BB: WIAC: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[ShineTime]

1.  Point-  This is the year no one including myself expects them to win conference so I think it will happen.  No one is mentioning them this year and they have a ton of talent and good freshman.  I think they will struggle mightily at the catcher position though and singles may become triples.
2.  Whitewater-  Dott will go undefeated on the mound but I'm not sure their pitching is that great after him. They certainly can rake but if Stine is really out for the season that will kill their outfield.  He has unbelievable range out there.
3.  Oshkosh-  I think they have the most talent top to bottom but are also relying on some really good freshman to step up like Point.  Reubens is a stud but they also have some issues with quality starting pitching.
4.  Superior-  Should be able to perhaps take a game or two from each of the above teams.  We're very competitive last year and should be a lot stronger this year.  Wouldn't be surprised to see them finish 3rd. 

Does anyone know Points lineup if the season were to start today?  I'm guessing Nix is their ace once again with Delorit or Hemstead being the #2.  Who is the pitcher they got from MATC?  I heard he's got a shot of getting drafted.  Is Zielke closing or starting this year?  Who will be the starting catcher?  I'm guessing Cody Koback will be playing CF.  Is he going to pitch this year at all?  I think Point has some major holes to fill on the infield but definitely have some really good young guys to fill in.  I'm guessing Fritz is starting at Short.  Also assuming that Surman will be in left, Koback in Center, and Archambeau in Right. 

[BaseballFan]

1.  Point-  This is the year no one including myself expects them to win conference so I think it will happen.  No one is mentioning them this year and they have a ton of talent and good freshman.  I think they will struggle mightily at the catcher position though and singles may become triples.
2.  Whitewater-  Dott will go undefeated on the mound but I'm not sure their pitching is that great after him. They certainly can rake but if Stine is really out for the season that will kill their outfield.  He has unbelievable range out there.
3.  Oshkosh-  I think they have the most talent top to bottom but are also relying on some really good freshman to step up like Point.  Reubens is a stud but they also have some issues with quality starting pitching.
4.  Superior-  Should be able to perhaps take a game or two from each of the above teams.  We're very competitive last year and should be a lot stronger this year.  Wouldn't be surprised to see them finish 3rd. 

Does anyone know Points lineup if the season were to start today?  I'm guessing Nix is their ace once again with Delorit or Hemstead being the #2.  Who is the pitcher they got from MATC?  I heard he's got a shot of getting drafted.  Is Zielke closing or starting this year?  Who will be the starting catcher?  I'm guessing Cody Koback will be playing CF.  Is he going to pitch this year at all?  I think Point has some major holes to fill on the infield but definitely have some really good young guys to fill in.  I'm guessing Fritz is starting at Short.  Also assuming that Surman will be in left, Koback in Center, and Archambeau in Right. 

1. Oshkosh-finished only 1 game out of 1st last year and only lost 1 senior
2. UWW- region champs but more than oshkosh and one of their aces
3. Point- finished 3rd last year, lost a lot, dont think freshman talent can win you the wiac
4. Superior-should continue to improve, think they may reach 12-12 in the conference. anymore than that would be a huge change from year to year after putting up a solid 4 wins last year. So i dont see them taking 3rd

[OshDude]

4.  Superior-  Should be able to perhaps take a game or two from each of the above teams.  We're very competitive last year and should be a lot stronger this year.  Wouldn't be surprised to see them finish 3rd.  

Wow. That's a bold statement. What has happened in the WIAC since you were born to make you think that? So i'm assuming, because you had UWO third, that you wouldn't be surprised if the Supes finished ahead of the Titans? You may be alone on that ...

My top four is the same as it was before, and the same as BaseballFan's.
1. Oshkosh: Gets some nice freshmen (Sebasta, legion state hitter of the year; Jirschele, he's a Jirschele; and a few more) of their own. That's in addition to the returnees. The keys will be Ryan Demmin and whoever fills the No. 3 SP role. Lots to like, though.
2. Whitewater: Agree that no Stine would be huge. Can anyone confirm? Top half of the order is loaded. Will the Hawks have the pitching or just mash every game Dott doesn't start?
3. Point: Really do like the team. Just don't think it's better than UWO or UWW. Looking forward to watching Hemstead's progress. If he's as good as he was, I could see UWSP being a comfortable Pool C, especially if Delorit is as good as I think he will be. I like the top six (or so) in the order a lot. Don't care how young they are, those guys can rake.
4. Superior: Will be a battle, but, as a whole, I like the Supe pitching more than the others.

What we're really doing here is splitting hairs. The top three should be very good, but I think the easiest order is mine and BaseballFan's, which goes by how many question marks a team has. Your Point pick isn't outrageous, but I just can't see it with UWO and UWW so strong. Superior in third on the other hand ... that's close to being outrageous.

