| 2003 Highlights |
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Lechnir Named Region Coach Of The Year
Leadership Gift
By Jarrod & Kerrie Washburn
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By the time the UW-Oshkosh baseball team plays its 2004 home opener next March 31, it should be opening in a new home thanks to one of its more successful alums. UW-Oshkosh unveiled plans Wednesday (July 16) for Alumni Stadium, a facelift for the existing Tiedemann Field. Groundbreaking will be in September and the stadium should be ready for the Titans to move in next spring. The fundraising drive received a major shot in the arm Wednesday from Jarrod Washburn, a former Titan who now pitches for the world champion Anaheim Angels. Washburn made a substantial leadership gift to help start the renovation project and fundraising efforts. "Without the help of Jarrod and his wife, Kerrie, a former UW-Oshkosh track and field athlete, we would not even be able to think about a project of this size," UW-Oshkosh head coach Tom Lechnir said. |
A fund drive to refurbish Tiedemann Field into an enclosed baseball stadium complex is moving ahead, and thanks in part to a significant leadership gift, ground breaking for the creation of a new facility could happen as early as September. The leadership gift, timetable of construction, fundraising efforts and design of facility will be discussed at a press conference to be held Wednesday (July 16) at Tiedemann Field. The time of the press conference is 11 a.m. Speakers at the press conference will be UW-Oshkosh director of athletics Allen Ackerman, UW-Oshkosh head baseball coach Tom Lechnir, former UW-Oshkosh and current Anaheim Angel baseball player Jarrod Washburn and C.R. Meyer project manager Brian Dobish. |
Timm, the 11th UW-Oshkosh player to be drafted since 1995, was the 434th selection in this year's draft. The Tampa Bay Devil Rays owned the first pick in the draft and took Delmon Young of Adolfo Camarillo High School (Calif.). The draft concludes on Wednesday (June 4), beginning with the 21st round. Timm received NCAA Division III All-America first team honors in 2003 after posting an 11-0 record and a 2.09 earn run average. He hurled 77.1 innings during his 15 appearances for the Titans, striking out 85 batters and yielding just a .193 batting average. Timm, the 2003 WIAC Pitcher of the Year, has compiled a 17-5 record and 185 strikeouts (181 innings) during his three seasons at UW-Oshkosh. Timm was the third of eight NCAA Division III players drafted on Tuesday, with pitcher Jason Hirsch of California Lutheran University going in the second round to the Houston Astros and catcher Jose Cortez of Pomona-Pitzer Colleges (Calif.) going in the 14th round to the Philadelphia Phillies. |
Eastern Connecticut State University (43-8) remains alive in the double-elimination event, with its next game against Christopher Newport University scheduled for Monday (May 26) at 12 noon or 3:30 p.m. UW-Oshkosh (37-8), competing in its 17th NCAA Division III World Series, concluded play in the 2003 eight-team tournament with a fifth-place finish, going 1-2. Eastern Connecticut State University banged out a season-high 21 hits off six UW-Oshkosh pitchers. The Warriors, who had a season-low two hits in SaturdayÎs (May 24) 3-2 loss to Chapman University, scored three runs on four hits in the first inning, two runs on four hits in the fourth and four runs on four hits in the eighth. The 21 safeties were the most allowed by UW-Oshkosh this season. Eastern Connecticut State University scored three runs in the top of the first inning as Dwight Wildman hit a sacrifice fly and Leon Galemba a two-run single. Following run-scoring singles by Dan Silva in the second inning and Jeff Funaro in the third, the Warriors took a 7-1 lead in the fourth on run-scoring singles by Eugene Julien and Galemba. UW-Oshkosh closed its deficit to 4-1 in the second on a run-scoring single by Mike Mau (Fr. • Barron) and 7-2 in the fifth on a run-scoring single by Kyle Heckendorf (Jr. • Mosinee). Eastern Connecticut State University closed its scoring with a run in the sixth and four in the eighth, with the latter highlighted by Julien's two-run single. Julien, Galemba and Silva each had four hits for Eastern Connecticut State University, while Marc Garofalo had three and Tom Koch two. The Warriors had all five of the gameÎs extra-base hits, including a triple by Galemba. UW-Oshkosh recorded only four hits in the game, its second-lowest total of the season. Besides Mau and Heckendorf, the Titans also received singles by Vince Mancuso (Sr. • Wisconsin Rapids) and Evan Peterson (Fr. • Howard). Ryan DiPetro started on the mound for Eastern Connecticut State University and raised his record to 10-1 on the year after yielding just four hits in eight innings. DiPetro stuck out six of the 33 batters he faced. Michael Maruska pitched a hitless ninth inning for the Warriors. Jim Ziegler (Fr. • Eden) took the pitching loss for UW-Oshkosh after lasting just one-third of an inning as the starter. Ziegler (2-2) allowed four hits and three runs to the four batters he faced. Ziegler was followed by Andy Kraus (Jr. • Greendale) in the first inning, Jeremiah Gowey (So. • La Crosse) in the third, Ryan Hermus (So. • Combined Locks) in the third, Jason Kral (Fr. • Three Lakes) in the fourth and Brian Gerl (Fr. • Manawa) in the eighth. UW-Oshkosh's 37 wins in 2003 are the third-highest total in school history. The Titans won 41 games in 1994 and 1998 and 39 in 1995. UW-Oshkosh also won 37 games in 1985 and 1987. UW-Oshkosh concluded the 45-game season hitting .346 with 46 home runs and 464 runs scored. The Titans were also hit by 104 pitches this year, a mark that tied a NCAA Division III record set by Allegheny College in 1997. |
A hot bat. A slick glove. Any dependable arm. Phil Glinski (Fr. • Green Bay), who fits in the final category, saved Lechnir with 62/3 scoreless innings of relief to pick up the victory as the Titans rallied to defeat Trinity College, 5-4, in an elimination game Saturday (May 24) afternoon at Fox Cities Stadium. "How about Glinski, huh?" asked a beaming Lechnir, whose 13th-ranked Titans (37-7) meet top-ranked and defending national champion Eastern Connecticut State University (42-8) in another elimination game at noon today. "He is extremely competitive. He grew up a lot today." Glinski (3-0) entered the day with just 312/3 innings pitched in 10 appearances and an earned run average of 4.83. He entered the game Saturday with one out in the bottom of the third, his team already trailing, 3-1, and Trinity College runners on first and second. With All-American left-hander Jordan Timm (Jr. • Pine River) sidelined by mononucleosis, Lechnir had already gone through three pitchers when he summoned Glinski from the bullpen. "We just kept changing and changing those pitchers," Lechnir said, "and the only thing Phil knew was that he was going to be the last guy with the ball in his hands." Glinski proceeded to give up back-to-back singles and saw Trinity College (27-12) push its lead to 4-1 But the right-hander, whose longest outing before Saturday was 51/3 innings, retired the next two hitters and then allowed just six hits the rest of the way. "I was pretty mellow," Glinski said when asked about his nerves. Lechnir and his players had reason to be nervous. Although the Titans scored all of their runs after two outs, they stranded at least one runner in every inning but the second and finished with 16 runners left on base. "We need to make better contact," said third baseman Lucas Lechnir (Jr. • Mosinee), the nephew of UW-Oshkosh's head coach. "A little bit of nerves are still there because every game is your last game if you don't get it done." Lucas Lechnir got it done with a run-scoring single in the third inning and a run-scoring double in a two-run fifth. After the first two hitters went down in the seventh inning, the Titans parlayed a hit batter, a walk, a run-scoring single by No. 9 hitter Mike Mau (Fr. • Barron) and a Trinity College error to score twice for a 5-4 lead. Mau's single left runners on first and third. Mau, who has stolen 12 of 13 bases this season, then tried to steal second. Reliever Kyle Cox had Mau picked off, but first baseman Kurt Piantek threw the ball into left field, allowing the go-ahead run to score. "He's got tremendous speed and he always wants to go, go, go," Tom Lechnir said of Mau. "We were trying to make sure he wasn't going to go and he took off, anyway. It was a mistake, but if you do things aggressively, sometimes things turn out OK." |
The UW-Oshkosh
baseball team had waited four years to play in the NCAA
Division III World Series that it helps host.
Friday (May 23) at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, UW-Oshkosh returned to the post-season event for the 17th time in school history and dropped a 6-1 decision to Chapman University (Calif.) before a NCAA Division III record crowd of 3,868.
