EDITOR'S NOTE: The Swnews4u.com Athlete of the Week is a web-only feature that will publish each Thursday throughout the calendar year.
Blake Noel, Sr., 1B/P, Platteville baseball
Platteville’s Blake Noel is off to a fantastic start to the 2017 prep baseball season. Last Tuesday, Noel drove in a career-high six runs in a 15–3 victory over Cuba City, then hit a game-winning walk-off home run in a 6–4 victory over Medford Saturday at the Woodside Sports Complex in Mauston. Noel is this week’s Mast Water Technology SWnews4U.com Athlete of the Week after batting .467 (7-for-15) with two doubles, a triple, a home run, eight RBIs and five runs scored in five games over the past week.
In Tuesday’s lopsided win over Cuba City, Noel drove in a pair of runs in Platteville’s four-run first inning. He added a two-run double in the second inning to make it 8–1. He had an RBI single in the third and finished his career day with a two-run double to centerfield in the fourth inning.
Noel then went 1-for-3, one of Platteville’s two hits, in a 6–0 loss to Mauston on Friday at the Woodside Sports Complex, before playing the hero on Saturday afternoon against Medford. With the game tied at 4–4 and two outs in the in the bottom of the seventh, Noel blasted 2–1 offering over the fence to lift the Hillmen to a dramatic 6–4 victory. Noel also went 1-for-2 with a walk in Tuesday’s 7–6 SWC-opening loss at Lancaster.
Noel is currently batting .500 (10-for-22) with five doubles, a triple, a home run, nine RBIs and seven runs scored in seven games this season for the Hillmen (3–4, 0–1 SWC). Platteville will return to action Monday at home against Cassville at 5 p.m.
HONORABLE MENTION (in alphabetical order):
Sami Brookens, Sr., F, Platteville/Lancaster girls’ soccer
Brookens scored the lone goal in Platteville/Lancaster’s season-opening 1–0 victory over Wisconsin Heights last Tuesday afternoon. She then scored three goals in a 4–0 victory over Galena/River Ridge Thursday afternoon.
Caleb Coleman, Sr., Richland Center track and field
Coleman won the 100-meter-dash (11.55) and 200 (23.53) and teamed with Jarrett Richburg, Evan Thomas and Quin Tydrich to win the 4x200 relay in 1:38.78 to help the Richland Center boys’ track and field team to a third-place finish at the Boscobel Invitational on April 4.
Josh Hentrich, Sr., Lancaster boys’ golf
Hentrich shot an 83 to finish third out of 53 golfers at last Saturday’s Lancaster Early Bird Invitational. Hentrich’s 9-over-par round helped the host Flying Arrows finish fourth out of 11 teams with a combined score of 400.
Trevor Nueroth, Jr., P/IF, Fennimore baseball
Nueroth struck out nine and allowed just one run in five innings in his first varsity start on the mound to lead Fennimore to a 2–1 victory over defending SWAL champion Darlington in last Tuesday’s season victory. He also went 2-for-3 and scored a run in the victory. Three nights later, Nueroth went 3-for-5 with a two-run homer in Friday’s 11-10 victory over Iowa–Grant.
Mykenzie Vaassen, Jr., Cuba City girls’ track and field
Vaassen won the 100-meter-dash (13.23 seconds) and the 400 (1:01.9) at Monday’s SWAL mid-season meet. She also won the 200 (27.21) and the long jump with a personal-best 17’4.5” and was part of the 4x200 relay to help Cuba City win the girls’ team title at last Friday’s Wisconsin Heights Invitational.
Sadie Willborn, So., P, Belmont softball
Willborn faced the minimum in a five-inning no-hitter in a 12–0 victory over Black Hawk last Thursday afternoon. She struck out three and hat two hits and drove in three runs to help her own cause. Willborn then struck out eight and allowed just two hits in a 3–0 complete game shutout victory over visiting Potosi on Monday. She also drove in a run in that game. Tuesday afternoon, Willborn came on in relief and helped the undefeated Braves (7–0) battle back from a 6–2 deficit. She pitched three scoreless innings and went 3-for-4 at the plate as Belmont rallied for a 9–6 victory over Benton/Shullsburg.
