Congratulations to Dain Pechacek on being named the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association Northwest District Division 2 Player of the Year. Pechacek will now be considered for Division 2 State Player of the Year at this week’s WBCA All State Meeting in Appleton. Additionally, Pechacek was named Second Team All District, as were fellow Middle Border Conference pitchers Mason Schmidt of Somerset, and Bennett Stokke of Altoona. Prescott infielder Barrett Temmers and outfielder Cole Platson were both named Honorable Mention All District. River Falls pitcher and Nebraska commit Auden Pankonin and Wildcat infielder Chase Rudolph were both named First Team All District. Wildcat teammate Ethan Jeffers was named Honorable Mention. Jeffers was also named Academic All State and Pechacek Academic All District. 

The #1 ranked Hudson Raiders are playing in the state tournament this week. Head Coach Brent Blegen’s charges shared the Big Rivers Conference Championship with New Richmond this season. Next year’s version of the #1 ranked Raiders looks to be even more formidable as First Team All District selections Logan Hagman and Jace Matazynski, along with Second Team selections Sam Manchester and Sam Abrahamson. All four players are underclassmen. 

Scores of Cardinal baseball fans are still unsure of the call that ended last Tuesday’s sectional semi-final loss to La Crosse Aquinas. Reportedly Head Coach Jeff Ryan received over a dozen phone calls from coaches around the state inquiring about the final out that ended the 2025 season for the Cardinals. 

Elk Mound Head Baseball Coach Paul Andrea has coached his last season for the Mounders. The Mounders finished the season with a record of 22-3, losing in the Division 3 Sectional Final to Barron last Tuesday by a score of 12-11. Andrea wraps up his 27-year career with an impressive overall record of 347-159.

Prescott Cardinal softball fans saw second-seeded Poynette (26-3) defeat top-seeded and 2024 Division 4 champion Fall Creek (25-6) 11-5 in the Division 3 championship game. The Pumas pounded out 20 hits enroute to their seventh state championship in school history. 

Head Coach Jordan Hansen and the Prescott Cardinal football team will find themselves in either Division 4 or 5 this season. Prescott High School enrollment is expected to be a few students shy of 400 and will again be the smallest school in the Middle Border Conference. 

One last reminder to readers…the Prescott Hall of Fame Committee is accepting nominations of deserving individuals for possible Hall of Fame induction this fall. All nominations are due by Tuesday, July 1. Nomination information and forms are available on the Prescott School District website. 
From the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources…The DNR announced that the summer issue of Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine is now available in print and online, full of compelling stories and important information to help you enjoy the season. The latest issue celebrates the Wisconsin State Park System's 125th anniversary, takes a closer look at a day in the life of a DNR park superintendent, shows how Friends Groups enhance the visitor experience and shares how a focus on accessibility truly makes Wisconsin's state properties a place for all. In the print edition, there’s even a special pull-out poster mapping the locations of all 125 of Wisconsin’s state parks, forests, trails and recreation areas. 

Headshaker of the week. Watching the NCAA Division 1 Baseball Playoffs and College World Series not only affords fans the opportunity to see some of the best college baseball players in the country, but also witness among the most classless behavior in college athletics. Yes, there are cameras everywhere. You would think coaches and players would show some discipline when it comes to embarrassing outbursts, but apparently not. It’s not only the players who scream, rant, and yell like tantrums throwing 4-year-olds, but also the coaches. And for my money they share most of the blame. From the incessant juvenile behavior of Tennessee Head Coach Tony Vitello, the bullying behavior of Florida Head Coach Kevin O’Sullivan, and the potty-mouthed name-calling of Wake Forest Head Coach Tim Corbin, it is no surprise to see players engage in similar immature behavior leading to likewise idiotic responses from opponents. Explosive bench emptying tirades have become normal in the college game. Ridiculous. Over the years I have always rolled my eyes when I hear coaches like the above talk about their team being “a family.” If that’s true, there certainly is a lot of dysfunctional family baseball values being taught in the locker room and the baseball diamond. Perhaps their “baseball family” communication values are dependent on the use of profane language and obscene gestures. Just what we want youngsters to see on ESPN. Role models? Hardly. Grow up. It’s a headshaker.