BB: WIAC: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[ShineTime]

I honestly believe oshkosh will take final spot.  Keeping my fingers crossed point doesn't stumble even once at superior.  Hard to imagine top 3 wiac teams not making regionals especially this year.  Superior has two capable pitchers and most importantly have zero to play for.  Would be impressive to see point go in and absolutely demolish them the way they did Platteville 2 of the 4.  I think stout will take at least one from whitewater they generally seem to play hawks tough.

[cubs]

I honestly believe oshkosh will take final spot.  Keeping my fingers crossed point doesn't stumble even once at superior.  Hard to imagine top 3 wiac teams not making regionals especially this year.  Superior has two capable pitchers and most importantly have zero to play for.  Would be impressive to see point go in and absolutely demolish them the way they did Platteville 2 of the 4.  I think stout will take at least one from whitewater they generally seem to play hawks tough.

And those two "capable pitchers" have combined to win a grand total of TWO WIAC games (both against a 5-15 Stout team) in 20 attempts thus far...  I'd say Point's chances of getting a four game sweep are pretty good, unless they choose to "rest" a few of their top arms once they clinch a berth in the WIAC Tournament as they are unable to finish any higher than second.

[badgerwarhawk]

Game One:

WARHAWKS (26-6, 14-5): 2
Stevens Point: 3

Point got on the board with a 2 RBI double in the second inning but the WARHAWKS battled back to tie game in the fourth when Casey Power homered and Adam Gregory drove in a run with an RBI single.  The Pointers scored the winning run in the sixth on a solo home run.  The WARHAWKS outhit the Pointers ten to six but stranded twelve runners including eight who were in scoring position and had three runners caught stealing. 

Cubs, the runners caught stealing didn't help anything but the bigger problem in game one was our inability to get a clutch hit when we needed it. 

Pitching: Heath Renz: 2.1 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 BB, 4 K; John Olejniczak ( L, 2-1): 5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 3 K.

Hitting: Mikole Pierce: 2x5; Casey Power: 3x4, 1 RS, 1 RBI, HR; Trey Cannon: 2x5, 1 RS, 2B;

Game Two:

WARHAWKS (26-7, 14-6): 5
Stevens Point: 15

Ugly, ugly, ugly.  The Pointers jumped all over the WARHAWKS in the first inning scoring five runs, two earned, on a pair of RBI doubles, an RBI triple, a sacrifice fly and a balk.  Starting pitcher Ankur Shah lasted 0.2 inning.  The Pointers added a sixth run in the second inning on a bases loaded walk and pushed their lead to 9-0 with three more in the third on a three run home run.   The WARHAWKS finally got on the scoreboard with four runs in the fourth inning.  Adam Gregory singled in the first run and Mike Mierow's double brought tallied the second one.  Will Helbing drove in the last two with a double.  However Point wasn't finished scoring.  A home run in the fourth made it 10-4 and five more runs on sacrifice fly, a WARHAWKS throwing error and a three run home run in the fifth put the Pointers up 15-4.  Mikole Pierce's fielders choice brought in a run in the seventh before the game mercifully ended 15-5 by the run rule.  Our pitching was simply atrocious.

Pitching: Ankur Shuh (L, 0-1): 0.2 IP, 4 H, 5 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 0 K; Austin Finn: 1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K; Matt Langlie: 1.1 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K; Matt Roberts: 1 IP, 1 H, 4 R, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K; Donnie Manke: 2 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K.

Hitting: Nick Kuhlman: 3x4, 2B; Mikole Pierce: 1x4, 1 RBI; Adam Gregory: 1x3, 1 RS, 1 RBI; Mike Mierow: 1x3, 1 RS, 1 RBI, 2B; Will Helbing: 2x3, 1 RS, 2 RBI; Casey Power: 1 RS; Trey Cannon: 1 RS. 

Can the WARHAWKS take 4 of 4 from the Blue Devils?  Aside from hosting does it really matter what seed you are in the conference tournament? 

[cubs]

Aside from hosting does it really matter what seed you are in the conference tournament?

I would much rather be the #1 seed and play Platteville/UWO in my first game then be the #2 and get Stevens Point (Beau) right away.... 

But hey, maybe that is just me!!! 

[John Gleich]

Aside from hosting does it really matter what seed you are in the conference tournament?

I would much rather be the #1 seed and play Platteville/UWO in my first game then be the #2 and get Stevens Point (Beau) right away.... 

But hey, maybe that is just me!!! 

Has hosting really mattered in the past? I've only followed baseball a little bit over the years, so I couldn't even tell you who won the tournament. Probably Point or Whitewater based on their post season success.

[badgerwarhawk]

Checking the conference website the #1 seed has won the conference tourney every year except one (2013) since 2009.  For some reason the pages for preceding years aren't available so that was as far back as I could go. 

[cubs]

Aside from hosting does it really matter what seed you are in the conference tournament?

I would much rather be the #1 seed and play Platteville/UWO in my first game then be the #2 and get Stevens Point (Beau) right away.... 

But hey, maybe that is just me!!! 

Has hosting really mattered in the past? I've only followed baseball a little bit over the years, so I couldn't even tell you who won the tournament. Probably Point or Whitewater based on their post season success.

The WIAC Baseball Tournament (as we know it now) has been played for the last 14 years.  Over that time period, the #1 seed has won the tournament seven times.  In the seven years the #1 seed didn't win it, four of them were when it was played off campus at a "neutral" site (Wisconsin Rapids.)

With that said, it sure appears that with the #1 seed wining it 70% of the time they are able to host on campus, it seems to matter!!!

[ShineTime]

Let's not over think this whitewater will win it their top 3 pitchers and lineup are better than rest.

[cubs]

Let's not over think this whitewater will win it their top 3 pitchers and lineup are better than rest.

And we might have just seen the "kiss of death" for the Warhawks!!!! 

[ShineTime]

Probably I think la crosse is very good also but come tournament set up I'd bet my pension on hawks.  Point also is capable but not sure if pitching will come through.

[cubs]

Let it be known, that regardless of where the tournament is held, Whitewater is my pick as well.... 

Being able to march out Grove/Morgan/Bachar in a double elimination set-up gives them the advantage in my opinion.  I do think the trio of Cejka/Miller/Boushley is good enough to win it as well, but when comparing the two, I like Whitewater's offense just a little more.

[ShineTime]

Where is ben gerber anyone know

[ShineTime]

Oshkosh can't even get a game what's going on.

[cubs]

Oshkosh can't even get a game what's going on.

Really?  Could have sworn they just lost on Wednesday to Ripon College...

Or was that Oshkosh West that played Ripon? 

[ShineTime]

It was non conference ahead of a huge 4 game weekend series for spot in wiac tournament