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