Greenberg earns high honorable mention on Now All-Suburban team

Five members of the local Wauwatosa baseball teams earned either high honorable mention or honorable mention honors on the 2015 Now All-Suburban baseball squad.

There were two Tosa West players and three Tosa East players who received mention.

West junior outfielder Jacob Greenberg earned high honorable mention, while West senior infielder Zach Veit and Tosa East infielders senior Ian Quast and junior Sean Denny and senior outfielder Danny Markwardt were honorable mention.

Jacob Greenberg

Greenberg was selected as a first-team All-Woodland West Division outfielder. He batted .405 with 34 hits, three doubles, a home run and 16 RBIs.

He is also blazing fast — eight triples and 17 steals — and had a streak of four games in a row with triples. He threw out two base runners from the outfield and picked off five more.

"He has the chance to be Player of the Year in the conference next year and All-State," coach Chad Mateske said. "He has five tools and will get some looks next year as a senior."

Danny Markwardt

Markwardt was first-team All-Greater Metro Conference in the outfield. He batted .338 with a .353 slugging, a .416 on-base percentage and a .769 on-base percentage/slugging. He had hitting streaks of six and four games. A two-year varsity letter winner, he was hindered by a shoulder strain early in the year and wasn't able to pitch as much as he normally would.

"He really stepped up big in the batter's box, hitting .338 for us," Karas said. "Danny is one of the smartest baseball players I've coached."

Ian Quast

As Tosa East's first baseman, he was a second-team All-Greater Metro Conference selection. A three-year varsity letter winner, he batted .358 (second on team) with team-leading 21 RBIs, a .400 slugging mark, a .410 OBP and a .810 OPS (OBP/slugging) as the Red Raider cleanup hitter.

He had nine multiple-hit games, including a three-hit game and four games with multiple RBIs, including three three-RBI games. He was the team co-defensive MVP and captain and ranked in the school's all-time top 20 in batting average.

"Ian developed into a darn good first baseman," Karas said. "With some exceptional hand-eye coordination and athleticism, he led us both in the field and in the batter's box. He played in 64 varsity baseball games, and it's been a real pleasure to see the progression in not only his abilities on the baseball diamond but in his leadership and transition from being a young high school sophomore to a young man."

Sean Denny

The good news for the Red Raiders is Denny will be coming back. The junior third baseman was the team's Offensive MVP, batting .408 and slugging .476 with a .455 OBP and a .931 OPS. He also pitched for Tosa East and was their second-best pitcher.

He had 11 multiple-hit games, including two three-hit and a five-hit game. He had hitting streaks of seven and six, and his season ended with a four-game hitting streak. He was also honorable mention All-Greater Metro in the infield.

"Sean had an excellent season for us, and we look forward to getting him back next season," Karas said.

Zach Veit

Veit played a key role for the Trojans, at the plate as a leadoff batter, in the field starting at shortstop and on the mound. He also earned first-team All-Woodland West Division in the infield. He hit .320 with five doubles and 17 steals.

"Zach was our most versatile player, able to play everything from shortstop to catcher to center field to pitcher. He is one of the most naturally gifted players who makes all plays look routine."

Mateska also likes his attitude.

"Zach is one of the most competitive people you will meet," he said. "He looks to make an impact on every play and is in position to do so."

In Veit's three-year varsity career, he ended up in the top 10 all time in eight offensive categories and in the top 10 in eight pitching categories.

All-Suburban

There were 17 starters named to this season's Now All-Suburban squad, led by Sussex Hamilton catcher Michael Barnes and the four-man pitching staff of seniors Alex Fischer (Sussex Hamilton), Joe Fortman (Franklin) and Ty Ramirez (Greendale) and junior Matt Hamilton (Oak Creek).

There were six infielders, the deepest position on the 17-man team — seniors Nick Vasic (New Berlin Eisenhower), Allan Peil (New Berlin West), Trevor Cho (Homestead), Sam Sabinash (Greendale) and Doran Turchin (Oak Creek) and the only freshman on the team, Alex Binelas (Oak Creek).

Joey Scaffidi (Eisenhower) was one of three outfielders selected and the only sophomore to make the first team. Joining Scaffidi in the outfield were juniors Caleb Wagner (Muskego) and Ben DeGracie (South Milwaukee).

The three utility players who were selected were seniors Jonathan Keane (Brookfield Central) and juniors Ty Weber (Menomonee Falls) and Matt McCarty (South Milwaukee).