To make a run in the NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament the goal is very simple – survive and advance.UW-Whitewater has done exactly that in the first two rounds of the 2011 NCAA Division III Regional in Whitewater.
The Warhawks remain the only unbeaten team remaining in the double-elimination tournament that will send the winner to Appleton next week as the region’s representative in the 2011 Division III World Series.
The Hawks slipped by St. Thomas 3-2 in the tournament opener. On Thursday UWW needed 10 innings for its 7-6 win over Hamline University.
Take a look at any team, any season, and the successful teams are able to win the close game by simply grinding it out.
“You look at any team’s “run,” whether winning a national championship in football – baseball – or any sport – each of those teams has those “turning point” wins,” Hawk head coach John Vodenlich explains. In this tournament we have two turning point game victories so far.
Whitewater is five and four in one-run games this season. A-matter-of-fact the Hawks last four games have been one-run games. The Hawks lost 5-4 to Stevens Point and 2-1 to Oshkosh in last week’s WIAC postseason tournament. They have come back with the two one-run games this week.
With your ultimate goal of winning a second NCAA Division III championship the margin for error is extremely small you must approach each hurdle inning by inning. If you are successful you get a good night’s rest and strive to do it again the next day.
Next up for the UW-Whitewater baseball team a 4 p.m. game today against the winner of this morning's Hamline vs UW-Stevens Point elimination game.
That is tournament baseball and that is what it is all about.
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