Pointers and Warwawks dominated WIAC

By Ricky Nelson, D3sports.com

Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC): The regular season played out like it often does with UW-Stevens Point, UW-Whitewater and UW-Oshkosh in the top three. UW-Stevens Point took advantage of its home field and won the WIAC Tournament. Likewise, UW-Whitewater won the Midwest Regional on its home field. With UW-Whitewater’s 2011 appearance at Fox Cities Stadium, the WIAC has now sent a team to the finals in eight of the last nine seasons.

WIAC regular season champion: UW-Stevens Point
WIAC Tournament champion: UW-Stevens Point
NCAA Tournament participants: UW-Stevens Point, UW-Whitewater
WIAC Position Player of the Year: Cody Koback, UW-Stevens Point
WIAC Pitcher of the Year: Luke Westphal, UW-Oshkosh
WIAC Coach of the Year: Pat Bloom, UW-Stevens Point

Jeff Donovan was an All-Tournament selection in the Championship round. d3photography.com photo by Larry Radloff

UW-Whitewater (37-13, 18-6 WIAC): The Warhawks didn’t win the WIAC regular season or WIAC tournament, but they won the second-most important title of the D3 season – the regional championship. UW-Whitewater finished two games behind WIAC regular season champion UW-Stevens Point and was ousted from the WIAC tournament after two one-run losses. But an expected Pool C berth provided new life for the Warhawks. They hosted a six-team regional as the No. 2 seed and won three one-run games to reach the championship, where UW-Whitewater downed No. 3 seed St. Scholastica, 6-3, to finish the regional with a 4-0 record. Head coach John Vodenlich’s team beat the Nos. 1, 3, 4, 5 seeds in the process of sweeping through the regional and ending the season with a 23-2 home record.

UW-Whitewater, which won 30 games or more for the fourth consecutive season, made its fourth finals appearance in the last eight seasons. The Warhawks lost to Buena Vista, 5-4, on a walkoff single in its opener. UW-Whitewater beat Western New England, 8-3, in an elimination game, but the Warhawks were sent home after losing to eventual runner-up Chapman, 4-2, on the tournament’s third day. The Warhawks’ downfall at the finals was their defense, which saw six different players make errors over the three games. Despite his team going 1-2, senior utility player Jeff Donovan was one of 11 named to the championship all-tournament team. Donovan got a no-decision in his opening-game start against Buena Vista, but it’s Donovan’s bat that got him on the all-tourney team. He batted .583 with a 1.083 slugging percentage on 13 total bases in three games, including a home run, triple, double and four singles.

Daniel Putnam was a second team D3baseball.com All-American in 2011. UW-Whitewater athletics photo

Four Warhawks were named First-Team all-WIAC. Donovan and senior outfielder Daniel Putnam parlayed their WIAC accolades into selections to the D3baseball.com All-America teams. Putnam was named to the Second Team while Donovan was selected to the Third Team. Putnam was fourth in the WIAC with a .396 average and led the conference with 29 stolen bases, 197 at-bats and 78 hits with the latter ranking seventh in the nation. Putnam also finished in the WIAC top four in runs (62, fifth in the country), triples (3) and total bases (95). Donovan ended the season 10-0 with a 3.54 earned run average and 75 strikeouts in 89 innings pitched on the mound and batted .403 with 22 doubles, nine home runs, 55 runs batted in, 45 runs, 126 total bases, a .716 slugging percentage and a .491 on-base percentage. Donovan led the WIAC in home runs, total bases, runs batted in, doubles and slugging percentage. Donovan made the WIAC First Team at pitcher and utility. He was named a D3baseball.com All-American as a utility player.

The Warhawks who joined Putnam and Donovan on the all-WIAC First team were senior catcher Rob Coe (.350 AVG, 49 R, 4 HR, 48 RBI, .985 FLD%, 19 SBA, 10 CSB) and senior pitcher Riley Tincher (10-4, 2.93 ERA, 5 CG, 1 SV. 101.1 IP). Tincher’s innings pitched total is five-best in WIAC history, and his win total ranked ninth in the nation.

