BB: WIAC: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[cubs]

Whitewater makes it four out of five against Stevens Point this season as the Warhawks win Game #2 of the WIAC Tournament 4-2.  Cam Seidl takes the loss for the Pointers, while Schmitz picks up the win for Whitewater.

Game #3 will pit Oshkosh vs Stevens Point, starting at 4:00.  I would guess the the pitching match-up would feature Westphal vs Frederick.

Game #4 will be the host team La Crosse facing Whitewater.  Scray vs Stewart would probably be a safe bet for the probable starters.

[cubs]

Kind of surprised to see Stroik get the start for Point against UWO.  The last time he started against the Titans, he didn't make it out of the second inning.

Oshkosh 1
Stevens Point 1

Bottom 3rd Inning

[cubs]

Oshkosh puts the final nail in the Stevens Point coffin and ends their 2012 season as the Titans knock off the Pointers 5-3 in an elimination game at the WIAC Tournament.  The Pointers finish the season losing seven of their final nine games, and go from being 25-8 and in the mix for a Pool C bid to finishing 27-15 and missing the NCAA Postseason Tournament.

This marks the first time since the inception of the WIAC Tournament that Stevens Point failed to win at least one game in the tournament.

[ShineTime]

Bigger collapse than the Red Sox last year.  What can you say a lot of key guys didn't step up.  There's a lot of work to do in recruiting if Point wants to be better next year even though they return a lot.  They need some sticks and more pitching.

[ShineTime]

2013 Pointer Lineup Just for fun. Of course I'm dreaming a little.

1.  Dan Douglas SS
2.  Andrew Eichstadt  2B
3.  Kyle McCugh  3B
4.  Sean Gerber 1B
5.  Ryan Schilter C
6.  Casey Barnes CF
7.  Jimmy Coady  RF
8.  Cody Hanke DH
9.  Clay Giese LF

Rotation  1.  Cam Seidl  2.  Mitch Running  3.  Jp Feyereison  4.  Phil Schreiber  Frederik, Wendorf, and Stroik in N/C games Point could take it all next year.

[cubs]

But I keep coming back to what I wrote here last week:
". . . a pitcher who has had a great run, but whose last WIAC start, against an offensively challenged 6-25 team, produced a line of 6 ip/13h/11r/6er."

Most pitchers throw up a stinker once in awhile....

I would wager that Westphal's line tomorrow will look closer to the one he put up in previous starts against La Crosse during his career than the one he put up against Platteville his last start.

2009-3.1 IP, 6 hits, 1 run (earned,) 3 BB. 1 K
2010- 9 IP, 4 hits, 1 run (earned,) 3 BB, 5 K's
2011-7 IP, 5 hits, 1 run (unearned, ) 3 BB, 5 K's

While it wasn't against La Crosse, Westphal did put a pretty solid line against Stevens Point today...

9 IP, 11 hits, 3 runs (all earned,) 1 BB, 10 K's.... 

If this happens to be his final appearance in a Titans uniform, it was a fitting way for him to go out.  He pitched well scattering 11 hits, and limiting the damage enough to give Oshkosh a chance to win.  Pretty darn good for a kid who didn't really have a single college coach recruit him out of high school.  I think it is also further evidence of the job Coach Lechnir does in developing pitchers, and left-handed ones at that.

[cubs]

2013 Pointer Lineup Just for fun. Of course I'm dreaming a little.

1.  Dan Douglas SS
2.  Andrew Eichstadt  2B
3.  Kyle McCugh  3B
4.  Sean Gerber 1B
5.  Ryan Schilter C
6.  Casey Barnes CF
7.  Jimmy Coady  RF
8.  Cody Hanke DH
9.  Clay Giese LF

Rotation  1.  Cam Seidl  2.  Mitch Running  3.  Jp Feyereison  4.  Phil Schreiber  Frederik, Wendorf, and Stroik in N/C games Point could take it all next year.

Can anyone shed some light on his ejection from the game against Whitewater today and subsequent omission from the Pointer line-up against Oshkosh the next game?

