DI sweeps its second consecutive series. The three victories moved Wisconsin to a 10-3 overall record and helped it maintain its position atop the conference standings with an 8-1 conference record.

UW DI 20, UW-Whitewater 15

Sophomore Nick Newburg continued his hot streak on Friday night at Warner Park driving in five runs. Newburg went 4-for-5 with a double and hit his second homerun of the season.

Freshman Tyler Safgren went 3-for-6 and senior Jalen Knuteson went 3-for-5. Taylor Tomczak went 2-for-6 with a double and Ed Olson drew three walks.

The Badgers used four pitchers in the game, starting with Mike Hansen before turning to Ben Horman and Griffin Lynch in the fourth inning. James Oelke came in to relieve Lynch in the seventh inning and would be credited as the winning pitcher.

UW DI 3, UW-Whitewater 1

Junior Alex Noel gave up four hits, walked three batters, and hit two batters, but only allowed one run. Noel even worked out of a bases loaded jam in the seventh to preserve the Badgers’ victory.

The first game of Saturday’s double header was much different than Friday night’s game. The Badgers only had three hits one day after having 17 hits the night before.

A wild pitch in the fifth inning scored the first run for Wisconsin before Aaron Peterson’s two-out single drove in two runs to give the Badgers the lead it would need.

UW DI 8, UW-Whitewater 0

In the final game of the series, freshman Tyler Safgren and Jake Cavaiani each went 2-for-3 with two RBIs. Safgren also had a double.

Nick Newburg delivered a complete-game shutout for Wisconsin striking out five Warhawks’ batters.
––––
The Badgers travel to Milwaukee next weekend to play Marquette University in a three-game series. On Saturday the Badgers will play a doubleheader starting at 3:30 p.m. and on Sunday a single game beginning at 12:00 p.m.

For complete team stats, follow this link: http://clubbaseball.org/Teams.aspx?showstats=733&year=

DII COMPLETES SEASON WITH A SWEEP
DII finished its season with a series sweep of UW-Stevens Point. The Badgers compiled an overall record of 14-5 and a conference record of 11-4. They missed the playoffs by one game, as Winona State won the conference with a 12-3 record.

UW DII 7, UWSP 1

Sophomore Alec Nelson turned in another strong performance on the hill, throwing five innings of shutout ball and allowing just one hit. He also struck out four Stevens Point batters.

Wisconsin came out swinging hot bats, scoring four runs in the first two innings.

Sophomore center fielder Chris Trafton and junior left fielder Tony DeBartolo both collected RBI singles in the first.

Senior first baseman Sam Calmes set the tone offensively, going 3-for-4 with two RBIs and two runs scored.
Junior Andrew Wolfe shut the door, pitching the last two innings and giving up one unearned run.

UW DII 2, UWSP 0

The Wisconsin offense cooled off in the second contest Saturday and the Badgers found themselves in a tight pitcher’s duel.

The Badgers scored two quick runs in the bottom of the first on RBI singles by Wolfe and senior outfielder Alex Kueck, who went 3-for-3. But Wisconsin would be held scoreless for the rest of the game as the two starting pitchers battled back and forth.

Sophomore Drew Rust got the ball for his first start of the season and dazzled. He went four innings and gave up just two hits while keeping the Dawgs off the scoreboard.

Sophomore Nick Zacharias then came on in relief and picked up right where Rust left off. He gave up only one hit in two innings of work.

Sophomore Eric Van Wazer then came in for the save in the seventh inning and dominated. He struck out the side, firing a number of fastballs past UWSP hitters to secure the victory for Wisconsin.

UW DII 2, UWSP 0

Sunday proved to be a special day for the Badgers as they honored their five seniors with a hard-fought victory.

Senior Mac Sinclair started the game on the mound, his first start of the season, and was lights out. He earned the win, throwing five and ⅓ innings of shutout baseball. He struck out five and gave up only three hits.

Senior Alex Kueck suffered an ankle injury that kept him from pitching in his final appearance in the Cardinal and White, but came on to pinch-hit in a big spot in the bottom of the fifth.

With the score tied at zero, DeBartolo doubled to start the inning. Junior right fielder Vinson Mulvey then moved him to third with a ground ball. Trafton drew a walk, bringing Kueck up to the plate with the go-ahead run on third. A wild throw on a pick-off attempt allowed DeBartolo to score and Trafton to move to second. Kueck, sprained ankle and all, delivered a ground ball single to left that scored Trafton to put Wisconsin up 2-0.