“We just met someone who was better than us and that’s disappointing,” UW-Oshkosh head coach Tom Lechnir said. “We had enough chances, but we just didn’t swing the bat well.”
UW-Oshkosh (36-7) descends into the loser’s bracket and will play Trinity College (Conn.) on Saturday (May 24) at 1:15 p.m. The loser is done for the tournament
The Titans headed into the tournament confident about their chances, especially with two solid starting pitchers and a virtual homefield advantage.
But, those plans were knocked off-balance earlier this week when All-America left-hander Jordan Timm (Jr. • Pine River), who was going to start against Chapman University (35-11), developed a viral infection and was ruled out of the game.
“It was a downer for me,” said Chapman University starter and winner Ryan France. “We’re the only two first team All-American pitchers here and I was looking forward to facing him.”
France pitched like an All-American, keeping the Titans off-stride all night with a great slider that resulted in 12 ground ball outs in seven-plus innings. He allowed just six hits, walked no one and struck out three before giving way to reliever Scott Akamine.
“We’ve been struggling on offense lately and I was hoping we’d come out of it tonight against an All-American who’s coming at you,” Lechnir said. “But, if a guy’s going to throw strikes, you have to have guts enough to swing and we didn’t have a lot of good swings.”
Chapman University was able to take the massive and pro-UW-Oshkosh crowd out of the game early with two runs in the second inning off No. 2 starter Ben Huffman (So. • Mequon). Brian Sanders drove in one run and No. 8 hitter Max Gruber, on an 0-2 count, blooped a run-scoring single to make the score 2-0.
Huffman actually pitched pretty well, pitching seven strong innings before falling apart in the eighth when Chapman added three more runs to put the game away.
But, UW-Oshkosh could do nothing offensively against France.
The only run came in the fifth inning when David Young (So. • Greenfield) opened the frame with a double, took third on a wild pitch and scored on Mike Mau’s (Fr. • Barron) ground out.
Lechnir didn’t think Timm’s absence or the huge crowd was a factor in his team’s poor performance.
“Jordan’s absence was a non-factor,” he said. “We haven’t built our record and program on one guy.”
As for the crowd, Lechnir saw no tenseness in his players eyes.
“They were excited,” he said. “They were playing in front of their own fans.”
Chapman University actually seemed to handle it better though.
“I’ve never pitched in front of a crowd like that before,” he said. “It was fun to see. We knew there’d be 3,900 Oshkosh fans and 100 Chapman fans but we didn’t care.”
Huffman has pitched big games for the Titans all season and knew two days ago he was likely to get the start because of the ailing Timm. But, though he only really had two poor innings - the second and the eighth - he knew he didn’t provide the performance UW-Oshkosh needed.
“I was ready for anything and I just let the team down,” he said.
He pitched 7.2 innings striking out seven, walking three, allowing nine hits and six runs, five of which were earned.
Jeremy
Jirschele's (So. • Clintonville) two-out double in
the bottom of the 11th inning drove in the winning run as
UW-Oshkosh defeated conference-rival UW-Whitewater, 3-2,
on Saturday (May 17) at Tiedemann Field to win the
Oshkosh Regional of the NCAA Division III Baseball
Championship.
The victory advances UW-Oshkosh (36-6) to the NCAA Division III World Series, where the Titans will meet Chapman University (34-11) of Orange, Calif., on Friday (May 23) at 7:45 p.m. in Grand Chute's Fox Cities Stadium. UW-Oshkosh, now a 17-time participant in the NCAA Division III World Series, is co-hosting the double-elimination event for the fourth consecutive season.
UW-Oshkosh, which went unbeaten in three games of the Oshkosh Regional, defeated UW-Whitewater to gain its 100th NCAA Division III post-season win. Previously in the Oshkosh Regional, the Titans topped Ripon College, 3-1, and UW-Whitewater, 15-2.
UW-Oshkosh's eighth meeting of the year with UW-Whitewater (35-9) was a pitching duel between Brian Gerl (Fr. • Manawa), Jeremiah Gowey (So. • La Crosse), Phil Glinski (Fr. • Green Bay) and Jordan Timm (Jr. • Pine River) of the Titans and Ryan Callahan of the Warhawks.
The four UW-Oshkosh hurlers combined to scatter 14 hits while yielding just two runs and one walk. Gerl pitched the first-five innings for the Titans before being relieved by Gowey in the sixth, Glinski in the eighth and Timm in the 10th. Timm retired all four batters he faced, including a pair by strikeouts, to record his 11th win of the season against no defeats. Callahan (5-4) pitched the distance for UW-Whitewater, allowing just seven hits and no earned runs in 10.2 innings. Callahan's effort included a stretch where he retired 19 of the 21 batters he faced.
Aided by two UW-Whitewater errors, UW-Oshkosh took a 2-0 lead in the first inning on Vince Mancuso's (Sr. • Wisconsin Rapids) mishandled ground ball and Evan Peterson's (Fr. • Howard) run-scoring single. UW-Whitewater evened the count at 2-2 as Eric Stangel recorded a run-scoring double in the fifth inning and a sacrifice fly in the seventh.
UW-Oshkosh held off two UW-Whitewater scoring threats late in the game by turning double plays in the sixth and eighth innings. The Titan pitchers also left two Warhawks on base in both the second and sixth frames.
In the 11th inning, UW-Whitewater was retired in order before Jirschele became the hero for the Titans with his run-scoring double. Jirschele's third hit of the game drove in pinch-runner Craig Winske (Fr. • Waupaca). Prior to Jirschele's hit, Mike Mau (Fr. • Barron) placed a perfectly executed two-out, bunt down the third base foul line to move Winske to second base.
UW-Oshkosh's seven hits in the game also included two by Peterson. The Warhawks' 14 hits featured three by Josh Shere and two each by Stangel, Brad Endl, Dan Schrum and Rob Misora.
Timm, who recorded a complete-game victory in UW-Oshkosh's win over Ripon College on Thursday (May 15), was named the Most Valuable Player of the Oshkosh Regional. He was joined on the all-tournament squad by teammates Ben Huffman (So. • Mequon), Jirschele, Lucas Lechnir (Jr. • Mosinee), Peterson and David Young (So. • Greenfield). Other players named to the all-tournament team were Callahan, Dan Schrum, Stangel and Kevin Tomasiewicz of UW-Whitewater, Luke Hagel of Ripon College and Jon Haugen and Joe Pavelko of St. Olaf College.
After a three-year absence, UW-Oshkosh returns for its 22nd appearance as a regional participant in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship. And, like it has for the previous 21 years, UW-Oshkosh will also host a regional tournament of the NCAA's post-season spectacle.
UW-Oshkosh (33-6) received one of just three at-large invitations to the 42-team NCAA Division III Championship on Monday (May 12), with the others going to Christopher Newport University (27-7) and Ripon College (32-4). All three squads were eligible for the at-large invitation after failing to receive their conference's automatic bid. Ironically, UW-Oshkosh and Ripon College will meet in the first round of the Oshkosh Regional on Thursday at Tiedemann Field.
Rounding out this year's field in the NCAA Division III Championship were 32 teams that received their conference's automatic bid and seven other teams that received an invitation as an independent or a member of a conference that doesn't meet the automatic qualifying criteria. Among those 39 teams having their season extended were Carthage College (33-6), Lakeland College (26-14) and St. Norbert College (17-16) from Wisconsin.
Tournament action in the Oshkosh Regional begins Thursday at 11:30 a.m. when top-seed and Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) regular season and tournament champion UW-Whitewater (33-7) meets fourth seed and Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) regular season runner-up tournament champion St. Olaf College (26-12). First round play continues at 3 p.m. when second seed and WIAC regular season and tournament runner-up UW-Oshkosh meets third seed and Midwest Conference (MWC) regular season and tournament runner-up Ripon College. Action in the Oshkosh Regional is tentatively scheduled to conclude on Saturday (May 17), but could end on Sunday (May 18) if a seventh and deciding game is needed.
UW-Oshkosh enters the NCAA Division III Championship with a 97-45 record during its previous 21 post-season appearances. The Titans' post-season winning percentage of .683 is the best among all active NCAA Division III members. UW-Oshkosh won NCAA Division III titles in 1985 and 1994.
