Warhawks "high octane" offense too much for Ripon College pitching

I blogged the other night that UW-Whitewater appears to have another “high octane” offense again this season.

Whitewater is no stranger to putting up big numbers at the plate. UWW has led the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference in team batting in six of the past seven seasons.

Following Thursday afternoon’s doubleheader sweep of Ripon College, the Warhawks are hitting .353 as a team.

Leading the way are Danny Putnam and Rob Coe.

Putnam finished the day 6 for 10 and raised his batting average to a conference leading .579 while hitting safely in all nine UWW games this season.

The senior right fielder has changed his focus at the plate this season.

“I’ve shortened down my stride a little bit,” Putnam tells Voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com. “The coaches are having me focus on taking that outside pitch and hit it the other way. I’ve put a lot of work into making the change.”

Coe also continued to sizzle by cranking out 6 hits in 11 at bats and is now hitting an even .500 entering Saturday’s WIAC opening weekend vs. UW-Superior at the Mills.

“I’m more patient at the plate and really seeing the ball well,” Coe indicated following Thursday afternoon’s doubleheader sweep Ripon. “Vo (Coach Vodenlich) has worked with me to stay back on the ball. Last year I was out in front of pitches way too often.”

How well has the top four in the Hawk batting order hit the ball through nine games.?

As previously mentioned, Putnam is hitting .579, Coe .500, Jeff Donovan .457 and transfer Andrew Eichstaedt .382.

“We were a bit spotty at the plate down in Florida,” Coach Vodenlich said following the game. “We came out and hit the ball well throughout our batting order.

Every starter has at least one hit in the Hawks game-one,19-4 victory and eight of the nine starters had a least one hit in the Hawks 14-6 win in the nightcap.

Next up for the 9 & 2 Warhawks will be a pair of weekend doubleheaders vs. UW-Superior at James B. Miller Stadium. Action begins at 12-Noon both on Saturday and Sunday.

More to come…

Hawks roll to doubleheader sweep of Ripon College in UWW's home opener

The UW-Whitewater baseball team treated Warhawk fans to a “hit parade” in its sweep of a twin bill over Ripon College on Thursday on Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium in Whitewater.

Whitewater combined a season high 25 hits with five Ripon errors in a 19-4 win in game one. The Hawks kept the “hitting shoes” on in game two by banging out another 16 hits while cruising to a 14-6 victory.

Andrew Eichstaedt led the Hawk hit parade in game-one, going 4 for 6. Rob Coe, Jeff Donovan, Danny Putnam and Sam Keller each collected three hits for the Warhawks. Freshman centerfielder, Dylan Friend, ripped his first career home run in the 3rd inning. with his first home run of the season.

(In a scene that was extremely familiar Thursday afternoon for the UWW offense. A runner (Dan Putnam) is in scoring position with a batter (Jeff Donovan) poised to drive another run in as the Hawks sweep a doubleheader from Ripon - Tom "Voice" Pattison photo)

Whitewater pitching limited Ripon to three hits in the opener. 2010 WIAC Pitcher of the Year, Riley Tincher, raised his record to 2-1 giving up four hits and two earned runs in 5 innings, The senior lefthader struck of three and walked three. Justin Lambert, Tom Kerndt, and Eric Schmitz covered the final four innings, allowed just one hit and did not walk a batter

Much like game-one, Whitewater jumped in front early and never looked back in game-two. The Hawks scored three in the 1st, two in the 2nd, another three in the 3rd and another two runs in the 4th inning for a 10-0 lead.

Meanwhile, UWW game-two starter Jeff Donovan was cruising on the mound setting the Red Hawks down in order in each of the first four innings. Nine of the twelve Ripon batters grounded out.

Donovan’s bid for a no-hitter and shutout ended with one out in the fifth inning by giving up back to back hits eventually allowing the Red Hawks to plate its first run of the game.

Donovan improved to 3-0 with his five innings of work. The Warhawk bullpen was solid again in game-two by receiving scoreless innings in relief from Colin Grove and Matthew Roberts . In a surprise, Warhawk catcher Rob Coe pitched a scoreless 9th inning in his collegiate debut on the mound.

Offensively, Matt Beyer collected four hits in five at bats. Putnam was 3 for 4, and Coe and Donovan equaled their first game with three hits apiece.

Putnam has hit safely in all nine games for UW-W this season

UW-Whitewater, now 7 & 2 on the season, will open Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play at home this weekend, hosting UW-Superior Saturday and Sunday. The doubleheaders both days will begin at 12-Noon on Prucha Field at Jim Miller Stadium.

Warhawk complete twinbill sweep of Ripon College

GAME TWO FINAL SCORE:
Warhawks 14, Ripon 6

More to come later this evening..........

Donovan dominant in starter's role in game-two

Jeff Donovan was dominating in the starting pitcher's role in game-two of UW-Whitewater's home opening doubleheader vs. Ripon College at James B. Miller Stadium.

Donovan pitched 4 1/3 innings of no hit ball before giving up two hits and a run in the top if the fifth inning. The senior from Wauwatosa East High School gave way to the bullpen following the fifth inning with freshman Colin Grove] taking over.

Donovan was cruising on the mound setting the Red Hawks down in order in each of the first four innings. Nine of the twelve Ripon batters grounded out.

The key to Donovan’s game-two outing was that he had command of all his pitches.

“That is the big thing,” Donovan said in the dugout after the game. “Last year I worried about my fast ball – that it was too hittable. Now I’m just trusting it and getting ahead in the count with it. The key right now is to be able to throw my curve ball for strikes. Once I am able to throw either of those pitches at anytime in the count then I will know that I am where I want to be.”

Donovan’s bid for a no-hitter and shutout ended with one out in the fifth inning by giving up back to back hits eventually allowing the Red Hawks to plate its first run of the game.

Donovan improved to 3-0 with his five innings of work. The Warhawk bullpen was solid again in game-two by receiving scoreless innings in relief from Colin Grove and Matthew Roberts with UWW cathcer Rob Coe piching the final inning in his first career outing on the mound.

Hawks roll 19-4 in game-one vs. Ripon at the Mills

The UW-Whitewater baseball team proved to be an equal opportunity hitting squad in it’s 19-4 win over Ripon College in game-one of the Warhawks home opening doubleheader on Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.

All eight batters in Whitewater starting lineup had at least one hit by the end of the fourth inning.

UWW leadoff batter Danny Putnam continues to torch opposing pitching this season. The Hawks righfielder entered the doubleheader hitting a team high .533. The Ashland native picked up where he left off in Florida by going 3 for 4 at the plate plus a walk and 3 RBI.

