What a 90 MPH Josh Serio Fastball Looks, Sounds Like

Second-year Whitnall baseball coach Ben Krey can count on one hand the number of pitchers in the Woodland Conference that can throw faster than 90 mph.

“There aren’t many, that’s for sure,” Krey said. “It’s pretty rare.”

In fact, there are only two that can crank it up like a big leaguer, Krey said: Wauwatosa West’s Austin Jones and Whitnall’s own senior Josh Serio.

Serio began throwing impressive heat as a junior, but only reached the high 80s. In the offseason, he worked with his Hitters Baseball coach R.J. Fergus.

“He got me on a throwing program,” Serio said. “I did that religiously and a month or two later, I was at 92.

“I’ve been working out at Hitters and I run two to three miles every day, keep my self in shape and do a lot of shoulder maintenance.”

Serio, who started the season with 30 strikeouts and a no-hitter in his first two appearances, will play for the New Berlin Lakers in the Land O’ Lakes this summer before heading to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside to play next season.

But first thing’s first; the Falcons need to win one of their final two league games to claim the Woodland Conference East Division title, the school’s first conference baseball championship in at least a decade, according to Krey.

“Nothing better than going out in your last season as a conference champion,” Serio said. The Falcons finish the regular season against New Berlin Eisenhower on Friday.

Fifth-seeded Whitnall then hosts 12th-seeded Cudahy in a regional semifinal at 5 p.m. July 9.