St. Olaf College is appearing in the NCAA Division III Championship for the 16th time (15-30 all-time record), UW-Whitewater for the eighth (11-15 all-time record) and Ripon College for the fourth (3-6 all-time record).
The winner of the Oshkosh Regional advances to the eight-team NCAA Division III World Series on May 23-27 at Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, Wis.
UW-Oshkosh's Vince Mancuso (Sr. • Wisconsin Rapids) and Jordan Timm (Jr. • Pine River) were voted the Position Player of the Year and Pitcher of the Year, respectively, headlining the 20 individuals selected the 2003 All-WIAC Baseball Team. Mancuso and Timm have led the Titans to a spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament and a 33-6 overall record. Mancuso leads the league with a .500 batting average, 1.030 slugging percentage, .629 on-base percentage, 68 runs batted in, 67 hits and 17 home runs, while ranking second with 61 runs scored and four triples. Only once this season has Mancuso had his batting average dip below .500 and that occurred in his 186th at-bat. Mancuso has 21 multi-hit games, 16 multi-runs batted in games and he began the year with a 14-game hitting streak. He earned All-WIAC first team honors in 2001 and 2000. Timm leads the conference with a 2.28 earned run average, 77 strikeouts, 13 appearances, nine victories and two shutouts, while ranking second with 67.0 innings pitched. He has allowed only 45 hits and opponents are batting .188 against him. Timm has completed seven of his eight starts this year and has struck out 10 or more batters on three occasions, including a season-high 13 against UW-Stevens Point on May 9 in the WIAC Tournament. Mancuso becomes the third Titan in history to win the league's Position Player of the Year award, joining Tom Gessner (2000) and Erik Morrell (1997), while Timm is the third individual from UW-Oshkosh to earn the Pitcher of the Year honor, joining Craig Glysch (1999) and Andy Kimball (1997). Mancuso and Timm are joined on the first team by teammates Korey Feiner (Jr. • Sun Prairie), Lucas Lechnir (Jr. • Mosinee) and Evan Peterson (Fr. • Howard). Feiner ranks third in the league with 50 runs batted in, while adding 48 hits, 40 runs scored, 10 doubles, three home runs and a .361 batting average. Lechnir posted a 20-game hitting streak this season and leads the conference with 18 doubles, while ranking second with 53 runs batted in, sixth with 51 runs scored, seventh with seven home runs and ninth with 53 hits. He was an honorable mention pick in 2001. Peterson places fifth in the league with a .381 batting average and three triples, while adding 39 runs scored, 32 runs batted in and two home runs. UW-Whitewater head coach Jim Miller was voted the Coach of the Year by the league coaches. Miller, in his 17th and final season at the helm of the squad, has guided the Warhawks to the WIAC regular season and tournament titles and a spot in the NCAA Division III Tournament. He also received the league coaching honor during the 2000 and 2001 seasons. UW-Oshkosh players receiving honorable mention recognition were pitcher Ben Huffman (So. • Mequon), outfielder Kyle Heckendorf (Jr. • Mosinee) and shortstop Jeremy Jirschele (So. • Clintonville). |
Recording
results nearly identical to that of Friday (May 9), the
UW-Oshkosh baseball team registered a 1-1 ledger on
Saturday (May 10) to finish second in the WIAC Tournament
held in Whitewater.
UW-Oshkosh (33-6) went 2-2 in the double-elimination event, with both of its wins over UW-Stevens Point (26-14-1) and both of its losses to UW-Whitewater (33-7).
UW-Oshkosh lost 12-1 to UW-Whitewater in the championship game of the WIAC Tournament after beginning Saturday's slate with a 7-5 win over UW-Stevens Point. The Titans opened the league tournament on Friday with an 8-5 win over UW-Stevens Point and a 15-8 loss to UW-Whitewater.
UW-Whitewater went unbeaten during its three games of the WIAC Tournament to receive the league's automatic entry to the 42-team NCAA Division III Championship. Ironically, UW-Whitewater had only two wins in its previous WIAC post-season appearances. UW-Oshkosh, which has one of the fewest loss counts of any team in the NCAA Division III this season, finds out Monday (May 12) if its bound for a national tournament that begins with regional play on Thursday (May 15). The Titans are now 37-11 in WIAC post-season action.
In UW-Oshkosh's win over UW-Stevens Point, Jeremy Jirschele (So. • Clintonville) got things going for the Titans in the top of the first inning by belting a solo home run. UW-Oshkosh then added four runs in the second inning and two in the third to lead 7-0. The Titans' second inning featured a two-run triple by Vince Mancuso (Sr. • Wisconsin Rapids) and a run-scoring single by Kyle Heckendorf (Jr. • Mosinee). UW-Oshkosh counted its runs in the third inning on Mike Mau's (Fr. • Barron) two-run single.
Like it did on Friday against the Titans, UW-Stevens Point crept back from a big early deficit to make the game interesting. The Pointers began their comeback bid in the fourth inning when they scored three runs, including two on a single by Kevin Fry. UW-Stevens Point made the score 7-4 with an infield ground out by Ryan Jones in the fifth inning and 7-5 with an infield ground out by Jones in the ninth. The Pointers had the tying run in the ninth inning at the plate in Joe Waksmonski, but UW-Oshkosh pitcher Andy Kraus (Jr. • Greendale) got the all-league catcher to foul out to end the game.
UW-Oshkosh outhit UW-Stevens Point, 11-8, with Heckendorf having three hits for the Titans and Fry and Greg Treml two each for the Pointers.
Brian Gerl (4-1) pitched into the sixth inning as the starter for the Titans before being relieved by Kraus. Gerl recorded the win after yielding just one earned run and five hits in 5.1 innings. Kraus allowed just three hits and one run in 3.2 innings to pick up the save, his second of the year. Starting pitcher Eric Schlender (5-2) took the loss for UW-Stevens Point after lasting just 2.2 innings. The Pointers have now lost five straight games to the Titans.
UW-Oshkosh took a 1-0 lead against UW-Whitewater in the title game after scoring an unearned run in the third inning. But, that score would be the last of the contest for the Titans as UW-Whitewater pitcher Randy Borgardt held UW-Oshkosh scoreless and to just three hits over the next four innings.
UW-Whitewater received back-to-back home runs from D.J. Cartledge and Brady Endl in the fourth inning to take a 2-1 lead. The Warhawks then added another tally in the fourth inning before counting one run in the fifth, four runs in the sixth and four runs in the seventh. Eric Stangel ended the game in the bottom of the seventh inning due to the 10-run rule with a two-run home run.
UW-Oshkosh's three hits in the game were singles by Heckendorf, Mancuso and Evan Peterson (Fr. • Howard). UW-Whitewater banged out 15 hits off four UW-Oshkosh pitchers, including three by Travis Van Zile.
Ryan Hermus (So. • Combined Locks) took the pitching loss for the Titans despite facing just three batters in relief of starter Jim Ziegler (Fr. • Eden) in the third inning.
UW-Oshkosh
surrendered 11 runs over the final three innings of its
winner's bracket game with UW-Whitewater and had to
settle for mixed results during the first day of
competition at the WIAC Baseball Tournament held Friday
(May 9) in Whitewater.
UW-Oshkosh opened the double-elimination event with an 8-5 win over UW-Stevens Point before losing a 15-8 contest to UW-Whitewater (32-7). The Titans (32-5) return to action on Saturday (May 10) by playing UW-Stevens Point (26-13-1) in an elimination game at 10 a.m. The winner between UW-Oshkosh and UW-Stevens Point meets unbeaten UW-Whitewater at 1 p.m. in the championship round, with the Titans or the Pointers needing to defeat the Warhawks twice in order to earn tournament title and the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championship.
The Titans quieted the Pointers early in their first round contest by scoring four runs in the first inning and three in the second. UW-Oshkosh had four hits in the opening frame, including a solo home run by Jeremy Jirschele (So. • Clintonville) and a two-run double by Evan Peterson (So. • Howard). The Titans' scoring in the second inning featured a two-run home run by Vince Mancuso (Sr. • Wisconsin Rapids). The home run was Mancuso's WIAC-leading 17th pf the year.
After UW-Oshkosh increased its lead to 8-0 on Josh Stewart's (Jr. • San Francisco, Calif.) home run in the fifth inning, UW-Stevens Point began to stage a comeback. The Pointers scored two runs in the sixth inning and three in the eighth to make the score 8-5. In the ninth inning, UW-Stevens Point was retired in order.
