2002 WIAC Baseball Athletes of the Week

2002 WIAC Baseball
Athletes of the Week

Week of April 29 - May 5
Position
Randy Reed, Senior (Appleton/East), Centerfielder of UW-Stevens Point
Reed hit .462 (18-for-39) for the week as the Pointers went 7-1 to capture the WIAC championship. Among Reed's 18 hits, 12 were for extra bases with six doubles, two triples and four home runs for a 1.062 slugging percentage. He also had 12 runs scored and 16 RBIs with hits in all eight games as the Pointers averaged 10.5 runs per game for the week.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Vinnie Rottino, Senior, Shortstop, Racine (St. Catherine's)
UW-Oshkosh, Korey Feiner, Sophomore, Second Base/Catcher, Sun Prairie
UW-River Falls, Dan Kretovics, Sophomore, Outfielder, New Richmond
UW-Stout, Brad Barneson, Senior, Firstbase/Pitcher, Strum (Eleva-Strum)
UW-Superior, Steve Lishinski, Senior, Catcher, Dollar Bay, Mich.
UW-Whitewater, Joe Ecker, Junior, Outfield/Catcher, Des Plaines, Ill. (Maine West)

Pitcher
Brady Endl, Sophomore (Jefferson), Lefthanded Pitcher of UW-Whitewater
Endl threw two complete games and earned a pair of wins on the week for the Warhawks. In a 9-8 win over Stevens Point, he allowed five earned runs and struck out 11. In a 12-7 victory over Platteville, he allowed four earned runs and struck out eight. Endl also helped his team at the plate during the week, batting 10-for-24 with three home runs and nine RBIs.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Travis Elvert, Junior, Lefthanded Pitcher, Prairie du Chien
UW-Oshkosh, Ryan Hermus, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Combined Locks (Kimberly)
UW-River Falls, Josh Eidem, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Rochester, Minn. (Mayo)
UW-Stevens Point, Shane Standifer, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Princeton
UW-Stout, Rob Govek, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Wausau (West)
UW-Superior, Greg Thielbar, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Embarrass, Minn. (Babbitt-Embarrass)

Week of April 22 - 28
Position
JW Dachel, Senior (Bloomer), Designated Hitter of UW-Stout
In six games last week, Dachel smacked out 13 RBIs with a batting average of .435 (10-for-23) with eight runs scored, two doubles and four home runs for a slugging percentage of 1.087. He drew five walks (three intentional) and had an on-base percentage of .536. For the first time this year, Dachel was strictly a designated hitter. He hit three of his home runs against River Falls, hitting two in the opener, then another in the second game. Dachel clubbed a two-run, first inning shot against Stevens Point to put Stout in the lead of the second game with the Pointers on Sunday.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Vinnie Rottino, Senior, Shortstop, Racine (St. Catherine's)
UW-Oshkosh, Nick Henschel, Junior, First Base, Manitowoc
UW-River Falls, Eric Bartholomew, Senior, Leftfielder, North St. Paul, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, Matt Peetz, Sophomore, Designated Hitter, Spring Green (River Valley)
UW-Superior, Steve Lishinski, Senior, Catcher, Dollar Bay, Mich.
UW-Whitewater, Rob Misora, Junior, Second Base, Palatine, Ill.

Pitcher
Ryan Nickell, Freshman (Cumberland), Lefthanded Pitcher of UW-River Falls
Nickell picked up two wins on the mound for the Falcons last week. He picked up an 8-2 win over Platteville and a 2-0 win over Oshkosh. Nickell pitched 16.0 innings and allowed just eight hits. He allowed only two runs, one was earned, and tallied six strikeouts.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Eric Grube, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Auburndale
UW-Oshkosh, Jordan Timm, Sophomore, Lefthanded Pitcher, Pine River (Weyauwega-Fremont)
UW-Stevens Point, Bill Verbrick, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Appleton (Xavier)
UW-Stout, Rob Govek, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Wausau (West)
UW-Superior, Drew Carlson, Junior, Lefthanded Pitcher, Dassel, Minn. (Dassel-Cokato)
UW-Whitewater, Kevin Tomasiewicz, Freshman, Lefthanded Pitcher, Sleepy Hollow, Ill. (Dundee Crown)

Week of April 15 - 21
Position
Chester Janke, Sophomore (Black River Falls), First Base of UW-La Crosse
Janke hit .500 (8-for-16) in four games this week. He scored six runs, had one double, three home runs, 11 RBIs and 18 total bases. Janke also had seven walks and finished with a 1.125 slugging percentage. He hit three home runs in a doubleheader sweep of Platteville April 20. Janke hit two home runs in the first game and then hit a two-out game-tying three-run home run in the second game to highlight a 10-run bottom of the ninth for La Crosse. The Eagles went on to win the game, 13-12 in 11 innings.

