Hawks drop two on Saturday at UW-Oshkosh

The UW-Whitewater baseball team finds itself in second place in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings after losing both ends of a doubleheader at UW-Oshkosh Saturday afternoon.

GAME ONE

The Hawks dropped the opener 4-1 in game where the UWW defense committed four errors.

Justin Lambert got the start in game-one and pitched well giving up just four hits in five innings on the mound. Three UWO runs scored on Lambert’s watch but two of the three runs were unearned.

Kyle Lee came on in relief in the sixth inning and gave up a run in an inning and a third on the hill.

Jack Larsen pitched a hitless final inning and two-thirds.

Former Oshkosh Titan, Drew Eichstaedt, scored Whitewater’s long run on Jeff Donovan’s sacrifice fly in the third inning.

The Titans scored three in the fifth inning to take a lead they would not relinquish.

The Warhawks could only manage six hits off UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Luke Westphal who entered the game with a miserly 1.06 earned run average. He allowed just the one run in going the distance to improve his season record to 7 & 0.

Lambert took the loss for Whitewater to fall to 4 & 2 on the season.

The loss snapped an eight-game Warhawk winning streak.

GAME TWO

The Warhawks could not hold a 4-2 lead entering the bottom of the 8th inning as archrival UW-Oshkosh upended UWW 5-4 scoring two runs in the bottom of the 9th inning.

The Hawks opened the game with two runs in the top of the first inning to take the early lead.

Oshkosh picked up single runs in the third and fourth to knot the nightcap at 2-all.

The Hawks put two runs on the board in the fifth inning to take a 4-2 advantage.

Matt Roberts had a quality start for the UWW pitching staff scattering six hits in seven innings pitched. He struck out 5 while walking just 2.

Tom Kerndt came on in the 8th inning giving up a run on two hits.

UWW head coach John Vodenlich decided to bring on catcher Rob Coe to close the game. The senior, who had pitched just four innings in five outings, was unable to pick up his first career save.

With runners at second and third in the bottom of the 9th inning the Titans got a one-out infield single by Travis Kamps combined with a Warhawk throwing error allowed both runners to score to give a struggling UW-Oshkosh a dramatic come-from-behind win a sweep of the first two games of the weekend series.

Matt Wells pitched the final eight innings in relief of UWO starter Jeremy Reubens to improve his record to 3 & 0.

The two losses by UW-Whitewater combined with two wins by UW-Stevens Point at UW-Platteville (9-4 Game 1, 15-3 Game 2) have vaulted the Pointers ahead of UW-Whitewater into first place in the WIAC with six conference games remaining for both teams.

Here is a look at the WIAC Baseball Standings entering Sunday’s Games:

UW-Stevens Point 14-4, 23-8
UW-Whitewater 13-5, 23-7
UW-Oshkosh 11-7, 22-8
UW-La Crosse 11-9, 19-12
UW-Stout 5-11, 11-19
UW-Platteville 6-16, 8-25
UW-Superior 4-12, 9-22

Wahawks at UW-Oshkosh for four key games this weekend

WIAC baseball teams have “rounded the post and are heading down the homestretch” towards the end of the regular season.

The Warhawks lead the WIAC at 13-3 and take a one-game lead over 12 & 4 UW-Stevens Point heading into WIAC weekend action. UW-Oshkosh is third in the conference standings at 9& 7 with UW-La Crosse at 11 & 9.

Whitewater is at Oshkosh for four games this weekend with the results having a lot to say about who will be advancing to the 2011 WIAC Postseason Tournament set to be played at the No.1 seed’s home field on May 13th and May 14th.

UW-Oshkosh lost twice at second place UW-Stevens Point on Wednesday and currently in a battle with UW-La Crosse for the third and final spot in next month’s conference postseason tournament.

The Warhawks swept two from UW-Platteville Wednesday at Jim Miller Stadium. After winning the opener 12-2 in a seven inning run-rule contest UWW needed dramatic rallies in 9th and 10th innings to come away with a 7-6 victory in the nightcap.

This weekend’s pair of doubleheaders at Twill start at noon on both days, and will showcase the top two pitching staffs in the league.

UW-Oshkosh has a team earned run average of 2.51 that includes Luke Westphal’s conference-best mark of 1.08. Jeremy Rubens follows in second at 1.45 and Andrew Murphy ranks third at 2.39. The Warhawks’ team ERA of 3.97 is led by Riley Tincher’s 3.16 figure. Jeff Donovan leads WIAC pitchers with a 7 & 0 season record.

UW-Whitewater also has power using the bats, listing 11th nationally with nine runs per game. Daniel Putnam tops the league in both batting average (.527) and stolen bases (23). The .527 average ranks second in NCAA Division III batting averages. Jeff Donovan is the conference’s #2 hitter with a .431 average, while Rob Coe has 38 RBI to pace the WIAC.

The first-place Warhawks bring an eight-game winning streak into the weekend matchup on ths shores of Lake Winnebago.

Nolan Fadness fuels the Titan offense with his .355 batting average, 34 runs and 20 stolen bases. The clutch producer has been Tyler Kamps, who owns 12 doubles and 28 RBI. Newcomer Alex Mullendore has UWO’s only two home runs this season.

New mandated bats having a big impact on WIAC home run numbers

I’ve talked several times this season on the impact the new NCAA-Mandated BBCOR composite bats..

The new bats are constructed with the same aluminum exterior as standard aluminum baseball bats, but have a "woven" graphite wall on the inside which results in a 10 to 15 percent decrease in performance.

Offensive statistics have taken a nosedive across all levels of college baseball, and it's likely the result of new bat-testing standards put in place this season to reduce the speed at which the ball leaves the bat.

According to a set of midseason statistics released by the NCAA that included games through April 3, the most recent set of data available, home runs have taken a hit. In Division I, home runs per game dropped from .85 to .47, with similar marks at Division II (.72/43) and Division III (.54/.30).

A look at 2011 home run totals in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference has dropped dramatically so far this season.

Entering the weekend, UW-Whitewater has hit just 9 home runs through 28 games. UW-Stevens Point’s home run total is 16 and UW-Oshkosh has hit just 2 homers so far in 2011.

To put those home run numbers in context here is a look at each of the school’s home run average over the past five seasons 2006-2010:

UWSP 60 HRs
UWW 44 HRs
UWO 26 HRs

The goal, through this rule change and others before it, is for the aluminum and composite bats used at the college level to perform identically to the wood ones the pros use.

The new bats are safer but not unbreakable. UW-Whitewater centerfielder Dylan Friend had his bat snap in half when making contact in a game last week vs. Concordia-Chicago. The bats with a price tag of $300+ are under warranty.

BBCOR, which stands for Ball-Bat Coefficient of Restitution, is the number that results from a complex equation measuring the speed of a batted ball. That figure, regardless of bat size, cannot exceed .50

First 2011 NCAA Regional Baseball Ranking has been released

The NCAA Division III Baseball Committee has released its first 2011 regional poll, through games of Sunday, April 25.

(The first record is regional record, followed by overall record)

Midwest Region
1 UW-Whitewater 20-5 21-5
2 UW-Stevens Point 18-6 19-8
3 Macalester 15-6 17-9
4 Hamline 15-6 16-10
5 St. Scholastica 16-2 23-4
6 St. Olaf 17-8 19-10

Central Region
1 Coe 18-9 20-10
2 Carthage 11-5 18-8
3 Buena Vista 17-9 18-11
4 Illinois Wesleyan 17-7 19-10
5 Augustana 12-9 19-9
6 Washington U. 25-15 25-16

I listed both the Midwest Regional Rankings (of which WIAC teams are located. I also listed the Central Regional Rankings (In cast more than one WIAC team earns a NCAA Division III postseason tournament berth. As in the past it is possible for the non-automatic qualifier to get shipped out to the Central Region ie: UWW in 2009 to the Central Regional in Moline, Ill

Pitching will be key on Hawks drive for another WIAC title

One of the side-stories coming out of Wednesday’s doubleheader sweep of Platteville was the Riley Tincher’s game-one pitching performance.

The 2010 WIAC Pitcher of the Year was coming off two consecutive subpar performances.

Tincher responded by getting back into his winning rhythm by pitching five solid innings giving up just two hits. Platteville scored two unearned runs off the senior lefthander in the first inning.

“The first couple of innings he was still struggling a little,” Hawk head coach John Vodenlich tells Voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com. “After that he got back in his rhythm.”

Tincher has been UWW’s No. 1 in the pitching rotation for the past two seasons and has led the WIAC in inning’s pitched.

Last season Tincher pitched 102.1 innings while posting a 13 & 1 record.

Entering this weekend Riley (57.0) along with teammate Jeff Donovan (55.1) and UW-Stevens Point’s Scott Williams (61.1) have logged the most innings on the mound.

Coach Vodenlich told us earlier this season that its “pitching and defense” that are key to winning championships.