With exception of three home runs allowed, UW-Oshkosh pitcher Jordan Timm (Sr. • Pine River) dominated the UW-Stevens Point hitters. Timm scattered nine hits and struck out a season-best 13 batters as he raised his record to 9-0 on the year. Starter Josh Blaha (4-3) took the pitching loss for UW-Stevens Point after allowing eight runs and 12 hits in 7.1 innings.
UW-Oshkosh totaled 12 hits in the game, including four by Mancuso and two each by Kyle Heckendorf (Jr. • Mosinee) and Stewart. Matt Peetz had three of UW-Stevens Point's nine hits.
UW-Oshkosh's game with UW-Whitewater turned around quickly at the end as the Warhawks erased a 7-4 deficit by scoring one run in the seventh inning, seven in the eighth and three in the ninth.
UW-Whitewater took control of the contest early as Brady Endl and Eric Stangel hit two-run home runs for the Warhawks in the first and third innings, respectively.
Trailing 4-1, UW-Oshkosh rallied in the fifth inning by scoring six runs on four hits to take a 7-4 lead. The Titans' counted five of their runs on a grand slam by Peterson and a solo blast by Brian Foley (Fr. • Hortonville).
After making the score 7-5 in the seventh inning, UW-Whitewater pulled way in the eighth by tallying seven runs on four hits and one UW-Oshkosh error. The big hits in the inning for the Warhawks were a grand slam by Stangel and a solo shot by Dan Schrum. UW-Whitewater's three-run ninth inning included a run-scoring triple by Travis Van Zile.
UW-Oshkosh had nine hits in the game, including two each by Peterson and Mike Mau (Fr. • Barron). UW-Whitewater totaled 16 hits in the contest, including four each by Van Zile and Schrum and three by Stangel.
Ben Huffman (So. • Mequon) started on the mound for the Titans and pitched seven innings before being relieved by Andy Kraus (Jr. • Greendale) in the eighth. Huffman allowed nine hits and five runs, while Kraus (3-1) yielded three runs and two hits to take the loss. Greg Reinhard, who relieved Endl as the starter in the fifth inning, picked up the pitching win for the Warhawks. Reinhard (3-1) allowed two runs and five hits during his 4.2 innings of work.
The UW-Oshkosh
baseball team swept Sunday's (May 4) doubleheader against
defending league champion UW-Stevens Point to claim the
second seed for next weekend's (May 10-11) WIAC
Tournament.
UW-Oshkosh, which split a twinbill with UW-Stevems Point on Saturday (May 3), topped the Pointers in games of 3-2 and 9-5. The setbacks gave UW-Stevens Point the third seed for the double-elimination WIAC Tournament, and a match with UW-Oshkosh on Friday (May 10) in Whitewater.
In the first game the Titans made their first appearance on the scoreboard in the sixth inning after Kyle Heckendorf (Jr. • Mosinee) singled, stole second base and moved to third after a throwing error by UW-Stevens Point catcher Joe Waksmonski.
After UW-Stevens Point pitcher Shane Standifer struck out UW-Oshkosh's Lucas Lechnir (Jr. • Mosinee), he walked Vince Mancuso (Sr. • Wisconsin Rapids) and then witnessed Heckendorf steal home and Mancuso second in a successful double steal.
Following scores by UW-Stevens Point in the third and eighth innings, Mancuso came back to the plate in the ninth inning, where he led off the frame with a home run to tie the game at 2-2. Three batters later, pinch-hitter David Young (So. • Greenfield) singled in Korey Feiner (Jr. • Sun Prairie) from third base for the win.
The Titans came out with guns blazing in the second game, scoring six runs in the first inning. Mancuso had a two-run double in the inning to drive in Jeremy Jirschele (So. • Clintonville) from second base and Lechnir from first.
UW-Oshkosh closed its scoring with two runs in the third inning and another in the fifth, before UW-Stevens Point rallied to cut its deficit to 9-5. The Pointers ended the game with bases loaded.
The hope for a
WIAC championship and a No. 1 seed in the conference
tournament have all but faded for the UW-Oshkosh.
In a double-header, the Titans pulled a Jekyll and Hyde job, losing the first game 22-0, but coming back with an 8-0 victory in the nightcap. This coming, in a 4-game series
Oshkosh needed to sweep and get some help from Platteville over Whitewater to win the WIAC.
In the first game, the Titans went down one-two-three in the first, before previously undefeated Jeremiah Gowey (5-1) took the mound. Gowey, however, didn’t make it out of the first inning, walking four of the first five batters, and beaning the other.
Ryan Hermus came in for Gowey in a tough situation with the bases loaded and it appeared that he was going to turn things around for Oshkosh, striking out the first batter. But things soon turned dark again, as No. 7 hitter Matt Peterson rocked a grand slam to left field. Greg Treml came up next and hit a solo shot off Hermus to cap off the seven-run first.
The Pointers went on to score seven more in the second, including a three-run homer by Mike Hall and four more in the third.
Oshkosh managed just five hits off pitcher Josh Blaha (4-2), who went all seven innings with seven strikeouts and two walks.
The Titans came full circle in the second game, as Jordan Timm recorded his second shutout of the season with 10 strikeouts and four walks, giving up just three hits in nine innings of work.
After getting up 2-0 after the second inning, including an Evan Peterson RBI-double, the Titans (29-4, 15-3) scored the majority of its runs in the fourth.
Oshkosh started the fourth working the bases and advancing runners, but capped off the five-run inning with three consecutive, two-out, RBI doubles by Jeremy Jirschele, for two runs batted in, Kyle Heckendorf and Lucas Lechnir.
Jirschele was 3-for-5 on the day with three RBI, as Oshkosh snapped the Pointers’ (25-10, 14-7) 23-game home winning streak.
Vince Mancuso
(Sr. • Wisconsin Rapids) belted a game-winning home
run in the top of the ninth inning of the opener as the
UW-Oshkosh baseball team split a doubleheader with
UW-Whitewater on Wednesday (April 30) in Whitewater.
UW-Oshkosh (28-3/14-2 WIAC) dropped the nightcap to UW-Whitewater (26-7/14-5 WIAC), shortened to five innings due to lightning and rain, 10-6.
Despite UW-Oshkosh having three fewer league losses than UW-Whitewater, the second game was important to both teams as the winner gained a leg up in the conference title chase with four contests remaining.
Earlier this season, UW-Oshkosh had two games against UW-La Crosse and two others against UW-Superior cancelled due to poor weather. Although the contests were a wash, they are all counted as losses for both teams in the criteria used to determine the conference champion and the top seed for the league tournament.
For UW-Oshkosh to obtain the top seed in the upcoming WIAC Tournament, the Titans must now win one more game than UW-Whitewater does this weekend (May 3-4). UW-Oshkosh closes regular season play this weekend with a pair of doubleheaders at UW-Stevens Point, while UW-Whitewater plays a four-game set at UW-Platteville.
In the opener at Prucha Field against UW-Whitewater, UW-Oshkosh scored four runs in the first inning and another in the second to take a 5-1 lead. But, the Warhawks bounced back with four runs in their half of the second inning to tie the game at 5-5. Trailing 6-5 in the sixth inning, UW-Oshkosh took a 7-6 lead on Lucas Lechnir's (Jr. • Mosinee) two-run home run. The Titans held the advantage until the seventh inning when Josh Shere tied the contest at 6-6 with a run-scoring single.
In the ninth inning, Mancuso hit the first pitch thrown by UW-Whitewater's Ryan Callahan over the right field fence. The home run was Mancuso's 14th of the year.
In the bottom half of the ninth frame, UW-Whitewater put a pair of runners on base before UW-Oshkosh pitcher Ben Huffman (So. • Mequon) got the Warhawks' Travis Van Zile to fly out to right field. Huffman (5-1) picked up the win for UW-Oshkosh, hurling two scoreless innings in relief of starter Jordan Timm (Jr. • Pine River) and reliever Jeremiah Gowey (So. • La Crosse). Callahan took the loss for UW-Whitewater after relieving starter Brady Endl in the sixth inning.
UW-Oshkosh had nine hits in the game, with two each belonging to Kyle Heckendorf (Jr. • Mosinee), Mancuso, Jeremy Jirschele (So. • Clintonville) and Evan Peterson (Fr. • Howard). Shere had three of UW-Whitewater's 12 hits in the contest.