UWW designated hitter Sam Keller had his best day as a Warhawks going 3 for 5 with 2 RBI and scoring 2 runs. Jeff Donovan was 3 for 5 with an RBI, Rob Coe had a 3 for 6 day in game one. Dylan Friend added a 2-run homer in the 3rd inning for the Warhawks.

Riley Tincher picks up the win going the first five innings giving up two runs (both earned), striking out 3 and walking 3 Ripon batters.

Game One line score:
Whitewater 19 runs, 25 hits, 1 error
Ripon College: 4 runs, 5 hits, 5 errorsMore on game-one will be coming up this evening here on voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com.

Game-two of the Ripon at UW-Whitewater doubleheader is still to come.

Hawks off to quick lead in home opener vs Ripon

Dan Putnam continues his torrid pace at the plate in helping lead the UW-Whitewater Warhawks out to a 7-2 lead through three innings at James Miller Stadium in Whitewater.

Putnam led off the Warhawk 1st inning with an infield single and would score the Hawks first run of the game. Whitewater put three on the board in the 1st inning. Added a single run in the second with three more in the 3rd fueled by Dylan Friend's 2-run homer.

In his first three at bats, Putnam is 2 for 2 plus a walk and has scored 2 of the Hawks 7 runs.

Ripon scored two off UWW starter Riley Tincher in the top of the 3rd.

Ticher has given up the 2 runs on 2 hits, walking 3 Ripon batters while striking out 3.

End of 3rd Inning: Whitewater 7, Ripon 2

Warhawk Baseball Home Game Live Stats Available On Line

Hey Warhawk baseball fans...

If you can't make it to Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium to watch the Warhawks this season you can now follow each game LIVE ONLINE via Live Stats courtesy of the UW-Whitewater Sports Information Staff and Stat Crew Software

To access today's Ripon at UW-Whitewater Live Stats cut and paste the following Web address onto your computer's address bar:

http://www.sidearmstats.com/uww/baseball/index.htm

UW-Whitewater to host Ripon College in 2011 home opener at the Mills

The UW-Whitewater Warhawks will open the “north portion” of its schedule Thursday afternoon (3/31) by hosting Ripon College in doubleheader action on Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.

It won’t be Florida weather but according to weatherbug.com, expect sunshine with a top temp near 50 degrees.

Weather and poor field condition resulted in the Red Hawks scheduled doubleheader at UW-Stevens Point to be postponed.

The Red Hawks will also be playing its first game in Wisconsin this season and will take a 2 & 8 record into Thursday’s twin bill in Whitewater.

The Ripon baseball team ended their spring training trip to Florida on a positive note, winning two of their final three games at the RussMatt Invitational. The Red Hawks swept a doubleheader against Greenville (Ill.) College, winning 13-2 and 7-3, before losing the final game of their trip 5-3 to Hope (Mich.) College last Friday.

After a two-year absence, the Ripon College baseball team returned to the NCAA Regional playoffs in 2010, adding the school's 18th conference championship to their hardware.

Last season's championship run was a bit unexpected, as Ripon had a young team with five freshman starters.

Last year in UW-Whitewater’s first game following spring training, the Warhawks swept a doubleheader, 11-1 and 3-1 over Ripon in the first games played at the new James B. Miller Stadium in Whitewater.

Warhawks look to continue its hitting success in 2011

When you analyze why the UW-Whitewater baseball team has captured eight out of the last nine WIAC regular season championships, being able to hit the baseball has been a major factor. Whitewater has finished No. 1 in the conference in hitting five of the last six seasons.

The Warhawks are off to a quick start at the plate again this year. Entering Thursday afternoon’s home opening doubleheader vs. Ripon College the Warhawks are hitting .306 as a team and the top half of the batting order has been lethal.

Dan Putnam and Rob Coe are ranked 1 & 2 in the WIAC coming off a 5 & 2 mark in its southern spring game.

Putnam is hitting a staggering .533 and has scored 12 runs through the first seven games of the season. The Warhawks starting rightfielder hit .356 with 6 home runs, 17 doubles, 50 RBI and stole 18 bases in 19 attempts as a junior last season.

Rob Coe is back for his senior season with a bang. The Hawks 1st Team All-WIAC catcher fed off opponent’s pitching during the Hawks spring training games. The Appleton native is hitting .478 with a home run and 14 RBI through seven games. Coe had a .380 batting average as a junior last year, a jump of nearly 100 percentage points from his sophomore season.

Jeff Donovan is coming off a huge year at the plate. The former Wauwatosa East High School athlete led the team and conference with 12 home runs, 60 runs batted in, and a .671 slugging percentage. Donovan was second in the conference with 110 total bases and 35 walks. He also added 50 runs, 58 hits, 14 doubles and was 6-8 in stolen bases. So far this season, Donovan is hitting .400 with 7 RBI in the Warhawks seven early season games.

Two other starters, Andrew Eichstaedt (LF) and Matt Meisenheimer (2B) are also hitting above .300.

Putnam, Coe, Donovan, Eichstaedt, Travis Wessels and Matt Beyer have been in the starting lineup in all seven games to date.

Since 2004, UW-Whitewater has led the conference in batting average in all but 2009. Last year’s .351 team batting average is the highest since 2005 when the Warhawks captured the NCAA Division III Championship with a .363 batting average.

Tincher and Donovan headline UWW piching rotation

Continued improvement of the Warhawks pitching will be a crucial factor in Whitewater challenging for a ninth WIAC title in the last 10 years.

It is no secret that good pitching is always a major factor in winning championships. It is something that the UW-Whitewater baseball team has done well on an annual basis. The Warhawks are out to defend its 2010 WIAC championship.

“We have Riley Tincher back, and Jeff Donovan back, and that gives us two great arms out there,” UW-Whitewater head coach John Vodenlich tells voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com. Tincher, now a senior, is coming off a dominating 2010 season.

Tincher was a major element in leading UW-Whitewater to the WIAC title last spring. The big lefthander led Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference pitchers with a 13 & 1 record along with a 3.87 earned run average. He struck 78 and walked 16 in his team leading 102.1 innings. The effort earned Riley 2010 WIAC Pitcher of the Year and earned American Baseball Coaches Association Division III Second Team All-America honors.

Jeff Donovan is also back in the Hawks’ starting rotation this spring. Despite starting for the Warhawks in his freshman and sophomore seasons, 2010 was the first time that Donovan was given a major role on his team’s pitching staff. Donovan earned his All-America recognition with his versatility both on the mound and in the field. The lanky righthander appeared in ten games as a pitcher. He sported the second lowest earned run average on the team at 3.79 to go along with his 4-1 record in nine starts. Donovan earned All-WIAC recognition both as a pitcher and as a 1st baseman.