Senior Jarek Petras came on in the sixth to relieve Sinclair, who exited the game to a standing ovation. Petras came into the game with the bases loaded, but struck out a UWSP batter to get out of the jam.

In the bottom of the sixth, Calmes doubled off the left field wall in his final at bat as a Badger. Senior Jake Poeske then drew a walk in his last plate appearance.

Petras then slammed the door, completing the five-out save. With the tying run on second, he induced a ground ball for the final out, ending the Badgers season on a high note.

End of season notes

Ultimately the Badgers fell short of their goal, but learned a valuable lesson from the season: every game must be treated like a playoff game in order to advance to regionals. This will serve the young Badgers well as they continue their quest for a national title.

Wisconsin graduates five seniors who did a tremendous amount of work for the club. Jake Poeske, Sam Calmes, Mac Sinclair, Alex Kueck and Jarek Petras will all be missed for their contributions both on the field and off.

Tony DeBartolo led the team in hitting with a scorching .453 average. He also led the team in RBIs with 18 and home runs with three.

Chris Trafton co-led the team in runs scored with 17, while also hitting .408 and compiling a .491 on base percentage. Junior second baseman Jack Zoeller also scored 17 runs.

Sophomore catcher Bobby Ehrlich led the team in on base percentage with a .512 mark.

Drew Rust and Nick Zacharias each had an astonishing 0.00 ERA in eight innings pitched, mostly out of the bullpen.

Jarek Petras (2.18 ERA) and Alec Nelson (4.05 ERA) each earned three wins.

Wisconsin will return seven starters next year and will set their sights on a playoff run.

DII suffered a tough series loss at the hands of Northern Illinois University, dropping the first and last games of the series.

NIU 7, UW DII 2

The Badgers took an early lead but could not overcome a big fifth inning from the Huskies.

Sophomore center fielder Chris Trafton scored the first run of the contest for Wisconsin after being hit by a pitch to lead off the second. He then stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on another wild pitch.

NIU took the lead in the fourth, scoring two runs on a two-out single. The Huskies then put up three more runs in the fifth to extend their lead to 5-1.

The Badgers responded by stringing together a few hits in the fifth, including an RBI single from junior second baseman Jack Zoeller. Wisconsin loaded the bases but could not push across another run.

NIU tacked on two more in the sixth to put the game out of reach.

UW DII 11, NIU 1

The Badgers came out hot in the second game, pounding out eight hits in the first inning to put up nine runs.

Zoeller had two hits in the first inning, including an RBI double. Seven different Badgers collected hits in the inning. Trafton and senior first baseman Sam Calmes delivered RBI doubles. Junior right fielder Vinson Mulvey had two RBIs in the inning.

No runs were scored again until the top of the fifth inning. Sophomore  Alec Nelson was masterful on the hill, pitching four innings and giving up zero hits. He also struck out six Huskie batters.

Wisconsin won the game in the fifth inning after freshman first baseman Jordan Gerothanas drove in a run with a sacrifice fly to put the Badgers up ten runs. 

NIU 7, UW DII 6

The Badgers fell to the Huskies in a heartbreaker Sunday, allowing four runs in the top of the seventh.

The game was a 0-0 pitchers duel until the Badgers took the lead in their half of the fourth. Wisconsin loaded the bases and scored two runs on ground balls to the shortstop, courtesy of junior outfielder Tony DeBartolo and Trafton.

Junior Andrew Wolfe was stellar on the mound, making just one mistake on the afternoon. With two outs in the top of the sixth, NIU catcher Teele hit a three-run homer to left to give the Huskies a 3-2 lead.

The Badgers responded with force though, putting up a four spot in the bottom of the sixth. Mulvey ripped a single up the middle to start the inning. DeBartolo followed with a double to off the wall to center that scored senior pinch runner Alex Kueck from first.

After loading the bases, freshman outfielder Jacob Budnik took a pitch to his back to score the go-ahead run. Zoeller, who was 4-for-4 on the day, then drove in two runs with a two-out single to left.

Wisconsin’s 6-3 lead would not be enough though. Teele again killed the Badgers, delivering a two-out two-RBI double to give NIU a 7-6 lead.

Wisconsin was unable push across the tying run in the final frame.