Also nominated:
UW-Oshkosh, Kevin Jones, Sophomore, Second Base, Fond du Lac
UW-River Falls, Eric Bartholomew, Senior, Leftfielder, North St. Paul, Minn.
UW-Stevens Point, Joe Waksmonski, Sophomore, Catcher, Schofield (D.C. Everest)
UW-Stout, Jon Kroening, Sophomore, Designated Hitter, Ladysmith
UW-Whitewater, Jason Ondricka, Senior, Catcher, Muskego

Pitcher
Joe Shere, Senior (Janesville/Craig), Righthanded Pitcher of UW-Whitewater
Shere tossed a complete game five-hitter in a 2-1 Warhawk win over Stout on April 20. He struck out eight and allowed only one walked and one earned run to earn his third victory of the season. Shere improved his league leading ERA to 1.26 with the performance.

Also nominated:
UW-Oshkosh, Ryan Piedot, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, East Troy
UW-River Falls, Phil Worm, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Montgomery, Minn. (Montgomery-Londsdale)
UW-Stevens Point, Jeff Pieper, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Wausau (West)
UW-Stout, Brian Bee, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Bloomer

Week of April 8 - 14
Position
Ben Stanley, Senior (Janesille/Parker), Catcher/Designated Hitter of UW-Oshkosh
Entering the week with eight career home runs, Stanley blasted seven round trippers during his six played to record one of the more impressive long ball displays in UW-Oshkosh history. Stanley homered three times in a game twice this past week, April 10 in an 11-9 loss to Whitewater and April 14 in an 11-10 loss to Stout. He also homered in a 14-6 loss to Whitewater on April 10. Stanley’s weekly totals included 16 hits in 26 at-bats (.615 batting average) with seven home runs and one double. He also had 14 RBIs, 10 runs scored and four walks. Stanley ended the week going 10-for-13 at the plate with eight RBIs, including a five-for-five performance with five runs scored and five RBIs during his three-home run contest against Stout. His week also included a 1.462 slugging percentage and .667 on base percentage.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Vinnie Rottino, Senior, Shortstop, Racine (St. Catherine’s)
UW-Platteville, Emmanuel Rivera, Junior, Shortstop, Arroyo, Puerto Rico (Guamani)
UW-River Falls, Brian Bosch, Junior, Outfielder, Vadnais Heights, Minn. (White Bear Lake)
UW-Stevens Point, Randy Reed, Senior, Outfielder, Appleton (East)
UW-Stout, Jake Riek, Sophomore, Outfielder, Boyceville
UW-Whitewater, Travis Van Zile, Junior, Outfielder, Reedsburg

Pitcher
Matt Lunde, Senior (Eau Claire/North), Righthanded Pitcher of UW-Stout
In one day, Lunde recorded a nine-inning 8-7 win over Oshkosh, then came back in the second game to pitch 2.1 innings and pick up the save in an 11-10 win over the Titans. Lunde, pitching on only one day of rest after a 4-1, nine-inning win at River Falls, entered the first Oshkosh game Sunday down 6-0 with bases loaded and gave up only one unearned run the rest of the way, scattering eight hits. In the second game, Lunde worked 2.1 innings, facing nine batters, allowing two runs on two hits to get the save. Earlier in the week, he went the distance against River Falls, giving up one earned run, striking out six and scattering six hits. On the week, Lunde worked 20.1 innings, was 2-0 with one save, allowed 16 hits, three earned runs, gave up two walks and recorded 12 strikeouts. He had a weekend ERA of 1.33.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Chris Schwarz, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Manitowoc (Lutheran)
UW-Oshkosh, Brian Herzog, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Manitowoc
UW-Platteville, Ryan Von Haden, Sophomore, Lefthanded Pitcher, Boscobel
UW-River Falls, Dan Morgan, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Ladysmith
UW-Stevens Point, Jeremy Mueller, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Waukesha (Kettle Moraine)
UW-Whitewater, Nathan Karaway, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Kenosha (Tremper)

