Although the River Falls High School baseball team has yet to cement its infield and outfield starters, the Wildcats already know the strength and depth of their veteran pitching staff going into 2023.

River Falls returns its top two starters from last season including seniors Eli Condon and Keenan Mork, a Notre Dame baseball commit and last year’s Big Rivers Conference Pitcher of the Year.

For River Falls head coach Ryan Bishop, rolling out elite varsity pitching supplemented by versatile, reliable fourth and fifth arms will be the Wildcats’ ultimate strength this spring.

“Our pitching will definitely be a strong point for us,” Bishop said. “Not only do we have a lot of guys who can pitch, but we have some very good top-end guys followed by a lot of high-quality pitchers that we can roll out to the mound at any time and be competitive.”

River Falls’ ace is unquestionably the aforementioned Mork, who is projected to be one of the top pitchers in the state this year.

During his junior campaign last spring, Mork started eight games, amassed a flawless 5-0 record – two of which were complete game shutouts – and posted a team-best 1.36 ERA in his 46 innings of work. He was also incredibly efficient, as he tallied 85 strikeouts while walking just 11 batters.

“Keenan Mork is no doubt one of the best arms in the state heading into his senior season,” Bishop said. “Adding in his continued maturity in the mental and emotional side of pitching puts Keenan in an elite class of high school pitchers.”

While Mork and Condon headline the returners in the starting lineup, seniors Jaren Schwantz and Brody Rudolph bring additional depth to the mound. Rudolph and Schwantz pitched a combined 30 innings last season and struck out 26 batters in the process.

River Falls may have its pitching rotation cemented just a week into practice, but a starter has yet to be named for nearly every defensive position behind the mound for opening day.

The Wildcats return just two everyday defensive players from last year’s varsity squad including senior second baseman Teddy Norman and senior catcher Elijah Baker. The remaining vacancies in both the infield and outfield are up for grabs in early-season position battles.

Many of the faces that will eventually migrate to the starting roster for opening day will be relatively new to fans, but that doesn’t mean they’re inexperienced. Those up-and-coming players gained valuable playing time last summer during the Legion baseball season.

River Falls’ Post 121 Legion program features the same coaching staff and nearly identical roster as the high school team, which in essence allows them to use the Legion season as a continuation of the high school year.

In doing so, River Falls further enhances athletic and positional development while getting younger players ready to compete in the rigorous Big Rivers Conference the following spring.

Last year’s Legion roster featured then-high school junior varsity players preparing for the 2023 season in which they will fill the vacancies left by droves of graduated senior talent. Those younger players saw everyday action throughout the summer and not only developed but thrived.

Their successes led to River Falls’ run through the Wisconsin Legion State Tournament that culminated in a third-place finish for the fourth consecutive season. Bishop spoke about building on last summer’s success during this high school spring season.

“The Wildcats look to build on the success they ended with last summer,” Bishop said. “They do so by returning the core of their pitching staff with an emerging offensive and defensive lineup around them that started coming into their own last summer. If the Wildcats can translate that progress and stay focused on daily improvement, they could have some great opportunities in front of them this year.”

Those opportunities are unlikely to come easily, as American Legion pitching is hardly comparable to that of the Big Rivers Conference, which typically has several Division 1 caliber pitchers in any given year.

That relative inexperience against top-end pitching led Bishop to the Wildcats’ most significant uncertainty surrounding the 2023 season – scoring runs. He spoke about the steep learning curve associated with hitting against Division 1 talent on the rubber.

“No question, the biggest question mark coming into this year is our ability to produce runs,” Bishop said. “We have a lot of untested players in terms of D1 varsity baseball, especially in a Big Rivers Conference that features college-bound pitchers nearly every single game. Add in a half dozen college D1 pitchers and it’s no secret that runs will be hard to come by at times.”

After finishing fourth in the Big Rivers Conference last season, River Falls is picked to finish runner-up this season behind the rival Hudson Raiders. Eau Claire North and Memorial are expected to take a step back this year while still finishing in the top half of the league.

While the Big Rivers is regularly strong at the plate and defensively, the league has made its name through the pitchers it churns out annually. The athletes on the mound are slated to be dominant again this season and that makes the standings unpredictable in Bishop’s eyes.

“I think the strength and depth of the Big Rivers this year, especially the pitching, is pretty remarkable,” Bishop said. “There are a handful of D1 pitchers and almost every team will put a college-bound pitcher on the mound every conference game. I don’t think there is a favorite and feel the Big Rivers could be won by a half dozen teams. You better come ready to play your best baseball every night, it should be a fun season in the BRC.”

River Falls is slated to begin the 2023 season at home against Osceola on Tuesday, April 4. First pitch for that contest is scheduled for 4 p.m.