The series loss puts the Badgers in a tough spot in the conference, as they will need Bradley to take two from Winona State to advance to the playoffs. Wisconsin will do what they can though, as they take on UW-Steven’s Point at home this weekend. Come out and support Wisconsin in the final home series of the year. They play at 12 and 2 p.m. at Murphy Field in Waunakee and then at 11:30 a.m. at Warner Park on Sunday.

The Badgers swept the visiting Panthers in their first conference series of the Spring. Since Spring break, DI’s games have been postponed due to living in Wisconsin.

UW DI 17, UW-Milwaukee 7

Freshman Tyler Safgren and junior Aaron Peterson led the Badgers’ offensive attack that defeated the Panthers. Safgren hit 3-for-4 with two doubles and drove in three runs and Peterson went 2-for-3 drawing three walks and scoring four runs.

Sophomore Nick Newburg, who reached base in every plate appearance of the weekend, went 3-for-3 with a double and drew three walks.

Mike Hansen was credited with the victory after allowing four hits and three runs. Austin Mullins and Evan Polce came in to finish the game.

UW DI 10, UW-Milwaukee 0

Junior Alex Noel made quick work of the Panthers only allowing two hits in the five-inning game. Sophomore Colten DeMorett went 4-for-4 with four singles.

Newburg went 2-for-2 with one walk and hit a 2-run home run in the fourth inning.

UW DI 8, UW-Milwaukee 3

Junior Griffin Lynch struck out seven batters and only gave up one hit in four innings on the mound.

Newburg came on in relief for Lynch and pitched three no-hit innings with three strikeouts. At the plate, Newburg drew a walk and was hit by pitch in his other three plate appearances.

After suffering a tough series loss against Winona State, the Badgers played their way back into first place in the conference with a series sweep over Augustana.

UW DII 19, Augustana 0

Wisconsin quickly jumped on the Vikings, scoring four runs in the first inning. Freshman shortstop Tyler Behle delivered a two-RBI single that scored junior right fielder Vinson Mulvey and sophomore center fielder Chris Trafton.

Senior Jarek Petras dominated on the hill, only allowing one hit over four innings of work. He took a no-hitter into the fourth. Petras struck out five Viking batters and only walked two.

Sophomore Nick Zacharias finished the game, throwing a scoreless fifth inning and striking out two.

The Badgers put up five runs in the third to extend their lead to 9-0. Freshman second basemen Alexis Quintero, who was 2-for-4 in the game, drove in senior catcher Jake Poeske with a single up the middle.

Wisconsin then put up nine runs in the bottom of the fifth, thanks in part to a hitting clinic put on by the pitchers. Four different pitchers collected base hits in the fifth. Junior Andrew Wolfe went 2-for-2 with two infield singles. Sophomore Eric Van Wazer ripped a double into the gap that scored a run. Freshman Colin Schrof delivered a two-RBI single and sophomore Drew Rust smashed a base hit to left.

UW DII 13, Augustana 1

Wisconsin fell behind early after Trafton lost a fly ball in the sun, allowing Augustana to score a run in the bottom of the first. But Wisconsin responded in a big way, putting up seven runs in the top of the second, effectively putting the game out of reach.

Junior first basemen Mitchell Hunger got the rally started with a one-out walk. Quintero then doubled into the gap, advancing Hunger to third. But the runs didn’t come until there were two outs, starting with a two-RBI single by senior designated hitter Sam Calmes. Trafton then knocked in Calmes with a single of his own. Junior left fielder Tony DeBartolo then muscled up and crushed a home run to left field, putting the Badgers up 5-1. DeBartolo now has three home runs on the campaign and has homered in back-to-back weekends.

Wisconsin wasn’t done though as Poeske and sophomore catcher Bobby Ehrlich drew consecutive walks. Behle then ripped a double into the gap, scoring both Poeske and Ehrlich.

The Badgers tacked on a few more runs later in the game and held Augustana scoreless over the rest of the contest.

Behle paced Wisconsin offensively, going 2-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs. He was 4-for-7 during the series.

Sophomore James Oelke earned the win, throwing three innings and allowing just one hit. He struck out six. Rust and senior Alex Kueck each threw two innings and had two strikeouts.

UW DII 7, Augustana 0

Augustana forfeited the third game, due to not having enough players.

 

Overall, it was an impressive series for the Badgers, both offensively and defensively. With the sweep, Wisconsin moved to 10-3 overall and 7-2 in the conference, remaining one game ahead of Winona State. With the series loss to Winona State, the Badgers do not own the tiebreaker in the event that the conference ends in a tie. As a result, every game has become a must-win for Wisconsin.

