Author: Mitchell Skurzewski

The Milwaukee Brewers reclaimed their spot atop the NL Central last night. I thought now would be a good time to look at who has surprised to help put the Brewers there. Over the course of 162 games there will be some ups and downs. But without the contributions of some unsung heroes, Milwaukee would not be atop its division right now. Who are those players? Let’s dig in. Rowdy Tellez Tellez was anticipated to be in the middle of the Brewers order. However, he never had put together a big season or really allowed to. Coming into the year…

It was quite a year for Justin Lewis and Marquette. Even though it ended with a dud in the NCAA Tournament, the Golden Eagles weren’t expected to make it there. It was supposed to be a rebuilding year. A huge leap by Justin Lewis and transfer impacts led the Golden Eagles to March Madness. Lewis led the team with averages of 16.8 points per game and 7.9 rebounds per game. Lewis and Darryl Morsell provided a consistent scoring punch that Marquette needed. Now, both are moving on with Morsell graduating and Lewis electing to stay in the NBA Draft. Justin…

The Marquette 2022 recruiting class offers multi-positional talent. Coach Shaka Smart is bringing in a coveted point guard, an international big and a talented wing. Smart also added a transfer wing to Marquette’s 2022 recruiting class. Unsure what Marquette’s incoming recruiting class offers? Let’s take a look: Sean Jones (5-10, 175), PG Jones has a reputation as a dogged on-ball defender. That’s not to say he isn’t a good offensive player, either. Jones is the third-ranked recruit in Ohio and a top-150 recruit in the country according to Rivals. Marquette had a hard time finding a pure point guard during…

If you are looking at Aaron Ashby’s stats that scroll along the bottom ticker you won’t know how good he has been. The young lefty starter has been fantastic for the Brewers.  However, he hasn’t collected a win and on May 8 his ERA was sitting at 4.24. Look beyond the numbers and you’ll realize how good he has been. Ashby has given up 11 earned runs this season, but nine of those came in two appearances.  On April 22, he surrendered three runs in 2.1 innings against Philadelphia and on May 8, he allowed six runs in just four…

Brewers president of baseball operations David Stearns is one of the best at making sure his teams are equipped with enough depth.  This is especially true with his pitching staff as he will oftentimes call up guys from Triple-A Nashville to eat up valuable innings during the course of a long 162-game season.  This year has been no different for we have already seen a lot of players from the Sounds and likely will continue to see more. Let’s take a look at the makeup of the current bullpen including the high leverage arms. Let me be the first to…

It is typically not a time of heavy news for most programs in college basketball. The transfer portal has changed that. Marquette and coach Shaka Smart continue to be active in the transfer portal and that keeps the flow of news about the Golden Eagles flowing. Here are some recent relevant happenings regarding Marquette: Justin Lewis declares for NBA Draft Justin Lewis was Marquette’s top player this past season. Lewis averaged 17 points and nearly 8 rebounds per game. On April 12 he declared for the NBA Draft. Lewis on average is projected as a second round pick. Lewis will…

Marquette coach Shaka Smart nabbed his first player of the 2023 class on the recruiting trail when Zaire Lowery committed recently. You can almost forget high school recruiting is still going on with all the transfer portal talk in college basketball. Make no mistake, though, high school recruiting is the lifeblood long-term for a college program. https://twitter.com/PrepHoopsMO/status/1516553805730570252 Smart was quoted after Lowery’s commitment and said that high school recruits will be his focus rather than the transfer portal. Here is a quote in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story on Lowery’s commitment. “But we’re still going to build our program primarily…

Marquette coach Shaka Smart is going to be very active in the transfer portal yet again this year. One area in particular Smart is focusing on is bigs who can rebound. Marquette had length this year with Kur Kuath and Oso Ighodaro, but neither are physical. Both were pushed around on the glass. Kuath is graduating and Marquette has little depth on the interior. Enter the transfer portal. Shaka Smart and MU has reached out to numerous interior possibilities. Post target: Warren Washington One potential interior presence, Warren Washington, has Marquette on one of the teams he is ‘focusing on.’…

Marquette is undoubtedly going to be active in the transfer portal. I mean, who isn’t now? Shaka Smart had a successful first season at Marquette which saw the Golden Eagles earn an NCAA Tournament trip after being picked to finish ninth in the Big East in the preseason coaches’ poll. While getting established at Marquette, Smart nabbed four transfer starters out of the portal last year. Senior transfers Darryl Morsell and Kur Kuath and underclassmen Tyler Kolek, and Oliver Maxwell-Prosper helped spur Marquette along with mainstay Justin Lewis. Now, Smart is looking to build on that success. To bide time…

Around mid-February, it appeared Justin Lewis was winding down his Marquette career. Lewis was playing at a level that appeared to be making him a lock to turn pro following the season. However, a lackluster finish to the season could bring Lewis back for another year at Marquette. Lewis had a forgettable performance against North Carolina in the NCAA Tournament. He shot two for 15 from the field and scored just six points. The six points were a season-low and only the third time all year Lewis scored in single digits. The dud could feel bigger than it really is,…