[ShineTime]

Westphal is awesome.  He's truly a great story.  Was very good in high school but I would've never guessed he would've been this good.  Clintonville has produced many very good ballplayers the past 10 years and I think Pat Van Dalwaayk is the next great one for Ripon.  I was impressed with him against Point.  I'm of course bitter that Lechnir didn't pitch Westphal game 1 because I have no doubt Point would be playing tomorrow if they wouldn't have had to face Westphal.

[ShineTime]

I only listened on the radio and didn't know he was ejected.  I know he was 0-5 and his final at bat they said he never swung.  If I had to guess he must have argued the 3rd strike call and told the ump to F off or something.  Doesn't seem like his character but that's all I can really put together.

[cubs]

Westphal is awesome.  He's truly a great story.  Was very good in high school but I would've never guessed he would've been this good.  Clintonville has produced many very good ballplayers the past 10 years and I think Pat Van Dalwaayk is the next great one for Ripon.   I was impressed with him against Point.  I'm of course bitter that Lechnir didn't pitch Westphal game 1 because I have no doubt Point would be playing tomorrow if they wouldn't have had to face Westphal.

There is a rumor going around that Van Daalwyk may transfer from Ripon now that Gillespie is retiring...

BTW-Any idea where the McHugh kid is going now that his JUCO eligibility is used up?

[ShineTime]

Here's a question for you guys?  Does anyone think Point better step it up with their facilities here soon as far as potential recruiting?  Whitewater and Oshkosh are amazing and now La Crosse will be playing where the Loggers play.  Maybe it's not a big deal but I would like to here some opinions.

[ShineTime]

I haven't heard where he's planning on going but am dreaming that he'll be like Jeremy Richter and want to finish up close to home(Rosholt).  I would love to see Van Dalwaayk in a Pointer uniform next year.  Someone help me with the list of players from Clintonville over the past years.  Dean Muthig, Jon Dunlavy, Jeremy Jirschele, Justin Jirschele, Jesse Wiley, Griffin Wiley, Pat Van Dalwaayk, Luke Westphal.  I have to be missing several they went to state in legion at least 3 years in the past 10 maybe more.  How about Thebo did he play in college?  That town is a baseball gold mine.

[cubs]

Other Clintonille High School Players that went on to play in college:
-Ryan Ebert-Concordia (WI)
-Aaron Everts-Marian College
-Jared Westphal-Ripon

Thebo did not play any college ball, although they have a couple of kids on the high school team this season that will likely be playing at the next level as well in the coming years...

[Babe Truth]

Can anyone shed some light on his ejection from the game against Whitewater today and subsequent omission from the Pointer line-up against Oshkosh the next game?

I can. We were a few feet from the backstop at the end of the game. With the tying runs on base, Douglas took a fastball on the outside corner for strike 3, game over. He angrily voiced his disagreement with the call and wouldn't stop. The ump gave him every opportunity to cool down and get away, saying nothing back as he turned and slowly walked away in the general direction of the WW bench. A couple of loud F bombs were hurled at the ump by Douglas who remained near the batter's box. Then came "F*in fag" and that was it. The ump spun around and quickly headed to a surprised Douglas giving him the emphatic heave-ho.   The episode reminded us of some low-rent immature SP team behavior we suffered through when they were sweeping 4 in La Crosse last year. There seemed to be nothing like that when we saw them in Point this year so I thought it was a thing of the past.

We'll never know how the Douglas suspension for the next game affected the outcome. But keep in mind that Giese went from DH to playing 2nd base for Douglas. Batting in the #8 slot, the new DH became Iverson, primarily a pitcher who was 1 for 9 for the SEASON at the plate.  It was Iverson, representing the tying run, who struck out on a half swing to end their season and cap the 2-7 death spiral.

[cubs]

The La Crosse defense is letting them down thus far in today's game against Whitewater.  The first three innings have seen the infield taking turns making errors, as the second-baseman had an error on the first that allowed a run to score, the third-baseman had an error in the second inning, and the shortstop in the third inning that allowed a run to score.

Instead of trailing 1-0, the Eagles trail Whitewater 3-0 after three innings thanks to some shoddy defense.