The Badgers will look to keep rolling this weekend as they take on Northern Illinois at home. They will play at 12 and 2 p.m. on Saturday at Murphy Field in Waunakee and then on Sunday at 11:30 a.m. at Warner Park, the home of the Madison Mallards. Wisconsin could use support from students as they continue the push for the playoffs. Come out to the ballpark and cheer on the Badgers this weekend.

 

UW DII 10, University of Florida DII 4

The No. 17 Badgers took down the No. 11 Florida Gators in their first outdoor action of the season.

Wisconsin jumped out to an early lead with a 3-run third inning. Freshman shortstop Tyler Behle drove in freshman designated hitter Joe Fahning and sophomore catcher Bobby Ehrlich with a double into the left-center gap.

Florida clawed back though, plating two runs in the third and two more in the fourth to take a 4-3 lead.

Wisconsin tied the game in the top of the 6th, thanks to a rally-starting walk by Fahning. He then advanced to second on a passed ball and then took third in the same at-bat after the catcher made an errant throw back to the pitcher. Ehrlich worked a 3-2 count and then roped a single up the middle to tie the game.

Junior right fielder Vinson Mulvey then gave the Badgers the lead with a sacrifice fly that scored Ehrlich. Junior left fielder Tony Debartolo knocked in a run with a double and senior third basemen Jake Poeske reached on an error, scoring sophomore Mike Roth. The Badgers took a 7-4 lead into the bottom of the sixth.

They then added three more runs in the top of the seventh, a rally again started by Fahning who doubled down the right field line. Ehrlich drove him in with a single to right.

Senior Alex Kueck shut the door for Wisconsin, throwing 3 and ⅔ innings of shutout baseball. He allowed just three hits and struck out two.

Sophomore Alec Nelson, who started the game, had a strong outing, especially for his first time on the hill in the 2016 season. He struggled with command, allowing six walks, but gave up just two hits in 3 and ⅓ innings of work. He also struck out three batters.

Lafayette College 13, UW DII 3

Wisconsin again captured an early lead, but could not cool the hot Lafayette bats, falling to the Leopards in an unofficial scrimmage game.

Senior catcher Jake Poeske tripled in the bottom of the first to score junior designated hitter Mitch Jensen to give the Badgers a 1-0 advantage.

But Lafayette would respond with 13 runs over the next four innings, compiling 13 hits.

Junior designated hitter Mitchell Hunger drove in Jensen on a sac fly in the bottom of the third to cut the Lafayette lead to 5-2. But the Leopards responded with five runs in the fourth to give them a 10-2 lead, which would prove to be insurmountable.

Junior Andrew Wolfe received the loss, allowing three earned runs on nine hits. He gave up no walks. Junior Hunter Bailey allowed three runs in two innings of relief work.

Jensen picked up an RBI in the third on a ground ball. It was quite the impressive performance for the junior, who is returning after missing an entire year due to a torn ACL. Unfortunately, he did tweak his knee on his RBI groundout, but, he showed signs of a potential strong comeback campaign if he can remain healthy.

UW DII 5, Illinois DII 1
After two high-scoring affairs to start the season, the Badgers found themselves locked in a nail-biting pitcher’s duel with the Fighting Illini.

Illinois got on the board first, scoring a run in the top of the second on an RBI single. Senior Jarek Petras earned the win, working himself out of trouble in several innings. He allowed zero earned runs and gave up just two hits. He walked five batters, but was able to work out of a couple tight jams. He also struck out four batters.
After loading the bases in the third, Petras induced a groundball to junior third baseman Jack Zoeller, who threw home to Poeske for one, who then turned and fired to senior first baseman Sam Calmes for the last out of the inning.

The double play swung momentum in the Badger’s favor, as an error allowed freshman second basemen Alexis Quintero to drive in the tying run with a sac fly.

Then in the bottom of the fourth, after again loading the bases, Petras, struck out two batters in a row, one looking and one swinging to keep the score even at 1.

Junior right fielder Vinson Mulvey then came through in the top of the fifth to give the Badgers the lead. After Calmes singled, Mulvey doubled him in to push Wisconsin up 2-1.

Wisconsin got some much-needed insurance in the top of the seventh, pushing across three runs to capture a 5-1 lead.