Aaron Leitner also returns from last year’s UWW starting pitching rotation. The Chilton native finished his sophomore season with an outstanding 7 & 1 record. Leitner was a major part of a UW-Whitewater pitching staff that ranked No.1 in WIAC pitching statistics last season.

The Hawks must replace Brian Hooper in the starting rotation. The big righthander out of Lake Mills finished his senior season with a 7 & 3 record highlighted by hurling the Warhawks’ first no hitter since 2008.

Another major hole to fill will be the"closers" role with the loss of Ben Versnik in the MLB draft last June. Versnick was selected iby the Seatlle Mariners in the 38th round, 1152 overall. Versnik spent his rookie season with the Mariner's Rookie League affiliate, the Pulaski (Virginia) Mariners Advanced Rookie League team in the Appalachian League.

The WIAC's top relief pitcher was dominating last spring. Ben posted the lowest earned run average (3.04 in 20 appearances) on the team that finished the season with a 42-5 record. He also posted seven saves, the highest single season total of any pitcher in UW-W history. Versnik posted a 2-1 record in relief making one start and also adding 35 strikeouts over 26.2 innings pitched. He held opposing hitters to a mere .220 batting average.

"I was impressed on the way our staff kept us in a number of games, particularly in Florida,” UW-Whitewater head coach John Vodenlich indicated earlier this week.. Colin Grove is coming off an outstanding spring training. The freshman from Beloit Memorial High School will enter Thursday’s home opener vs. Ripon College with a 0.00 ERA (7 innings/4 appearances), giving up just 3 hits while striking out six while issuing just four walks.

The UWW bullpen in general had an excellent “south swing” to open the season. Brock Liston (jr), Andrew Bauer (soph) and Tom Kerndt (soph) also have not allowed a run while all pitching less than an inning. In relief. The threesome allowed just one hit and one walk through the team’s first seven games.

One of the main cog’s in last year’s bullpen was sophomore relief specialist Kyle Lee. The former Beaver Dam High School athlete had among the best statistics in the nation to start last season’s campaign. Known as “Bulldog,” Lee appeared in the conference high 13 games, through the team’s first 22 games last season. At that point of the season Kyle was 6 & 0 with 1 save, all in relief. In 34 innings pitched, Lee had struck out 30 while walking just 6 batters. Lee finished the season with the 6 win, 0 loss record.

Lee's only outing during the Hawks Florida trip earlier this month was a gem in long relief in the Warhawks' 7-6 victory over St.Thomas (Minn) on March 20th. Lee came on in relief of UWW starter Jack Larson with two outs in the first and faced 33 batters, giving up seven hits, two runs, walking three and striking out three Tommie batters. Lee went eight innings to earn his first victory of the year in his first appearance.

In Coach Vodenlich's words, "pitching and defense are always the key to our team's success."

Warhawk fans will get a first look at this year's team when the Hawks host Ripon College in a season opening doubleheader Thursday afternoon on Prucha Field at James B. Mijller Stadium. Action gets underway at 1 p.m.

Warhawks got "good work in" during it's 2011 southern swing

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team will open the “north portion” of its schedule Thursday afternoon by hosting Ripon College for a non-conference doubleheader on Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium in Whitewater.

The Warhawks will take on 5 & 2 mark into Thursday’s home opener.

UWW played seven varsity games (two in St. Louis and five in Florida). “We had a productive trip,” UWW head coach John Vodenlich tells Voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com. We were able to get work both in varsity and varsity reserve games last week in Florida. It was a great way to assess where we are as a team heading north.”

The Hawks defeated Washington University (11-1 and 16-10 in St. Louis. The Florida trip included victories over: St. Olaf, Minnesota (7-2), St. Thomas (7-6) & Mount Vernon Nazarene, Ohio (8-6). Whitewater’s two spring training losses were by a total of just three runs.

The Hawks lost 3-2 to St. Olaf in the first game of a doubleheader. Whitewater concluded its spring break Florida trip by dropping a 6-4 decision to St. Thomas in a single game on March 21st.

“By no means do I think we couldn’t have gone 7 & 0 on our southern swing,” Vodenlich said. “We made some mistakes which once again is part of spring training and we are working now on correcting those mistakes.”

I’ll be blogging Coach Vodenlich’s thoughts on his pitching staff coming out of spring training. That will be coming up tomorrow here on voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com.

A reminder: The Warhawks will host Ripon College on Thursday afternoon (3/31). Due to unplayable field conditions (snow covered) at Ripon, the location of the non-conference twinbill was switched to James Miller Stadium in Whitewater earlier this week. First pitch Thursday is set for 1 p.m.

March 29th WIAC Scoreboard

Today’s Scores (3/29) Loras College 9, UW-Platteville 7 (@ Loras) St.Norbert @ UW-Oshkosh (DH) (postponed TBA) Wednesday (3/30) Games UW-Stevens Point @ Madison Edgewood (DH) Macalester (Minn) @ UW-La Crosse (DH) Thursday (3/31) Games Ripon College @ UW-Whitewater (DH - 1 p.m.) St. Mary’s (Minn) @ UW-La Crosse (1 game)

Schedule change for UW-Whitewater baseball team

The UW-Whitewater baseball team was suppose to play a non-conference doubleheader at Ripon College on Thursday afternoon (3/31).

PLEASE NOTE: Site of the Ripon-UW-Whitewater doubleheader HAS BEEN SWITCHED.

The twinbill has been moved to Prucha Field at Jim Miller Stadium in Whitewater. Action is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m.

The Warhawks will open WIAC action this weekend with doubleheaders vs. UW-Superior on both Saturday and Sunday at Jim Miller Stadium.

Four Warhawks named to the Inside Wisconsin Sports 2011 Preseason Division III All-State Team

The April edition of Inside Wisconsin Sports Magazine includes a preview of Division III college baseball in Wisconsin. Four of the eleven players on the IWS Division III All-State Team are members of the 2011 UW-Whitewater baseball team.

Rob Coe returns for his senior season after being named All-WIAC in 2010. The Appleton native had a .380 batting average as a junior last year, a jump of nearly 100 percentage points from his sophomore season. The WIAC’s top catcher threw out 56% of baserunners on the way to the 2010 WIAC championship. Coe is “out of the gate” quickly this spring hitting .478 with a home run and 14 RBI through seven games.

Daniel Putnam proved to be an impact player both offensively and defensively in his first year in the UW-Whitewater baseball program last season. The Ashland native hit .356 with 6 home runs, 17 doubles, 50 RBI and stole 18 bases in 19 attempts as a junior last season. Putnam, the Hawks rightfielder, is hitting a staggering .533 and has scored 12 runs through the first seven games of the season.