In the nightcap, moved to the lighted venue at Whitewater High School, both teams scored quickly. The Titans counted four runs on four hits in the first inning, while the Warhawks tallied three runs on three hits in the first and four runs on four hits in the second. Josh Stewart (Jr. • San Francisco) had a two-run home run for the Titans in the first inning, while D.J. Cartledge and Dan Schrum recorded solo blasts for the Warhawks in the second.
UW-Oshkosh cut its deficit to 9-6 in the fifth inning when Mancuso belted a solo home. The three-run margin didn't last long, however, as in the bottom half of the fifth inning UW-Whitewater's Eric Stangel smashed a solo home run. Shortly after the inning ended, lightning and rain halted play for the evening.
UW-Oshkosh had seven hits in the second game, with Stewart having two. Van Zile had three of UW-Whitewater's 10 hits.
Neither starting pitcher lasted long in the nightcap as UW-Whitewater's Randy Borgardt was removed after getting just one out in the first inning and UW-Oshkosh's Jim Ziegler just one out in the second. Ziegler (2-1) took the loss for the Titans, while Kevin Tomasiewicz (7-0) gained the win for the Warhawks.
Offense was the
key for the UW-Oshkosh baseball team as it won games of
14-4 and 12-10 from UW-Stout on Sunday (April 28) at
Tiedemann Field.
Vince Mancuso (Sr. • Wisconsin Rapids) was the hero for the Titans (27-2/13-1 WIAC) in the second game as he lofted a two-out, two-run double in the top of the ninth inning to score teammates Evan Peterson (Fr. • Howard) and Lucas Lechnir (Jr. • Mosinee).
For the game, Mancuso was four-for-five at the plate with two doubles, five runs batted in and two runs scored.
UW-Oshkosh opened a 1-0 lead in the first inning, when the speedy Mike Mau (Fr. • Barron) stole home. Mau also stole second base in the inning and reached third on a Mancuso single. Mancuso also had a stolen base in the first inning.
The Titans figured to have put the game away in the top of the sixth inning when they scored five runs and took an 8-1 lead. Mau doubled in two runs in the inning and later scored on Mancuso’s two-run double, his first of two.
But, the Blue Devils (5-25/4-16 WIAC) battled back in the bottom half of the inning, scoring five runs on five hits, three of which were doubles.
UW-Oshkosh again appeared to have taken control when Mancuso and Kyle Heckendorf (Jr. • Mosinee) scored on a costly error by UW-Stout pitcher Dan Yudchitz, putting them up 10-7. Yudchitz, who had come in in relief, also beaned UW-Oshkosh's Korey Feiner (Jr. • Sun Prairie), the first batter he faced.
But, the Blue Devils again came back to tie things up in the bottom of the inning after UW-Oshkosh pitcher Ben Huffman (So. • Mequon) struck out the first two batters. UW-Oshkosh had two errors in the inning and UW-Stout took advantage with a run-scoring triple by Seth Maier and two run-scoring singles to tie things up at 10, before Mancuso’s heroics.
Jordan Timm (Jr. • Pine River), the fifth pitcher for the Titans in the game, hurled the final 1.1 innings to gain his seventh win of the year against no defeats. Jason Kral (Fr. • Three Lakes) was the starting pitcher for UW-Oshkosh.
In the opener, things started off quiet for two innings, before the Titans opened the floodgates with six runs in the bottom of the third.
An inning where seven consecutive runners reached base, Heckendorf started the rout with a double and later scored when Feiner was hit by a pitch. On the day, 10 batters from both teams were hit in the two games. Josh Stewart (Jr. • San Francisco, Calif.) had a two-run triple and Jeremy Jirschele (So. • Clintonville) a two-run single in the inning. Stewart had three hits and two runs batted in during the contest.
UW-Stout came back with three runs in the bottom of the fourth inning, but could only muster up one more run in the sixth.
UW-Oshkosh, which now leads the all-time series with UW-Stout by a 39-10 count, put up two runs in the fifth inning and had another huge inning in the sixth with five more. The sixth inning featured four hit batters, two walks and just one hit, that being a run-scoring single by Brian Foley (Fr. • Hortonville).
Phil Glinski (Fr. • Green Bay) picked up victory in game one for UW-Oshkosh with five innings pitched and four strikeouts, while giving up three earned runs. Andy Kraus (Jr. • Greendale) pitched the final two innings for the Titans, with nothing allowed.
Receiving six
scoreless innings of pitching from reliever Jordan Timm
(Jr. • Pine River) in the opener and counting five
runs in the fifth and six in the eighth innings of the
nightcap, the UW-Oshkosh baseball team won both games of
a twinbill with UW-Stout on Saturday (April 26) at
Tiedemann Field.
UW-Oshkosh (25-2/11-1 WIAC) won the first game of the doubleheader with UW-Stout (5-24/4-15 WIAC), 6-2, before coasting to a 14-6 victory in the second.
UW-Oshkosh had only five hits and committed four errors in the opener, but eight walks and five hit batters issued by UW-Stout starting pitcher Jon Severson aided the Titans' comeback from a 2-1 deficit.
The Titans took a 4-2 lead in the fifth inning on Korey Feiner's (Jr. • Sun Prairie) two-out, two-run double. UW-Oshkosh counted another two runs in the sixth inning as Josh Stewart (Jr. • San Francisco, Calif.) and Feiner, who had two of the Titans' five hits in the game, received bases-loaded walks. The Titans' sixth inning featured four walks off Severson (1-6) and reliever Dan Yudchitz, all after two were out.
UW-Oshkosh's Jeremy Jirschele (So. • Clintonville) went hitless in two official at bats in the opener to end his career-best 15-game hitting streak.
Timm (6-0) entered the game for UW-Oshkosh in the fourth inning and yielded just three hits and one walk over the next six innings. He also struck out eight of the 21 batters he faced. Timm relieved starter Jim Ziegler (Fr. • Eden) who allowed four hits and two runs in three innings.
UW-Oshkosh broke open a 3-2 advantage in the nightcap by scoring five runs on four hits and three walks in the fifth inning. Mike Mau (Fr. • Barron) had a two-run double for the Titans in the frame, while Jirschele and Kyle Heckendorf (Jr. • Mosinee) added run-scoring singles.
UW-Stout cut its deficit to 8-6 before UW-Oshkosh plated six runs on five hits and two Blue Devil errors in the eighth inning. Vince Mancuso (Sr. • Wisconsin Rapids) highlighted the inning with a two-run double, while Evan Peterson (Fr. • Howard) added a run-scoring triple and Stewart a run-scoring single.
UW-Oshkosh banged out 14 hits in the game, while UW-Stout had 12. The Titans' hit count included three safeties by Peterson and two each by Mau, Heckendorf, Mancuso, Brian Foley (Fr. • Hortonville) and Jirschele. UW-Oshkosh's Lucas Lechnir (Jr. • Mosinee) went hitless in one official at bat to end his career-best 20-game hitting streak. UW-Stout had four players with two hits each in the contest.
Brian Gerl (Fr. • Manawa) pitched seven innings as the starter for UW-Oshkosh before being relieved by Andy Kraus (Jr. • Greendale) and Jeremiah Gowey (So. • La Crosse), who pitched 1.1 and 0.2 innings, respectively. Gerl raised his record to 3-1 on the season by scattering eight hits and allowing five of UW-Stout's six runs. He also struck out six batters. Matt Hoeft (0-3), the first of five UW-Stout pitchers in the game, took the loss after going just 3.2 innings.
After being held
down in the opener, the UW-Oshkosh baseball team got back
on track in a hurry as the Titans split a doubleheader
with UW-Platteville on Wednesday (April 23) at Tiedemann
Field.
UW-Platteville (10-18/3-11 WIAC) stopped UW-Oshkosh's 17-game winning streak in the opener as pitcher Mike Finnegan threw a seven-hit, complete-game victory in the Pioneers' 4-2 win. In the nightcap, UW-Oshkosh (23-2/9-1 WIAC) returned the favor by banging out 16 hits in a seven-inning, 13-0 thrashing of UW-Platteville.
In game one, Lucas Lechnir (Jr. • Mosinee) was the only UW-Oshkosh hitter with two hits.
