Tincher provides that grinder mentality needed to win championships

The UW-Whitewater baseball team has been known for having some very good pitching staffs over the years. The one constant with each pitching staff has been to have at least one “innings eater” capable of pitching quality baseball on short rest.
Riley Tincher has been “that man” for the past two years. In 2010, the former Oregon High School athlete put together a monster year. “Tinch” was a major cog in leading the Warhawks to the WIAC title with a 13 & 1 record while pitching 102.1 innings.
Those statistics led the Riley being named the 2010 WIAC Pitcher of the Year.

(Adjacent photo courtesy of Jeff Seisser, Daily Jefferson County Union)

Fast-forward one year. Tincher got off to a great start this season by winning five of his first six starts. Known for his control, Riley lost that control midway through the season.

On April 17th on a very cold day (29 degree wind chill) in Menomonie vs. UW-Stout, Tincher’s control issue became a big concern. The big lefthander gave up 9 runs and 12 hits in six innings of work. The Hawks, unbeaten in the conference going into the game, lost 14-8.

Riley talks about his struggles at the time.

“I had a little bit of a dead arm during that cold weather,” Tincher told voiceseyeonbaseball.com. “I just lost all my confidence.”

The confidence problem didn’t fester long. The feeling was back during Riley’s regular season outing at Oshkosh.

“I got that will to win back,” Tincher explained. “Every pitch I threw, it was, I’m going to win this pitch, you are not going to beat me. I finally got that mentality back.”

A couple weeks later, Tincher hooked up with soon-to-be named conference pitcher of the year, Luke Westphall, in a WIAC tournament game that turned out to be the classic pitcher’s duel.

The two 1st team All-WIAC pitchers dueled it out, matching pitch for pitch for nine innings. Oshkosh won the game 2-1 in the bottom of the ninth on a suicide squeeze bunt.

For Tincher (10 wins & 3 losses/1 save), the focus remained “look forward and not back” as the Warhawks would be awarded an “at large” berth into the NCAA Division III Playoffs. The Hawks proceeded to grind its way through the incredibly tough Midwest Region and stamp its ticket back to the Division III World Series for the first time since 2008 – the year before Riley arrived on campus.

The “grinder” mentality will be very important as the Warhawks enter play this weekend back in Appleton and the NCAA Division III World Series.
Tincher is part of a senior class that has been the “rudder” for keeping this year’s team focused on its goals.

“For us seniors it is all or nothing,” Tincher said. “It is just keeping that mentality of leaving it all on the field, doing your best at all times, and not really regretting anything."

For Ticher and the other seniors, that is really all that can be done.

“If we can go out on top that way, that’s a perfect way to complete a career.”