Entering the weekend, UW-Whitewater leads the WIAC with a 3.84 earned run average and a .966 fielding percentage.

The Hawks and UW-Stevens Point are tied for the league in hitting with a team .339 batting average entering the final week of the WIAC season.

With all this said let me emphasize strongly that conference championships don’t go to the team with the “best” statistics but to the team that wins the most games on the field.

This weekend UW-Whitewater (13-3) has a four-game series at UW-Oshkosh (9-7) and will conclude its conference slate next weekend by hosting UW-La Crosse (11-9) for four games at Jim Miller Stadium.

Warhawks sweep Platteville at Jim Miller Stadium

The conference-leading UW-Whitewater baseball team took two from UW-Platteville Wednesday, 12-2 in game-one and 7-6 in 10 innings in game-two at chilly Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.

GAME ONE

The UW-Whitewater baseball team rode solid pitching by Riley Tincher and a 16 hit attack to role to a 12-2 ten-run rule, seven inning win over UW-Platteville in the opener of Wednesday’s twinbill on Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.

Tincher (6-2), coming off two consecutive sub-par performances, got back in his winning rhythm by pitching five solid innings giving up just two hits. Platteville scored two unearned runs off the senior lefthander in the first inning.

Rob Coe was the offensive star of the game for the Warhawks getting 4 singles in 5 at bats, 2 RBI's and 2 runs scored. Danny Putnam, Drew Eichstaedt, Jeff Donovan, and Dylan Friend all contributed 2 hits each. Friend led the way with three RBI. Putnam scored 3 times.

Justin Lambert pitched the final two innings in relief of Tincher. The sophomore from Mount Horeb didn’t give up a hit while striking out three Pioneer batters.

GAME TWO

Game-two was anything but a run-away win for U-Dub-Dub.

The Warhawks jumped out to a 5-1 lead through four innings prior to UWP storming back to tie the game at five-all in the top of the fifth.

It remained tied entering the ninth inning when Platteville’s Levi Ney gave his team a 6-5 lead with an RBI double.

Danny Putnam led off the bottom of the ninth by stroking a single and stealing second. With two outs, Platteville elected to intentionally walk Donovan, UW-W's cleanup hitter. The strategy backfired when Brent Young out of Brisbane, Australia came through with a two out single to tie the game and send it into extra innings.

Matt Beyer led off the bottom of the 10th with a base hit and promptly stole second base. With two outs Putnam, the second leading hitter in Division III was intentionally walked which brought up UW-Oshkosh transfer Drew Eichstaedt the plate knowing that a base hit would win the game.

During his at bat, Eichstaedt crashed to the ground after fouling off a pitch. UWW trainer Chad Kelsey spent several minutes determining the severity of the apparent knee injury. “Eicher” stayed in the game and on the next pitch he hit a routine ground ball back to UWP pitcher Bill Oppriecht who threw wide of first base with Beyer scoring from second with the winning run.

(In the adjacent photo -Matt Beyer (right) who just scored game-two's winning run in the 10th inning jumps into the arms of Brent Young (left) who knocked in the tying run in the for the Warhawks with two outs in the ninth inning. The photo may be a bit blurry but so was UWW's dramatic extra-inning come from behind win - Tom Pattison photo)

Matthew Roberts (2-1) picked up the win in relief of Jeff Donovan who pitched the first nine innings without a decision for the Warhawks.

Putnam, Coe and Donovan led UW-W with two hits each in the day’s nightcap.

UW-Whitewater is 23-5 overall and 13-3 in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Platteville falls to 8-23 on the season and 6-14 in league play.

Whitewater will enter the weekend a game ahead of second place Stevens Point and four games ahead of third place UW-Oshkosh.

Whitewater will take the 90 minute trek up Highway 26 this weekend for a four-game weekend series at UW-Oshkosh.

Hawks win game-one 12-2 vs. Platteville

The UW-Whitewater baseball team rode the pitching of Riley Tincher and a 16 hit attack to role to a 12-2 ten-run rule, seven inning win over UW-Platteville in the opener of Wednesday’s twinbill on Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.

Tincher (6-2), coming off two consecutive sub-par performances, got back in his winning rhythm by pitching five solid innings giving up just two hits. Platteville scored two unearned runs off the senior lefthander in the first inning.

Trailing 2-0 to start the game, Rob Coe cut the lead in half in the bottom of the first with an RBI single.

The Hawks got the "carousel" going in the second by putting a four-spot on the board to make it 5-2 after two innings. Coe again was in the center of the action.

Th Warhawks strung five hits together in a four-run, second inning. Drew Eichstaedt, Rob Coe and Jeff Donovan hit successive run-scoring singles.

UWW centerfielder Dylan Friend’s bases loaded double with two outs in the fourth extended the Whitewater's advantage to 8-3.

UWW added one in the fifth, one in the sixth, followed by an RBI ground-rule double by Logan Peot followed by Nathan Boltz's game-winning RBI single to end the game.

Rob Coe paced the UWW offense with a 4 for 5 game-one with 2 RBI. Dylan Friend was one of four Warhawks with two hits in the game. The freshman from Burlington drove in three runs in the game.

Jeff Donovan was 2 for 2 with a pair of RBI. Drew Eichstaedt each added a pair of RBI in the Warhawk victory.

Justin Lambert came on in relief of Ticher to start the sixth inning and finished by pitching two hitless innings with 1 strikeout and 1 walk to pick up his first save of the season.

Game two is just underway with Jeff Donovan on the hill for the Hawks

Hawks up 8-3 through four in game-one

Th Warhawks lead UW-Platteville 5-2 through innings in game-one at the Mills.

The Pioneers got two unearned runs in the 1st inning for an early 2-0 lead off Riley Tincher. The Hawks get a run of their own in the bottom of the first to cut the UWP lead to 2-1.

The Hawks got the "carosel" going in the second by putting a four-spot on the board to make it 5-2 after two innings.

UWW centerfielder Dylan Friend’s bases loaded double with two outs in the fourth has extended the Hawk advantage to 8-3.

Meanwhile Riley Tincher, who had struggled his last two starts, has limited the Pioneers to just two hits through four innings.

More to come...

-Voice

Overcast but no rain this afternoon at the Mills

There will be baseball this afternoon at James B. Miller Stadium.

A morning long rain ended shortly before noon and field conditions on the synthetic turf will be excellent.

The game-one pitching match-up will pit UW-Platteville righthander Grant Oldenburg vs. Hawj southpaw Riley Tincher.

Under overcast skies the game-time temperature is 50 degrees.

UW-Platteville @ UW-Whitewater now scheduled to start at 3 p.m.

Due to the steady rain that fell in Whitewater this morning has resulted in today's doubleheader vs. UW-Platteville to get underway at 3 p.m.

Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium is in great shape. The grounds crew has the field ready to go.

I'll have more pregame information - a look around the WIAC - and gametime weather conditions coming up here on voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com in approximately 45 minutes.

-Voice

Expect lower 50s for Wednesday's Platteville at Whitewater DH

The UW-Whitewater baseball team will play host to UW-Platteville in WIAC action Wednesday afternoon on Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.

The National Weather Service is calling for cloudy skies with a game-time temperature of 52 degrees and a 30 percent chance of a hit-or-miss shower.

First pitch for game-one of the doubleheader is set for 1 p.m.

When the heck is REAL spring weather going to invade southern Wisconsin? For UW-Whitewater baseball fans that have been regulars at Warhawk games this spring (both home and away) winter clothing has been a must.

Over the last 10 days game-time temperatures have hovered in the lower 40s with a wind chill for a couple of games in the upper 20s.

The month of April has only had five days with a high temperature of 60 degrees or higher.

Don’t blame the weatherman you watch on TV. Blame south Pacific Ocean Southern Oscillation which is currently in a La Nina stage which is a major reason for the wet and violent weather to the south of Wisconsin and the cool wet weather that has been a regular visitor in Southern Wisconsin all month.

Elsewhere in the WIAC on Wednesday (all doubleheaders)
UW-Oshkosh at UW-Stevens Point
UW-Superior at UW-La Crosse

Race for WIAC Championship heats up this week

What did Yogi Berra one say? It is déjà vu all over again!

UW-Whitewater, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Oshkosh appear to be the three WIAC baseball teams that will battle it out for the 2011 WIAC Championship.

The Warhawks enter the week in 1st place in the standings with an 11 & 3 conference mark. The Pointers are a game back in second place with a 10 & 4 record. Oshkosh is two games back of UWW in 3rd place sporting a 9 & 5 conference mark.

This will definitely be a “week of reckoning” and it all begins on Wednesday when UW-Stevens Point travels to Oshkosh for a doubleheader vs. the Titans. Meanwhile the Warhawks will host UW-Platteville in a twinbill on Prucha Field at James Miller Stadium.

Coming up this weekend the highlight match-up will be UW-Whitewater at UW-Oshkosh for a critical four-game series. The Pointers will be in Plattville for doubleheaders on Saturday and Sunday.