Kyle Heckendorf (Jr. • Mosinee) gave the Titans an early 1-0 lead by belting a solo home run in the first inning. UW-Oshkosh extended its lead to 2-1 before UW-Platteville rallied with solo runs in the fifth, sixth and ninth innings. The Pioneers' last two runs of the game were scored via home runs by Ryan Von Haden in the sixth inning and Kelley Reynolds in the ninth. Von Haden was one of three UW-Platteville players with two hits in the contest.
Ben Huffman (So. • Mequon) took the pitching loss for UW-Oshkosh, allowing just five hits and two earned runs in six innings. Huffman (4-1) walked none and struck out eight batters. Finnegan (3-4), however, scattered two earned runs and over nine innings to gain the win.
Lechnir again paced UW-Oshkosh's offense in the second game, going two-for-four at the plate with five runs batted in. Jeremy Jirschele (So. • Clintonville) was three-for-four at the plate while five other players joined Lechnir with two hits each.
UW-Oshkosh built a 12-0 lead after three innings by scoring two times in the first, six in the second and four in the third. The Titans had seven hits in their six-run second inning, including a three-run home run by Lechnir and a run-scoring double by Korey Feiner (Jr. • Sun Prairie). UW-Oshkosh closed the lopsided win with a score in the fourth inning.
Jeremiah Gowey (So. • La Crosse) and Andy Kraus (Jr. • Greendale) shared the pitching duties for the Titans, with Gowey (5-0) getting the win and Kraus picking up the save (1). Gowey allowed just one hit during the first-four scoreless innings of the game, while Kraus allowed three hits in the final-three scoreless frames. Dusty Jacobson (1-2), the first of five UW-Platteville pitchers in the game, took the loss after being removed in the second inning.
The UW-Oshkosh
baseball team excelled offensively, defensively and on
the pitching mound during its doubleheader sweep of
UW-Superior on Friday (April 18) in Superior.
UW-Oshkosh (22-1/8-0 WIAC) increased its winning streak to 17 consecutive games by routing UW-Superior (3-17/1-11 WIAC) in scores of 14-0 in the opener and 21-0 in the nightcap.
Offensively, UW-Oshkosh's 35 runs in the twinbill were aided by 37 hits, 12 walks and six UW-Superior errors. The Titans scored four or more runs in five of the 14 innings they played, including a pair of six-run spectacles in the nightcap. Defensively, UW-Oshkosh committed only one error in the doubleheader.
On the hill, UW-Oshkosh pitchers Jordan Timm (Jr. • Pine River) and Jeremiah Gowey (So. • La Crosse) were impressive during their seven-inning, complete-game efforts. Timm (5-0) allowed just three hits and struck out eight batters in the opener, while Gowey (4-0) yielded just two hits and struck out 10 batters in the nightcap. With the help of three double plays, Timm faced just 23 batters in his game, two over the minimum. Gowey greeted just 24 batters in his contest, three over the minimum.
UW-Oshkosh banged out 12 hits in the first game, including three by Korey Feiner (Jr. • Sun Prairie) and two each by Mike Mau (Fr. • Barron), Jeremy Jirschele (So. • Clintonville) and Evan Peterson (Fr. • Howard).
Leading 1-0, UW-Oshkosh increased its advantage in the third inning of the opener by scoring five runs on three hits, including a two-run single Jirschele and a two-run triple by Peterson. The Titans also counted six runs in the fifth inning, with four coming on a grand slam by Feiner.
In the second game, UW-Oshkosh totaled 25 hits as the Titans counted 20-plus runs for the second time this season. Nine of UW-Oshkosh's hits went for extra bases, including three doubles by Lucas Lechnir (Jr. • Mosinee), a triple by Jirschele and a home run by Vince Mancuso (Sr. • Wisconsin Rapids). Lechnir and Kyle Heckendorf (Jr. • Mosinee) each had four hits in the game, while Mancuso, Feiner, Jirschele and Josh Stewart (Jr. • San Francisco, Calif.) each had three.
UW-Oshkosh scored in every inning of the second game, including six runs in both the fourth and sixth frames. The Titans' fourth inning was highlighted by two-run singles from Mancuso and Feiner while the sixth featured run-scoring doubles from Stewart, Mancuso and Lechnir.
UW-Oshkosh hitters faced three UW-Superior pitchers in the first game and four in the second. Starter Marcus Besonen (1-4) took the loss for the Yellowjackets in the opener after allowing 10 runs and seven hits in four innings, while starter Zach Brokaw (1-3) took the defeat for UW-Superior in the nightcap after yielding nine runs and 13 hits in 3.2 innings.
The UW-Oshkosh
baseball team is off to a 20-1 start for the third since
the 1998 season following its doubleheader sweep of
Wisconsin Lutheran College on Saturday (April 12) at
Tiedemann Field.
UW-Oshkosh defeated its first-time opponent in the opener, 8-6, and in the nightcap, 8-2, to improve its winning streak to 15 consecutive games. The Titans' only setback this season is a 12-9 decision to Newman University (Kan.) on March 21.
The Titans had to rally to win game one as they trailed the Warriors, 5-1, through four innings. Wisconsin Lutheran College scored two unearned runs in the first inning and took a 5-1 lead in the fourth on a sacrifice fly by Jake Markovic.
UW-Oshkosh began its comeback in the fifth inning by scoring three runs, and completed its task in the sixth by counting two more to take the lead for good. The Titans' fifth inning was keyed by Josh Stewart's (Jr. • San Francisco) two-run single, while the sixth featured Korey Feiner's (Jr. • Sun Prairie) go-ahead, run-scoring single. UW-Oshkosh's scoring concluded with Mike Mau's (Fr. • Barron) sacrifice fly in the eighth inning and Feiner's run-scoring double in the ninth.
Each team totaled 12 hits in the game, with Kyle Heckendorf (Jr. • Mosinee) and Jeremy Jirschele (So. • Clintonville) having three each for UW-Oshkosh and Scott Sievert three for Wisconsin Lutheran College.
Andy Kraus (Jr. • Greendale) relieved starter Ryan Hermus (So. • Combined Locks) in the third inning for the Titans to pick up his second pitching win (2-0) of the year. Kraus hurled the final 6.1 innings of the game, yielding just five hits while striking out four batters. Nick Buzzell (0-5) pitched all eight innings for Wisconsin Lutheran College, allowing 12 hits and five earned runs.
Lucas Lechnir (Jr. • Mosinee) provided most of the Titans' offense in the second game as he recorded hits in his last four at bats, including a run-scoring triple in the third inning, a two-run single in the fourth and a run-scoring double in the sixth. Lechnir has now hit safely in his last 15 games.
UW-Oshkosh, which totaled 13 hits in the contest, also received two hits each from Vince Mancuso (Sr. • Wisconsin Rapids), Stewart and Brian Foley (Fr. • Hortonville). Heckendorf went hitless in four at bats to have his 16-game hitting streak end for the Titans. Wisconsin Lutheran College had seven hits in the game, with no player having more than one.
Four UW-Oshkosh pitchers took to the mound for the Titans in the nightcap, with starter Jason Kral (Fr. • Three Lakes) pitching four scoreless innings to gain his first win (1-0) of the season. He was relieved by Jeremy Sherman (So. • Crivitz) and Jesse Wiltzius (So. • Peshtigo) for two innings each and Phil Glinski (Fr. • Green Bay) for one. Steve Clasen (0-1) allowed 11 hits and eight runs in six innings to take the pitching loss for Wisconsin Lutheran College.
The 2003 resume
of the UW-Oshkosh baseball team got significantly better
following the Titans' doubleheader sweep of 2002 NCAA
Division III World Series entrant Lakeland College on
Friday (April 11) at Tiedemann Field.
UW-Oshkosh (18-1) defeated Lakeland College (7-9) in the opener, 13-6, and in the nightcap, 16-2, to increase its advantage in the all-time series between the two teams to 29-2-1.
In addition to the wins over Lakeland College, UW-Oshkosh's 2003 resume also includes a 7-5 victory over Oklahoma City University, the top-ranked team in the National of Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, wins of 11-6 and 17-1 over perennial Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference power St. Olaf College and victories of 12-7 and 13-3 over pre-season WIAC 2003 favorite UW-Whitewater.
Down 2-0 to Lakeland College in the first game, UW-Oshkosh scored six runs with the help of five hits in the second inning, including a two-run single by Kyle Heckendorf (Jr. • Mosinee) and a two-run home run by Vince Mancuso (Sr. • Wisconsin Rapids). UW-Oshkosh's advantage didn't last long, however, as with two hits, two walks and one error, Lakeland College counted four runs in the third inning to tie the game at 6-6.
