Add World Series to Varsho family sports highlights

MARSHFIELD – Many dads dream about their son one day playing in the World Series.

For Marshfield native Gary Varsho, that dream has come true.

Daulton Varsho, a 2014 graduate of Marshfield High School, is now the starting center fielder for the Toronto Blue Jays, who are facing the Los Angeles Dodgers in MLB’s Fall Classic.

And whether it’s been the Blue Jays or the Blue Devils, mom and dad have been there every step of the way, and Toronto’s current postseason run has been no different.

“Kay and I have been here (Toronto) since October 3rd, basically getting set for the New York Yankees series in the Divisional round,” Gary Varsho told Hub City Times Oct. 22. “Daulton and I had talked and said, ‘You know, if things don’t go well, if things go south, what’s our plan for going home?’ We kind of talked a little about it. I said, ‘Well, I just have a good feeling.’”

Daulton and his Toronto teammates rode that good feeling all the way to Major League Baseball’s World Series.

After beating the Yankees in four games, the Blue Jays survived a back-and-forth, seven-game series with the Seattle Mariners, clinching the American League pennant with a dramatic come-from-behind win Oct. 20 in Toronto in Game 7 — in which Daulton had a game-tying RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the first inning.

Gary and Kay Varsho were there, sitting behind the third-base dugout, taking it all in and watching their youngest child — and only son — punch his ticket to the World Series.

But in that frenzied and euphoric moment at the Rogers Centre (previously known as the SkyDome), Gary’s mind wondered back to when Daulton and his older sisters — Andie and Taylor — were still small children playing at home.

“Just playing our garage ball in the backyard and playing in Pittsville the first time we ever started organized ball,” Gary recalled. “You just try to replay everything that’s gone on.

“You know, those three kids — Taylor, Andie and Daulton — they made each other,” Gary continued. “Kay and I were just like a small guiding force, but they made each other because they were so competitive, and they wanted something more than the average Joe.”    

Now, they’d like nothing more than to celebrate a World Series win together as a baseball family.

“Timing is everything in life and the timing right now for Daulton and the Varshos is really great,” Gary told us. “We’re not on top of the world. We’re just an athletic family that’s able to enjoy our kids.” 

Andie (Varsho) Alexander was a standout softball player at Marshfield High School and Purdue University, where she set the career record for hits in 2014 while setting the season record for the school’s longest hitting streak at 22 games, from March 1 to April 5, 2014.

She tied Purdue’s game records for hits, doubles, stolen bases and runs and ended her college career as one of the most decorated players in school history and ranked among the career top five in nine different categories.

She later played in the NPF, a professional fast pitch league. Andie led the UW-Platteville softball program as head coach for four seasons (2016-19). She is now the athletic director at Stoughton High School and she and her husband Caleb have three children.

Taylor Varsho excelled in basketball, and still holds nine Marshfield High School records.

She played college basketball her freshman year at Colorado State (2012-13), followed by three seasons at the University of Sioux Falls in South Dakota (2013-16), where she holds eight top-10 school records and claims the top spot in 3-pointers made in a season with 113 in 2015-16. 

Taylor was inducted into the USF Hall of Fame in 2024. She now serves as the principal of Pittsville High School.

Taylor and her boyfriend, Nate, reside in Chili with their dog Albert.

As for Gary and Kay, they still have their home in Chili and are supporting their kids in new ways, like caring for their grandchild while Daulton and wife Brooke (Dolezal) focus on baseball.

“He’s in the right spot at the right time with the right bunch of guys with the right organization,” Gary said of Daulton’s role in Toronto. “I find a lot of Wisconsin qualities in the people in Toronto. They care. They’re caring, and Kay and I have met so many people and have absolutely loved it.” 

Daulton Varsho is believed to be the first from central Wisconsin to appear in the World Series.

His dad was almost the first.

Gary Varsho was a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates when they advanced to the National League Championship Series in 1991 and 1992, eventually losing both times to the Atlanta Braves in seven games.

“One pitch away. One strikeout away. One line drive away. One out away from going to the World Series,” Gary recalled. “Tough. I feel for Seattle. I’ve been there. I’ve been there twice. It’s tough. You work so hard and you realize how close you are, but you never got over the hump, so I’ve been waiting since ’92 for this moment, so it was really sweet to be on the other side of it and it’s just really neat that we as a family can enjoy it – Game 7 and a winner.”