When the “dust settles” following this weekend’s action possibly a clearer view of the three school’s championship hunt will be able to be determined.

On May 6th (Friday) and May 7th (Saturday) the Warhawks will close out the regular season by hosting UW-La Crosse for four games. UW-Stout will be at UW-Stevens Point and UW-Oshkosh makes the long trek to Superior for a four-game series vs. the Yellowjackets.

The team that wins the WIAC regular season title will play host to the three-team, double-elimination WIAC Post-Season Tournament with the winner earning the conference’s automatic bid into the NCAA Division III postseason playoffs.


WIAC BASEBALL STANDINGS (as of 4/25/11)
UW-Whitewater, 11-3 (WIAC), 21-5 (overall)
UW-Stevens Point, 10-4 (WIAC), 19-8 (overall)
UW-Oshkosh, 9-5 (WIAC), 20-6 (overall)
UW-La Crosse, 10-8 (WIAC), 18-11 (overall)
UW-Platteville, 6-12 (WIAC), 8-21 (overall)
UW-Stout, 5-11 (WIAC), 10-18 (overall)
UW-Superior, 3-11 (WIAC), 7-20 (overall)

Conference Games Remaining

Wednesday, April 27th
UW-Stevens Point @ UW-Oshkosh (DH)
UW-Platteville @ UW-Whitewater (DH)

Saturday, April 30th
UW-Whitewater @ UW-Oshkosh (DH)
UW-Stevens Point @ UW-Platteville (DH)

Sunday, May 1st
UW-Whitewater @ UW-Oshkosh (DH)
UW-Stevens Point @ UW-Platteville (DH)

Friday, May 6th
UW-La Crosse @ UW-Whitewater (DH)
UW-Oshkosh @ UW-Superior (DH)
UW-Stout @ UW-Stevens Point (DH)

Saturday, May 7th
UW-La Crosse @ UW-Whitewater (DH)
UW-Oshkosh @ UW-Superior (DH)
UW-Stout @ UW-Stevens Point (DH)

Hawks extend lead in WIAC race by having "bye" week

Heading into the week, the UW-Whitewater baseball team had a chance to extend its lead in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference standings by have a “bye week” in conference play.

Due to the Easter weekend this week’s WIAC play was completed Friday afternoon and the Hawks gained a game on both second place UW-Stevens Point and third place UW-Oshkosh

Friday afternoon, Stevens Point split its doubleheader at Superior. The Pointers won game-one 10-2 but dropped the nightcap 12-2.

Meanwhile Oshkosh swept Stout in Menomonie Friday 6-1 and 8-5. On Thursday the Blue Devils and Titans split its twinbill. Stout scored four runs in the 9th inning in game-one for a come from behind 7-6 win over UWO. The Blue Devils nearly did the same in game-two by rallying again for four in the ninth but falling short in the Titans 7-6 victory.

Now with the dust, or should we say mud settled, the Hawks are now in first place in the WIAC standings at 11 & 3. UWSP sits a game back at 10 & 4, Oshkosh ends the week in third place at 9 & 5.

Things will get very interesting this coming week in the conference race.

UW-Whitewater will be back in the conference on Wednesday hosting UW-Platteville for a 1 p.m. doubleheader.

Coming up Wednesday, Oshkosh will be in Stevens Point for two games vs. the second place Pointers.

Next weekend (April 30, May 1) the Warhawks will have a key four-game series in Oshkosh.

UW-La Crosse appears to have the fourth spot in the conference in hand with it’s current 10 & 8 mark. Stout is fifth at 10 & 8.

As previously reported here on voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com, the Warhawks swept nonconference doubleheaders against Edgewood (12-2 & 14-2) on Wednesday. On Thursday the Hawks beat nationally-ranked Concordia (Chicago) 7-6 in a single game played on Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.

Matt Beyer breaks his home run drought in Thursday's win Concordia (Ill)

UW-Whitewater leftfielder Matt Beyer is no stranger to the Warhawk outfield. The junior out of Janesville Parker High School entered the season coming off two solid seasons for head coach John Vodenlich.

As a junior this year, the Janesville native has struggled at the plate and was hitting just .247 with 0 home runs. He finally “turned” on one in Thursday’s win over Concordia (Chicago) hitting his first home run of the season giving the Warhawks a 5-4 lead in the fourth inning.

(In the adjacent photo - Matt Beyer [17] is greeted by the UWW dugout after launching his first home run of the season in Thursday's 7-6 win over Concordia (Chicago) at James B. Miller Stadium - Tom Pattison photo)

“Matt has been playing better of late,” Hawks’ head coach John Vodenlich said following Wednesday’s 7-6 victory. ‘He continues to improve and is being to look, act and feel more like Matt Beyer.

Beyer hit .300 with eight home runs as a freshman in 2009. Last season, as a sophomore, Beyer topped the 300-mark again with a .308 batting average and seven home runs.

Beyer tells Voiceseyeonfootball.blogspot.com that he is trying to battle back after a very slow start to the season.

“In Florida I really struggled,” Beyer said. “I wasn’t seeing the ball well after not facing live pitching during preseason practice. Now that we’re back home I’m beginning to see the ball much better.”

Following his 1 for 3 afternoon at the plate with the home run and 2 RBI, Beyer is now hitting .247 with eight doubles, one home run and 16 RBI. He is also seven for seven in stolen base attempts.

Blessed with good speed, Beyer along with centerfielder Dyan Friend and rightfielder Danny Putnam make one of the top outfields defensively in the nation.

Warhawks slide by Concordia (Ill) 7-6

Entering Wednesday’s non-conference game vs. Concordia (Chicago) one had a feeling it might be a high-scoring affair.

Concordia arrived in Whitewater ranked sixth in Division III statistics averaging 9.5 runs per game. The Hawks close behind with an 8.7 runs per game average ranked 17th in the country.

The Warhawks jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning. Whitewater strung three hits together including RBI singles by Rob Coe and Sam Keller.

The Cougars immediately come back in the second by loading the bases with no one out. One runner scored on a double play. Concordia’s Brenan Schultz followed with an RBI single to knot the game up at 2-2.

Concordia first baseman Ryan Pacyga ripped his fourth home of the season in the top of the third to put the Cougars in front 3-2.

A one out double by Eichstaedt started the bottom of the third. Coe picked up his second RBI by singling him in, and designated hitter Sam Keller’s first triple of the season put the Warhawks back in front 4-3.

Cougar second baseman Robert Weis’ RBI double with two outs in the top of the fourth tied the score at 4-4.

Tincher struggled on the mound early by giving up the two runs on five hits through two innings.

The senior lefty would last only four innings giving up 5 runs and 11 hits. Justin Lambert, in relief of Tincher,

Matt Beyer gave the Hawks a 5-4 lead in the fourth inning with his first home run of the season.

Riley Tincher struggled on the mound for much of the game as head coach John Vodenlich brought in Justin Lambert out of the bullpen following the first batter in the top of the fifth inning.

Tincher’s pitching line for the game: 5 runs on 11 hits. The lefty walked one and struck out two.

Concordia shortstop Eric Ignatowski singled in two runs to put Concordia back in front 6-5 in the fifth.

Lambert, who was coming off a solid start last Monday at Stout was equally as impressive against Concordia (Chicago) Thursday afternoon. The freshman righthander gave up just one run and two hits in four-and-a-third innings of quality relief pitching.

Whitewater retook the lead in the sixth combining a walk, a double by Jared Fon and a sacrifice fly by Matt Beyer for his second RBI of the afternoon. Centerfielder Dylan Friend finished off the inning with what turned out to be a game-winning RBI to put the Hawks in front for good at 7 to 6.

Jeff Donovan came on with one out in the ninth and got the final two outs (strike out and ground out) for his first save of the season.

The final line score:
UW-Whitewater: 7 runs 10 hits 0 errors, 4 LOB
Concordia (Chicago): 6 runs 14 hits 1 error, 9 LOB

With the win, UW-Whitewater improves it’s season record to 21 & 5. Concordia (Chicago) drops to 20 & 5.

The Warhawks are off until next Wednesday when they will host conference rival UW-Platteville for a twinbill on Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.

Hawks and Cougars underway at the Mills

The Warhawks and Concordia (Chicago) are underway on Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.

Game-time temperature is 51 degrees with light southeasterly winds under mostly sunny skies.

Riley Tincher (5-2) is on the mound for the Warhawks. Dan Kluss counters for the Cougars.

A reminder: just one game is scheduled this afternoon instead of the previously scheduled doubleheader.

Rob Coe primed for mound duty

For UW-Whitewater baseball fans that have kept and eye on statistics this spring it may have been noticed that Rob Coe the catcher has also seen time as Rob Coe the pitcher.

Coe has pitched 4.1 innings of late inning relief so far in 2011. The senior out of Appleton North High School has given up just two hits while striking out five and issuing just one walk. Coe’s ERA is 0.00.

