RELEASED:  Monday, March 30, 2009

Warhawks Tabbed Baseball Preseason Favorite

MADISON, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, the defending conference champion and winner of seven of the last nine crowns, is the preseason favorite to capture the 2009 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) baseball title, according to the league’s sports information directors.

The Warhawks, who received four first-place votes in the conference poll, entered the 2009 campaign ranked No. 4 nationally in a preseason poll conducted by D3baseball.com.  The program recorded a third-place finish at last year’s NCAA Division III World Series and has made 11 NCAA appearances, including six in the last nine years.  UW-Whitewater has registered 30-plus wins in five of head coach John Vodenlich’s six seasons.

Senior Kevin Zalnis belted a school-record 19 home runs a year ago to rank fifth on the league’s single-season chart.  Vodenlich entered the year needing 19 wins to reach 200 in his tenure at UW-Whitewater.  He would become the fifth coach in WIAC listings to reach the milestone.

UW-Oshkosh, ranked No. 23 nationally in the preseason poll, claimed the remaining three first-place votes and is expected to place second in the seven-team league derby.  The Titans have won a league-best 28 championships, including the most recent in 2007, and made 24 NCAA appearances.  UW-Oshkosh has won 27-plus games in 17 of the last 18 seasons.  The Titans, who led the NCAA Division III a year ago with 68 sacrifice bunts, welcome back junior Mickey Fadness who missed last season with an injury.  Head coach Tom Lechnir is the winningest coach in conference listings (623-205-1) and his .752 winning percentage ranks fifth in NCAA Division III history.

UW-Stevens Point has won four consecutive WIAC tournament championships and made nine NCAA appearances in the last 12 years.  The Pointers welcome back senior Brandon Hemstead who sat out the 2008 campaign with an injury.  He was the No. 2 starter on the 2007 squad that reached the NCAA Division III World Series.  Senior Jeff Zielke registered eight saves and 21 appearances last season to rank second and fifth, respectively, on the WIAC single-season chart.  Head coach Pat Bloom is the winningest coach in program history with his 161 triumphs.

UW-La Crosse was 6-1 in games decided by one run a year ago and compiled a 10-0 mark when leading after eight innings.  The Eagles registered an 8-2 record on the road, but were 4-10 at home.  Senior Storm Gram became just the third player in school history (Jack Gurholt, Scott Mihalovic) to earn All-WIAC first team recognition at two different positions (2007-2B, 2008-OF).  He entered the 2009 season third on the school’s career chart with a .391 batting average.

UW-Platteville has won 15-plus games four consecutive seasons - the longest string since 1990-93.  In 2008, the Pioneers played a league-high 16 WIAC contests at home and upended NCAA Division I Northern Iowa on the road.  This year’s squad features 10 experienced pitchers.

UW-Superior’s 17 wins last year were the most for the program since the 1974 campaign.  The Yellowjackets also posted more WIAC wins than the previous three seasons combined.  UW-Superior opened the 2008 season with a five-game winning streak - the longest string in over 15 years.  Junior Sean Cummings belted six triples in 2008 - a total that ranks third on the league’s single-season list.

UW-Stout welcomes 19 newcomers to the program this year.  Senior Matt Doornink made a conference-record 26 appearances during the 2007 campaign.  He had a team-high 18 showings and 52.0 innings pitched in 2008.

2009 Preseason Predictions (Voted on by WIAC Sports Information Directors)
                                                     2008 Record
1. UW-Whitewater (4)              20-4, 42-10
2. UW-Oshkosh (3)                   19-5, 29-11
3. UW-Stevens Point                16-8, 29-16
4. UW-La Crosse                       12-12, 19-20
5. UW-Platteville                        9-15, 17-23
6. UW-Superior                          4-20, 17-23
7. UW-Stout                               4-20, 12-25
( )--First-place votes

Team Vitals (Entering the 2009 season)
UW-La Crosse
Head Coach:  Chris Schwarz; 5th season at UWL; 70-87-1
Letterwinners Returning/Lost:  18/12
Starting Position Players Returning/Lost:  6/3
Pitchers with Starting Experience Returning/Lost:  3/3
Pitchers with Saves Returning/Lost:  1/1
Returning All-WIAC:  Storm Gram, Sr., OF (2007-First, 2008-First); Ross Benitz, Sr., RHP (2007-Honorable, 2008-Honorable)

UW-Oshkosh
Head Coach:  Tom Lechnir; 21st season at UWO; 623-205-1
Letterwinners Returning/Lost:  17/7
Starting Position Players Returning/Lost:  6/3
Pitchers with Starting Experience Returning/Lost:  7/4
Pitchers with Saves Returning/Lost:  2/2
Returning All-WIAC:  Brad Demmin, Sr., 1B (2007-First, 2008-First); Jason Fosler, Sr., OF (2007-First, 2008-First); Mickey Fadness, Jr., 2B (2006-Honorable, 2007-First); Nolan Fadness, So., OF (2008-First); Kyle Kannenberg, Jr., RHP (2008-First); Jeremy Rubens, Jr., RHP (2008-First); Ryan Demmin, Jr., LHP (2008-Honorable); Derek Hiroskey, So., C (2008-Honorable)

UW-Platteville
Head Coach:  Eric Frese; 11th season (3rd at UWP); 167-247-3 (overall) / 32-46-2 (UWP)
Letterwinners Returning/Lost:  19/11
Starting Position Players Returning/Lost:  3/6
Pitchers with Starting Experience Returning/Lost:  4/0
Pitchers with Saves Returning/Lost:  1/0
Returning All-WIAC:  Joe Lange, Sr., LHP (2008-First)

UW-Stevens Point
Head Coach:  Pat Bloom; 6th season at UWSP; 161-78
Letterwinners Returning/Lost:  17/13
Starting Position Players Returning/Lost:  4/6
Pitchers with Starting Experience Returning/Lost:  3/3
Pitchers with Saves Returning/Lost:  2/0
Returning All-WIAC:  Jared Surman, So., OF (2008-First); Brandon Hemstead, Sr., RHP (2007-First); Brad Archambeau, Jr., OF/LHP (2007-Honorable)

UW-Stout
Head Coach:  Craig Walter; 15th season (8th at UWS); 251-286 (overall) / 108-162 (UWS)
Letterwinners Returning/Lost:  11/17
Starting Position Players Returning/Lost:  5/5
Pitchers with Starting Experience Returning/Lost:  4/6
Pitchers with Saves Returning/Lost:  2/2
Returning All-WIAC:  Brandon O’Connell, So., INF (2008-Honorable); Matt Doornink, Sr., RHP (2007-Honorable)

UW-Superior
Head Coach:  Eddy Morgan; 3rd season at UWS; 26-53
Letterwinners Returning/Lost:  18/16
Starting Position Players Returning/Lost:  7/2
Pitchers with Starting Experience Returning/Lost:  5/6
Pitchers with Saves Returning/Lost:  1/1
Returning All-WIAC:  Sean Cummings, Jr., 2B (2008-First); Justin Saufley, Sr., RHP (2008-Honorable)

UW-Whitewater
Head Coach:  John Vodenlich; 8th season (6th at UWW); 210-96-1 (overall) / 181-56-1 (UWW)
Letterwinners Returning/Lost:  19/12
Starting Position Players Returning/Lost:  3/6
Pitchers with Starting Experience Returning/Lost:  7/5
Pitchers with Saves Returning/Lost:  3/3
Returning All-WIAC:  Aaron Dott, Jr., LHP (2008-First); Kevin Zalnis, Sr., 3B (2008-First); Ben Kuhlman, Jr., 2B/SS (2008-Honorable)