WIAC Baseball Athletes of the Week

2004 WIAC Baseball
Athletes of the Week

Week of May 3 - 9
Position
Greg Meinertz, Junior (La Crosse/Central), Catcher of UW-Stout
Meinertz tallied 12 RBIs last week, hitting .542 (13-for-24) as UW-Stout won five of their last six games, splitting with Waldorf (Iowa) and sweeping all four with UW-Superior. He scored seven runs, had three doubles, one triple, one home run, a slugging percentage of .875 and successfully stole one base. Meinertz had multiple hits in five of the six games, including two contests with three hits.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Andy Podmolik, Freshman, Outfield, Phillips
UW-Oshkosh, Jeremy Jirschele, Junior, Second Base, Clintonville
UW-Platteville, Ryan Levendoski, Senior, Catcher/Designated Hitter, Stoddard (DeSoto)
UW-Stevens Point, Nat Richter, Junior, Second Base, Green Bay (Preble)

Pitcher
Eric Nevermann, Senior (Jefferson), Lefthanded Pitcher of UW-La Crosse
Nevermann helped lead UW-La Crosse to a spot in the WIAC Tournament with a complete game victory over UW-Oshkosh in the second game of a doubleheader on May 9. He pitched nine innings, allowing eight hits, four runs and one walk while striking out two.

Also nominated:
UW-Oshkosh, Jordan Timm, Senior, Pitcher, Lefthanded Pitcher, Pine River (Weyauwega-Fremont)
UW-Stevens Point, Adam Fox, Senior, Lefthanded Pitcher, Little Chute
UW-Stout, Joe Huiting, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Little Chute

Week of April 26 - May 2
Position
Jeremy Jirschele, Junior (Clintonville), Secondbase of UW-Oshkosh
Jirschele helped UW-Oshkosh to a 4-2 record, including a four-game sweep of fourth-place UW-Platteville on May 1-2, by hitting .481 with nine runs scored and seven RBIs. He was 13-for-27 at the plate with two doubles, one triple and one home run. Jirschele had a slugging percentage of .741 and an on-base percentage of .533. Jirschele also handled all 41 of fielding opportunities from his second base position without an error.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Andy Podmolik, Freshman, Outfield, Phillips
UW-Platteville, Ryan Levendoski, Senior, Catcher/Designated Hitter, Stoddard (DeSoto)
UW-Stevens Point, Matt Polomis, Junior, Rightfield, Wausaukee
UW-Stout, Corey Endreas, Senior, Outfield, Spencer

Pitcher
Kyle Kaufman, Senior (Portage), Lefthanded Pitcher of UW-La Crosse
Kaufman became the sixth player in UW-La Crosse history to throw a no-hitter in UW-La Crosse's 12-0 victory over UW-Superior on May 1. He pitched seven innings, allowing four walks and striking out six batters. Kaufman is the first pitcher since Jared Manske (April, 2000) to throw a no-hitter for UW-La Crosse. It is also the first no-hitter in the conference since UW-Stevens Point's Bill Verbrick tossed a perfect game on April 6, 2002.

Also nominated:
UW-Oshkosh, Ben Huffman, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Mequon (Homestead)
UW-Platteville, Ryan Slaght, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Baraboo
UW-Stevens Point, Matt Simonson, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, Plover (Stevens Point Pacelli)
UW-Stout, Matt Christman, Sophomore, Lefthanded Pitcher, South Milwaukee

Week of April 19 - 25
Position
Eric Baldwin, Junior (Beaver Dam), Outfielder of UW-Whitewater
Baldwin helped UW-Whitewater to a 5-0 record on the week and a pair of wins at No. 2-ranked UW-Oshkosh, which kept the Warhawks on top of the WIAC standings. He batted .578 (11-for-19) with eight RBIs and eight runs scored in the five contests. Baldwin registered multiple hits in all five games, highlighted by a three-for-five performance with four runs scored and three RBIs in a 17-2 win over the Titans.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Steve Ems, Freshman, Shortstop, Waterford
UW-Oshkosh, Korey Feiner, Senior, Catcher, Sun Prairie
UW-Platteville, E.J. Zbikowski, Junior, Firstbase, Arlington Heights, Ill. (Buffalo Grove)
UW-Stevens Point, Jake Frombach, Sophomore, Secondbase, Stratford
UW-Stout, Greg Meinertz, Junior, Catcher, La Crosse (Central)
UW-Whitewater, Eric Baldwin, Junior, Outfielder, Beaver Dam

Pitcher
Ryan Callahan, Senior (Janesville/Parker), Lefthanded Pitcher of UW-Whitewater
Callahan pitched 14.0 innings and registered 19 strikeouts in two appearances this week. In an 11-1 win at UW-Superior, he pitched all seven innings, allowing three hits, no earned runs and 13 strikeouts. He also started the first game of a doubleheader against UW-Oshkosh on April 24 and pitched seven innings, allowing six hits, two earned runs and recording six strikeouts. Callahan helped himself at the plate during the week, batting .500 (7-for-14).