In his postgame interview on Monday, UWW head coach John Vodenlich indicated that he’d like to get Coe more innings heading down the home stretch of the season.

“He is a pitcher not a thrower,” Vodenlich tells Voiceeyeonbaseball.blogspot.com. “He is very gifted with a strong arm and he is going to get more comfortable on the mound as the season progresses.”

Coe had planned to be part of the Warhawk pitching staff earlier in his career but an arm injury early-on at UWW put his pitching plans on the back burner.

Coe said he is excited about the prospect of pitching more innings for the Hawks.

There is a good chance he’ll get the chance today vs. Concordia (Chicago)>

Just in: start time change for today's game vs. Concordia (Chicago)

I just got to the Mills and was told there is a start time and game status change for today's Warhawk action vs. Concordia (Chicago) at James B. Miller Stadium.

There will be JUST ONE GAME today and not the previously scheduled doubleheader.

Start time is now set for 3 p.m.

More to come...

Concordia (Chicago) (20-4) at UW-Whitewater (20-5) tangle today at the Mills

An interesting scenario is set up in the WIAC this week. It is Easter week and the WIAC schedule has its teams playing its conference games today (Thursday) and tomorrow (Friday) in four-game series.

While the UW-Whitewater baseball team plays nationally ranked Concordia (Chicago) in a twinbill this afternoon on Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium, the rest of the conference will be battling it out amongst themselves.

Whitewater currently holds down first place in the conference standings with an 11 & 3 mark (20 & 5 overall).

Second place Stevens Point (7 & 3) and third-place Oshkosh (6 & 4) will be on the road this week. The Pointers travel to Superior. Oshkosh makes the trek to Menomonie for four games at Stout.

While the Warhawks enjoy the conference bye week the potential is there to increase its lead in the WIAC standings.

The Hawks doubleheader today (Thursday) vs. Concordia (Chicago) will certainly be no picnic.

The Cougars are ranked in the D3baseball.com Top 25 with a 20 & 4 record and will bring one of the top scoring teams in the nation into the Mills.

The Cougars enter today’s doubleheader ranked sixth in Division III averaging 9.5 runs per game and eighth in the country with a .348 batting average.

“They are very much a quality team,” Hawk head coach John Vodenlich said following Wednesday’s doubleheader sweep of Edgewood College. “They are absolutely the premier team in the Northern Athletics Conference (NATHC).”

Concordia (Chicago) is 10 & 0 in the conference, two games up on second-place Aurora.

First pitch is set for 1 p.m. in game-one this afternoon.

Jams B. Miller Stadium dedication set for May 7th

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater will honor one of its own, naming the baseball facility after James B. Miller at a dedication ceremony Saturday, May 7, 2011. The UW-Whitewater baseball team takes on UW-La Crosse at noon, and the dedication will take place between games of the doubleheader. There will be a tailgate during game two, with food and beverages provided. The tailgate will be located in the Miller Stadium Hawk's Nest (down the right field line).

Miller was the Warhawks’ head baseball coach from 1987 to 2003. He holds the record for victories for a UW-Whitewater baseball coach with a record of 416-226-4, a winning percentage of .648 and an average of 24 wins a year. He was among the top thirty National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III active coaching leaders in both total wins and winning percentage at his retirement in 2003.

Miller was a three-time Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association College Coach of the Year, earning the honor in 1988, 1990, and 2000. He was named the NCAA III Midwest Region Coach of the Year in 1989. In 2000, 2001, and 2003 he directed UW-W to Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships, and Miller was named the conference baseball coach of the year each of those years. He led the Warhawks to National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III tournament bids in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 2000, 2001, and 2003, including a fifth place finish in 1989.

"Mills" mentored players to first team all-conference honors seventy-eight times, all-region honors fifty times and All-America recognition eleven times. Eleven players coached by Miller signed professional contracts.

Miller was respected among his peers, serving on national team rating and All-America committees. He was one of six college coaches in the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame when he entered.

Miller also was the Warhawks' head basketball coach from 1975 to 1978. A 1965 graduate of UW-Whitewater, Miller taught and coached thirty-four years for the Warhawks and still assists the department with special projects.

Locked down Williams Center has Hawk baseball team scrambling for uniforms

(Editor's Note: Portions of the following story are courtesy of the Daily Jefersom County Union)

The UW-Whitewater baseball team found itself scrambling for uniforms to wear for Wednesday’s non-conference doubleheader at James B. Miller Stadium on campus.

The situation developed as the result of a Tuesday bomb threat at UW-Whitewater’s Williams Center.

Th complex was evacuated immediately following a message was found in one of the men's restrooms in Williams Center stating that a device would go off in the building on Wednesday, April 20.

Although no device was found after an extensive search, the building was to remain closed until 6 a.m. Thursday.

"We did receive some assistance from the UW-Madison Police Department. They sent over one of their explosives-detection K9," said UW-Whitewater Chief of Police Matthew Kiederlen. "The dog went through the building and didn't find anything, so we have no reason to believe there is a device in the building at this point. Our actions taking place are as precautions.

"Then its just a matter of maintaining the building on lockdown for a period of time, until we feel comfortable that the threat has passed," he added.

Kiederlen and UW-Whitewater Chancellor Richard Telfer made the decision to lock down Williams Center immediately after the message was discovered.

"We've locked the building down, so there is no entry allowed. I have an officer patrolling around the building on the exterior to make sure no one does go in," said Kiederlen.

Per information from UW-Whitewater officials, no classes or intramural sports were being held, and all offices were closed, in the Williams Center.

"We had no activities taking place in the building Tuesday and Wednesday," director of athletics Dr. Paul Plinske said this morning.

Due to the bomb scare closing Williams Center the WARHAWK baseball team didn't have access to any of their current uniforms so the team was forced to wear “throw back” uniforms from 2003.

Hawks roll 14-2 and 12-2 over Edgewood in non-conference action

The UW-Whitewater baseball team stepped out of the conference Wednesday afternoon sweeping a doubleheader from Edgewood College on a chilly Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium in Whitewater.

The Warhawks rode the sizzling bat of Jeff Donovan and a solid starting pitching performance by Matthew Roberts on the way to a 12-2 seven inning run rule victory.

Donovan was 3 for 3 – all doubles, tying the UW-W record for doubles in a game. Donovan finished the game with four RBI, scored twice and reached on a hit by pitch. Danny Putnam, Jared Fon and Drew Eichstaedt chipped in with two hits each. Andrew King and Eric Curtis led the Eagles by going 2 for 3 for Edgewood.

Roberts, a freshman out of Manitowoc Roncalli High School pitched all seven innings for UW-W to pick up his first victory as a Wahawk. The right-hander gave up seven hits, walked one and struck out six.

As far as game two of the twin bill is concerned it was second verse, same as the first.

The Warhawks rolled again in game-two with a 14-2 win.

Hawks’ starting pitcher Tom Kerdnt pitched the first six innings of the seven inning 10 run rule victory. The sophomore from Lansing, Iowa picked up his first decision of the season, giving up just six hits, walked two and struck out three. Justin Mortensen came on to pitch a one, two, three seventh inning to lock down the game-two victory.

Jeff Donovan picked up where he left off in Wednesday’s nightcap. The senior put together another 3 for 3 effort including another 3 RBI.

For the day, “J-Doe” was 6 for 6 with seven runs batted in.

Donovan wasn’t the only Hawk carrying a hot stick.

Jared Fon was 4 for 6 in the twinbill with 6 RBI.

Danny Putnam extended his team-leading hitting streak to nine straight games with a 3 for 6 afternoon.

UW-Whitewater is now .20-5 while Edgewood falls to 11-17.

UWW welcomes Concordia University (Chicago) to Miller Stadium Thursday afternoon for another non-conference doubleheader. The first pitch is set for 1 p.m.

Warhawks sweep Edgewood 12-2 and 14-2

The Warhawk baseball team finished off a non-conference sweep of Edgewood College Wednesday afternoon 14-2 at chilly James B. Miller Stadium. The Hawks rolled in game-one 12-2.

Much more on today's action will be coming up this evening here on Voiceeyeonbaseball.blogspot.com.

Hawks bomb Edgewood 12-2 in game-one today at the Mills

The UW-Whitewater baseball team rolled over Edgewood College 12-2 in a seven inning run rule victory] game-one victory in 28 degree windchill temperatures on Prucha Field at Jim B. Miller Stadium.

Jeff Donovan paced the Hawks 14 hit attack with three doubles snd four runs batted in. The three doubles ties the school's single game double's record held by six other Warhawks including Donovan back in 2008.

Matt Roberts got the start on the for veteran coach John Vodenlich. The freshman right-hander from Manitowoc Roncalli High School went the distance giving up just 2 runs while scattering 7 hits. Roberts struck out 6 while walking 1.

Roberts record is now 1 and 1 on the season.

Game 2 will start at 4:15.