Freshman Colin Schrof was excellent in relief of Petras. He allowed just one hit and gave up zero runs. Sophomore Nick Zacharias slammed the door on the victory with a scoreless seventh.

UW DII 5, Kent State 7

Wisconsin unfortunately suffered another letdown in a double-header, falling to Kent State in the second game on Monday. The Badgers held three leads in the game, but could not hold on to them, succumbing to some timely hitting by Kent State.

Wisconsin scored in each of the first four innings and took a 5-4 lead into the fifth. But Kent State put up three runs in their half of the inning and took a decisive 7-5 lead.

Ehrlich went 3-for-5 in the game, driving in a run and scoring another. The team had nine hits but came up short in the end and could not overcome Kent State’s big inning.

The Badgers had the tying run on base in the bottom of the 7th, but could not push the two runs across.

Junior Nick Clement pitched three innings and allowed four runs.

Sophomore Drew Rust was lights out from the bullpen, giving up no hits, no runs and striking out one in two innings of work.

UW DII 12, Marquette (DI) 2

The Badgers came back with a vengeance on Sunday, routing Marquette in five innings thanks to a nine-run second inning.

Wisconsin had seven hits in the second, led by Behle’s two knocks in the same inning. He started the inning with a frozen rope single to left. He then came up later in the frame and crushed a double that scored two-runs. Zoeller also delivered two hits in the inning, a single and an RBI double.

The Badgers collected a whopping 15 hits in the game. Behle went a perfect 3-3 and four other players had multi-hit games. Nine different players had a base knock in the game.

Schrof was deadly on the mound for the Badgers, allowing no runs and just two hits. He struck out three batters. Zacharias also threw an inning of scoreless baseball.

Bailey sent the Badgers home early, taking a hit-by-pitch in the bottom of the fifth with the bases loaded, making the score 12-2 and putting the mercy rule in effect.

Overall, Wisconsin showed all the signs of a contender in their first weekend outside since October. They proved that they have a prolific offense with the capability of scoring runs in bunches. Pitchers occasionally struggled with control, but ultimately showed their ability to shut teams down. Defensively, Wisconsin made few costly errors and helped the pitchers out with timely double plays and difficult catches. They have all the components for a deep playoff run.

Wisconsin DII takes on Winona State in the first conference series of the Spring this weekend. They will look to avenge last season, when Winona State came to Madison and took two-of-three games from the Badgers to win the conference title.

Wisconsin athletics prides itself on being consistently competitive at the highest levels. Club Baseball at UW is no different.

Much like the Division I team, the DII team expects to return to the World Series in Pittsburg, Kansas in May.

The DII team made it to the World Series in 2011, 2012, and 2013, and has qualified for Regionals consistently since the NCBA expanded to two divisions.

That tradition of post-season competition weighs heavily on the minds of the DII team.

“After missing the regional tournament for the first time in four years we will not have a problem finding motivation,” head coach Austin Grimm said.

Grimm’s DII team is one of the most talented that he has had.

“This team may be the best hitting team we have had in DII history on paper.” Grimm said.

“We are still going to rely on small ball and base running to get runners in scoring position like the past but there will be more doubles and homeruns this year than years past.”

Headlining the offensive attack is outfielder and designated hitter Tony DeBartolo. DeBartolo won Player of the Week honors in the Fall after the series against Bradley.

“DeBartolo, (Vinson) Mulvey and (Jake) Poeske are all great hitters and will be the middle of our lineup. Tony DeBartolo has a ton of power and will drive in a lot of runs this year,” Grimm said.

“Mulvey will work the count and is not afraid to hit with two strikes. He will kill you with singles to the opposite field and loves fouling pitches off to irritate the pitcher until he gets his pitch.”

Poeske hopes to rebound in 2016 and make major contributions in the middle of the lineup, as well.

“Poeske has a little bit of everything. He has power to all fields and is a guy who was in a bit of a slump in spring of 2015, but is expected to have an all-conference type of year in 2016,” Grimm said.

“Top to bottom, the lineup is pretty loaded,” sophomore catcher Bobby Ehrlich said. “Right now I’d say you’re looking at (Jacob) Budnik as a potential seven-hitter and he has quite a bit of pop in his bat.”

The depth of the DII team will bode well for them as they have a lot of players that have the ability to succeed.

“Using the DII reenter rule having this kind of depth can be game changing,” Grimm said. “If you need speed we can put in speed to steal a base or if we need more range we can put in one of our best pitchers once he is done on the mound.”