Riley Tincher enters his senior season on the Warhawk pitching staff coming off a 13 & 1 record in 2010. Tincher struck out 78 while walking just 16 while leading the Hawks to a 10th WIAC title in the last 11 years. In 2010 conference play, the big lefthander led the team and conference with an 11-1 record and 83.2 innings pitched. He added two complete games, struck out 67, and had an earned run average of 4.41. Tincher was named to the WIAC First Team and the conference's pitcher of the year last spring.

Jeff Donovan earned 1st Team All-WIAC honors both as a pitcher and utility player in 2010. The Wauwatosa native led the team and conference with 12 home runs, 60 runs batted in, and a .671 slugging percentage. Donovan was second in the conference with 110 total bases and 35 walks. He also added 50 runs, 58 hits, 14 doubles and was 6-8 in stolen bases. Donovan was unique in being named as a first baseman and as a utility player. Donovan had a perfect 4-0 record with a 3.48 earned run average. Opponents batting average of .234 was second lowest in the conference. Donovan is currently batting .400 with 7 RBI in the Warhawks seven early season games. On the mound Donovan is 2 & 0 and has pitched a team-high 11.2 innings so far in 2011. The UW-Whitewater baseball team has been dominant under veteran head coach John Vodenlich. Now in his eighth season as UW-Whitewater’s head coach, Vodenlich has put together an outstanding career mark of 253-82-and-1.

The UW-Whitewater baseball team has been dominant under veteran head coach John Vodenlich. Now in his eighth season as UW-Whitewater’s head coach, Vodenlich has put together an outstanding career mark of 253-82-and-1.

Hawks weekend games vs Concordia-Moorhead cancelled do cold weather

Can you say Burrrr - Cold?

The weather reports for Friday and Saturday, March 25-26, have forced the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater to cancel home games scheduled for both days.

According to the forecast from Weatherbug.com, the high temperature Friday is forecast at 35 with a high of 31 on Saturday.

UW-W was to have hosted Concorida-Moorhead for a single game at 2:00 Friday, and had a twinbill with Bethel University that was to begin at 12:00 Saturday. UW-W has not rescheduled any of the games.The Warhawks will now open the home portion of its schedule Saturday and Sunday, April 2-3, hosting UW-Superior in doubleheaders both days, starting at 12:00 on Prucha Field at Jim Miller Stadium.

Four Hawks on Inside Wisconsin Sports Magazine's D III All-State Preseason Team

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team is well represented on the Inside Wisconsin Sports Magazine Division III All-State Preseason Team.

The Warhawks have four players named to the IWS preseason team. No other school has more than two on the squad.

Rob Coe, Riley Tincher, Jeff Donovan and Daniel Putnam represent UWW on the popular state sports magazine’s D III All-State Preseason Team.

The April edition of Inside Wisconsin Sports Magazine also includes its 2011 Division III Baseball Preview.

The April, 2011 edition of Inside Wisconsin Sports Magazine is available on newsstands now.

Warhawk pitchers were spotty during the "south" portion of the schedule

What’s the old adage? “Hitting is usually ahead of pitching early in the season?” Such has been the case when breaking down the UW-Whitewater pitching statistics after seven games.

The Hawks left Florida thjis week with a 4.34 ERA and seven pitchers sporting a sub 3.00 ERA.
Colin Grove (Freshman/Beloit Memorial) is coming off an outstanding spring training with a 0.00 ERA (7 innings/4 appearances) Grove has given up just 3 hits while striking out 6 so far.
Brock Liston, Andrew Bauer and Tom Kerndt also have not allowed a run all pitching less than an inning. The threesome allowed just one hit and one walk through the team’s first seven games.

Kyle Lee will again be looked at for long relief situations. The junior from Beaver Dam pitched outstanding earlier this week. In the Warhawks 7-6 win over St. Thomas (Minn) Lee came on in relief of starter Jack Larson with two outs in the first inning. . Lee went eight innings to earn his first victory of the year in his first appearance. He faced 33 batters, gave up seven hits, two runs, walked three and struck out three.

Staff "ace," Riley Tincher will enter the home opener 1 & 1 record and 2.45 ERA. In 11.0 innings pitched the senior lefthander from Oregon, Wisconsin has given up 15 hits, 3 earned runs while striking out 5 and walking 2 opposing batters.

Jeff Donovan has started two games on the mound so far. Jeff has pitched a team-high 11.2 innings giving up 7 runs on 10 hits. His ERA is 5.40. Donovan has recorded a team-high 10 strike outs while giving up just four walks.

As a staff, UWW pitvhers have struck out 42 while allowing 33 bases on balls.

Tincher and Donovan have started two games each. Jack Larsen (Junior/Menomonee Falls), Justin Lambert (Sophomore/Mount Horeb) and Mathew Roberts (Freshman/Manitowoc Roncalli) have the other three starts for John Vodenlich’s Warhawk pitching staff.

Hawks sting the baseball during the "south" portion of the 2011 schedule

The UW-Whitewater baseball team is scheduled to open the “north” portion of the season by hosting Concordia-Moorhead (Minn) Friday on Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium in a game beginning at 2:00 pm (weather permitting).

The Hawks bring a 5 & 2 record back following its “spring training” games in Florida and St. Louis.

Whitewater has stung the ball offensively with a .306 team batting average. The top half of the batting order has been lethal for opposing pitchers.

Daniel Putnam enters the home portion of the 2011 schedule hitting a scintillating .533 and scoring a team-high 12 runs from his lead-off spot in the UWW batting order.

Rob Coe is close behind, hitting .478 through seven games. The All-WIAC catcher has a slugging percentage of .783 including a home run and 14 RBI.

Jeff Donovan is also off to a good start at the plate hitting an even .400 including a double, triple and 7 RBI.

Two other starters, Andrew Eichstaedt (LF) and Matt Meisenheimer (2B) are also hitting above .300.

Putnam, Coe, Donovan, Eichstaedt, Travis Wessels and Matt Beyer have been in the starting lineup in all seven games to date.

Due to the cancelled early season games at the Metrodome earlier this month the Hawks played just seven games prior to opening the “north” portion of the schedule. Last year the Warhawks left Florida with an 8 and 1 mark.

Hawks drop 6-to-4 decision to St. Thomas Monday afternoon in Florida finale

A five-run fourth inning for St. Thomas propelled the Tommies to a 6-4 win over UW-Whitewater Monday afternoon in Leesburg, Florida.