Check back this evening for the full story here on voiceseyeobaseball.com.They are underway at James B. Miller Stadium with the UW-Baseball team hosting Edgewood College of Madison for two games this afternoon. Cloudy skies with a game-time temperature of 36 degrees with a wind chill temperature of 28.

Hawks lead 7-1 after 5 innings. Jeff Donovan ripped a two, 2-RBI doubles knocking in four of the Hawks so far in the game. Dkonovan is 3 for 3 -all doubles.

Matt Roberts is on the mound for the Warhawks. Entering the 6th inning Roberts has given up just one run, scattering four hits and has struck out four Eagle batters.

Hawks leading Edgewood 7-1 after five innings at the Mills

They are underway at James B. Miller Stadium with the UW-Baseball team hosting Edgewood College of Madison for two games this afternoon. Cloudy skies with a game-time temperature of 36 degrees with a wind chill temperature of 28.

Hawks lead 7-1 after 5 innings. Jeff Donovan ripped a two, 2-RBI doubles knocking in four of the Hawks so far in the game. Dkonovan is 3 for 3 -all doubles.

Matt Roberts is on the mound for the Warhawks. Entering the 6th inning Roberts has given up just one run, scattering four hits and has struck out four Eagle batters.

Hawks step out of conference for three home games this week

The UW-Whitewater baseball team will have the WIAC bye this week but will step out of the conference for three key non-conference games.

Weather permitting; the Warhawks will host Edgewood College Wednesday afternoon for a doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m. on Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.

Then on Thursday UWW will welcome Concordia (Chicago) to town for a single game beginning at 1 p.m. at the Mills.

The Hawks are currently in first place in the WIAC standings at 11 & 3 (18 & 5 overall). UW-Stevens Point sits in second place with a 7 & 3 conference record (16 & 7 overall). UW-Oshkosh holds down third place in the conference with a 6 & 4 record (17 & 5 overall).

Only the WIAC postseason tournament champion gets an automatic berth into the NCAA Division III playoffs so winning the non-conference games are critical to potently earning an at-large berth in the Division III postseason tournament.

Lambert and Lee provide quality day-two starting pitching performances at Stout

To be successful in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference you better have more than a two-starter pitching staff. To be able to challenge for a conference championship, being able to have quality starts in the Sunday games of a weekend series is crucial.

The UW-Whitewater baseball team received quality starts from Justin Lambert (pictured on left) and Kyle Lee (pictured on right) Monday afternoon to sweep the day-two portion of the four-game series at UW-Stout and leave Menomonie with the conference lead.

Riley Tincher and Jeff Donovan are unequivocally the number one and two pitchers starting rotation. The development of the number three and four slots will be a key to the Warhawks run at an eighth WIAC title in the last nine years.

Lambert came out in Monday’s first game and produced a solid starting performance in UWW’s 11-5 win. The sophomore from Mount Horeb pitched six solid innings giving up just one run on six hits while striking out two to improve his season record to 3 & 1.

Lambert understands the importance of being successful in his starting role.

“I spent spring training in Florida learning to keep my pitches down in the strike zone, Lambert tells Voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com. “Early on I was keeping a lot of pitches up and that was leading to big innings against me. The key is for me to be able to throw my pitch to my spot with confidence. That is what you need to do to be successful at this level.”

Kyle Lee was equally as impressive in his start in game-two. The junior from Beaver Dam went the first five innings, scattering seven hits and striking out three in the Warhawks 9-5 win. Lee, who has spent much of his career pitching out of the bullpen, picked up his 3rd win against just one loss.

The Warhawks have the bye this week in the WIAC but will play a non-conference doubleheader Wednesday hosting Edgewood College beginning at 2 p.m. on Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.

On Thursday the Hawks will host nationally ranked Division II power Concordia (Chicago) at 1 p.m. at the Mills.

Carew and Putnam hit 'em where they ain't

If you are as old as me you may remember the famous 1974 Sports Illustrated cover photo of Minnesota Twins second baseman Rod Carew during his bid to become the first Major League player since Ted Williams to hit .400 for a season.

The caption to the photo was Rod Carew: Hit ‘Em Where They Ain’t

Being a longtime Twins fan I often think of Carew and that SI cover while watching UW-Whitewater’s Danny Putnam hit.

Putnam is currently hitting a NCAA Division III best .530. He is coming off a four-game series over the weekend at UW-Stout where the Warhawk rightfielder put together a 10 for 16 four-game series with 6 runs batted in with 6 runs scored – 3 walks and 0 strike outs.

It must have been a “career weekend” for the Ashland native – right? Nope! Putnam has shown amazing consistency the entire season and the UW-Stout series was just the latest episode.

From his lead-off spot in the batting order, “Putt” currently has an on-base percentage of .602 to go with his .530 batting average which both top WIAC statistics.

When asked about his success at the plate Putnam is extremely “Carew like” in his answer.

“I don’t know, getting lucky I guess, I can’t explain it” Putnam told voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com. “I’m just looking for something “up” and get the barrel of the bat on the ball.”

Putnam uses an old Yogi Berra quote to describe his attitude at the plate - "I never blame myself when I'm not hitting. I just blame the bat and if it keeps up I change bats . . . After all, if I know it isn't my fault that I'm not hitting, how can I get mad at myself?"

Putnam is not just a singles hitter. At 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, he has the ability to “drive” the baseball to the tune of 9 doubles and 2 triples so far in 2011.

As an outfielder, Putnam possesses one of the top arms in the WIAC. In the Hawk’s game-one win Monday, Putnam threw a laser from his position in right field to teammate Drew Eichstaedt at third base to “shoot down” a Blue Devil baserunner.

From his lead-off spot in the batting order Putnam truly is the igniter for a potent Warhawk offense.

Wahawks sweep Monday's twinbill at Stout

(Editor’s Note: Today was a long day for your Warhawk baseball blogger. I didn’t arrive back in Whitewater until 11 p.m. I am going to just blog highlight’s from Monday’s doubleheader sweep at Stout. I’ll also include a WIAC scoreboard and updated standings. I’ll publish several stories Tuesday including features on Danny Putnam and UWW’s No. 3 starting pitcher Justin Lambert)

Danny Putnam and Andrew Eichstaedt combined for a 5 for 9 game-one with 5 RBI leading the Warhawks to a much-needed 11-5 victory in game-one of Monday’s weather-delayed doubleheader.

The Hawks got an outstanding starting pitching performance by sophomore Justin Lambert. The Mount Horeb native gave up just one run - scattering 6 hits while pitching the first six innings.

Meanwhile - Kyle Lee started game-two and scattered 7 hits in five solid innings on the mound leading the conference leading Warhawks to a sweep of Monday’s twinbill in Menomonie. Mathew Roberts and Rob Coe each pitched two innings giving up no runs and just two hits. Hawk pitchers combined for nine strike outs.

Designated hitter Sam Keller had three hits and a pair of RBI to lead Whitewater in the nightcap.. Daniel Putnam, Rob Coe and Jeff Donovan each recorded two hits.

Next up for the Hawks will be a doubleheader vs. Edgewood College beginning at 2:00 pm at Prucha Field.

In the WIAC Monday afternoon...
(Home team listed in bold print)

Stevens Point 5, La Crosse 3 (Game One)
Stevens Point 7, La Crosse 6 (11 innings/Game Two)

Platteville 6, Superior 4 (Game One)
Platteville 3, Superior 2 (Game Two)

Whitewater 11, Stout 5 (Game One)
Whitewater 9, Stout 5 (Game Two)

Oshkosh had weekend bye in WIAC


UPDATED WIAC BASEBALL STANDINGS
UW-Whitewater 11-3, 18-5
UW-Stevens Point 7-3, 16-7
UW-Oshkosh 6-4, 17-5
UW-La Crosse 6-8, 14-11
UW-Platteville 6-8, 8-17
UW-Stout 4-8, 9-15
UW-Superior 2-8, 6-17

WIAC CONFERENCE GAMES THIS WEEK
Thursday-Friday due to Easter Weekend

UW-Stevens Point @ UW-Superior (four games)
UW-Oshkosh @ UW-Stout (four games)
UW-La Crosse @ UW-Platteville (four games)
** Conference Bye Weekend for Warhawks

UW-Whitewater 11, UW-Stout 5 in Monday's game-one in Menomonie

As I blogged following yesterday’s doubleheader split with UW-Stout - all the focus would be on today’s (Monday’s) opening game of the day-two doubleheader vs. UW-Stout in Menomonie.

A 1st inning two run homer by Andrew Eichstaedt and seven runs in the opening two innings ignited the conference-leading UW-Whitewater baseball team to an 11-5 victory in game-one of today’s doubleheader.

Justin Lambert (see adjacent photo) gave the Warhawks a solid pitching performance in the opener. The sophomore out of Mount Horeb pitched six strong innings to improve his season record to 3 & 1.

Game-two is coming up.

