Sports

He’s not scorching hot. Yet.

But he’s not ice cold, either.

And after the start to the year that Middleton’s Easton Harris has had, he’ll take it.

The senior right fielder broke out of a mini slump in the Cardinals’ 16-1 win over Madison La Follette on April 10 — belting a two-run homer to right field. Harris remained locked in Friday, lacing a two-out, two-run double in the first inning to spark Middleton to a 5-3, Big Eight Conference victory over visiting Janesville Parker.

Harris also singled in the bottom of the fifth inning and pinch runner August Faessler came around to score on Jonathan Schecher’s RBI double for the Cardinals’ final tally of the contest.

Middleton improved to 4-1 overall and 3-0 in the Big Eight Conference.

Girls soccer teams across the state began practicing on March 24.

Many played their first game as early as April 1.

And the majority of those outfits probably said their goal was reach the state tournament in late-June.

Middleton is among those schools that will be targeting a trip to state, only here’s the difference.

For many of those schools, such chatter is undoubtedly a pipe dream. The Cardinals, on the other hand, bring back eight all-Big Eight Conference players and anything short of state will be a disappointment.

“Our goal is the same — get to state,” said Middleton coach Mary Duffy, whose team begins their new season Friday at Hartland Arrowhead. “Get as far as we can with our amazing, awesome seniors — to play as long as we can with them.”

Middleton saw two of the state’s best softball programs last week.

And now the Cardinals know what it takes to become the best.

Middleton opened its year with a 3-1 win over Big Eight Conference rival and traditional power Verona on April 3. The Cardinals then dropped a 7-1 decision to visiting Kaukauna — which won state titles from 2021-’23 — last Saturday.

Middleton is now 2-1 overall and 2-0 in the Big Eight,

Here’s a recap of the Cardinals’ week.

• Middleton 3, Verona 1 — Senior pitcher Megan Button threw a complete game gem and picked up the win for the Cardinals.

Button struck out six, didn’t walk a batter and allowed just two hits and one run in seven innings of work. Button threw strikes on 58 of her 81 pitches (71.6%) and carried a perfect game into the seventh.

Middleton’s baseball team split its first two games of the year last week.

Waunakee edged the Cardinals, 5-4, in eight innings on April 4. Middleton then rebounded with a 7-0 blanking of Milton on April 5.

Here’s a recap of the Cardinals’ week.

• Waunakee 5, Middleton 4 (8) — The Cardinals dropped their season-opener when the Warriors scored in the bottom of the eighth inning.

“We didn't play well, but we were still in a position to win the game late, which is something positive we can build on,” Middleton manager Brent Jorgensen said. “We were uncharacteristically amped up, and did not play with good body language. However, we hit well with two strikes and made solid contact for much of the game.”

Koeplin Look and Jonathan Schecher both had two hits and an RBI to lead Middleton’s offense.

They say first impressions are often the most telling.

If that’s the case, it figures to be a memorable spring for Middleton’s boys golf team.

The Cardinals shot a 298 team score and won the Madison Memorial Triangular at Odana Hills Golf Course on April 3. Madison West was second with a 319 and Madison Memorial was third (329).

“It was our first time out on the course,” Middleton coach Tom Cabalka said. “Our first three days were spent in meetings — golf rules and team expectations. 

“Prior to teeing off, I told the varsity five to keep their expectations in check, being the first match, 38 degrees and high winds. I thought that our first four players would play well, but I certainly did not expect them to play as well as they did. 

“A 298 was a great score. It was a great testament to those players to get themselves ready in the preseason and play the way they did in our first match.”

Middleton’s boys lacrosse team exited on a high in 2024 — winning the first-ever WIAA state championship.

Now, the Cardinals are hoping 2025 brings more of the same.

Middleton opened its new season by splitting a pair of games last week.

Middleton defeated Sun Prairie, 14-9, in its season-opener on April 3. The Cardinals then fell to New Trier (Ill.), 8-4, last Saturday.

Here’s a recap of the Cardinals’ week.

• Middleton 8, Sun Prairie 4 — Attackman Evan Mazur scored three goals to power Middleton past Sun Prairie.

Freshmen Aksel Chelesvig also had a memorable debut, with a near-perfect performance at faceoff.

Middleton built an 8-0 lead in the first half, then went deep into its bench in the second half.

Middleton’s JV team also won, 10-0.

• New Trier (Ill.) 8, Middleton 4 — New Trier scored four unanswered goals in the fourth quarter to break a 2-2 tie and pull away.

Editor’s Note: This story ran in the Toronto Star on March 28. The Times-Tribune was given permission to run the story.

On the morning of the biggest game of his life, Alan Roden was at a Toronto diner with his parents and sister, who had flown in from Wisconsin the night before to watch his major-league debut with the Blue Jays on March 27.

Roden has always been poised, whether it was on the baseball field or in the classroom, where he graduated from Creighton University with a physics degree. But his family would have understood if he was a bundle of nerves hours before taking the field for the first time at the Rogers Centre.

That wasn’t the case.

“He asked us if we were ready,” dad Eric Roden said with a smile. “He was calm and — this is a tribute to his character — confident, but not cocky. And that character trait has served him well.”

Wisconsin Heights’ baseball team might be too young to remember the 1980s television show ‘The Jeffersons.’

But Vanguards’ manager Ted Severson knows it well.

And much like dry-cleaning extraordinaire George Jefferson, Severson believes his Vanguards will be “moving on up” this spring.

Heights went 2-19 overall last year and was 0-10 in the Capitol South Conference.

The Vanguards didn’t have a senior on the roster, though, and welcomes back that entire group. Heights now hopes that having an experienced, veteran-laden team will lead to a dramatic improvement on the diamond.

“We are excited for the season, as we are in a unique position,” said Severson, whose team began its new season Tuesday by facing Sauk Prairie. “We had zero seniors last year, so we return all 15 players from last year’s roster, as well as six newcomers.”

Perhaps the most exciting thing to happen to the Vanguards’ program in several years is the rise in numbers.

The season had been over five, maybe 10 minutes.

Middleton’s boys golf team had just finished a largely stellar 2024 season that ended with a somewhat disappointing seventh place finish at the WIAA Division 1 state meet.

And moments after putting out at Blackwolf Run in Kohler, Middleton standout Sammy Forslund was already thinking about 2025.

“It’s exciting,” Forslund said when looking ahead to this spring. “We had a good team this year (2024), and we might have a better one next year.”

Next year is here, and the Cardinals can't wait to strut their stuff.

Middleton returns a terrific junior class led by Forslund, Reis Von Ruden and Luke Weiss — who all had outstanding sophomore seasons. Fellow junior Berrin Reiter was Middleton’s state alternate and could be ready for a huge spring, as well.

That group of juniors — along with the usual talent and depth inside the program — could make this a special year at MHS.

Brent Jorgensen is beginning his seventh season as Middleton’s baseball manager.

He’s led the Cardinals to a state tournament appearance in 2023, top half finishes in the Big Eight Conference every year, and never had a losing season.

So when Jorgensen says the following, your ears naturally stand up.

“I absolutely believe in this group, perhaps more so than any other year that I've had as head coach,” Jorgenson said.

That’s saying a lot when you consider the success Middleton has had under Jorgensen. Then again, it’s easy to see why Middleton has every reason to be fired up about what lies ahead this spring.

The Cardinals return six all-conference players from last year’s team that went 16-10 overall, bring back several other key contributors and will add a group of newcomers with exciting potential.

Add it up and this could be one of Middleton’s better teams in years.