To round out 2018, let us introduce Jake Cavaiani. He is a slick fielding lead off hitter for our D1 club who, over his years at UW-Madison, has excelled on and off the field.

Name: Jake Cavaiani

Position: SS

Hometown: Arlington Heights, IL

Major: Environmental Science

Nickname: Cav or Cavatron

Fav Baseball team: Cubs

Fav Baseball Movie: Moneyball

Years of Club Ball Service: 4

Notable Stats: A LOT of double plays with B Ma

Fav Club Baseball Memory: Hitting a dinger off of Bailey down in Florida

Fav Thing About Club Baseball: Playing baseball with some really nice guys that love the game, want to win and building lifelong relationships

Career Goals/Dream Job: Head researcher for aquatic ecology project for environmental agency such as National Park Service, USGS, or US Fish and Wildlife Service

Quote: “In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.”-John Muir

Meet Aaron Vandeurzen. A hard throwing pitcher who looks to dominate this year on the mound.

Position: Pitcher

Hometown: Appleton, WI

Major: Civil & Environmental Engineering

Nickname: Deurz

Favorite Baseball Team: Milwaukee Brewers

Favorite Baseball Movie: Bull Durham

Years of Club Ball Service: 3

Notable stats: Walked on four pitches in my first (and possibly only) club baseball at-bat.

Favorite Club Baseball Memory: Clinching the conference title at home last year vs. La Crosse

Favorite Thing About Club Baseball: Going on road trips with the boys

Career Goals/Dream Job: Renewable Energy Engineer

Quote: “You spend a good piece of your life gripping a baseball, and in the end it turns out it was the other way around the whole time.”   -Jim Bouton

Get to know our current president of UW Club Baseball , Jacob Gain

Position: IF, DH

Hometown: Franklin, WI

Major: Economics

Nickname: Gainer, El Prez

Fav Baseball Team: Brewers

Fav Baseball Movie: Moneyball

Years of Club Ball Service: 3

Notable Stats: Hit .409 Sophomore Year and .380 Junior Year

Fav Club Baseball Memory: Hitting a dinger in my first ever conference at bat against Winona State and an 8 run come from behind win against La Crosse.

Fav Thing About Club Baseball: Spring Break trips to Tampa along with the group stop in Nashville

Career Goals/Dream Job: Owning a record label in Music City

Quote: “I hear people say baseball is boring so I turn around and ask them what in the hell they’re watching?” -Commissioner Bud Selig

As we start this new school year, this also means the start of the new season! For hopeful students hoping to try out for the club team this year, here are all of the tryout dates that we offer.

Sunday 9/9: 4-7pm

Monday 9/10: 4-6pm

Tuesday 9/11: 4-6pm

Wednesday 9/12: 4-6pm

Friday 9/14: 4-7pm

Sunday 9/16: 4-7pm

Monday 9/17: 4-7pm

Tuesday 9/18: 4-6pm

Wednesday 9/19: 4-6pm

*All tryouts take place at Near West Field

We do not expect you to make every day by any means but we do want players to make the Sunday slots as those are the days where we will be getting the most live action.

See you there!

We will be having our upcoming new player information meetings on Wednesday 9/5 and Thursday 9/6 at 7 PM at a location to be determined. It will be updated with another post shortly and everyone who emailed our president Jake Gain at jgain@wisc.edu will be getting a follow up email about the location. We’re looking forward to seeing you next week!

Meet Nick Newburg a power-hitting first baseman and dominant pitcher who has also excelled in UW’s Business School over the last four years. 

Position: Pitcher, First Baseman

Hometown: Madison, Wisconsin

Major: Accounting

Nickname: NewbTube

Favorite baseball team: Brewers

Favorite baseball movie: Major League

Years of club ball service: 4

Notable stats: 5th in the Country in ERA as a freshman, All Conference as pitcher or hitter each of last 3 years

Favorite club baseball memory: Going to the World Series my senior year and the bus ride back from winning that regional

Favorite thing about club baseball: Road trips with the guys

Career goals/dream job: GM of the Brewers

Quote: “Baseball is the only field of endeavor where a man can succeed three times out of ten and be considered a good performer”

Meet Alec Nelson a pitcher with a nasty curveball who hopes to one day work in a front office for a pro sports team.

Position: Pitcher

Hometown: Shorewood, Wisconsin

Major: Civil Engineering

Nickname: Admiral, Nelly

Favorite baseball team: Brewers

Favorite baseball movie: Sandlot

Years of club ball service: 4

Notable stats: 24 straight scoreless innings as a junior

Favorite club baseball memory: No-hitter against UW-La Crosse as a junior or complete-game shutout victory in elimination-game win against South Dakota State in the regional last year

Favorite thing about club baseball: Annual spring training trip to Florida with the boys

Career goals/dream job: MLB or NBA front office.

Quote: “Always go to other people’s funerals, otherwise they won’t come to yours” – Yogi Berra

Get to know our President, and former secretary, Bobby Ehrlich

Name: Bobby Ehrlich

Position: Catcher

Hometown: O’Fallon, Missouri

Major: Journalism and Political Science

Nickname: Bob

Favorite baseball team: Yankees, Cardinals

Favorite baseball movie: Bull Durham, but this excludes Field of Dreams because that movie is more than a baseball movie, it’s the best movie of all time.

Years of club ball service: 4

Notable stats: Led 2017 Regional-runner up team with 22 hits, hitting .344

Favorite club baseball memory: Seven-run comeback victory last season against UW-La Crosse

Favorite thing about club baseball: Making lifelong friends, including guys that will probably stand up at my wedding. That is, if Trafton can make it to my wedding on time.

Career goals/dream job: I would like to become a high school social studies teacher and head coach for a varsity baseball program, eventually shifting over to writing curriculum and education policy.

Quote: “There are no traffic jams along the extra mile.”

Get to know our Vice President, who also served as our Fundraising Coordinator last year, Chris Trafton!

Position: Centerfield

Hometown: Waukesha, Wisconsin

Major: Chemical Engineering

Nickname: Shafton, Notfart

Favorite baseball team: Brewers

Favorite baseball movie: Sandlot or Major League

Years of club ball service: 4

Notable stats: In four years as a starter, our overall record is 66-21.

Favorite club baseball memory: Rivalry games vs Winona State and putting up the cage at the stock.

Favorite thing about club baseball: Getting to play with the same group of guys for four years and continuing to play competitive baseball after I thought I would be done playing when I came to UW.

Career goals/dream job: I would like to develop new medicines in the pharmaceutical field.

Quote: “Swing hard in case you hit it”

Meet senior pitcher Nick Zacharias, an aspiring surgeon who is also engaged!

Position: Pitcher

Hometown: Green Bay, Wisconsin

Major: Biomedical Engineering

Nickname: Z

Favorite baseball team: Brewers

Favorite baseball movie: Benchwarmers

Years of club ball service: 4

Notable stats: Having a zero era my sophomore year. Junior year pitching in the regional championship game and not allowing a run in six innings of work.

Favorite club baseball memory: Pitching against Eastern Kentucky and beating them freshman year because they went on to win the World Series that year.  

Favorite thing about club baseball: Road trips with the guys.

Career goals/dream job: I would like to become a surgeon.  

Quote: “Some days you win, some days you lose, some days it rains. And sometimes it rains and is 30 degrees and we still play.” – Bull Durham + Nick Zacharias