6/9 state baseball: Interchangable aces Lepke, Zeimet pack a punch for De Soto

By TODD SOMMERFELDT | La Crosse Tribune

STODDARD, Wis. — Kelly Olson still can’t tell you who the true No. 1 pitcher of the De Soto High School baseball team is.

The coach said that Jenner Lepke will likely get the start in Wednesday’s WIAA Division 4 state semifinal game against Burlington Catholic Central (12-12), but don’t read too much into that.

“Going into the postseason, we talked as a coaching staff about who was our No. 1 and who was our No. 2,” Olson said. “We really couldn’t decide.”

For the record, senior Ethan Zeimet is the other half of this equation, and he and Lepke have afforded the Pirates (19-5) quite a luxury this season and should do the same this week at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, Wis.

The Pirates are making their eighth state appearance and second in a row with an experienced group after qualifying last year, too. Both Zeimet and Lepke played on that team, which lost a 3-2 semifinal to Abbotsford, but neither pitched in the game.

That doesn’t mean they aren’t ready to put what they call a bad game behind them with another crack at advancing to the championship game.

“I can probably speak for everybody and say we maybe got two hours of sleep the night before that game,” Zeimet said of last year’s semifinal. “It was 85 degrees in our hotel room, and we just had nerves running through us.

“Stepping on the field was awesome, but it didn’t click for us in that game.”

Lepke and Zeimet have been clicking all season.

Lepke (6-0) has struck out 54 batters and allowed 23 hits over 40 2/3 innings and has an earned-run average of 1.38. Zeimet (7-0) has a 2.13 ERA with 53 strikeouts and 21 walks in 42 2/3 innings.

“(Lepke) has a nasty curveball,” Zeimet said. “He just always seems to pitch well. He throws strikes, and that’s a huge thing in high school baseball.”

Zeimet’s curveball is just as effective, according to Lepke, who beat Seneca and Winona State University pitching recruit Tyler Payne twice late in the season.

“When he’s pitching, and I’m out there at shortstop,” Lepke said, “I put myself in the position of the batter and wonder if I could hit him.

“I don’t know. Sometimes, it gets pretty wicked. That curveball is probably his bread and butter.”

The two have been able to hit a lot of pitchers throughout the season, too. Lepke is batting .452 with five home runs and 40 RBI, while Zeimet is at .458 — his on-base average is .612 — with 16 RBI and 17 stolen bases.

Lepke uses De Soto’s state-qualifying teams of 2000, 2001 and 2002 as his inspiration. The Pirates won Division 3 titles in the first two years of that streak and placed second in ’02. Lepke is very interested in repeating the success he watched as a boy.

“This has been the goal since I was 11 or 12,” he said. “Watching those guys and getting the chance to do what they did is crazy, but we’re finally here.”

Todd Sommerfeldt can be reached at (608) 791-8208 or todd.sommerfeldt@lee.net

DE SOTO PIRATES

Kelly Olson

RECORD: 19-5

WINNING STREAK: Four games

HOT BAT: Senior Jenner Lepke’s at-bats have led to big things all season. He’s hit five home runs and has 13 doubles and 40 RBI.

BEST ARM: Senior right-hander Ethan Zeimet is undefeated, leads the team in victories (7) and has its only save. His ERA is 2.13 over 42 2/3 innings.

FIRST TEST: Burlington Catholic Central (12-12) lost its last two regular-season games but has outscored its postseason opponents 40-9.