Velocity	92.6 mph	No. 8	of 102
Max Exit Velocity	100.3 mph	T-No. 6	of 102
Bat Speed	73.9 mph	No. 7	of 102

INDIVIDUAL DATA STAND-OUTS:

• Cameron Carter (6-foot-4, 183 pounds)
  • max fastball: 91.0 mph (T-No. 10 overall in Wisconsin)
  • vert. jump: 30.0 in (T-No. 8 overall in Wisconsin)
• Colton Topp (5-foot-11, 182 pounds)
  
  • max EV: 101.0 mph (95th state percentile)
  • avg EV: 94.9 mph (T-No. 11 in Wisconsin among LHHs)
  • bat speed: 74.1 mph (94th state percentile)
  • 60-yd. dash: 6.99s (84th state percentile)
  • 10-yd. split: 1.62s (95th state percentile)
• Niko Frangopoulos (5-foot-11, 183 pounds)
  
  • max EV: 99.0 mph (91st state percentile)
  • avg EV: 91.1 mph (91st state percentile)
  • bat speed: 74.6 mph (95th state percentile)
• Jacob Madlung (6-foot-3, 204 pounds)
  
  • max EV: 101.0 mph (T-No. 6 in state's 2028 class)
  • avg EV: 91.7 mph (92nd state percentile)
  • bat speed: 72.9 mph (90th state percentile)
  • max fastball: 88.0 mph (T-No. 5 in state's 2028 class)
  • 60-yd. dash: 6.88s (90th state percentile)
  • 10-yd. split: 1.66s (84th state percentile)
• Jack Boerst (5-foot-9, 182 pounds)
  
  • max fastball: 84 mph
  • FB spin: 2,456 rpm (No. 3 overall in Wisconsin)
  • CB spin: 2,325 rpm (85th state percentile)
  • SL spin: 2,309 rpm (79th state percentile)

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X-FACTOR

+ RHP/OF Cameron Carter (2026, Illinois-Chicago signee) has been an impact two-way performer throughout his four-year varsity career. The right-hander was a key pitcher for them last spring and will look to anchor the rotation after the departed Peter Kussow. More than capable of performing like an ace for the Warhawks, armed with a fastball that can get hitters out by itself to pair with one of the top breaking balls in the state. Carter's impact at the plate can not be overlooked either. Showing a clear knack for putting barreling the baseball, the right-handed hitter was a top hitter for the Warhawks and looks to lead a retooled, and perhaps even deeper lineup.

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NEWCOMER TO WATCH

+ INF/RHP Jacob Madlung (2028) while the role remains unclear for the underclassmen, the physical and athletic prospect has an advanced and loud two-way toolset that has the potential to be just as impactful as the aforementioned "X-Factor" Carter. Loud tools as a position player, with a potential impact bat that could slide inside the middle-of-the-order and provide more than quality defense at either spot on the left-side of the infield. On the mound the right-hander has an upside arsenal that adds the the depth inside the pitching staff.

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TEAM OUTLOOK

The Warhawks have won at least a share of five consecutive Classic 8 Conference titles and nine of the last 10, a run of dominance that has made their program the standard-bearer of arguably the state's deepest league, yet a state championship still eludes this program and the team will feel a lot different this spring. Right-hander Peter Kussow was the top-ranked player in the state's senior class and he pitched like it in 2025 too. He's gone after getting drafted by the New York Mets. So is shortstop Brendan Foley, a fixture in the Arrowhead lineup since the program's 2024 state run, now sidelined by a football-related injury that will cost him his senior spring. Yamato Takahashi, PJ Hamel and Graiden Liethen have also departed, all key members of this program and not just in 2025.

For most programs, that kind of attrition would prompt a rebuilding conversation. At Arrowhead, they're just used to it.

The anchor of what head coach Nick Brengosz is building in 2026 is a pitching staff that gives the Warhawks a legitimate chance to win every time they take the field. RHP/OF Cameron Carter (2026; Illinois-Chicago) is the headliner, one of the best two-way players in the state of Wisconsin. Carter hit .368 last season with five extra-base hits and 19 RBIs, striking out just six times all year, and on the mound he posted a 2.26 ERA while striking out 46 batters in 31 innings. He will slot into left field and near the top of the lineup on days he is not pitching. Alongside him at the top of the rotation is LHP Tanner Buhlmann (2026; UW-Milwaukee), a left-hander who anchors a staff built around three legitimate arms, and RHP Carter Tuerk (2027), a junior who rounds out the projected starting trio.

Brengosz put it plainly: "[We're] led by excellent top-end pitching in Buhlmann, Carter and Tuerk. The Warhawks will find success this season if underclassmen emerge as aggressive and productive hitters and baserunners."

Beyond the mound, the outfield may be the most exciting unit in the Classic 8. OF Niko Frangopoulos (2026; UW-Whitewater) brings one of the sweetest left-handed swings in the state to the middle of the Arrowhead lineup, and he projects as one of the tougher outs in the conference this spring. OF Colton Topp (2027) slides into center field as one of the top uncommitted juniors in Wisconsin, a left-handed hitter whose bat and athleticism give him significant upside as his career progresses. C Braden Loebel (2026; UW-Stout) returns behind the plate to provide stability and leadership in a catching role that will be important to a pitching-first team, and LHP/INF Alex Hansen (2027) profiles as the everyday first baseman while also serving as a depth arm out of the bullpen. Replacing Foley at shortstop is the most pressing puzzle, with junior INF William Muttonen (2027) among the candidates expected to help solve it.

The subplot that could define Arrowhead's ceiling in 2026 is how quickly its underclassmen grow into impact roles. 3B/RHP Jacob Madlung (2028) is a physical sophomore listed at 6-foot-3 with soft hands, fluid actions and an upside right-handed bat that could make him a factor at either shortstop or third base right away. RHP/INF Jack Boerst (2027) adds length to the bullpen with a spin-heavy arsenal as another junior here to note. The middle infield remains unsettled heading into opening day, and the junior class carries some offensive question marks entering their first full seasons in featured roles. Still, the combination of elite pitching, a dynamic outfield and the kind of program infrastructure that Brengosz has built over a decade in Hartland gives the Warhawks every reason to believe 2026 could be the year they break through. Their two-game set with defending WIAA Division 1 state champion Muskego on May 19 and 21 will be must-see baseball in Wisconsin.

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BOTTOM LINE

A pitching staff headlined by Carter, Buhlmann and Tuerk gives Arrowhead the foundation to make a deep postseason run, and if the junior class delivers offensively and the infield sorts itself out, this is a team built to finally end the program's state title drought. The floor is still a Classic 8 contender; the ceiling is a program-defining spring in Hartland.

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Find more information on the 2026 Arrowhead program below:

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

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POWER 25 COUNTDOWN