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Matt Zurbriggen, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Onalaska
UW-Oshkosh, Ben Huffman, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Mequon (Homestead)
UW-Platteville, Jeremy Granlund, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Oak Creek
UW-Stevens Point, Shane Standifer, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Princeton
UW-Stout, Rob Heller, Freshman, Righthanded Pitcher, La Crosse

Week of April 12 - 18
Position
Lucas Lechnir, Senior (Mosinee), Outfield of UW-Oshkosh
Lechnir had a big week for UW-Oshkosh as he hit .594 (19-32) with 16 RBIs and 14 runs scored to lead the Titans to an 8-0 record. His weekly count also included three doubles, one home run, five walks, one stolen base, a slugging percentage of .781 and an on-base percentage of .632. The switch-hitting Lechnir compiled a .625 (15-24) batting average against right-handed pitchers and overall was 9-for-15 (.600) at the plate with runners in scoring position. Lechnir, who had a 17-game hitting streak end in the final contest of the week, was five-for-five with seven RBIs during a 16-11 win over UW-Stevens Point and five-for-five with four RBIs in a 16-1 win over Marian College. At one point during the week, Lechnir had hits in nine straight official at-bats.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Chester Janke, Senior, Firstbase, Black River Falls
UW-Platteville, Ryan Levendoski, Senior, Catcher/Designated Hitter, Stoddard (DeSoto)
UW-Stevens Point, Matt Peetz, Senior, Designated Hitter, Spring Green (River Valley)
UW-Stout, Brandt Buckley, Sophomore, Thirdbase, Menomonie
UW-Whitewater, Brady Endl, Senior, Designated Hitter, Jefferson

Pitcher
Jordan Timm, Senior (Pine River/Weyauwega-Fremont), Lefthanded Pitcher of UW-Oshkosh
Timm threw a nine-inning complete game victory over UW-Stevens Point on April 14. He faced just 33 batters, six over the minimum, with 10 being by a strikeout. Timm allowed just five hits and walked none as the Titans defeated the Pointers, 4-1. He also pitched one inning of relief in UW-Oshkosh's 16-11 win in the first game of the doubleheader on April 14, retiring the side in order in the ninth frame.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Kyle Kaufman, Senior, Lefthanded Pitcher, Portage
UW-Platteville, Paul Kane, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Wisconsin Rapids (Lincoln)
UW-Stevens Point, Jeremy Mueller, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Waukesha (Kettle Moraine)
UW-Stout, Matt Christman, Sophomore, Lefthanded Pitcher, South Milwaukee
UW-Whitewater, Brady Endl, Senior, Lefthanded Pitcher, Jefferson

Week of April 5 - 11
Position
Matt Peetz, Senior (Spring Green/River Valley), Thirdbase of UW-Stevens Point
Peetz recorded two hits in each game as the Pointers swept a four-game weekend series at UW-La Crosse. He went eight-for-15 (.533), scored six runs and drove in seven against the Eagles. His two-run home run in Thursday's second game gave the Pointers a 3-2 lead which they would extend to a 9-6 victory. In both of Friday's games, Peetz started the game-winning rally with a double. He scored the tying run in the eighth inning of game one and the winning run in the ninth of game two. For the week, he had three doubles and a home run.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Matt Zieba, Junior, Outfield, Brooklyn Park, Minn. (Park Center)
UW-Oshkosh, Jeremy Jirschele, Junior, Secondbase, Clintonville
UW-Stout, Todd Brunclik, Sophomore, Shortstop/Secondbase, Birchwood (Rice Lake)
UW-Whitewater, Eric Stangel, Senior, Infield, Sheboygan (North)

Pitcher
Joe Huiting, Senior (Little Chute), Righthanded Pitcher of UW-Stout
Huiting pitched his first collegiate complete game, going the distance in a 7-4 win over No. 24-ranked UW-Whitewater on April 8. He scattered 11 hits through nine innings, but allowed only one hit in the final four innings of the game - and that runner he picked off. Huiting struck out one and allowed no walks in getting his first win of the season. It was the first victory for the Blue Devils over the Warhawks since May 9, 1999.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Kyle Kaufman, Senior, Lefthanded Pitcher, Portage
UW-Oshkosh, Jordan Timm, Senior, Lefthanded Pitcher, Pine River (Weyauwega-Fremont)
UW-Stevens Point, Kevin Pankow, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Oconomowoc
UW-Whitewater, Ryan Callahan, Senior, Lefthanded Pitcher, Janesville (Parker)