Week of April 1 - 7
Position
Joe Shere, Senior (Janesville/Craig), Infielder of UW-Whitewater
Shere batted 8-for-17 (.471) in the Warhawks’ four-game series with UW-La Crosse over the weekend. In the second game of the doubleheader on Sunday, he had a two-out run-scoring single in the bottom of the ninth to propel the Warhawks to a 3-2 win. It was his fourth hit in five at-bats in the contest. The Warhawks also won the first game of the doubleheader 3-1. Shere tallied three RBIs on the weekend with a pair of stolen bases and one run scored.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Mike Smith, Senior, Catcher, Portage
UW-Oshkosh, Dusty Reid, Junior, Designated Hitter, Neenah
UW-Platteville, Emmanuel Rivera, Junior, Shortstop, Arroyo, Puerto Rico (Guamani)
UW-River Falls, Greg Jacobs, Sophomore, Catcher, Cumberland
UW-Stevens Point, Ryan Ivy, Senior, Outfielder, Kenosha (Duluth, Ga.)
UW-Stout, James Foreman, Sophomore, Third Base/Designated Hitter, Apple Valley, Minn.

Pitcher
Bill Verbrick, Senior (Appleton/Xavier), Righthanded Pitcher of UW-Stevens Point
Verbrick made history on Saturday in Stevens Point. He threw the first nine-inning perfect game in WIAC history with a 5-0 victory over UW-River Falls. Verbrick had 10 strikeouts in the game. It was the first UW-Stevens Point no-hitter since 1992 and the first perfect game since a five-inning effort by Bill Kuse in 1961. The win improved Verbrick’s record to 3-0 on the season with a 1.96 ERA.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Chris Schwarz, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Manitowoc (Lutheran)
UW-Oshkosh, Bruce Karnitz, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Sturgeon Bay (Southern Door)
UW-River Falls, Bruce Grandits, Junior, Lefthanded Pitcher, Roseville, Minn.
UW-Stout, Ryan Wolf, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Adrian, Minn.
UW-Whitewater, Randy Borgardt, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Racine (Park)

Week of March 25 - 31
Position
Ryan Von Haden, Sophomore (Boscobel), Outfielder of UW-Platteville
Von Haden hit .611 (11-for-18) with 7 RBIs in five games last week during the Pioneers' spring trip to Fort Myers, Fla. He had three hits in a game twice and two hits in a game a pair of games. Von Haden had at least 2 RBIs in three of the five games. Von Haden also threw three perfect innings in relief to earn the win in a 10-8 comeback victory over MacMurray (Ill.).

Also nominated:
No other athletes were nominated.

Pitcher
No Nominees.

Week of March 11 - 24
Position
Paul Molitor, Senior (Reedsburg), Third Base of UW-Stevens Point
Molitor led the Pointers to a 4-0 record in a weekend swing through Illinois and Indiana. He hit .684 (13-for-19) over four games. Molitor had two home runs, three doubles, 10 RBIs. The Pointers defeated Greenville (Ill.) twice, Albion (Mich.) and Rose-Hulman (Ind.) averaging 11.5 runs per game.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Casey Bablitch, Junior, Second Base, La Crosse (Central)
UW-Oshkosh, Zachary Melton, Sophomore, Outfield, Fort Collins, Colo.
UW-Platteville, Ryan Von Haden, Sophomore, Outfield, Boscobel
UW-Stout, JW Dachel, Senior, Outfield, Bloomer
UW-Superior, Marcus Besonen, Junior, Outfield, Trout Creek, Mich. (Ewen/Trout Creek)

Pitcher
Jordan Timm, Sophomore (Pine River/Weyauwega-Fremont), Lefthanded Pitcher of UW-Oshkosh
Timm dominated Illinois Wesleyan as the Titans posted a 3-0 win over the 10th-ranked team in the NCAA Division III on March 16. He allowed just four hits, struck out a career-best 14 batters and faced just 30 batters in a nine-inning game, allowing just one runner to reach second base. Timm opened the contest by retiring the first 11 batters he faced, including several who were starters on last year’s Illinois Wesleyan squad that participated in the 2001 NCAA Division III Championship.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Eric Grube, Senior, Righthanded pitcher, Auburndale
UW-Platteville, Mike Finnegan, Junior, Righthanded pitcher, Madison (East)
UW-Stevens Point, Jeff Pieper, Junior, Righthanded pitcher, Wausau (West)
UW-Stout, Brian Bee, Senior, Righthanded pitcher, Bloomer
UW-Superior, Drew Carlson, Junior, Lefthanded pitcher, Dassel, Minn. (Dassel-Cokato)

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