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Marshfield senior Sully Luepke and junior Bo Howard were unanimous choices to the All-Wisconsin Valley Conference Baseball Team, as voted on by the conference coaches.
Juniors Austin Littmann and Elliot Ashbeck were second-team picks for the Tigers, and freshman catcher Daulton Varsho was an honorable mention choice.
Marshfield finished second in the conference standings with an 8-4 record (15-6 overall) and were the lone team to knock off WVC champion Wausau West during Valley action.
West had four first-team and two second-team selections. Brett Ziegel, a pitcher and outfielder for the Warriors, was named Wisconsin Valley Conference Player of the Year after going 4-0 with a 0.72 ERA. He allowed just five runs, three earned, and 16 hits in 29 innings. He struck out 29 and walked only nine. Ziegel also hit .452, which was third in the conference.
Luepke, a shortstop, battled back from a debilitating leg injury during the football season to hit .432 (16 of 37), which was fifth in the Wisconsin Valley. Luepke also finished fourth in the conference in runs (11), tied for fifth in RBIs (10) and tied for fourth in hits (16).
Howard, an outfielder, hit a league-best .467 (14 of 30), scored nine runs, tied for the WVC lead in doubles (6) and tied Luepke for fifth with 10 RBIs.
Littmann, the Tigers’ second baseman, batted .250 (10 of 40), tied Luepke for fourth in runs (11) and stole seven bases.
Ashbeck, Marshfield’s top starting pitcher, went 4-2 with a 3.07 ERA. He struck out 43 and walked seven in 41 innings pitched. Ashbeck also batted .311 (8 of 38) and knocked in seven runs.
Varsho, the only freshman on the all-WVC team, hit .382 (13 of 34) with nine runs scored and seven RBIs. He also had a team-high nine walks and finished with a .512 on-base percentage.
2011 All-Wisconsin Valley Conference Baseball Team
First Team
Infielders: *Sully Luepke, sr., Marshfield; *Clay Giese, sr., Stevens Point; Alex Cordova, jr., Merrill; John Roberts, sr., Wausau West.
Outfielders: *Bo Howard, jr., Marshfield; *Bobby Gregorich, sr., Stevens Point; *Brett Ziegel, sr., Wausau West.
Catcher: Dylan Burkam, sr., Merrill.
Pitchers: Brett Ziegel, sr., Wausau West; Austin Priebe, jr., Wausau West.
Utility: Ryan Williams, sr., Stevens Point; Ryan Zweck, sr., Wausau East.
Second Team
Infielders: Tanner Blaschka, sr., Wausau West; Austin Littmann, jr., Marshfield; Jack Osness, sr., Merrill; Joey Fredrick, sr., Wisconsin Rapids.
Outfielders: Trevor Nicholson, sr., Wisconsin Rapids; Kyle Kubichek, sr., Merrill; Seth Wage, jr., Wausau West.
Catcher: Alex Tarras, jr., D.C. Everest.
Pitchers: Elliot Ashbeck, jr., Marshfield; Ryan Zweck, sr., Wausau East; Jared Hardina, sr., Wisconsin Rapids.
Honorable Mention
Infielders: Jared Koekstra, jr., D.C. Everest; Nate Fredrickson, sr., Stevens Point; Dan Mansell, sr., Wausau East; Frank Vruwink, sr., Wisconsin Rapids.
Outfielder: Logan Taylor, so., Wausau East.
Catchers: Jacob Paitel, jr., Wisconsin Rapids; Daulton Varsho, fr., Marshfield; Brad Piotrowski, sr., Stevens Point; Jake Lindmeier, sr., Wausau West.
Pitchers: Jared Hoekstra, jr., D.C. Everest; Logan Mallek, jr., Stevens Point.