Week of March 29 - April 4
Position
Lucas Lechnir, Senior (Mosinee), Outfielder of UW-Oshkosh
Lechnir compiled a .480 batting average (12-for-25) with 14 RBIs, 10 runs scored and two home runs as UW-Oshkosh posted a 5-1 record in WIAC games this week. He had multiple hits in five of the six contests, including a three-for-five outing with two home runs and three runs scored in a 25-7 win over UW-Stout. He also went two-for-three with three RBIs and four runs scored in a 22-8 win over UW-Stout. Lechnir's slugging percentage for the six games was .720, while his on-base percentage was .548.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Kellen Haynes, Junior, Secondbase, Carthage, N.Y.
UW-Platteville, Ryan Levendoski, Senior, Catcher/Designated Hitter, Stoddard (DeSoto)
UW-Stevens Point, Chuck Brehm, Freshman, Centerfielder, Spencer
UW-Stout, Jim Foreman, Senior, Thirdbase, Apple Valley, Minn.
UW-Superior, Jason Polikowsky, Freshman, Firstbase, St. Cloud, Minn. (Apollo)

Pitcher
Ben Huffman, Junior (Mequon/Homestead), Righthanded Pitcher of UW-Oshkosh
Huffman recorded a pair of victories, both in WIAC play, as UW-Oshkosh posted a 5-1 record for the week. Huffman made three appearances in UW-Oshkosh's six games, pitching 11.2 innings with a 0.77 ERA. He allowed only five hits and an opponent batting average of just .128, while striking out 15 batters and walking three. In UW-Oshkosh's 4-0 win over UW-Stevens Point, Huffman allowed only one hit and no runs with eight strikeouts in six and two-thirds innings to gain the win in a starting role. He also pitched three innings of relief, yielding just one hit and no runs, to gain the win in a UW-Oshkosh 22-8 victory over UW-Stout. Huffman also pitched two innings of relief, giving up one run and three hits in UW-Oshkosh's 13-9 win over UW-Stout.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Jake Beitlich, Freshman, Lefthanded Pitcher, Stoddard (Onalaska Luther)
UW-Platteville, Jeremy Granlund, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Oak Creek
UW-Stevens Point, Aaron Achterberg, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Eau Claire (North)
UW-Superior, Zach Brokaw, Sophomore, Lefthanded Pitcher, Superior (Senior)

Week of March 22 - 28
Position
Ryan Jones, Senior (Eau Claire/North), Firstbase of UW-Stevens Point
Jones became UW-Stevens Point's all-time home run leader with five blasts during the Pointers' six-game spring break trip. He belted three solo home runs on Friday against Loras (Iowa), as the Pointers pulled out a 6-5 win in eight innings. Jones broke the record with his 33rd career home run on Saturday against St. Olaf (Minn.). For the trip, he batted .429 with five home runs, a double, a triple, four runs scored and eight RBIs.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Justin Bach, Sophomore, Thirdbase, Wisconsin Rapids (Lincoln)
UW-Platteville, Ryan Levendoski, Senior, Designated Hitter, Stoddard (DeSoto)
UW-Superior, Jason Polikowsky, Freshman, Firstbase, St. Cloud, Minn. (Apollo)

Pitcher
J.C. Reinke, Junior (Bonduel), Lefthanded Pitcher of UW-Stevens Point
Reinke fired six scoreless innings at NCAA Division I opponent Lipscomb (Tenn.) as the Pointers picked up an 8-0 victory. He allowed just four hits, struck out two and walked none to earn his first victory of the year. Reinke also threw three innings in relief against St. Olaf (Minn.), giving up five hits and striking out four.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Zach Spencer, Freshman, Lefthanded Pitcher, Verona

Week of March 8 - 21
Position
Chester Janke, Senior (Black River Falls), Firstbase of UW-La Crosse
Janke hit .368 in 11 games last week as the Eagles started their season with a spring trip to California. He went 14-for-38 with 10 runs scored, two doubles, a home run and 14 RBIs. Janke was three-for-four with four RBIs and a home run in a 6-4 victory over Rutgers-Camden (NJ) and was three-for-four with three RBIs and three runs scored in a 16-9 win over Massachusetts-Dartmouth.

Also nominated:
UW-Oshkosh, Korey Feiner, Senior, Catcher, Sun Prairie
UW-Platteville, Bailey Brueggen, Senior, Outfield, Westby (Cashton)
UW-Stout, Corey Endreas, Senior, Outfield, Spencer

Pitcher
Jon Ganzen, Freshman (Appleton/East), Righthanded Pitcher of UW-Oshkosh
Ganzen tossed a pair of complete game victories to begin his collegiate career. He pitched all nine innings in UW-Oshkosh's 4-1 win over Mt. Union (Ohio) on March 13. He allowed just three hits in the contest (all singles), while striking out seven batters and walking none. Returning to the mound on March 19, he tossed all seven innings in UW-Oshkosh's 16-0 win over Greenville (Ill.). Ganzen allowed just four hits in the game, while striking out seven batters and walking one. In the two games, he pitched 16.0 innings with seven hits, 14 strikeouts, one walk and no earned runs.

Also nominated:
UW-La Crosse, Matt Zurbriggen, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, Onalaska
UW-Platteville, Josh Conley, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Fennimore

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