Donovan ended his career among the top five in WIAC history with 66 doubles (1st), 698 at-bats (2nd), 248 hits (3rd), 204 runs batted in (3rd), 111 bases on balls (4th) and 195 runs scored (5th). His 22 doubles in 2011 are second best in WIAC annuls. Donovan was also among this season’s national leaders with 126 total bases (8th) and wins (9th).

As a team UW-Whitewater was among the top 10 in the nation with 35 sacrifice flies (2nd), 89 hit-by-pitches (2nd), 50 doubles (4th), 2.35 walks allowed per nine innings (7th) and 389 runs scored (10th).

UW-Whitewater named its facility (formerly Prucha Field) Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium in a May 7 dedication ceremony. Miller was the Warhawk head coach from 1987 to 2003, compiling a record of 416-226-4.

Outfielder Cody Koback earned WIAC Player of the Year honors for his play in 2011. UW-Stevens Point athletics photo

UW-Stevens Point (34-10, 20-4 WIAC): Preseason conference favorite, WIAC regular season champion and No. 1 regional seed UW-Stevens Point went 1-2 at the UW-Whitewater Regional. The Pointers won a one-run extra-inning game over No. 6 seed Aurora in the opener but dropped one-run decisions to No. 3 seed St. Scholastica and No. 2 seed UW-Whitewater and exited after scoring just six runs in three games. The Pointers went into the regional 23-2 in their last 25 games while averaging 8.2 runs per game.

Although the end result for UW-Stevens Point was disappointing, there were many highlights on its way to the No. 1 regional seed. The Pointers had one losing streak all season, a three-game skid in early April. WIAC Coach of the Year Pat Bloom’s squad won the conference by two games with a 20-4 conference mark and earned conference tournament hosting rights. The Pointers then beat UW-Whitewater and UW-Oshkosh to win the three-team WIAC Tournament with a 2-0 record thus earning the WIAC automatic bid.

The Pointers placed a conference-high seven players on the all-WIAC First Team, highlighted by junior outfielder Cody Koback, the 10th-round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox and the WIAC Position Player of the Year. Koback led the WIAC in batting average (.424), on-base percentage (.516), runs (71, led nation), triples (7, third in WIAC history), and hit-by-pitch (22, fifth in the nation) while finishing in the WIAC top four in hits (75), runs batted in (47), home runs (8), slugging percentage (.701), stolen bases (16) and total bases (124). Koback was chosen as a utility player on the D3baseball.com All-America Second Team. He also went 6-1 with a 3.26 earned run average on the mound. Koback was named First Team all-WIAC as an outfielder and as a pitcher.

Ryan Iverson's 10 saves was fifth best in the nation. UW-Stevens Point athletics photo

Senior starting pitcher Scott Williams and sophomore second baseman Dan Douglas joined Koback on the WIAC First Team and D3baseball.com All-America teams. Williams was an Honorable Mention All-American after going 11-2 with 2.76 ERA, six complete games and 101 strikeouts in 98 innings pitched. Williams led the WIAC in wins, strikeouts and complete games. His 2011 win total ranked fourth in the nation and fifth best in WIAC history while his strikeouts ranked seventh in the country. Williams ended his career among the top five in the WIAC record book with 289.2 innings pitched (2nd), 27 wins (2nd) and 249 strikeouts (5th).

Douglas was an Honorable Mention D3baseball.com All-American after batting .420, scoring 45 runs, stealing 10 bases and committing just one error for a .993 fielding percentage.

Other UW-Stevens Point First-Team all-WIAC selections were senior starting pitcher Joel Delorit (5-4, 2.91 ERA, 74.1 IP, 65 K), sophomore first baseman Sean Gerber (.400 AVG, 5 HR, 41 RBI), junior third baseman Justin Jirschele (.382 AVG, 43 R, 48 RBI, 95 TB) and junior relief pitcher Ryan Iverson (4-1, 1.47 ERA, 10 SV, 36.2 IP, 29 K).

Ryan Iverson’s 10 saves was the fifth best in the country and second most in WIAC history. With one season of eligibility remaining, Iverson now has 12 career saves, which ranks fifth in the WIAC record book. Senior shortstop Eric Fritz, a 2011 all-WIAC Honorable Mention selection, ended his career with 683 at-bats, the fifth best total in WIAC history. Delorit ended his career in the WIAC top five with 267 strikeouts (3rd) and 269 innings pitched (5th).

