Does UWW need to win WIAC Conference Tournament to gain bid to NCAA?

The UW-Whitewater baseball team eclipsed the 30-win plateau again this season. The Warhawks sweep of its doubleheader vs. Concordia (Wis) Tuesday to give UWW a 31 & 9 record heading into this weekend’s WIAC Postseason Baseball Tournament in Stevens Point.

Only the winner of the conference tournament earns the WIAC automatic berth into the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III baseball tournament that opens next Wednesday.

If the Warhawks DO NOT earn the WIAC automatic berth what are the chances of earning an at large (Pool C) bid into this year’s NCAA tournament?

Under head coach John Vodenlich’s previous seven seasons at UW-Whitewater the Warhawks have earned NCAA bids in all but two seasons.


2011 (31-9 entering WIAC Championship Tournament)?
2010 (38-5)
2009 (26-17)
2008 (34-7)
2007 (25-15-1), did not make NCAA field
2006 (30-14), did not make NCAA field
2005 (38-6)
2004 (34-7)

The Warhawks finished 2007 with a 25-15 and 1 record and did not get the call from the NCAA.

The most surprising exclusion from the national tournament field was in 2006, a year after the Hawks won its first NCAA Division III national championship, UW-Whitewater was passed over despite putting together a 30-14 regular season mark.

The Warhawks earned a tournament bid in 2009 with a 26 & 17 record. UWW was “shipped out” to the Central Regional in Moline, Illinois and played two “regional championship” games vs. Carthage College winning the first game 3-2 before losing the final game 8-3 ending the 2009 season and sending Carthage to the Division III World Series in Grand Chute, Wisconsin.

Conventional wisdom has both UW-Whitewater (31-9) and UW-Stevens Point (30-8) earning berths in next week’s NCAA Division III Midwest Regional beginning next Wednesday on Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium in Whitewater. UW-Oshkosh enters the weekend as a long-shot to earn a Pool C bid.

Remember, the winner of this weekend’s three-team, WIAC Conference Tournament will earn the automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament.

The Warhawks open play vs. UWO Friday at 10 a.m. at University Field located on the far north end of the UW-Whitewater campus.

All UW-Whitewater baseball tournament action will be broadcast live on KOOL 106.5. I’ll be blogging more on the radio coverage coming up this evening here on Voiceseyeonbaseball.blogspot.com.