Much more on today’s action will be coming up later today here on voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com.

Lets play baseball and keep an eye on the snowstorm heading in

Baseball – “America’s Pastime” – warm weather, sitting in the stands watching the guys play ball. Yesterday the Warhawks and Blue Devils were welcomed with gusting winds to 30 mph and a wind chill of 29 degrees.

No excuses but I’m just stating the obvious!

Today we can expect a game-time temperature of 43 degrees and a top-temp of 46. The good news is it won’t be nearly as windy as yesterday as winds are forecast at just 5 mph.

Not bad – HOWEVER – the National Weather Service has issued a WINTER STORM WATCH that includes all of west-central Wisconsin beginning at 7 p.m. and extending to 12-noon tomorrow. (see adjacent map – winter storm watch shaded in black)

I jokingly said on Saturday that we were either going to play baseball or enter the Iditarod dogsled race.

Weather conditions during early season Warhawk baseball games – don’t you love it!!

Voice's Notes and Quotes

It was certainly an interesting day of baseball in Menomonie Sunday afternoon.

• Less than 24 hours after a snow and rain mix forced postponement of Saturday’s UWW doubleheader at Stout the two teams hit the field Sunday under windy conditions and a game-time temperature of 42 degrees and a wind chill of 29.

• To make the winter-like conditions even more weird, gnats – thousands of gnats – invaded Nelson Field in Menomonie Sunday. It was a phenomenon normally reserved for a hot, humid July afternoon – not a cold, windy April afternoon in western Wisconsin.

• I was dressed more for a December playoff football game at Perkins Stadium than a baseball game in mid-April. A hoodie, jacket, stocking cap and gloves. Don’t you love weather this time of the year here in Wisconsin?!

• UW-Whitewater’s Dan Putnam and UW-Stout’s Matt Guida entered the weekend with batting averages of .520 – tops in NCAA Division III baseball statistics released last Tuesday. Putnam raised his average two points in Sunday’s doubleheader by going 5 for 8 with 4 RBI, scored 2 runs and walked 3 times. Guida was 2 for 10 with a home run and 4 RBI

• Stout’s five home runs in game-one was the lead in the Blue Devils 14-8 win over the Warhawks. The five home runs brought back memories of the back, to back, to back, to back, to back (5 consecutive) home runs hit by Ben Kuhlmann, Jeff Donovan, Jordan Stine, Tom Corcoran, and Kevin Zalnis in a 9-7 Warhawk win over UW-Oshkosh on April 5, 2008 at Prucha Field.

• Despite splitting the doubleheader with Stout, UWW still leads the WIAC standings with a 9 & 3 conference mark. UW-Stevens Point sits second at 5 & 3. Oshkosh is 6 & 4 entering Monday’s games.

• After Saturday’s doubleheader split I brought up the scenario to Coach Vodenlich that a UWW sweep of Monday’s twinbill vs. Stout would send the Hawks back down I-94 Monday evening with the conference lead. While Vodenlich said it would be nice, he made it clear that the focus for his team overnight would be on winning the first game on Monday – then worry about winning game two.

• According the “weather peeps” we are looking for a game-time temperature in the mid-40’s but less windy than yesterday when winds were gusting to nearly 30 mph.

• I’ll talk to you-all tonight here on Voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com

WIAC Scores And Updated Standings

WIAC Men's Baseball Scores (Sunday, April 17)
(home team listed in bold print)

Stevens Point 13, La Crosse 3 (game 1)
Stevens Point 16, La Crosse 12 (game 2)

Superior 10, Platteville 3 (game 1)
Platteville 4, Superior 3 (game 2)

Stout 14, Whitewater 8 (game 1)
Whitewater 13, Stout 8 (game 2)

WIAC Standings (Through April 17th)
Whitewater 9-3
Stevens Point 5-3
Oshkosh 6-4
La Crosse 6-6
Stout 4-6
Platteville 4-8
Superior 2-6

Hawks earn split with 13-8 win in game-two of Sunday's twinbill

The UW-Whitewater baseball team returned the favor in game-two Sunday afternoon getting a much-needed 13-8 win at Nelson Field on the campus of UW-Stout.

GAME TWO

The Warhawks jumped out quick by scoring five runs on three hits in the first inning to set the tone for game two. UW-Stout fought back to tie the score with two runs in the first and three in the second.

Dylan Friend's sacrifice fly in the third plated Sam Keller to give UW-W a 6-5 lead, but the Devils again tied the score in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI double to right center.

A leadoff homer by Jeff Donovan in the top of the fifth, his second of the afternoon (see adjacent photo) gave the Warhawks their third lead of the game, but it was matched by the Blue Devils first batter in the bottom half of the inning to once again tie the score.

A Putnam single in the top of the sixth plated Matt Beyer and the Warhawks never looked back. With an 8-7 lead going into the seventh, UW-W scored three more in the top of the seventh and two more in the eighth while giving up just one run as they went on to win 13-8.

The top of the Warhawk order (Putnam, Eichstaedt, Coe and Donovan) went 17-for-37 on the day for a .459 average. They accounted for 12 runs, 14 RBI and 5 walks. Putnam (.522) and Donovan (.420) are the only two every game starters for the Warhawks batting over .400, but Coe (.385) and Eichstaedt (.349) are doing damage at the plate as well.

Donovan not only had a great day at the plate, but pitched a solid game two to earn the victory. Donovan went eight innings and struck out eleven. He is 7-0 this season with an ERA of 3.55. Kyle Lee pitched the ninth inning for the Hawks.

GAME TWO LINE SCORE:
UW-Whitewater: 13 runs, 11 hits, 3 errors, 8 LOB
UW-Stout: 8 runs, 13 hits, 2 errors 10 LOB

UW-W will play UW-Stout again on Monday in Menomonie with game-one of a twinbill beginning at 12-noon.

Wahawks drop opener 14-8 at UW-Stout

UW-Stout pounded out five home runs that accounted for nine runs, while handing UW-Whitewater a 14-8 loss in game-one of Sunday's twinbill at Nelson Field in Menomonie.

GAME ONE:

The game-time temperature was 42 degrees with a wind chill of 29 as the weekend four game series got underway after being postponed Saturday due to rain and snow in west-central Wisconsin. The wind was blowing out at Nelson Field and UW-Stout took advantage by cranking out five home runs accounting for nine runs in the Blue Devils 14-8 win in game-one of Sunday’s doubleheader.

The Warhawks scored three runs in the top of seventh to tie the game 7-7 and feeling good about the comeback effort.

The feeling didn’t last long as Stout exploded for seven runs in the bottom of the seventh for a 14-7 lead.

The Hawks score one in the ninth but it wasn’t enough as the Blue Devils pick up the victory in game-one of the four-game series.

The top four hitters in the UWW batting order ((Putnam, Eichstaedt, Coe and Donovan) accounted for all 11 hits and all eight RBI's in the opener

The Blue Devils turned a double play in three straight innings to help elude some of Whitewater's offensive firepower.

Riley Tincher (5 & 2) took the loss for UW-Whitewater. The lefty surrendered nine runs (all earned) while striking out five and walking one.

Eric Schmitz was roughed up for four runs in just a third of an inning in relief of Tincher.

UWW’s Mathew Roberts pitched the final inning-and-two-thirds giving up a run and two hits.

GAME ONE LINE SCORE
UW-Stout 14 runs, 15 hits, 3 errors, 6 LOB
UW-Whitewater: 8 runs, 11 hits, 1 error, 6 LOB

Game two story will be coming up later this evening

Weekend WIAC play to get underway Sunday

April snow and ice ain’t that nice! All WIAC baseball action was halted by a “wintery mix” on Saturday. WIAC weekend baseball action is now scheduled for Sunday and Monday.

(In the adjacent photo - members of the UW-Stout baseball team clear snow off Nelson Field following a wintery mix in Menomonie earlier this weekend - photo courtesy of UW-Stout Sports Information Office)

The UW-Whitewater baseball team will now play doubleheaders on Sunday and Monday vs. UW-Stout at Nelson Field in Menomonie. First pitch both days is scheduled for 12-noon.


WIAC Baseball Standings (entering weekend)
UW-Whitewater 8-2, 15-4
UW-Oshkosh 6-4, 17-5
UW-La Crosse 6-4, 14-7
UW-Stevens Point 3-3, 12-7
UW-Stout 3-5, 8-12
UW-Platteville 3-7, 5-16
UW-Superior 1-5, 5-14

WIAC Weekend Games (Saturday & Sunday)
Stevens Point (3-3) @ UW-La Crosse (6-4)
Superior (1-5) @ UW-Platteville (3-7)
Oshkosh is idle

Rob Coe among the best catchers in Division III

UW-Whitewater catcher Rob Coe was coming off a sensational junior season for the Warhawk baseball team.

Considered one of the top catchers at the Division III level, Coe has lifted his game to another level here in 2011.