St. Thomas threw the first blow scoring on a sacrifice fly to right field in the top of the first.The 'Hawks answered with three in the bottom of the third to take a 3-1 lead. A Jeff Donovan triple with the bases loaded scored Rob Coe, Andrew Eichstaedt and Daniel Putnam.

The lead was short-lived as the Tommies got to UW-Whitewater starting pitch Mathew Roberts in the top of the fourth inning. The inning opened with a UST home run, They scored two more on a double, and scored two more on a costly error.UW-W fought back tallying one run in the bottom of the eighth when Putnam singled home Travis Wessels. That was it for the comeback effort for the Hawks.

Donovan recorded three hits in the game to go along with his three RBIs while Wessels also notched three hits. Putnam recorded two hits and one RBI and extends his hitting streak to seven games. Mathew Roberts pitched four innings for UW-W and got the loss after surrendering six runs, 4 earned. Colin Grove came on to finish the game and only surrendered two hits to the 17 batters he faced while striking out three and walking one.

Whitewater is now finished with its varsity competition in Florida. Three more varsity reserve games will be played prior to returning back to Whitewater.

Next up for John Vodenlich’s team is the home opener on Friday, March 25th when the Hawks host Concordia-Moorhead (Minn) for a signle game at Prucha Field in James B. Miller Stadium. First pitch is set for 2:00 pm.

Whitewater returns home with a 5 & 2 season record.

Coe's bat leads Warhawks to an 8-6 win over Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio)

The UW-Whitewater baseball team ran its record to 6 & 1 on the season following an 8-6 victory over Mt. Vernon Nazarene (Ohio) Monday morning in Auburndale, Florida.

Rob Coe continued his torrid pace at the plate with 3 RBI on a 2 for 5 day at the plate. The senior catcher from Appleton has driven in 14 runs in his team’s first seven games of the season.

Along with Coe, Dan Putnam continues to do damage at the plate going 3 for 5 to improve his batting average to a team leading .560. Putnam has hit safely in all six Warhawk games this season.

Seven different Warhawk runners scored in Monday morning’s win. The Hawks left just six runners on base.

Justin Lambert earned the win going seven and two-thirds giving up six runs (five earned), walking four, and striking out eight. The junior from Mount Horeb is 1-0 and following his first start of the season.

The Warhawks will be going for a second win Monday afternoon in a game vs. Midwest regional rival St. Thomas (Minn). First pitch is set for 2 p.m.

Hawks ride Beyer's bat and Lee's pitching to 7-6 win over St. Thomas (Minn)

Matt Beyer's three RBI day led the way to UW-Whitewater's 7-6 win over St. Thomas (Minn) Sunday afternoon in Leesburg, Florida. recorded three RBI on a 2-for4 performance at the plate for the UW-Whitewater baseball team in a 7-6 win over St. Thomas on Sunday in Leesburg, Florida.

The Warhawks jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the top of the first on a sacrifice fly by Jeff Donovan (Wauwautosa/East), a two-RBI double by Beyer, and an RBI double by Travis Wessels (Tomah/Tomah). The Tommies responded with four of their own in the bottom half of the frame to knot the score at 4-4.UW-W tacked on two more runs in the top of the third to go up 6-4 and they never relinquished their lead. Matt Meisenheimer (West Bend/West) drove in the two runs on a single to right center.The 'Hawks scored another run in the top of the fourth, which would prove to be the game winning run, on a Beyer sacrifice fly that plated Andrew Eichstaedt, the transfer from UW-Oshkosh.

(Pictured in the adjacent photo is Matt Beyer - photo is courtesy of UW-Whitewater Sports Information Office)

Kyle Lee picked up the win in relief of UWW starter Jack Larsen who lasted just 2/3's of the first inning. Lee came on after two outs in the first and faced 33 batters, gave up seven hits, two runs, walked three and struck out three. Lee went eight innings to earn his first victory of the year in his first appearance. Colin Grove earned the save by retiring the final batter of the game with runners on first and second.

Beyer not only drove in three Warhawks runs, but scored two as well. Eichstaedt went 2-for-3 at the plate, drew two walks and scored two runs. Daniel Putnam extended his hitting streak to five games and is hitting .550 so far this season.

The Warhawks will play St. Thomas again on Monday at 2:00 pm The Hawks will open the day with a single game against Mount Vernon Nazarene at 10:00 am.

Warhawks open Florida trip with split vs. St. Olaf (Minn)

The UW-Whitewater baseball team split with St. Olaf College on Saturday in Leesburg, Florida. St. Olaf took the first game 3-2, while UW-W won the second 7-2.

St. Olaf 3, UW-Whitewater 2 (Game 1)
The Oles struck first by scoring a run in the bottom of the first inning. UW-Whitewater took some time but tied things up in the top of the fourth when Matt Beyer (Janesville/Parker) scored on a Jeff Donovan (Wauwautosa/East) double to left field.

St. Olaf recaptured the lead in the bottom of the fourth scoring an unearned run on a UW-W error.

The Hawks fought back to tie the score again in the top of the sixth when a sacrifice fly by Andrew Eichstaedt scored Beyer.

The game stayed tied going into the bottom of the seventh (final inning) when St. Olaf’s shortstop hit a walk-off single ro give the Oles a 3-2 victory.

Riley Tincher pitched six innings and took the loss for the Warhawks. Tincher is 1-1 for the season.

Daniel Putnam continued to sting the baseball going 2-for-4 in game-one and was the only Warhawk to record multiple hits.

UW-Whitewater 7, St. Olaf 2 (Game 2)

The Warhawks jumpled out early scoring a run in the bottom of the first inning. Rob Coe ripped an RBI took an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on an RBI double by Rob Coe to score Dan Putnam who raached on an error to lead off the bottom of the first for Whitewater.

The game remained at 1-0 for the next three and a half innings before UW-W notched six runs in the bottom of the fifth to extend their lead to 7-0. The ‘Hawks first three batters, Lee Kimbell (Clinton, KY), Travis Wessels (Tomah/Tomah), and Daniel Putnam (Ashland /Ashland), reached base and all would come around to score. Coe and Donovan each reached base in the inning, recorded an RBI, and scored. Eichstaedt also scored in the inning.

St. Olaf plated a run in the top of the sixth and the top of the seventh to close the gap to 7-2 but could not solve UW-W’s Donovan. Donovan surrendered just five hits in the game while striking out six. Donovan improves to 2-0 this season.

Putnam went 1-for-4 in the game and is batting .733 after four games (11-for-15). Putnam has recorded multiple hits in three of the Warhawks’ four games.

Coe added to his RBI total for the season and now has 10 to lead the team in the early going of 2011. He went 3-for-3 in game two, scored a run, and knocked in 2.