[BaseballFan]

I agree I dont think Superior will take 3rd, even though it would be nice if they did just to shake things up but dont think they can pick up enough wins. They have the pitching, but their lacking of hitting and scoring hurt them last year and will be their weakness again this year even though I think their offense will improve.

It will be a close race for the top 3.

Im confused Oshdude, I thought Hemstead was a senior last year? maybe you can clarify for me.

[szlongball]

Hemstead was a senior last year, but didn't pitch(injured), so he gets to be a senior again. Zielke should be the closer. He needs 8 saves to set the school record for career saves.

[Dagger]

Well I'm finally logged in and ready to join in on the fun here on the board. 

My take on the conference this year goes something like this:
1-3: the usual suspects, UWO, SP, WW.
4: Platteville

I'm going to go ahead and give the first place nod to UWO this year although it will be a toss up as it always is with the big three.  They just have too much experience and what seems to be much more depth than the other two at the top this year.  It's all going to depend on how tommy and the boys get a long and if they can win some games when it really matters...which hasn't always happened for the titans, at least not during this century.  The one thing I don't like about UWO, and really havn't been much impressed with over the past couple of years is their pitching.  Yeah Rubens is good, but the WIAC plays 4 game series...that could be their downfall this year.  Outslugging may have to be their approach, but with WW and SP in conference that may be a tall order.  UWO lineup is definitely the most stacked by comparison to the other top two teams this year, so mediocre pitching may do them just fine.

Point is finishing second for me this year.  They lost a ton of guys, almost literally their entire offensive production, but they are flying low this year with great talent that never saw much time last year, and an outstanding recruiting class.  Because of the nature of their team last year many of the younger players were limited in playing time, but they've got more experience than you might think at first glance.   Couple that with a legitimate hardthrowing transfer from MATC and arguably the best recruit in the state, and Point is going to experience much less drop off in talent than most are expecting from them.  Their pitching is certainly their strong point, which in my opinion may be the best staff in the league, WW is pretty solid too.  Nix, williams, delorit, hemi, MATC transfer, and zielke closing things out...that's solid.  Their offense will rely on very talented young players, who if perform to their potential look out!!!  They are my darkhorse team for the championship this year!

WW is certainly solid again this year returning key offensive players and the best pitcher in the league in Aaron Dott.  Their offense is going to be big again, but with the loss of Stine (shoulder surgery) and Jeff and Greg Donovan (academically ineligible/off field issues) out for the year the mighty warhawks may be flying a little closer to the ground then they had hoped coming into this year.  While they are returning many players from last year, only dott and zalnis played a key roll in their advancement.  The other returners are good players, but no body that can't be replaced by a talented freshman.  They simply aren't going to be able to out slug teams like they have in the past, and will rely on that pitching depth to keep teams in low scoring games.  I'm taking them to finish third, because I just don't see the offensive production they are going to need to be top two this year.

Platteville is my fourth ranked team this year.  They have a respectable pitching rotation and a better lineup offensively then superior and lacrosse...I would not however be surprised is Superior switched spots with them!  Superior is coming on strong and are no longer the automatic 10 run rule team (thanks to stout) but I don't see them cracking the top 4 just yet...next year if they continue to progress count them in....Eddie Morgan is a great coach.


That's the way I see the league shaking up this year...time will tell, good luck to all of them I can't wait for the first pitch of the season!

[BaseballFan]

Hemstead was a senior last year, but didn't pitch(injured), so he gets to be a senior again. Zielke should be the closer. He needs 8 saves to set the school record for career saves.

Thanks for some reason i thought he pitched last year, but now that I think of it dont remember him pitching at all.

[batboy]

Glad to see the input from everybody on the top 4 teams.  My top 4 goes like this:
1.)Stevens Point
2.)Oshkosh
3.)Whitewater
4.)Superior

The first two were a toss up for me, but I went with Point for the following reason, pitching.  They have a lot of depth this year on the mound.  Their rotation will be the best in the conference hands down.  Nix and Berry will be the top two guns, both can touch 90+ on a consistant basis.  After that I'm sure Hemstead, Williams, and Delorit will fall in line.  Hemstead is a smart pitcher and knows how to get people out, having him healthy will be a big boost for the Pointers.  Williams and Delorit are both young, but had plenty of experience last year and will play a huge role for the Pointers in 09.  Zeilke will most likely remain as the closer for the fact that not everyone has the ability to play that role and he certainly proved that he can last year.  Point's line up will be very young this year, but will definately turn some heads with the talent that they have.  Fritz, Archambeau, Koback, Surman, Richter, and Spurney will definately be in the lineup, the other 3 I'm unsure.