The game remained tied until UW-Oshkosh put the contest away with three runs in the sixth inning, two in the seventh and two in the eighth. UW-Oshkosh's sixth inning was highlighted by Lucas Lechnir's (Jr. • Mosinee) two-run single. The Titans had heavy activity in all three of those innings as they left two runners on base in the sixth stanza and three on in both the seventh and eighth.
UW-Oshkosh had 10 hits in the opener, with Heckendorf and Mike Mau (Fr. • Barron) totaling two each. Tadd Russell had two hits, both doubles, to pace Lakeland College.
Ben Huffman (So. • Mequon) of the Titans pitched the final seven innings in relief of starter Brian Gerl (Fr. • Manawa). Huffman (4-0) faced just 27 batters in his seven innings of work, allowing just three hits while striking out seven batters. Pitching just four innings, Eric Spies (0-2) took the pitching loss for Lakeland College.
The second game between UW-Oshkosh and Lakeland College was a rout from the start as the Titans plated four runs in the first inning, two in both the second and third and eight in the fourth. Lechnir was the hitting star for UW-Oshkosh in those early innings as he belted a two-run home run in the second inning and a grand slam in the fourth. The Titans also received a two-run home run from David Young (So. • Greenfield) and a solo home run from Brian Foley (Fr. • Hortonville), both in the first inning.
The Titans compiled 13 hits in the nightcap as Jeremy Jirschele (So. • Clintonville) registered three and Mau, Lechnir and Korey Feiner (Jr. • Sun Prairie) two each. Lakeland College had only six hits off UW-Oshkosh winning pitcher Jim Ziegler (2-0), with no player having more than one. Ziegler allowed just one earned run and struck out one batter in his seven-inning, complete-game effort. Starter Jon Aerts (0-3) took the pitching loss for Lakeland College, yielding 11 runs and nine hits in three innings.
A herculean
performance by Vince Mancuso (Sr. • Wisconsin
Rapids) helped the UW-Oshkosh baseball team win both
games of a doubleheader with UW-Platteville on Thursday
(April 10) in Platteville.
UW-Oshkosh (16-1/6-0 WIAC) routed UW-Platteville, 15-1, in game one as Mancuso went four-for-five at the plate with two home runs, six runs batted in and three runs scored. In game two, a 13-9 win for the Titans, Mancuso went three-for-four at the plate with two home runs, four runs batted in and two runs scored.
UW-Oshkosh's seven-inning victory in the opener was ignited by a nine-run second frame. UW-Oshkosh had six hits, including a three-run home run by Mancuso and a two-run double by David Young (So. • Greenfield), and benefited from two UW-Platteville (6-10/0-4 WIAC) errors in the inning.
The Titans also counted three runs in the fifth inning and two in the seventh, with Mancuso recording a two-run single in the fifth and a solo home run in the seventh. UW-Oshkosh's seventh inning also featured a solo home run by Lucas Lechnir (Jr. • Mosinee).
UW-Oshkosh registered 14 hits in the first game, including four by Mancuso and two each from Korey Feiner (Jr. • Sun Prairie) and Jeremy Jirschele (So. • Clintonville).
Jordan Timm (Jr. • Pine River) was dominating on the mound for the Titans as he allowed just four hits in the complete-game effort. Timm, who struck out seven batters while walking two, raised his record to 4-0 on the year. Starter Jeremy Granlund (1-1) took the pitching loss for UW-Platteville, yielding 10 runs and six hits in three innings.
UW-Oshkosh quickly got things going in the nightcap as run-scoring singles by Mancuso and Josh Stewart (Jr. • San Francisco) keyed a three-run first inning. Mancuso increased the Titans' advantage to 4-0 in the third inning with a solo home run and 11-2 in the sixth with a two-run bomb. UW-Platteville closed its deficit to 11-6 before Lechnir and Stewart lashed run-scoring singles in the eighth inning to conclude UW-Oshkosh's scoring.
UW-Oshkosh banged out 15 hits in game two, with Kyle Heckendorf (Jr. • Mosinee), Mancuso and Stewart totaling three each. Chris Olson had three of UW-Platteville's 12 hits in the contest.
Three UW-Oshkosh pitchers took to the mound in the second game as Andy Kraus (Jr. • Greendale) and Ryan Hermus (So. • Combined Locks) followed starter Jeremiah Gowey (So. • La Crosse). Gowey went 7.1 innings to remain unbeaten in three decisions this year after scattering 11 hits and allowing just four earned runs. Kraus and Hermus combined to yield just one hit over the final 1.2 innings. UW-Platteville starter Bryan Aspenson (0-2) took the pitching loss after allowing 11 runs and 10 hits in 5.1 innings.
Holding UW-La
Crosse scoreless during 13 of its 15 at bats, the
UW-Oshkosh baseball team won both games of a doubleheader
with the Eagles on Sunday (April 6) at Tiedemann Field.
UW-Oshkosh was victorious the opener, 13-4, and the nightcap, 10-4, with the latter debate called in the bottom of the sixth inning due to darkness.
UW-Oshkosh (14-1/4-0 WIAC) banged out 13 hits in the first game and nine in the second. UW-La Crosse (2-12/0-2 WIAC) compiled just 10 hits on the afternoon as it posted four-run innings in the seventh frame of game one and the fifth period of game two for its scoring.
Kyle Heckendorf (Jr. • Mosinee) paced UW-Oshkosh's offense during the twinbill, going five-for-eight at the plate with four runs batted in and three runs scored. Heckendorf had singles in his first four at bats to extend his hitting streak to 11 games. UW-Oshkosh's Mike Mau (Fr. • Barron) added three hits, five runs scored and one run batted in on the day as he increased his hitting streak to 11 games as well.
UW-Oshkosh's pitching staff also contributed to the sweep of UW-La Crosse as Ben Huffman (So. • Mequon) picked up the complete-game win in the opener, while three Titan hurlers limited the Eagles to four hits in game two as Andy Kraus (Jr. • Greendale) recorded his first win of the season. Huffman scattered six hits and struck out five batters as he raised his pitching ledger to 3-0 on the year. Kraus pitched the final 1.1 innings in relief of starter Phil Glinski (Fr. • Green Bay) and reliever Jeremiah Gowey (So. • La Crosse).
UW-Oshkosh broke open a 5-0 contest in game one by scoring six times in the sixth inning. The Titans had four hits in the sixth inning, including two-run singles by Heckendorf and Korey Feiner (Jr. • Sun Prairie). Prior to UW-La Crosse's four-run seventh inning the Eagles had only one hit in the contest.
In game two, UW-La Crosse rallied from a 2-0 deficit by scoring four times in the fifth inning. The Eagles sent 10 players to the plate in that fifth frame, totaling three hits and two walks. Not to be outdone in the fifth inning, UW-Oshkosh scored eight runs on four hits and five walks after sending 13 players to the plate. Hits of notice for the Titans in the fifth inning were two-run singles by Josh Stewart (Jr. • San Francisco) and Feiner. Mancuso went hitless in one official at bat during the second contest to have his 15-game hitting streak come to an end.
Losing pitchers for UW-La Crosse were Travis Elvert (0-2) in the opener and Jude Tindall (0-3) in the nightcap.
The UW-Oshkosh
baseball team made its 2003 WIAC debut an overwhelming
success by sweeping a doubleheader with league pre-season
favorite UW-Whitewater on Wednesday (April 2) at
Tiedemann Field.
UW-Oshkosh, picked to finish third in this year's WIAC race behind UW-Whitewater and defending champion UW-Stevens Point, defeated the Warhawks in games of 12-7 and 13-3. The Titans' 12-7 win in the opener snapped a six-game losing streak to the Warhawks.
UW-Whitewater (9-2/0-2 WIAC) took a 4-0 lead in the opener before UW-Oshkosh (12-1/2-0 WIAC) counted one run in the third inning on Vince Mancuso's (Sr. • Wisconsin Rapids) double. The score remained 4-1 in favor of the Warhawks until the sixth inning when the Titans tallied seven runs on seven hits and one UW-Whitewater error. UW-Oshkosh ended a string of five consecutive hits in the inning with a two-run single by Lucas Lechnir (Jr. • Mosinee) and a two-run triple by Mancuso.
