Six Cats named to All-BRC baseball

• Wildcat baseball

Wildcat junior outfielder Alex Call makes a diving catch in a game earlier this season at the high school field. Call was named to the All-Big Rivers Conference first team, All-District first team and All-State third team for his play this season. Bob Burrows photos

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Senior Ryan Kusilek and junior Alex Call lead a group of six Wildcat players named to the 2012 All-Big Rivers Conference baseball teams.

Kusilek and Call were each named to the All-BRC first team while seniors Brad Erdrich and Ben Peters were named to the second team and senior Jake Kerr and sophomore Sam Barr received honorable mention.

Call was also named to the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association All-District first team and WBCA All-State third team while Kusilek received honorable mention to the All-District squad.

Call ranked as one of the top outfielders in the BRC this season. He led the Wildcats with an average of .423 and had a team-high three triples while tying Kusilek for the team lead in doubles with six, and home runs with two. He also led the team in stolen bases with 15. Call earned honorable mention to the 2011 All-BRC team.

“Alex had an outstanding year, both in the field and at the plate,” Wildcat co-coach Ryan Bishop said. “He made some great catches in centerfield and was a threat every time he stepped to the plate. There isn’t a team, or player, in the BRC that doesn’t know who Alex Call is anymore.”

Kusilek has been one of the top catchers in the BRC since stepping into the starting role with the Wildcats as a sophomore in 2010. He hit .378 this season with two home runs and a team-high 26 RBI.

“Ryan has been the one constant in our program over the past three years,” Bishop said. “It will be very tough to replace Ryan as a catcher, and virtually impossible to replace him as a leader. He’s had a lot of ups and downs and I couldn’t be more proud of the way he finished up his high school career.”

Erdrich hit .320 while playing the entire season with his broken left wrist in a cast.

“He had to adjust nearly every part of his game but still managed to have a great season both offensively and defensively,” Bishop said. “More importantly he was a leader for our younger guys as he played alongside two sophomores and a freshman in the infield.”

Peters went 4-0 in conference play on the mound for the Wildcats with a 2.89 earned run average.

“Ben had as surprising of a season as anyone could have expected,” Bishop said. “He established himself as one of our top pitchers and got better as the season went on. Our team had confidence every time Ben took the mound.”

Kerr, the only returning starting pitcher for the Wildcats in 2012, posted a team-low 2.63 earned run average while going 2-3 in conference play, 4-4 overall. He threw a team-high four complete games, including one shutout.

“Jake showed a lot of perseverance throughout this season as the leader of our young pitching staff.”

Barr batted .364 in BRC play while seeing time at all four infield positions and on the pitcher’s mound.

“It didn’t take long for Sam to establish himself as an important part of our everyday line-up,” Bishop said. “Sam played wherever the team needed him most and his unselfish attitude played a huge part in this season’s success.”

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