Four DeForest baseball players earn conference honors

Four DeForest baseball players received all-conference honors after the Norskies finished their 2026 season 13–14.

After longtime coach Harold Olson — who spent 26 seasons as coach — stepped down last summer, DeForest turned to a familiar face, assistant Adam Billings, to lead DeForest into a new era this spring.

This year, DeForest finished with a 13-14 overall record, including a 6-8 fourth-place finish in the Badger-Large Conference. In regular-season play, DeForest made a habit of securing notable victories, including wins over Big Eight champion Verona 1-0, Badger-Large champion Milton 5-2, Aquinas 3-2 and Monona Grove 7-4.

Entering the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association (WIAA) Division 1 state tournament, DeForest’s résumé of strong wins helped DeForest secure the No. 6 seed in their sectional.

Playing against No. 11 seed Tomah in the regional semifinals, senior Mason Ladwig delivered the walk-off hit to punch DeForest's ticket to the regional final game. There, DeForest made the game competitive, but finished just short of a sectional berth in a 3-2 road loss to No. 3 seed Sun Prairie East.

Season and award recipients

While the 2026 season may be over, the list of postseason accolades certainly isn’t, as DeForest had four athletes represented on the Badger-Large All-Conference list. Check out the list of honorees below.

Evan Kallstrom: First Team All-Conference

DeForest’s Evan Kallstrom was voted First Team All-Conference this spring.

Junior Evan Kallstrom provided quite the impact on the mound for DeForest. This year, Kallstrom boasted a 5-2 record, Because of a 2.52 earned run average (ERA). Kallstrom fanned 29 batters in 44.1 innings pitched. He recorded one save for DeForest this year.

Nolan Pennekamp: Second Team All-Conference

DeForest’s Nolan Pennekamp was voted to the All-Conference Second Team this spring.

Nolan Pennekamp, a junior, gave DeForest significant pop at the three hole this spring. Pennekamp batted .373 with an on-base percentage of nearly .500. He totaled 28 hits, 23 RBIs with one home run.

Carter Meyers: Honorable Mention All-Conference

DeForest’s Carter Meyers was voted to the Honorable Mention All-Conference team this year.

Senior Carter Meyers excelled at the leadoff position. This year, Meyers boasted a batting average of .395 with a .500 on-base percentage. He totaled 32 hits and 20 RBIs and drilled five home runs. According to MaxPreps, Meyers had six games in which he connected on two or more hits.

Mason Sprague: Honorable Mention All-Conference

Mason Sprague was voted to the Honorable Mention All-Conference team this spring.