Last year, Westby/Coon Valley were right there on the cusp of what would’ve been a second straight state tournament appearance. The Bandits came into the final day of the 2023 regionals needing to win two in a row against rival Viroqua, but only managed to take the first game in the championship round before falling in the second to come up a single victory shy of state.
Facing the same situation this past Sunday — this time against Bangor Post 40 — the Bandits refused to be denied.
Westby/Coon Valley picked up the two wins it needed against Bangor to capture a regional title and punch its ticket to this year’s Class A state Legion baseball tournament.
The Bandits were part of a double-elimination regional held from Thursday, July 25 to Sunday, July 28 in Bangor, joined in the field by host Bangor, Prairie du Chien, Stoddard, Bi-State and Gale-Ettrick Trempealeau.
Over the first two days of the regional, Westby/Coon Valley hammered Bi-State 16-3 on Thursday and eked out a 5-3 victory over Prairie du Chien during Friday’s session. On Saturday, Bangor blanked the Bandits 3-0 to give Westby zero margin for error in its quest for state going forward. The Bandits moved themselves into the final stage of the regional by beating Prairie du Chien 9-2 in Saturday’s last game.
In a must-win situation on Sunday, Cashton alum Connor Butzler got the start on the mound against a familiar foe in Bangor. Butzler was stellar in a high-stakes situation, tossing seven shutout innings in which he allowed four hits and three walks, hit a pair of batters and struck out four.
Behind that outing, the Bandits earned a 4-0 win against Bangor.
“Connor’s performance Sunday truly was special to watch. He has given so much for this team and for him to come out and have a dominant performance against a rival team throughout his career was outstanding,” said Westby/Coon Valley manager John Hamilton. “Big players show up in big games and Connor did that Sunday. You could tell from the first pitch on Sunday that it was going to be his day. It will be a day Connor will remember for a long time.”
Butzler got all the run support he needed in the top of the first, with RBI singles from Bo Milutinovich, Ben Roethel and Beckett Brueggen allowing Westby to open up a 3-0 lead. Roethel later scored on an error in the sixth inning to wrap up the game’s scoring.
At the plate for Westby, Roethel finished 2 for 2 with two walks, an RBI and two runs, Connor Butzler went 2 for 4 with a run scored and Drew Butzler singled and drew a walk.
That win set up a winner-takes-all rematch for the regional title and a state berth. The Bandits again conjured up an impressive performance, earning a 7-2 victory to send themselves to state.
Devin Nedland got Westby on the board with an RBI single in the top of the first, which Bangor answered with Bryce Anderson’s RBI single in the bottom half of the inning to knot the score at 1-1.
Connor Butzler’s RBI single in the second inning started the scoring on a three-run rally for Westby, which was followed in the fourth with another three-run frame to make it a 7-1 lead.
Down to their season’s final out in the bottom of the seventh, Bangor got one run back with Eli Tucker’s RBI double. However, that would not be the start of a miracle rally, and Westby quickly closed things out.
Nedland got the win for Westby/Coon Valley by allowing two runs on seven hits and one walk with six strikeouts in seven innings.
At the plate, Connor Butzler finished 2 for 3 with two walks, an RBI and two runs, while Brueggen, Gavin Larson and Brody Steinhoff each had two-hit games as well. As for Bangor, Brock Bores finished 3 for 3 to lead the way at the plate.
With that, the Bandits avenged their near-miss at regionals a year ago to send themselves, including some Cashton representation thanks to the Butzler brothers, to the state tournament.
“Connor and Drew have been wonderful additions to our program,” Hamilton said. “Their skill set on the ball field is very evident. Both of them have been key contributors offensively and defensively for us all season. As infielders and pitchers, they have had a significant impact on this team and contributed to our success. As terrific as they are on the field, they are also amazing young men off. They do things the right way with determination, respect and class.”
UP NEXT
The Bandits are moving on to the 2024 Wisconsin Class A American Legion State Baseball Tournament, which will be held from Friday, August 2 to Tuesday, August 6 in Osseo. This marks Westby’s 12th appearance in the state tournament, having last made it in 2022 and with a state championship to their name from back in 2000.
Westby/Coon Valley gets its state experience underway on Friday at 1 p.m. against Viroqua. The 138ers are back at state for the fourth straight year, making a run in honor of the late Pete Swanson, Viroqua’s legendary baseball coach who passed away earlier this month.
2024 Bangor Class AA regional results
Thursday, July 25
Game 1: Prairie du Chien 12, Stoddard 2
Game 2: Westby/Coon Valley 16, Bi-State 3
Game 3: Bangor 7, G-E-T 3
Friday, July 26
Game 4: G-E-T 10, Stoddard 0
Game 5: Bangor 5, Bi-State 4
Game 6: Westby/Coon Valley 5, PdC 3
Saturday, July 27
Game 7: PdC 8, G-E-T 6
Game 8: Bangor 3, Westby/Coon Valley 0
Game 9: Westby/Coon Valley 9, PdC 2
Sunday, July 28, 2024
Game 10: Westby/Coon Valley 4, Bangor 0
Game 11: Westby/Coon Valley 7, Bangor 2
