Athens seeks second straight baseball title with fallen teammate on mind

ATHENS - Athens baseball coach Bill Coker stood just outside a dugout on the Bluejays diamond last Friday and searched for the words to give perspective for the week his players had just gone through. 

The Bluejays won a WIAA Division 4 sectional championship just three days after their friend and teammate, freshman Tucker Westfall, died in a UTV crash on a farm just a few miles away from the high school. They attended Westfall's funeral on Wednesday and were back on the field by the end of the week in preparation for a run at a second straight state title. 

"I think the boys and everyone just kind of appreciate things a little more now," said Coker, whose team faces Ithaca in a state semifinal Wednesday morning at Fox Cities Stadium. "It's been a challenge for everybody and these guys have really bonded through this whole process. Baseball is helping with the healing process but there's the understanding that it's definitely not the most important thing."

The Bluejays earned a second straight state trip as they beat  Pittsville and Wausaukee in a sectional semifinal and final, respectively, by a combined score of 24-1. Both games ended in five innings. 

RELATED: Five things to watch at WIAA state baseball tournament

"I've never seen them play like that before. It was inspiring," Coker said. "The at-bats were phenomenal, and defensively, we turned four double plays in 10 innings. There were moments (during the day) when the emotions were there. There were times in between innings when we were in tears and also before and after each game. But (the players) were able to cut them down (during the game) and get back to business."

Athens (19-2) opens state tournament play against an Ithaca team, which won the state championship two years ago and was a state runner-up in 2015. The Bulldogs (17-2), the Ridge & Valley Conference champions, have won 10 straight games and are led by senior pitcher Aaron Huebsch, who has a 1.04 ERA and has 104 strikeouts in 47 innings this spring. 

The Athens-Ithaca winner faces either Thorp or Johnson Creek for the title on Thursday. 

The Bluejays were expected to be here. The team, which returned eight of nine starters from last season, entered the spring as a preseason No. 1 team in the Division 4 state rankings by Wisconsin Baseball Central and held that position throughout the season. 

Athens opened the season with 14 straight wins before a 2-1 loss to Marathon. 

"There was pressure this year and we did have a target on our back all year," said Athens senior outfielder Guyler Luther. "We knew we could make someone's year if they beat us. We just went out and played ball. 

"I still do feel like an underdog (this week)," Luther said. "Ithaca is a big powerhouse and we are going to have to be on top of our game."

Athens enters the state tournament with a team batting average of .334 and with a pitching staff which holds a 1.68 ERA. Klay Ellenbecker and Dakota Willemssen have combined to throw just over 92 innings this spring as senior Marshall Westfall recovered from an arm injury early in the spring and has pitched just 10⅓ innings this season. 

Ellenbecker threw a complete game in a 2-0 win over Independence/Gilmanton in the state title game last June. 

"It's really awesome to have (Westfall) back. Let me start by saying that," said junior Seth Coker, who leads the team with a .585 batting average and also has pitched in 11 games this season, including two starts. "I believe that our team has three aces — Klay, Dakota and Marshall. All three are phenomenal pitchers."

The Bluejays will hit the field Wednesday morning with a memorial patch for Westfall on the back of the team's hat and on the shoulder of their jerseys. Westfall's jersey also was hung in the Athens dugout during the sectional tournament and will be again at state. 

"All around he was a genuinely good guy," Athens senior Colten Weiler said. "He would take a shirt off his back for you. He would do anything for you. He was always a positive person. I've never seen the guy mad ever.

"He was fun to be around with and fun to play with," Weiler said. "I'm not really worried about us playing for a two-peat right now. I'm thinking about winning it and doing it for Tucker. That is what I'm worried about."

WIAA state baseball

DIVISION 4 SEMIFINAL

Athens (19-2) vs. Ithaca (17-2)

When: 8 a.m. Wednesday

Where: Fox Cities Stadium, Grand Chute

Tickets: $8 for each session. $14 for all-day.