Oshkosh will be very tough this year, they are returning everyone in their line up minus Leighton and the have Mickey Fadness coming back.  I would imagine their line up is: N. Fadness, Berg, Demmin, M. Fadness, Fosler, Wetenkamp, Kannenberg, Hiroskey, Berger.   Their offense will score runs, the question is will they be able to hold the lead.  Rubens will be the ace of course, but who do they have after him?  They will need somebody else to step up and take some innings, because Rubens was used way too much last year.

Whitewater is going to be good, but with the absense of Stine, Munn, and Jeff Donavan, they have some big shoes to fill.  Their pitching staff will be tough with Dott and Hooper, but they are also in need of some guys to step up.  On the offensive side of things, nobody is going to pitch to Zalnis so some other guys are going to have to produce.  I'm sure Whitewater will play everybody tough and who knows they might be playing for a consecutive conference championship but I just think they have one too many key players out to repeat.

I'm giving Superior the nod this year for the 4th place team and make the tourney, they deserve it and this year I think they could do it.  They are returning a lot of good ball players and should have more confidence heading into 09.  They're a well coached team with nothing to lose and are going to play everyone tough.  It should be interesting to see what they do this year.

Those are my thoughts on the 2009 WIAC Baseball season. 

[Titan20]

My top 4 are going to be the same as most others, UWO, WW, SP, and SUP, but that fourth spot is very open with SUP, Lax, and Plattville..

The UWO team lineup is very stacked from top to bottom.  Mickey Fadness is back and two freshman on the left side, Sabesta and Jirsh.  A solid lineup, best in the conference.  Pitching is going to be good 1-4 (Rubens, Demmin, Kannenberg, Matson/Kuepper).  A couple good freshman coming in and we will see how they handle it all.  

WW lost a few key components and if it is true about stine, they might be hurting this year.  But no doubt have the ability to go where they went last year.  DOtt will be huge, having a close year like last year.  Their pitching will have to step up big.  They will score a lot of runs, but can they hold other teams..

SP lost a huge player in Coe.  That will be a hard player to return.  Nix will be the ace and the young talent will have to prevail for them to make it far this year.  

The fourth spot will be up for grabs this year.  This spot will come down to the last game of the year, between UWO and SUP if superior can get it.  

[Titan20]

Glad to see the input from everybody on the top 4 teams.  My top 4 goes like this:
1.)Stevens Point
2.)Oshkosh
3.)Whitewater
4.)Superior

The first two were a toss up for me, but I went with Point for the following reason, pitching.  They have a lot of depth this year on the mound.  Their rotation will be the best in the conference hands down.  Nix and Berry will be the top two guns, both can touch 90+ on a consistant basis.  After that I'm sure Hemstead, Williams, and Delorit will fall in line.  Hemstead is a smart pitcher and knows how to get people out, having him healthy will be a big boost for the Pointers.  Williams and Delorit are both young, but had plenty of experience last year and will play a huge role for the Pointers in 09.  Zeilke will most likely remain as the closer for the fact that not everyone has the ability to play that role and he certainly proved that he can last year.  Point's line up will be very young this year, but will definately turn some heads with the talent that they have.  Fritz, Archambeau, Koback, Surman, Richter, and Spurney will definately be in the lineup, the other 3 I'm unsure.

Oshkosh will be very tough this year, they are returning everyone in their line up minus Leighton and the have Mickey Fadness coming back.  I would imagine their line up is: N. Fadness, Berg, Demmin, M. Fadness, Fosler, Wetenkamp, Kannenberg, Hiroskey, Berger.   Their offense will score runs, the question is will they be able to hold the lead.  Rubens will be the ace of course, but who do they have after him?  They will need somebody else to step up and take some innings, because Rubens was used way too much last year.

Whitewater is going to be good, but with the absense of Stine, Munn, and Jeff Donavan, they have some big shoes to fill.  Their pitching staff will be tough with Dott and Hooper, but they are also in need of some guys to step up.  On the offensive side of things, nobody is going to pitch to Zalnis so some other guys are going to have to produce.  I'm sure Whitewater will play everybody tough and who knows they might be playing for a consecutive conference championship but I just think they have one too many key players out to repeat.

I'm giving Superior the nod this year for the 4th place team and make the tourney, they deserve it and this year I think they could do it.  They are returning a lot of good ball players and should have more confidence heading into 09.  They're a well coached team with nothing to lose and are going to play everyone tough.  It should be interesting to see what they do this year.

Those are my thoughts on the 2009 WIAC Baseball season. 

Kannenberg is now a pitcher and not a hitter.  The lineup is close but forgot sabesta and Jirsh.  Also, scout day rubens and kanny both hit 91.  Demmin hit 89.  Starting rotation will be solid but i agree the rest of the linup with have to step it up, bc those 3 cant go 9 every time. 