UW-W will continue competition on their spring trip in Florida on Sunday when they take on St. Thomas in a doubleheader beginning at 11:30 am.

Warhawks open Florida trip today with DH vs. St. Olaf (Minn)

The UW-Whitewater baseball team opens spring training action in Florida on Saturday. The Hawks will play St. Olaf College (Minn) in doubleheader action in Leesburg, Florida.

Whitewater takes a 2 & 0 mark into its Florida schedule. The Hawks swept a two-game series vs. Washington University (11-1 and 16-10) in St. Louis two weeks ago.

St. Olaf enters today’s play with a 6 & 0 record. The Oles opened 2011 action Friday with 2-1 and 5-2 victories over Madison Edgewood.

Editor's Note I am not in Florida but will have a full report on each of the Warhawks Florida games including box scores.

2011 UW-Whitewater Florida Schedule
** all games are Eastern Daylight Time starts

3/19/2011 St. Olaf (Spring Training) (DH)
FL, Pat Thomas Stadium 1:00 PM

3/20/2011 St. Thomas (Spring Training)
FL, Lake Myrtle #3 11:30 AM

3/20/2011 Benedictine (Reserve) (Spring Training)
Lake Myrtle #4 3:00 PM

3/21/2011 Mt. Vernon Nazarene (Spring Training)
FL, Lake Myrtle #1 10:00 AM

3/21/2011 St. Thomas (Spring Training)
FL, Lake Myrtle #2 2:00 PM

3/22/2011 Allegheny (PA) Reserve
FL, Chain of Lakes #3 10:00 AM

3/23/2011 Minnesota Twins (Minor League) (Spring Training)
Fort Myers, FL 1:00 PM

Versnik ready for season-two of his professional baseball career

Former UW-Whitewater pitcher Ben Versnik is getting set for his second season of professional baseball.

Versnik was selected in Round 38 of the 2010 MLB Draft by the Seattle Mariners. The former Warhawk was assigned to the Mariners’ Rookie League affiliate in Pulaski, Virginia.

The Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s top relief pitcher was dominating last spring. Ben posted the lowest earned run average( 3.04 in 20 appearances) on the team that finished the season with a 42-5 record. He also posted seven saves, the highest single season total of any pitcher in UW-W history. Versnik posted a 2-1 record in relief making one start and also adding 35 strikeouts over 26.2 innings pitched. He held opposing hitters to a mere .220 batting average.

Versnik appeared in six games last summer after signing his first professional contract. Ben finished his first season with a 3.38 earned run average - giving up 3 runs in 8.0 innings pitcher - all in relief. The West Allis native had just one outing where he gave up more than one run. His 2010 pitching totals included 13 strike outs and just 4 walks in 8.0 innings pitched.

The Mariners have yet to officially release it’s minor league rosters for the upcoming season.

The question is if Versnik will open 2011 at Rookie League affiliate Pulaski (Virginia) or possibly Seattle’s Short-Season A Northwoods League affiliate in Everette Washington. The Mariners’ Class A Midwest League affiliate is located in Clinton, Illinois.

Stevens Point and Whitewater predicted to battle it out again for 2011 WIAC Championship

University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point is the preseason favorite to secure the 2011 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) baseball championship according to the league’s sports information directors.

The Pointers received four first-place votes in the conference poll and have captured eight first-place trophies in program history. UW-Stevens Point is coming off a 2010 campaign that had them reach the finals of the NCAA Division III Championship for the third time in the last five years. The Pointers are ranked No. 2 nationally in a preseason poll conducted by D3baseball.com and will field a starting lineup that includes a junior or senior at every position. Senior Eric Fritz, the 2010 WIAC Position Player of the Year, established a school single-season record with 91 hits a season ago, while classmate Scott Williams set a program mark with 11 wins.

UW-Whitewater picked up the remaining three first-place votes in the WIAC poll and is pegged for second in the seven-team derby. The Warhawks have secured nine of the last 11 conference crowns and enter the season ranked No. 5 in the D3baseball.com poll. Senior Riley Tincher claimed WIAC Pitcher of the Year honors a season ago and led the league with 13 victories and 102.1 innings pitched. UW-Whitewater will host NCAA regional games at Prucha Field at Miller Stadium for the second consecutive year. Head coach John Vodenlich is 18 wins away from reaching 300 in his career.

Before last season, UW-Oshkosh had just one losing record in the previous 42 years. The Titans have won 27-plus games in 17 of the past 20 seasons and own a conference-best 29 titles. Senior Nolan Fadness ranked third in the NCAA Division III with nine triples last year and led the WIAC with 24 stolen bases (in 26 attempts). Head coach Tom Lechnir owns the most victories in league history, while his .734 winning percentage ranks sixth among active NCAA Division III head coaches.

After playing its first seven games in Phoenix, Ariz., UW-La Crosse plays 13 of its next 17 games at home, including 10 of 14 in the WIAC. Last year’s team smacked 39 home runs, the most since 2002 when they belted 52. Senior Matt Trocke led the squad with 16 multi-hit games in 2010, while junior Jay Fanta finished the season with a 13-game hitting streak. The Eagles need nine wins to reach 900 in school history.

UW-Platteville tied for third in league standings a year ago for the best finish since the conference merged divisions in 1998. The Pioneers also qualified for the WIAC tournament for the first time since 2005. Last year’s squad tied a program record with 22 wins and set single-season marks with 473 hits, 336 RBIs and 363 runs scored, while setting the second-highest totals with a .320 batting average and 81 doubles. Senior Brett Benesh had 20 multi-hit games and 10 multi-RBI contests.

UW-Superior’s 18 overall wins a year ago were the most in program history, while the 10 WIAC triumphs were the most since the 1975 campaign. The Yellowjackets had a pair of individuals chosen to the All-WIAC first team in 2010 - the most since 1996 when four were picked. Senior Mike Swanson led the team with a 2.88 earned run average and 14 appearances. UW-Superior will face University of Illinois-Chicago March 18, the first-ever Division I opponent to appear on the schedule.

UW-Stout welcomes 15 new players to the program, including six transfers (three of which are pitchers). Senior Brian Giebel led the club with a .319 batting average, 46 hits, 40 runs scored and 13 doubles last season. Head coach Seth Maier was a four-time All-WIAC selection with the Blue Devils and claimed Position Player of the Year accolades in 2007.