As a team the 2011 Pointers were in the national top 10 with 45 double plays turned (6th), a .973 fielding percentage (6th), 31 sacrifice flies (7th) and 530 hits (9th).

UW-Oshkosh junior Luke Westphal was the WIAC Pitcher of the Year and a Second-Team D3baseball.com All-American. UW-Oshkosh athletics photo

UW-Oshkosh (25-14, 13-11 WIAC): After missing out on the postseason last year, the Titans, who had a winning record for the 42nd time in 44 seasons, qualified for the WIAC Tournament in the last weekend of the regular season but lost to UW-Stevens Point, 10-0, in the tournament championship. The Titans received votes in 13 of the 14 D3baseball.com polls this season, climbing as high as 14th in the Week 9 poll. The team was in the top 25 in the nation for seven consecutive polls, from Week 5 through Week 11.

Head coach Tom Lechnir’s team went 11-1 in nonconference play, with the lone loss being to Carthage, an NCAA Tournament qualifier. But the Titans’ conference success is based largely on how they do against the other two of the WIAC “Big Three.” Those results, 1-4 versus UW-Stevens Point, and 3-2 versus UW-Whitewater, was a mixed bag, much like the Titans’ season. The UW-Oshkosh offense struggled for much of the season, scoring the second fewest runs in the conference. The Titans hit four home runs, the fewest in the WIAC, but led the nation with 64 sacrifice bunts. Despite the offensive woes, two UW-Oshkosh batters had all-conference seasons.

Senior shortstop Nolan Fadness and sophomore second baseman Tyler Kamps were named to the all-WIAC First Team. Fadness is now a four-time First Teamer after hitting .326 and adding team highs with 24 stolen bases and 44 runs in 2011. Fadness ended his career in the WIAC top five with 16 triples (1st) and 71 stolen bases (5th) to go along with 200 hits. Kamps earned First-Team honors with a .325 average and team-high totals of 51 hits, 38 runs batted in, 15 doubles and 70 total bases. Kamps also had a 19-game hitting streak this season.

While the offense oftentimes struggled, the team’s strength was pitching. Junior Luke Westphal, the WIAC Pitcher of the Year and Second-Team D3baseball.com All-American, anchored a staff that was arguably the best in the conference when healthy. Westphal went 7-0 with a WIAC-best 1.34 earned run average. He held opponents to a .184 average, tossed five complete games and struck out 64 in 60.1 innings while ceding just six extra-base hits. Westphal became UW-Oshkosh’s 42nd All-America selection.

Westphal and senior Jeremy Rubens formed a formidable top of the rotation before Rubens, coming off of shoulder surgery, was shut down for the season in early May. The Titans went 3-6 after Rubens was shut down. Rubens was selected to the WIAC First Team. He went 3-2 with a 1.83 earned run average, four complete games, two shutouts and a 26:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Rubens ranked sixth in the nation with 0.81 walks allowed per nine innings to lead the team to 2.46 walks per nine, which ranked ninth in the country.

Sophomore outfielder Derek Layton ranked seventh in the country with seven sacrifice bunts to help the Titans lead the nation with 64 total sac bunts.

UW-La Crosse sophomore outfielder Brooks Braga was named to the 2011 Division III All-Midwest Region Team. UW-La Crosse Athletics photo

UW-La Crosse (24-15, 12-12 WIAC): The Eagles were in the hunt for the third and final spot in WIAC Tournament until the last weekend before losing out by one game (essentially two games due to losing tiebreakers with UW-Oshkosh). Picked to finish fourth in the WIAC, head coach Chris Schwarz’s team met those expectations.

The Eagles went a combined 3-5 against traditional powers, and 2011 WIAC Tournament participants, UW-Whitewater and UW-Oshkosh, including 2-2 versus Oshkosh. Another season highlight was a doubleheader sweep of Macalester, which finished tied for first in the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The Eagles also swept the MIAC’s St. Olaf, a team that was once regionally ranked.