[OshDude]

Their offense is going to be big again, but with the loss of Stine (shoulder surgery) and Jeff and Greg Donovan (academically ineligible/off field issues) out for the year the mighty warhawks may be flying a little closer to the ground then they had hoped coming into this year. 

How intriguing ... don't leave us hanging on the Donovans. At least it's news to me.
Good first post. Hope you newer guys stick around. Seems like we have a good mix. Should make for a good board this year. All we need are some fans of Platteville, Stout and La Crosse and we'd be set.
Speaking of, to any lurkers, please join us on the Midwest boards. We're an accepting lot. Even when my guys run over your guys at the plate, we seem to get along just fine. Or join to tell me I'm an idiot. Either way, we could use more info and opinions.

[Dagger]

That's the scoop as I heard it from a WW player, one who I would feel confident in believing.  If things have changed about them I have not heard about it, but as of last month that was the situation.  I guess Jeff put up a staggering 0.?? gpa first semester, no winterim is going to boost that up!  Greg apparently had some issues of the field and was released by VO, first time a captain has been booted down there to my knowledge.  Stine is still a mystery I guess, everyone has a different story, but I heard he was down and out for the 09 season!

"Even when my guys run over your guys at the plate, we seem to get along just fine."

I can say there was never a dull moment at Tiedeman field throughout my career...played there three times, had two bench clearing brawls, and one police escort to our team bus!  Both fights didn't need to happen and really shouldn't have happened...both times UWO was the first out of the dugout and the instigator of the incidents!  I'm certainly not complaining about it, I loved playing them and that's all part of the game, good competition is always fun and I will never forget those two series! 

[cubs]

The prevailing sentiment after reading the last few comments on here is that UWO doesn't seem to have much pitching this season.  I'm not so sure I agree with that.  Take a look back at last years numbers, and you will find Ryan Demmin actually had some success against Whitewater (minus the five straight HR's) and also had mixed results against Stevens Point, (although the BOMBING Point gave him at Tiedemann is probably more fresh in people's minds.)  Mix in Kannenberg with kids like Mattson and Kuepper who both threw some BIG meaningful innings down the stretch last season and I believe you have enough talent to get the job done in the WIAC four-game series schedule.  (This isn't including any of the freshman that may have come in either.)  Now if they happen to have a couple of injuries, that may change things, but as of now, I think the Titans staff may surprise some of you.

[Dagger]

Oshkosh is just missing a solid rotation.  Mattson and Kuepper are nothing that any other team in the WIAC doesn't have.   Demmin is a solid pitcher no doubt about that, but in my opinion if he threw right handed he would not be mentioned in the top of the WIAC pitching ranks, because he's really not overpowering.  he's effective I'm not saying that he isn't, but he isn't a top tier shut down kind of guy...more of a dependable know you got a chance with him out there kind of guy.  Kannenberg switching to pitcher is lovely, but in case you're unaware throwing 90 mph in itself isn't going to get you very far.  Having never seen him pitch I can't say much else about him.  Usually converted position players that have great arms have just that, and little control and hardly any off speed pitches.  Point and WW will feast off of a 90 mph fastball, they both see that stuff on a daily basis in practice.   If he does get control and some other pitches and can stay healthy (him staying healthy is my biggest concern here, that's a lot of stress on an arm not used to pitching), then that will certainly strengthen a weak point in their team.  I still like them to win the conference this year, but Point and WW both have better rotations.

[cubs]

Kannenberg switching to pitcher is lovely, but in case you're unaware throwing 90 mph in itself isn't going to get you very far.  Having never seen him pitch I can't say much else about him.  Usually converted position players that have great arms have just that, and little control and hardly any off speed pitches. 

I don't think anyone is annointing Kannenberg an ace type pitcher or anything, merely just another arm to POSSIBLY help bolster a staff that was short on arms last season.  With that being said, I think Coach Lechnir's track record in developing quality pitching speaks for itself.

Point and WW will feast off of a 90 mph fastball, they both see that stuff on a daily basis in practice.   

Really?  Where are all these guys throwing 90 mph in the spring then?  I can only think of a handful of guys that have hit 90 mph on the gun in the last few years (Zimmerman, Dott, Reinhard, Endl, and Timm) and it's sure not enough guys for the teams hitters to be seeing it "on a daily basis in practice."  I'm sure I am missing a couple, but you get my drift.  The 90 mph pitcher seems to be few and far between in the WIAC during the spring.

Him staying healthy is my biggest concern here, that's a lot of stress on an arm not used to pitching.

Better have that same worry for your guy Hemstead then.  You never know what you are going to get from a pitcher coming back from surgery the previous year.