This story is sponsored by: Chili Implement
By Paul Lecker
MarshfieldAreaSports.com
Spencer sophomore Reed Knecht was named Player of the Year and was one of six Spencer players to earn recognition on the 2023 All-Cloverbelt Conference East Division Baseball Team, as voted on by the seven conference coaches following the regular season.
Knecht and teammate Andrew Sieracki were among the 10 first-team selections, along with Marshfield Columbus Catholic’s Emmitt Konieczny, Blake Jakobi and Cy Becker.
Knecht hit .581 in 12 conference games with six doubles, 17 runs, 20 RBI and 18 stolen bases, and also went 3-1 in seven games on the mound, with 22 strikeouts, a 2.27 ERA and a .149 batting average allowed in 24 2/3 innings.
Sieracki hit .432 in 11 Cloverbelt East games with 15 RBI, 14 runs, nine steals and four doubles at the plate, and had a 2-1 pitching record with 26 strikeouts and a 4.20 ERA in 15 innings.
Konieczny hit .543 with 18 runs scored and 13 RBI, and tossed 13.1 innings with 17 strikeouts, a 0.53 ERA and four saves.
Jakobi batted .435 with 16 runs and 11 RBI, and as the top starting pitcher for the Dons, he went 4-1 with a 2.66 ERA and 26 strikeouts.
Becker batted an even .500 with 14 runs and 14 RBI for the Dons.
Conference champion Neillsville had three first-team picks in Jace Pekol, Reese McDonald and Bryce Erickson. Owen-Withee’s Carter Klabon and Gilman’s Grady Kroeplin rounded out the first-team honorees.
Columbus Catholic’s Grant Olson and Mac Konieczny, and Spencer’s Madden Prybylski and Luke Roehrborn were among the second-team picks, and Brandon Lang of Columbus, and Kaiden Miller and Carter Luepke of Spencer were honorable mention selections.
2023 All-Cloverbelt Conference East Division Baseball Team
First team: Emmitt Konieczny, jr., Marshfield Columbus Catholic; Blake Jakobi, jr., Marshfield Columbus Catholic; Cy Becker, jr., Marshfield Columbus Catholic; Grady Kroeplin, sr., Gilman; Jace Pekol, jr., Neillsville; Reese McDonald, jr., Neillsville; Bryce Erickson, jr., Neillsville; Carter Klabon, sr., Owen-Withee; Reed Knecht, so., Spencer; Andrew Sieracki, sr., Spencer.
Second team: Grant Olson, jr., Marshfield Columbus Catholic; Mac Konieczny, fr., Marshfield Columbus Catholic; Drew Stieglitz, sr., Loyal; Ethan Lindner, sr., Loyal; Cain Toufar, fr., Loyal; Gavyn McFarlane, jr., Neillsville; Andrew Hoeser, fr., Neillsville; Sam Hayes, jr., Neillsville; Madden Prybylski, so., Spencer; Luke Roehrborn, sr., Spencer.
Honorable mention: Brandon Lang, sr., Marshfield Columbus Catholic; Talyn Podolak, so., Gilman; Gage Ludovic, sr., Greenwood; Tryn Scheel, so., Loyal; Gunnar Barth, so., Neillsville; Micah Zoschke, jr., Neillsville; Elliot Ackerman, sr., Owen-Withee; Ethan Soweija, jr., Owen-Withee; Kaiden Miller, sr., Spencer; Carter Luepke, so., Spencer.