2011 WIAC Preseason Baseball Poll
1. UW-Stevens Point (4) 34-18, 16-8
2. UW-Whitewater (3) 42-7, 21-3
3. UW-Oshkosh 18-20, 11-13
4. UW-La Crosse 17-23, 9-15
5. UW-Platteville 22-20, 11-13
6. UW-Superior 18-20, 10-14
7. UW-Stout 11-28, 6-18
( )--First-place votes

Treyton Kilar Field of Dreams plans a step closer to reality

(Editor's note: The following is an excerpt of a Jefferson County Daily Union story writtwn by Chris Welsh)

WHITEWATER -The Whitewater Park and Recreation Board on Monday unanimously approved preliminary plans for the Treyton Kilar Field of Dreams baseball park.

As proposed, phase one of the project would be built in the northeast corner of Starin Park, bordering on Fremont Street and East Lauderdale Drive. Amenities include lighted stadium-like field sideline seating, hillside seating, 60-foot baselines, masonry dugouts, batting cages and 145 parking spaces. The outfield would be 250-feet at its furthest point from home plate.

Long-term phase two plans - still in the theoretical stage - call for updates to the existing fields at Starin Park. Those plans, however, might take years to come to fruition.

The "Field of Dreams" baseball park is named after Treyton Kilar, a 6-year old Whitewater boy who was killed in a drunken driving crash in Walworth County last September. The son of Mike and Mary Kilar, the boy loved baseball.

with the Park and Recreation Board granting its approval, the next step is to bring the preliminary plan to the Whitewater Common Council.

"We go to the council, but we will also make it an agenda item for the Urban Forestry Commission because there is a significant removal of trees that will need to be replanted as part of the design," he said. "We want to make sure they are comfortable and on board with the work we are going to be doing at Starin Park."

The timeline for completing the project is dependent on the funds raised for the project.

"The last update I had on fundraising is that we have raised about $60,000," he said. "We have, as a committee, set a goal of $150,000 to begin construction of the field itself, knowing that that is probably going to be really close to the number it is going to take to finalize the field. We are working on finalizing the construction with some of the groups that have pledged to donate, whether that is labor or to provide materials at cost, those sorts of things. We are still working on getting that final number for the project."

Warhawks set to leave for "Spring Training" in sunny Florida

The UW-Whitewater baseball team will depart Whitewater Wednesday for a much anticipated week of “spring training” games in central Florida.

Hawk head coach John Vodenlich had hoped for a week of warm weather to allow his team to work outdoors in James B. Miller Stadium. Snow cover and cold temperatures put that idea on a permanent back burner.

“Murphy’s Law” is in full effect as temperatures in the 50s and 60s will descend on Whitewater beginning the day the team departs for Florida.

UW-Whitewater takes a 2 & 0 record into “spring training.” The defending WIAC champions defeated Washington University 11 to 1 and 16 to 10 in a two game series 10 days ago down in St. Louis.

Despite the two victories there is plenty to work on down in the “Sunshine State.”

“There is a number of things we didn’t do well (vs. Wash U),” Vodenlich tells Voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com. We have been focusing on those things since our trip to St. Louis. Our goal is to continue to win this coming week.”

As far as finding a lineup following the loss of several key seniors off last year’s 42 & 7 club.

“We have most of those questions answered,” Vodenlich said. “We feel very good on where we are going to play certain people, what they bring to the team and what there roles are. We have that figured out for the most part.”

The first six in UW-Whitewater’s batting order were the same in the first two games.


The Warhawks will open the Florida portion of its schedule with varsity reserve games vs. St. Lawrence University (3/17) and Southern Maine (3/18).

UW-Whitewater’s scheduled varsity games (at this time) are:
(3/19) vs. St. Olaf (Minn) DH
(3/20) vs. St Thomas (Minn)
(3/21) vs. Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio)
(3/21) vs. St. Thomas (Minn)
(3/25) vs. Concordia-Moorhead (Minn)

The Warhawks also have six “varsity reserve” games scheduled.

* Please note that the schedule is subject to changeUW-Whitewater is scheduled to play Bethel University (Minn) in doubleheader action on Saturday March 26th at James B. Miller Stadium with action beginning at 12-Noon).

Here is a reminder to check Voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com daily for Warhawk baseball updates from Florida.

Former Oshkosh Titan, Andrew Eichstaedt, now calls Whitewater home

One of the new faces on the 2011 UW-Whitewater baseball roster is Andrew Eichstaedt. The name might sound familiar as Eichstaedt has transferred to Whitewater after playing his freshman and sophomore seasons for Coach Tom Lechnir at UW-Oshkosh.

In 2009, as a freshman, Eichstaedt played in 28 games, including 24 starts. The Appleton native hit a solid .342 including 13 RBI while playing second base for the Titans.

Andrew got off to a solid start in 2010. Eichstaedt was hitting .364 through ten games when he announced he was leaving the team.

Following his transfer to UW-Oshkosh rival - UW-Whitewater, Eichstaedt has changed positions. At UWO, Eichstaedt played either 3rd or 2nd base. Through the first two games as a Warhawk, Eichstaedt has been the Hawks’ starting left fielder.

Andrew is hitting a solid .333 (3 for 9) with 2 RBI, 3 runs scored, 1 walk and has been hit by a pitch one time.

With the loss of Jordan Stine, af four-time, 1st Team All-WIAC selection to graduation, last year’s starting left fielder Matt Beyer has been moved to center field this spring with Eichstaedt manning left field.

The former UW-Oshkosh Titan now gives Whitewater plenty of WIAC experience on the roster, a fact that is very important as the Hawks set sail on the journey for another WIAC championship.

Warhawks sting baseball in opening weekend sweep of Washington University

Being able to hit the baseball has been a constant with the UW-Whitewater baseball team on the way to nine Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles in the last 11 seasons.

It the Warhawks two opening weekend wins over Washington University in St. Louis are any indication, UWW will have another potent offensive attack again this spring.

The Warhawks swept Wash U 11-1 and 16-10 in its weekend sweep in St. Louis. In the two victories, the Hawks hit a robust .350 as a team.

UW-Whitewater’s top of the order pulverized Wash U pitching. Senior right fielder Danny Putnam led the way, going 8 for 9 while scoring 6 runs.

Rob Coe was just as impressive by going 5 for 7 at the plate including a double and three-run home run. The All-WIAC catcher finished opening weekend with a staggering 8 RBI.

”We believe we have nine solid hitters from top to bottom in the lineup each game,” Hawk head coach John Vodenlich tells Voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com. “When you start the game with Putnam, (Matt) Beyer, Coe, (Jeff) Donovan and (Andrew) Eichstaedt that is a pretty tough bat order.”

The Hawks jumped on Wash U in the first inning of both games to take an early lead.

”We like putting pressure on the opposing pitcher ‘out of the chute’ and we accomplished that over the weekend,” Vodenlich said.

