UW-Oshkosh's Lechnir Moves On Top Of WIAC Wins List
• Courtesy of Tariq Engineer, Wausau Daily Herald •

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh coach Tom Lechnir is the new king of the hill in Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) baseball.

The 1978 Mosinee High School graduate became the all-time winningest baseball coach in WIAC history when UW-Oshkosh defeated Wheaton (Mass.) College 5-4 on Saturday in Port Charlotte, Fla. The win was number 538 for Lechnir, moving him past former UW-Stout coach Terry Petrie, who guided the Blue Devils to a 537-401 record from 1971-2000.

"I've been in Oshkosh for 28 years as a player, assistant coach and head coach," Lechnir said. "I'm very proud to be associated with Oshkosh baseball."

Lechnir was a two-year captain during his playing days, hitting fourth in the lineup and playing in the outfield. During the fall of his junior year, however, he was forced to miss a semester due to an injury.

Lechnir said the injury and time off put a crimp in his plans of playing baseball for a living.

"Even though I came back, I wasn't completely healthy," he said. "It gave me a long time to think about what I'm going to be doing the rest of my life."

What Lechnir realized was that he wanted to coach the game of baseball. Luckily for him, he had an ally in then UW-Oshkosh Chancellor Edward Pensen.

"When I finished playing, (Pensen) strongly encouraged me to begin my coaching career and offered me a position as assistant coach, and that was pretty much the start of it," Lechnir said. "If anyone is responsible for me having success, it is Mr. Pensen."

Lechnir served as assistant coach from 1983-1988 before taking over for Russ Tiedemann in 1989. Since then, he has compiled a 538-171-1 record, giving him an impressive .759 winning percentage.

Along the way, he has won an NCAA Division III national title, led the Titans to nine NCAA Division III World Series appearances and captured 10 WIAC championships.

Furthermore, 22 of his former players have signed professional baseball contracts, including current major leaguers Jack Taschner of the San Francisco Giants and Jarrod Washburn of the Seattle Mariners.

What Lechnir is most proud of, however, is the development of his players as people.

"We've had wonderful success stories like Washburn," Lechnir said, "but we have just as wonderful success stories about guys who maybe should not have gone to college based on their high school grades but have gone on to become teachers themselves or successful in business. It is really a tribute to the belief we have in the program."

That belief stems from an approach that embraces developing players as human beings rather than just focusing on them as baseball players.

"I have a master's degree in counseling," Lechnir said. "I have a very strong interest in working with young people, to try and develop those young people socially, academically and certainly athletically. I think if you do that, if you pay attention to do those things, then a lot of the other things take care of themselves.

"We evaluate our players on two things: the effort they give and the production they have. That simple concept can apply to things socially, academically and certainly athletically."

Given Lechnir's focus on his players, it should come as no surprise that he was unaware of the latest milestone in his own career.

"I think one of my assistants told me during hour 14 or 15 of the 24-hour bus ride back from the game," he said.

UW-Oshkosh opens its conference season at home against UW-Superior on April 1.