UW-Whitewater closed its deficit to 8-7 in the seventh inning on Travis Van Zile's two-run triple and Brady Endl's run-scoring single. The inning ended for the Warhawks with runners on first and third base as UW-Oshkosh's Jeremiah Gowey (So. • La Crosse) struck out UW-Whitewater's Dan Schrum, the owner of a two-run home run in the second inning.
UW-Oshkosh closed the game's scoring with four runs in the eighth inning. The Titans had four hits in the frame, including a three-run double by David Young (So. • Greenfield) and a run-scoring single by Evan Peterson (Fr. • Howard).
UW-Oshkosh had 13 hits in the contest as Lechnir, Mancuso, Mike Mau (Fr. • Barron), Peterson and Josh Stewart (Jr. • San Francisco, Calif.) totaled two each. Endl (1-1), who started on the mound and took the loss for UW-Whitewater after yielding six hits and six runs in 5.1 innings, had three of the Warhawks' nine hits in the game.
Brian Gerl (Fr. • Manawa) recorded the pitching win for UW-Oshkosh after relieving starter Ben Huffman (So. • Mequon) in the fourth inning. Gerl (2-1) saw action for 3.1 innings, surrendering three hits and three runs. Gowey gained his second save of the year by allowing just one hit in the final 2.1 innings of the game.
In the nightcap, both teams were scoreless until UW-Oshkosh registered five runs in the fourth inning and one in the fifth. The Titans' fourth inning was highlighted by a run-scoring bunt single by Jeremy Jirschele (So. • Clintonville) and a two-run triple by Peterson. UW-Oshkosh's lone score in the fifth inning was the result of Stewart's sacrifice fly.
UW-Whitewater cut UW-Oshkosh's lead in half on one swing of the bat in the sixth inning as Schrum belted a three-run home run. UW-Oshkosh responded to Schrum's blast by scoring four runs in the bottom half of the inning with the assistance of four hits and three UW-Whitewater errors. Lechnir highlighted the inning for the Titans with a two-run double. Lechnir also played a role in the Titans' three-run seventh inning by belting another two-run double.
UW-Oshkosh banged out 12 hits in the nightcap, with Peterson totaling three and Lechnir and Mancuso two each. Mancuso, who has hit safely in all 13 games this season, raised his average to .630 (29-46) by recording his 11th multiple-hit game of the year.
Not to be overshadowed in the Titan's victory in game two, was the pitching performance of Jordan Timm (Jr. • Pine River). Timm (3-0) posted a complete-game victory, allowing just three hits in nine innings while striking out 10 batters. Ryan Callahan (2-1), the first of three UW-Whitewater pitchers, took the loss after yielding six hits and five runs in four innings.
The UW-Oshkosh
baseball team fell behind 3-0 in the opener and then
scored 24 unanswered runs to sweep both games of a
doubleheader with Marian College on Tuesday (April 1) at
Tiedemann Field.
UW-Oshkosh improved its all-time record against Marian College to 10-2 by defeating the Sabres in scores of 7-3 in the first game and 17-0 in the second. The Titans have now scored 16 or more runs in five of their 11 games played this season, with a high of 43 coming against Huron University (S.D.) on March 15.
In the opener, Marian College (5-8) took the lead over UW-Oshkosh (10-1) in the third inning as the Sabres counted three runs on two hits, including a one-out, two-run double by Aaron Everts. That safety by Everts chased UW-Oshkosh starting pitcher Phil Glinski (Fr. • Green Bay) from the mound in favor of Andy Kraus (So. • Greendale), who then went on to retire the next 11 batters he faced.
While Kraus was silencing the Marian College hitters, UW-Oshkosh's offense was awakening as the Titans scored three runs in both the fifth and seventh innings and once in the eighth. Mike Mau (Fr. • Barron) took part in all three runs for UW-Oshkosh in the fifth inning as he lined a two-run double and scored the tying run from third base on a wild pitch.
UW-Oshkosh also counted three runs in the seventh inning as Jeremy Jirschele (So. • Clintonville) scored from third base on a balk, Lucas Lechnir (Jr. • Mosinee) knocked in Mau from second base with a double and Korey Feiner (Jr. • Sun Prairie) scored Lechnir from third base with a sacrifice fly. The Titans' lone tally in the eighth inning came on a run-scoring single by Kyle Heckendorf (Jr. • Mosinee).
UW-Oshkosh had nine hits in the game as Heckendorf, Mau and Vince Mancuso (Sr. • Wisconsin Rapids) registered two each. Marian College was limited to just five hits, with no player having more than one.
Ryan Hermus (So. • Combined Locks) followed Kraus on the mound for UW-Oshkosh and hurled 1.1 scoreless innings to record the win. Jeremiah Gowey (So. • La Crosse) was the final UW-Oshkosh pitcher in the opener and he pitched 1.2 scoreless innings to gain the save. Jason Bunton (3-1), who defeated the Titans a year ago, took the pitching loss for the Sabres after yielding seven hits and six runs in 6.1 innings.
In the nightcap, UW-Oshkosh turned a 5-0 affair into a rout as it scored 12 times on 11 hits in the sixth inning. Heckendorf, Jirschele and Josh Stewart (Jr. • San Francisco, Calif.) each had two hits in the inning, while Mancuso and David Young (So. • Greenfield) each belted three-run home runs.
Earlier, UW-Oshkosh scored two runs in both the second and third innings and once in the fifth, with the big hits being solo home runs from Stewart in the second inning and Mancuso in the fifth.
The Titans slugged out 19 hits in the second game, with Stewart compiling four, Lechnir three and Heckendorf, Jirschele and Mau two each. Brad Daniels had two of Marian College's four hits in the game.
Four players took to the mound for UW-Oshkosh in game two as starter Jim Ziegler (Fr. • Eden) pitched two hitless frames. He was followed by Brian Gerl (Fr. • Manawa) and Jason Kral (Fr. • Three Lakes) for two innings each and Jeremy Sherman (So. • Crivitz) for one, with Gerl (1-1) being awarded the win. Lance Rick (1-2) took the pitching loss for Marian College after allowing 14 hits and 11 runs in 5.1 innings.
UW-Oshkosh outfielder Vince Mancuso (Sr. • Wisconsin Rapids) was named the National Hitter of the Week, while Worcester State College (Mass.) sophomore A.J. Hatton won the Pitcher of the Week honors. A panel of Division III NCBWA members reviews candidates from each Division III Conference each week and names winners each Tuesday throughout the season. In nine games during UW-Oshkosh's spring trip to Wichita, Kansas, Mancuso batted 21-for-33 (.636), with five home runs, three doubles, 21 runs scored and 17 RBIs. The Titans went 8-1 on the trip with a season-opening 43-5 drubbing over Huron University (S.D.). In that game, Mancuso went four-for-four with 6 RBIs, two doubles and five runs scored. Included in UW-Oshkosh's eight victories were a win over second-ranked (NAIA) Oklahoma City University (Okla.) and a doubleheader sweep of perennial Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) power St. Olaf College (Minn.). Hatton pitched the Lancers to victory over a pair of top ten nationally ranked teams. He shutout the 2002 national batting champions and ninth-ranked (NCAA Division III) Aurora University (Ill.) while fanning 8 and allowing just 7 hits and 1 walk. Hatton followed that up by scattering 10 hits and yielding just two earned runs in an 8-4 victory over fourth-ranked (NCAA Division III) The College of Wooster (Ohio). |
Tom Lechnir, head baseball coach at
UW-Oshkosh since 1989, has been selected as the
2003 NCAA Division III Midwest Region Coach of
the Year by the American Baseball Coaches
Association (ABCA).
The Baltimore Orioles selected
UW-Oshkosh pitcher Jordan Timm (Jr. • Pine
River) in the 15th round of the 2003 Major League
Baseball Amateur Draft held Tuesday (June 3).
Defending
champion Eastern Connecticut State University
scored seven runs on 12 hits in the first four
innings of the contest to defeat the University
of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 12-2, in an elimination
game of the NCAA Division III Baseball World
Series held Sunday (May 25) at Fox Cities Stadium
in Grand Chute.
With his team
one loss from going two-and-out in the NCAA
Division III World Series and his short-handed
pitching staff foundering, UW-Oshkosh coach Tom
Lechnir searched desperately for a savior.