The senior from Appleton North High School possesses a “rifle” for an arm behind the plate.

UW-Whitewater opponents have stolen a league-low seven bases off Coe this season (in just 10 attempts). He also leads conference catchers in picking runners off base.

Reputation has a lot to do with stealing off a catcher. Opponents were just 10 of 21 stealing bases off Warhawk catchers last season.

Entering the weekend, Coe is ranked eighth in the WIAC with a .382 batting average and third in on-base percentage at .494. His 25 RBI are also tops in the conference along with ranking third with 9 doubles. Coe also holds the team-lead by being hit by a pitch 7 times.

If the name “Coe” and “catching” sound familiar it should.

Rob’s bother Doug put together a stellar career playing at UW-Stevens Point. As a senior he earned 1st Team All-American status after earning the 2008 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Position Player of the Year. Doug’s senior statistics - a .438 batting average, 59 RBI, a .542 on-base percentage and a .810 slugging percentage.

D3baseball.com: WIAC pitching-rich in 2011

(Editor's Note: When talking about the Midwest Region, the WIAC trio of UW-Whitewater, UW-Stevens Point and UW-Oshkosh, MIAC powers St. Olaf and St. Thomas, and UMAC perennial champion St. Scholastica get most of the headlines. And deservedly so. Those six, with some hiccups along the way, are regular regional participants with long resumes. But when it comes to top pitchers in the region, the praise-worthy players come from a diverse range of programs. It stands to reason that the "Usual 6" is home to many of the region's top pitchers, but they don't have a monopoly.

In the D3baseball.com story published Saturday (4/16) writer Ricky Nelson takes a look at WIAC pitching depth)

WIAC: UW-Whitewater senior Riley Tincher is on pace to have an even better year than last, when he went 13-1 with a 3.87 ERA in 102.1 IP. This season Tincher is 4-1 with a 1.32 ERA while allowing just four extra base hits in five starts. Fellow Whitewater senior Jeff Donovan was a D3baseball.com Preseason All-American at the utility position. Donovan has earned the offensive side of that accolade with a .439 AVG and 1.161 OPS in the Warhawks' first 17 games, but it's his success on the mound this season that's been most impressive. Donovan is 5-0 with a 2.84 ERA while holding opponents to a .202 average in five starts for the ranked Warhawks. If the raw numbers aren't enough, Donovan also has wins over UW-Stevens Point and St. Olaf this season.

UW-Oshkosh has six pitchers with at least 15 innings pitched and an ERA at or below 2.12, leading the Titans to a 2.15 team ERA. Heading the Oshkosh staff are senior Jeremy Rubens (2-2, 1.83 ERA, 21:2 K/BB ratio, two shutouts, two extra base hits allowed in 34.1 IP) and junior Phil Schreiber (3-1, 1.84 ERA, .229 OBA). Oshkosh's No. 3 starter, junior Luke Westphal, is 3-0 with a 1.48 ERA and 24 K's in 24.1 IP.

The top four UW-La Crosse starters have gone a combined 9-3 with a 2.85 ERA and have 88 strikeouts and 27 walks in 98 innings. Comprising the rock-solid rotation are sophomore Tim Verthein (2-0, one save, 2.08 ERA, .194 OBA), sophomore Mitch Running (3-1, 2.86 ERA, .207 OBA), senior Bryant Rude (2-1, 2.88 ERA, 3 CG in four starts, 32 K in 25 IP) and junior Garrett Scray (2-1, 3.60 ERA, 4 BB, 24 K, 25 IP).

UW-Stevens Point's top starting pitchers, seniors Scott Williams and Joel Delorit, are off to so-so starts, but the pair remain among the top talents in the region. Williams is 3-2 with a 4.94 ERA while Delorit is 2-1 with a 3.75 ERA. But there's a reason why Delorit is climbing the all-time WIAC rankings in strikeouts (currently 12th) and wins (currently 23rd), and there's a reason why Williams was First Team All-Region last season. Those two may be among the best statistically in the end.

Weather forces UWW @ Stout series to be moved back a day

The weather in Menomonie, Wisconsin will not cooperate with the UW-Whitewater baseball team as they have been forced to push their doubleheaders with UW-Stout back to Sunday, April 17 at noon and Monday, April 18 at noon.

The reason for the schedule change is quite evident when looking at Menomonie's weekend weather forecast from the Weather Channel.

Saturday: Windy, snow showers in the morning will give way to a mixture of rain and snow for the afternoon. High 38 degress. Winds 20 to 30 mph gusting to 40 mph. less than 1 inch of snow expected.

Sunday: Mix of sun and clouds with a high in the low 50s.

Monday: 30% chance of showers with a high in the low 50s.

voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com will be blogging both Sunday and Monday from Menomonie.

The four games were originally scheduled for the 16 and 17 of April.

The Warhawks will play at home again on the 20th of April against Edgewood in a twinbill beginning at 2 and again on the 21st in a doubleheader against Concordia (IL) starting at 1.

UWW's Dan Putnam & Stout's Matt Guida enter weekend leading nation with .520 batting averages

The two top hitters in NCAA Division III baseball will be on the same field this weekend.

UW-Whitewater’s Danny Putnam and UW-Stout’s Matt Guida enter this weekend’s four-game series in Menomonie hitting at a .520 clip and are tied for the top batting average in this week’s NCAA Division III Statistics.

Putnam went 4 for 9 in the Hawks’ doubleheader sweep of UW-Platteville Wednesday at James B. Miller Stadium. The senior rightfielder ignited the UWW offense by doubling and scoring in his first at bat in both games. The former Ashland High School athlete also stole two bases. Putnam also leads the WIAC in hits (43), runs scored (30), total bases (43) and stolen bases (14). Putnam enters the weekend with a .573 on base percentage.

UW-Stout catcher Matt Guida has been the key cog in the Blue Devils attack all season. In Stouts’ four game series with UW-Platteville earlier this week, Guida batted .688, going 11-for-16 with 10 RBI and three runs scored. Guida cracked out six doubles and a home run over the weekend for a slugging percentage of 1.250. For his effort, Guida was named the WIAC Position Player of the Week.

Whitewater will be in Menomonie for four games this weekend (weather permitting). Doubleheaders both Saturay and Sunday are set to get underway at UW-Stout's on-campus Nelson Field.

Help UWW volleyball's Lisa Panici in her fight against brain cancer

The UW-Whitewater volleyball team would like to invite you to a benefit game for Lisa Panici (Peotone, IL/Peotone) and her family on Friday, April 15 at 7:30 against Elmhurst College in the Kris Russell Volleyball Arena.

All proceeds for the game will go to Lisa Panici and her family. Lisa is a freshman on the volleyball team and was recently diagnosed with brain cancer. The Warhawk volleyball team will be selling benefit T-shirts and bracelets as well as other raffles and activities during the match. "Lisa, although just a freshman, has impacted the Warhawk volleyball team with her talent on the court as well as her fun loving attitude, work ethic and her irresistible smile," head coach Stacey Boudreau said about the freshman outside hitter.

$1.00 admission or donation will be taken at the door. If you are unable to attend but would like to send a donation, please mail to UW-Whitewater Volleyball, 800 W. Main St., Whitewater, WI 53190. Please come and support the Warhawks and "Team Lisa, The Irresistible Force".

Sam Keller makes an extra stop in his journey from Milwaukee to UW-Whitewater

I have often talk on my blog on the quality depth the UW-Whitewater baseball team has in battling for a WIAC championship on an annual basis.

2011 is no different. The Hawks showed that depth in Wednesday’s 8-2. game-two victory over Platteville Wednesday afternoon at the Mills.

Coach Vodenlich shuffled his normal line-up in game-two by starting back-up players at several positions.

One of those “back-ups” took an extended path from playing his high school baseball at Milwaukee Riverside/University High School.

Sam Keller was an outstanding baseball and football player at Riverside. He announced early in his senior season (2008) that he would attend NCAA Division I Grambling University (Louisiana) to play baseball.

Keller made the decision to transfer to UW-Whitewater following his sophomore season with the Tigers.

“I actually came here (UWW) to be close to my mom and dad in Milwaukee,” Keller told voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com. “That means a lot to me and my parents.”

Keller was a multi-sport star at Riverside, being All-Conference in both baseball and as a linebacker in football.

His hustle on the diamond jumps out at a fan watching from the stands.

Keller went 2 for 4 with an RBI and run scored in Wednesday’s 8-2 victory. The two times Keller didn’t get on base he was hustling down the line while diving face-first into first base in an effort to get an infield single.

His high school coach, Matthew Parlier, calls the key to Keller’s success due of great work ethic, attitude, character and leadership ability.

Keller was a member of Riverside High School’s National Honor Society and named a scholar-athlete his two years at Grambling.

Keller is one of a number of players that have played first base when Jeff Donovan is pitching. He has also played center field and hit in the designated hitters role.