The Warhawks finished its 42 and 5 season last year while leading the WIAC with a .351 season batting average.

Warhawks sting the baseball in opening weekend sweep at Wash U

Being able to hit the baseball has been a constant with the UW-Whitewater baseball team on the way to nine Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles in the last 11 seasons.

It the Warhawks two opening weekend wins over Washington University in St. Louis are any indication, UWW will have another potent offensive attack again this spring.

The Warhawks swept Wash U 11-1 and 16-10 in its weekend sweep in St. Louis. In the two victories, the Hawks hit a robust .350 as a team.

UW-Whitewater’s top of the order pulverized Wash U pitching. Senior right fielder Danny Putnam led the way, going 8 for 9 while scoring 6 runs.

Rob Coe was just as impressive by going 5 for 7 at the plate including a double and three-run home run. The All-WIAC catcher finished opening weekend with a staggering 8 RBI.

”We believe we have nine solid hitters from top to bottom in the lineup each game,” Hawk head coach John Vodenlich tells Voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com. “When you start the game with Putnam, (Matt) Beyer, Coe, (Jeff) Donovan and (Andrew) Eichstaedt that is a pretty tough bat order.”

The Hawks jumped on Wash U in the first inning of both games to take an early lead.

”We like putting pressure on the opposing pitcher ‘out of the chute’ and we accomplished that over the weekend,” Vodenlich said.

The Warhawks finished its 42 and 5 season last year while leading the WIAC with a .351 season batting average.

Next up for the 2 & 0 Warhawk baseball team is a week in central Florida

The 2011 edition of the UW-Whitewater baseball team is fresh off a season opening two game sweep of Washington University over the weekend in St. Louis.

The Warhawks won the opener on Thursday 11 to 1 followed by a 16-10 victory on Friday.

“The wins are great but the most important aspect of the St. Louis trip was to the chance to get outdoors and play for the first time (since opening preseason practice.)” Veteran head coach John Vodenlich tells Voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com. “At this point of the season we have been indoors for a long time and the most important thing was to be able to put the product on the field.”

The Warhawks were originally scheduled to open the season last weekend in Omaha, Nebraska with three games vs. Concordia-Moorhead (Minn). Those game were cancelled last week due to the lack of an available field in Omaha. At the 11th hour Whitewater was able to schedule two nonconference games vs. Washington University in St. Louis.

Despite putting up 27 runs in the season-opening victories,

“We have some work to do but just to get the chance to play two outdoor games this time of the year other than Florida makes us very happy,” Vodenlich said.

UW-Whitewater has traditionally scheduled pre-Florida trip games at the Metrodome in Minneapolis. This spring’s games needed to be cancelled due to the highly publicized collapse of the Metrodome’s roof under the weight of snow last December.


UW-Whitewater is off until March 17th when they’ll open seven days of spring ball in central Florida over spring break.

Hawks sweep Wash U with 16-10 win Friday in St. Louis

The UW-Whitewater baseball team heads back to Wisconsin following two convincing wins over Washington University in St. Louis.

After opening the season on Thursday with an 11-1 win over Wash U, the Hawks put another 16 runs on the scoreboard on Friday in a 16-10 win to sweep the two-game series over the Bears.

UW-Whitewater (2-0), outscored the Wash U 27-11 in the two-game sweep and pounded out 28 hits. The Warhawks had 16 hits in the game two win on Friday.

Danny Putnam (in the adjacent photo) led the hit parade on the Hawks trip to St. Louis. The senior right fielder went 5-for-5 with three runs scored on Friday, finishing the two-game series 8-for-9 with six runs scored.

Rob Coe had another big day at the plate for the Hawks. The senior catcher was 2-for-2 with four RBIs in the Friday’s win. On Thursday Coe clobbered Wash U pitching by going 3 for 5 including a double and home run along with four runs batted in. Matt Meisenheim, er was 3-for-4 with four RBIs and three runs scored n Friday for UW-Whitewater including a three-run home run.

Jeff Donovan earned the victory by pitching five and two-thirds innings, giving up seven hits, six earned runs, four walks, and four strikeouts. The Warhawks had an active bullpen with five pitchers (Colin Grove, Justin Lambert, Andrew Bauer and Brock Liston) seeing mound duty in Friday's win. Eric Schmitz, Colin Grove, Jack Larsen, and Tom Kerndt combined to pitch three innings in relief of game one winner, Riley Tincher.

The Hawks will be off until opening its 2011 spring training trip to central Florida on March 17th vs. St. Lawrence in Lake Bonny, Fla..

Hawks open season with 11-1 win at Wash U

The Warhawks rolled to an 11-1 season opening win over Washington University at Kelly Field in St. Louis, Missouri Thursday afternoon. UW-W, which scored eight of its runs with two outs, is ranked fifth in the D3baseball.com preseason poll and Washington University is 2-3. The same teams will meet again Friday at 12:00 in Saint Louis.

The Warhawks collected eleven hits and did not commit an error. Danny Putnam went 3 for 4, and also reached on a walk, while scoring three runs from his leadoff position. Rob Coe went 3 for 5 including a home ran, four runs batted in and also scored two runs.

(In the adjacent photo is senior catcher Rob Coe who is coming off a sensational junior year for the UWW baseball team. Coe paced the Warhawk offense in Thursday's season opener going 3 for 5 with a home run and 4 RBI)

Senior lefty Riley Tincher, 13-1 a year ago, went five innings, gave up seven hits and one earned run to pick up the win. Tincher walked two and struck out three. Eric Schmitz, Colin Grove, Jack Larsen and Tom Kerndt closed out the game without giving up a hit or a walk.

UW-W will play game two of the season-openng series against Washington University Friday at 12:00. Rain is predicted for the Saint Louis area, so the teams agreed to move the original start time of 2:00 up two hours to try to beat the weather.

Hawks change opening weekend location from Omaha to St. Louis

Detour season normally doesn't get underway until April 1st but The UW-Whitewater baseball team will open its season this weekend in St. Louis instead of Omaha. Whitewater was scheduled to play three nonconference games vs. Concordia-Moorhead (Minn) in Omaha however lack of a baseball stadium this weekend has resulted in the revised schedule.

At the "11th hour" the UWW baseball team will be travelling to St. Louis this weekend for single games on Friday, March 4th and Saturday, March 5th vs. Washington University of St. Louis.

The Bears are coming off a 17 & 15 record in 2010.

The Warhawks are coming off an outstanding 42 & 7 mark in 2010, including both the WIAC regular season and postseason titles.

The Hawks open its annual spring break trip to Florida with games beginning on March 17th.