Not only is the DII depth capable, it is motivated as well.

“The players now know the importance of each game after missing the district championship title by one game last year,” said Grimm. “The team has an outside chance to get back to the World Series.”

Some of the more outspoken players on the team have expressed disagreement with Grimm’s statement regarding the World Series.

“I think we have more than an outside chance at getting to the World Series,” said Ehrlich. “I think most of us see that as an expectation with the squad we have this year.”

Offensively, the team can make some waves, but the pitching staff has some work to do to prove itself.

Assistant coach Bill Calawerts is excited about the progress that the DII pitchers have continued to make.

“Alec Nelson is the pitcher I’m really excited about,” said Calawerts. “He arguably has the best ‘stuff’ of any pitcher in the program.

“I’ve heard comparisons to Nuke from Bull Durham. He could be the guy that goes out and walks the bases loaded on 12 straight pitches. However, he’s also the same guy that can strike out 3 in a row on 9 straight.”

Perhaps the most important piece to the DII pitching staff is the leadership provided by junior Andrew Wolfe.

“The kid is just a competitor,” Calawerts said. “His ability to locate and set-up hitters with his wide array of pitches that make him successful. We’re looking forward to him taking a leadership role with our pitchers this year.”

“We have set ourselves up for success in the fall just need to keep working. We need to get our pitching locked down because we have solid starters,” Wolfe said.

If the team can find the proper combination, it could make for a phenomenal season.

“Finding the mix to have the best offensive and defensive efficiency will be the biggest question mark,” said Grimm. “This team will be led by its offensive firepower and returning some solid pitching will help us make a championship run.”

A year removed from a trip to the Regional tournament, the D1 Wisconsin Club Baseball team has rebuilt itself into a contender poised to make some noise in the playoffs.

“I fully expect a conference championship and a Regional berth. I personally don’t think this team should be happy with anything less than a World Series run,” said head coach Jeff Block. “The talent is there but we need to continue to put in the work.”

The Badgers graduated five seniors who all played a key role on last year’s team. Rory Menzer, Parker Sear, Sean Blythe and Chris Hase were all starters on last year’s club. They also lost starting pitcher Logan August.

However they have a strong returning rotation. Sophomore Nick Newburg, who finished fifth in the nation in ERA last year with a stellar 0.88 mark, will be back on the bump.

Sophomore Austin Mullins, who was named to the Great Lakes All-Region Second Team as a relief pitcher, returns as well. Junior Griffin Lynch, who has been one of the team’s top starters the past two seasons, will also hurl for the Badgers this spring.

Additionally, Wisconsin has reloaded on the hill, adding junior Mike Hansen, a junior-college transfer and junior Alex Noel, a transfer from Division 1 South Dakota State. Both will compete for starting spots in the rotation according to Block.

“The addition of Hansen and Noel is going to be huge for our pitching staff and I think both of them can contribute at a high level right away,” Newburg said.

Sophomores Evan Polce and Ben Horman could also figure in the starting rotation. Both are hard-throwing right-handers who have shown devastating stuff. The Badgers pitching staff will be deep this spring, an asset that is needed if they want to bring home the hardware.

“I think it is very important that our middle relievers, who might not see a ton of work during the regular season, realize their importance come playoff time when we have the possibility of playing five 9-inning games in the matter of three days,” Block said. “It’s usually those guys that make the difference between a trip to the Regionals and a trip to the World Series.”

Offensively, the Badgers lost several big bats and will need a new core to step up at the plate. Freshman Tyler Safgren, who hails from Eden Prairie, Minnesota, could be one of those guys. A powerful right-handed hitter who catches and plays first, Safgren said he hopes to be a “consistent player the team can rely on” this season.

Junior Aaron Peterson, another powerful right-handed bat, should also help to fill the holes left by the three and four hitters who graduated. Peterson, who plays third, has high expectations for the 2016 campaign.

“I think we have a group of guys that is largely intact from last year and gained a lot of experience,” Peterson said. “Everyone knows what it takes to win now.”

Sophomore third basemen Colten DeMorett, a transfer student who played baseball at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, should help the Badgers offensively as well. He earned three hits in the series against the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in the fall, where the Badgers took two out of three games.

Newburg also believes that sophomore outfielder Ed Olson will improve on his performance from last year and play an important role in the middle of the lineup. Sophomore second basemen Brian Mariska was named to the Great Lakes All-Region Second Team and will look to build on his strong 2015 campaign.