Playing solid defense a huge key in challenging for another WIAC title

What is the key to playing winning baseball in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference? According to Warhawk head coach John Vodenlich the answer is simple.

“Playing solid defense – particularly when Tincher and Donovan are on the mound,” Vodenlich tells Voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com. “All you have to do is look at our four losses this year. Three of those losses occurred when we committed three errors in the loss.”

Whitewater enters the weekend with a WIAC-best .967 fielding average with a conference-low 23 errors through 19 games.

The Warhawks are coming off another solid two wins with Riley Tincher and Jeff Donovan on the hill. Tincher (5-1) went eight innings in the Hawks 5-1 win over Platteville in game-one on Wednesday. The senior from Oregon High School now leads the WIAC with a 1.29 ERA.

Meanwhile, Jeff Donovan leads the conference with a 6 & 0 mark and enters this weekend’s four-game series at UW-Stout coming off an outstanding performance in the Hawks 8-2, game-two win over the Pioneers. The senior from Wauwatosa East High School limited the Pioneers to one run on four hits in six innings. Donovan’s ERA is a solid 2.63.

Prior to the season Coach Vodenlich talked about the key to play fundamentally solid baseball.

“Our focus is pitching and defense – it is as simple as that,” the veteran head coach makes clear. Both Tincher and Donovan did what they needed to do on the mound today (Wednesday) and we fielded the ball behind them. We came away with a key two-game sweep and that is what it is all about.”

Wednesday's WIAC Results

WEDNESDAY'S WIAC RESULTS
** Home teams listed in bold print **

UW-Stevens Point 10, UW-Oshkosh 2 (Game 1)
UW-Oshkosh 3, UW-Stevens Point 1 (Game 2)

UW-La Crosse 7, UW-Superior 6 (Game 1)
UW-Superior 10, UW-La Crosse 6(Game 2)

UW-Whitewater 5, UW-Platteville 1 (Game 1)
UW-Whitewater 8, UW-Platteville 2 (Game 2)

UW-Stout 12, Viterbo 8 (Game 1)
UW-Stout 14, Viterbo 13 (Game 2)

WIAC STANDINGS (through 4/13 games)
UW-Whitewater, 8-2, 15-4
UW-Oshkosh, 6-4, 15-5
UW-La Crosse, 6-4, 14-7
UW-Stevens Point, 3-3, 12-7
UW-Stout, 3-5, 8-12
UW-Platteville, 3-7, 5-16
UW-Superior, 1-5, 5-14

Warhawks 8, Platteville 2 (Game 2 Final)

A fast start and solid pitching was the receipe for UW-Whitewater’s game-two win over UW-Platteville to sweep Wednesday’s doubleheader on Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.

The Hawks scored six in the bottom of the first inning and rode the strong starting pitching of Jeff Donovan to an 8-2 win to finish the sweep of the Pioneers on a weather perfect day on the north side of the UW-Whitewater campus.

The Hawks’ first inning started with Danny Putnam’s lead-off double. Rob Coe double scored Putnam. Centerfielder Dylan Friend knocked Coe in with a single through the right side. Add in a walk and a passed ball, and leftfielder Logan Peot’s two-run single. Second baseman David Cladis got his third RBI of the day with a single to bring in Peot, who had advanced to scoring position on a Pioneer error to score Whitewater's sixth run of the inning.

Putnam, Friend, Cladis and first baseman Sam Keller each had two hits for the Hawks, with Putnam and Friend also scoring twice. Hopson again led Pioneer batters with a 2x5 game. The Pioneers, 5-16 overall and 3-7 in the WIAC, used six pitchers in the game.

Jeff Donovan (see adjacent photo) limited the Pioneers to one run on four hits in six innings, issuing two walks and striking out seven to raise his record to 6 & 0 on the season. Matthew Roberts, Eric Schmitz, and Rob Coe each tossed an inning of relief.

The Warhawks, 8-2 in the WIAC, have a pair of weekend doubleheaders at UW-Stout April 16-17. Both twinbills will start at 12-Noon in Menomonie.

The next home doubleheader is Thursday, April 21 at 1:00, with Concordia College (IL) visiting Prucha Field at Jim Miller Stadium on the north end of the UW-W campus.

Warhawks 5, UW-Platteville 1 (Game-One)

The UW-Whitewater baseball team got back to its winning ways in the WIAC Wednesday afternoon by sweeping UW-Platteville, 5-1 and 8-2 on Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.

The Warhawks were coming off a four-game split at Stevens Point over the weekend.

Game 1

Remember when Milwaukee Brewers leadoff batter Paul Molitor was nicknamed the igniter as part of Bambi’s bombers in the early 80s?

Danny Putnam has been the “igniter” for the Hawks offense since the first pitch of the 2011 season. Putnam led off game-one with a double and scored on Rob Coe’s one-out two-base hit to give the Warhawks an early 1-0 advantage.

Jared Fon, who got the start at third base, opened the fifth inning with a double, was sacrificed to second by leftfielder Matt Beyer. Second baseman David Cladis’ sacrifice fly drove in Fon. Putnam followed with a single and stole second, and came all the way around on a Pioneer throwing error. Three consecutive walks, the third to designated hitter Ryan Leavitt gave Whitewater its third run of the inning and a 4-0 lead after five.

In the Hawks’ 6th inning it was “second verse – same as the first.

Fon doubled to lead off the sixth and Beyer's sacrifice bunt moved Fon to third, Cladis delivered his second RBI of the game with another sacrifice fly.

(In the adjacent photo - Jared Fon (25) got the start at 3rd base in both games of UWW's doubleheader sweep of UW-Platteville - Tom Pattison photo)

Fon led all hitters in the game with a 3 for 4 game that included two doubles and two runs scored. Putnam continued his hitting ways by going 2 for 4 including scoring a pair of runs.

Senior lefthander Riley Tincher allowed just one run on eight hits, walked none, and struck out eight in eight innings of work on the mound.

Jack Larsen pitched a scoreless ninth inning for the Hawks.

The victory ups Tincher's season record to 5 & 1 season.

Hawks 5, Platteville (Game 1 Final)

Wednesday (4/13) WIAC Action

GAME 1 FINALS

Whitewater 5, Platteville 1
Stevens Point 10, Oshkosh 2
La Crosse 6, Superior 5

(non-conf) Stout 12, Viterbo 8 (6th inning)

(All WIAC Game-Two's Are Underway)

Hawks lead 5-0 through six innings

The Warhawks are up 4-0 though six innings. one in th 1st, three in the 5th and one in the 6th for UW-Whitewater.

Live stats available by cutting and pasteing the following Website address....
http://www.sidearmstats.com/uww/baseball/index.htm

Warhawks and Pioneers underway at the Mills

The Warhawks and Pioneers are underway at James B. Miller Stadium. Back to back doubles to lead off the game have put the Hawks up 1-0 enterng the 3rd inning.

Great weather!! 65 degrees and partly sunny skies.

Warhawks Host UW-Platteville on Wednesday at the Mills

The UW-Whitewater baseball team will take a one-game lead in the WIAC standings into Wednesday’s doubleheader vs. UW-Platteville on Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.

The Warhawks split four games at UW-Stevens Point over the weekend. The Hawks won both games of Saturday’s twinbill, 5-3, 6-2. The Pointers came back to beat UWW twice on Sunday.

UW-Platteville split doubleheaders over the weekend with UW-Stout in Menomonie. Stout won Saturday’s opener 8-2, with Platteville winning game-two 10-6. The story was the same on Sunday as the Blue Devils took game-one 10-8 with the Pioneers coming back to take the nightcap 12-5.

Coming off a 3rd place finish in the 2010 WIAC postseason tournament, UW-Platteville has struggled at the plate and on the mound during the early season.

The Pioneers are hitting a league-low 2.45 as a team with Trevor Kattre leading the way at .348 and Aaron Hopson at .338.

The Pioneers will take a 7.56 team ERA into Wednesday’s twinbill at Whitewater.

For those thinking that the Warhawks will have an easy time with Platteville this week all you have to do is look back at the Pioneers WIAC opener vs. UW-Oshkosh.

The Titans rolled into its WIAC schedule boasting a 9 & 1 nonconference record and had Jeremy Ruebens, one of the top pitchers on the mound in game-one of the series.

The Pioneer’s Bill Oppriecht outdueled Ruebens with the Pioneers scoring three runs in the ninth inning for an eye-opening 3-2 win.

Whitewater, 6 and 2 in the WIAC, enters Wednesday action a game ahead of Oshkosh and La Crosse.

The Hawks have two games with Platteville on Wednesday and then hit the road for a four-game series vs. UW-Stout in Menomonie coming up Saturday and Sunday.

I have plenty of blogging planned all week long and I’ll be ”talking” with you from the Mills tomorrow (Wednesday) afternoon.

Game 1 is set for its 1st pitch at 1 p.m.

The weather looks great with partly cloudy skies and a top temperature of 65 forecast.

GO HAWKS!!