UW-La Crosse sophomore outfielder Adam Cordova and sophomore pitcher Tim Verthein were named to the all-WIAC First Team. Cordova batted .313 with three home runs and 22 runs batted in. Verthein went 3-0 with a 2.86 earned run average, one save and a .213 opponent’s batting average in 50.1 innings pitched.

Eagle junior catcher Zach Harazin was the fourth-toughest man to strike out in the nation, going down on strikes once every 38 at-bats.

Put on the chopping block by the university’s president due to state budget cuts, UW-La Crosse baseball has survived in recent seasons through fund raising. The program was spared for five seasons in 2009 through donors and fund-raising events. This season the program received more than $70,000 from a collaborative event organized by a regional convenience store chain, a local baseball club and a committee set up to support UW-La Crosse baseball. Former major leaguers Paul Molitor, Robin Yount, Jim Gantner, Damian Miller and Jerry Augustine were among the headliners at the event.

Junior Shaun Marshall was the top hitter for the Yellowjackets in 2011. UW-Superior photo by Lori Williamson

UW-Superior (14-25, 9-15 WIAC): The Yellowjackets had several impressive wins on their aggressive schedule. In nonconference play UW-Superior defeated two NCAA regional teams, Buena Vista and Hamline. Buena Vista was a finals participant. Head coach Eddy Morgan’s squad also won a game against Macalester, the regular season co-champion of the Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

In WIAC play UW-Superior split the season series 2-2 with UW-Oshkosh for the second straight season behind two wins on the final day. Coming into the season, UW-Superior had lost 46 of its last 52 games against UW-Oshkosh. The Yellowjackets also won a game against WIAC regular season champion UW-Stevens Point this season.

UW-Superior didn’t place a player on the all-WIAC First Team, but junior outfielder Shaun Marshall made the WIAC Honorable Mention team after leading the Yellowjackets with a .365 average and four triples, which ranked eighth and second in the WIAC, respectively. Senior shortstop Rhett Williamson (.310 AVG, 2 HR) and senior outfielder Mitch Loegering (.294 AVG, 3 HR) also made the all-WIAC Honorable Mention team.

Brandon O’Connell captured national player of the week honors in April. UW-Stout athletics photo

UW-Stout (12-28, 6-18 WIAC): Head coach Seth Meier’s team duplicated its 6-18 WIAC record from last year despite bringing in 15 new players for the 2011 season, and the Blue Devils picked up highlight wins along the way over WIAC Tournament qualifiers UW-Whitewater and UW-Oshkosh.

UW-Stout Senior outfielder Brian Giebel and sophomore catcher Matt Guida were named to the all-WIAC First Team. Giebel batted .359 with 43 runs, five home runs, 31 runs batted in and 11 stolen bases. Guida ranked sixth in the WIAC with a .382 batting average to go along with two home runs and 32 runs batted in.

Blue Devil senior third baseman Brandon O’Connell was named the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Hitter of the Week in April. In a four-game stretch against Viterbo and UW-Whitewater, O’Connell went 13-for-16 with seven runs, five doubles, one home run, 12 runs batted in, a 1.313 slugging percentage and a .842 on-base percentage. Against UW-Whitewater, O’Connell went 8-for-10 with four doubles and eight runs batted in.

Senior Brett Benesh was UW-Platteville's WIAC Sportsmanship Award honoree in 2011. UW-Platteville athletics photo

UW-Platteville (11-29, 6-18 WIAC): The Pioneers regressed after last year tying the program record with 22 wins and earning the No. 3 seed in the WIAC Tournament. Predicted to place fifth this season after a banner offensive season in 2010 in which 25 offensive program records were established, this season head coach Eric Frese’s team hit .247 and scored 179 runs in 40 games.

Playing a difficult schedule, UW-Platteville went a combined 1-13 against Top 25 teams Christopher Newport, UW-Oshkosh, UW-Whitewater and UW-Stevens Point. Among the Pioneers’ 11 wins was a 3-2 comeback victory over ranked UW-Oshkosh in the WIAC season opener.

No Pioneers were named to the all-WIAC First Team, but senior third baseman Aaron Hopson (.292 AVG, 2 HR), junior outfielder Trevor Kattre (.331 AVG, 12 SB) and junior outfielder Levi Ney (.232 AVG, 2 HR) were all named to the honorable mention team.