Despite the talent in the lineup, the Badgers will have to be more consistent at the plate, according to Newburg.

“A lot of the games we lost [last year] were one-run games where one hit here or there would’ve won us the game,” Newburg said.

Block also recognizes the inconsistency as an issue for Wisconsin, but said this can be made up with the brand of small ball that the Badgers work hard on perfecting all off-season.

“This fall showed us that we could put up some serious numbers, but also that we weren’t immune to going cold like we did in the Eau Claire series,” Block said. “If the team buys into that [small ball] philosophy and executes when it counts, then this team should be above average offensively.”

Wisconsin kicks off their season in just four short weeks in sunny Tampa, Florida. Immediately following the week of Spring Training, the Badgers will begin the regular season in pursuit of a conference championship.

“If we all can play up to our abilities each weekend, it will be a fun season,” Peterson said.

UW-Eau Claire 6, UW DI 3

Three errors for the host Badgers put them behind the eight-ball in their loss to the Blugolds.

Wisconsin was able to rally to load the bases with two-outs in the sixth inning when senior Jalen Knuteson drove in the Badgers final two runs of the game, but the bats were otherwise limited throughout the ball game.

UW DI 7, UW-Eau Claire 0

The Blugolds had no answer for the Badgers’ strong pitching performance from Mike Hansen. Eau Claire only mustered two hits against Hansen who got the complete game shut out.

Offensively, Wisconsin was led by Colten DeMorett’s 2-for-4 day at the plate. The sophomore also scored two runs in the game.

UW DI 3, UW-Eau Claire 2 (F11)

The Badgers got valuable contributions from the 6-7-8 spots in the lineup on throughout Sunday’s rubber match of the series with the Blugolds. Brian Mariska’s single down the left field line plated Taylor Tomczak to win the game in eleven innings.

On the mound for Wisconsin, junior Griffin Lynch worked around two errors by striking out 11 batters and walking just one batter. Alex Noel got the win for the Badgers following four innings of hitless relief.

Wisconsin will enter the off-season a half game out of first place in the conference at 2-1.

DII was rained out. Its series with Augustana will be made up following Spring Break.

 

DI will be in action against UW-EC on Friday night at 7:00 PM at Ahuska Park. Saturday at Mansfield Park off of S. Gammon Rd, DI will host a doubleheader starting at 11:00 AM.

DII will travel to Rock Island to play a conference series against Augustana this weekend.

 

UW DII 8, Bradley 6

The Badgers fell behind in the first inning, but had more consistent offense than Bradley could handle on Saturday night at Ahuska Park in Monona.

Bradley was able to get the potential tying run to the plate after a single in the seventh made the score 8-6. Alex Kueck came in to get the final out and close the door and record the save.

UW DII 12, Bradley 2

For whatever reason the Badgers struggled to muster much offense early against Bradley in Sunday morning’s double header falling behind in the first inning for the second consecutive game. Wisconsin would take the lead with a three-run fourth inning and never look back.

The three-run fourth inning was highlighted by freshman Joe Fahning’s 2 RBI single. Fahning would come around to eventually score the winning run.

In the fifth inning, Tony DeBartolo delivered a bases clearing double to contribute three of the five runs scored in the inning. The Badgers then  were able to walk of Bradley in the sixth inning by scoring four more runs to activate the ten-run rule.

Alec Nelson and Hunter Bailey combined to only allow one hit.

UW DII 17, Bradley 6

Once again, the Badgers fell behind in the first inning. Once again, Wisconsin clawed its way back and won via the ten-run rule.

Sophomore Tony DeBartolo smoked a 3-run home run to give the Badgers a 7-6 lead in the second inning that they would not give up.

Every starter would score at least one run for the Badgers and Nick Clement and McCormick Sinclair provided three innings of shut out baseball from the bullpen.

DII will travel to Rock Island to play a conference series against Augustana this weekend.

DI will be in action against UW-EC on Friday night at 7:00 PM at Ahuska Park. Saturday at Mansfield Park off of S. Gammon Rd, DI will host a doubleheader starting at 11:00 AM.

Having a significant amount of fans at our Fall Tournament as well as the DII series last weekend is something that we truly appreciated. The more the merrier.

Our goal in the Fall and Spring is to average at least 32 fans per game. Something that may seem small, but for a Club organization it’s worth paying attention to.

On Wisconsin!