Related Links:
WIAC Baseball Tournament Web Page
 
The third-ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team will host the 2015 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Baseball Championship this Friday and Saturday, May 8-9, at Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium in Whitewater.
 
The Warhawks (30-7 overall), the No. 1 seed in the four-team, double-elimination tournament, opens play Friday at 10 a.m. against fourth-seeded UW-Oshkosh.
 
No. 17 UW-La Crosse, the second seed, and 13th-ranked UW-Stevens Point, the No. 3 seed, play in the second game approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of the opener.
 
The losers of the first two contests will meet in an elimination game at approximately 4 p.m. The winners will face off at 7 p.m.
 
Saturday's competition will begin at noon Game 5, an elimination game, followed by Game 6, which will feature the winner of Game 5 against the lone unbeaten team left.
 
If the undefeated team loses in Game 6, the championship will be decided in Game 7 at approximately 6 p.m.
 
The winner of the WIAC Championship will earn the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament, which begins next week.
 
Warhawks Seek Repeat of 2014 Postseason Success
UW-Whitewater's postseason run to the 2014 NCAA Division III national championship started last season in the WIAC Championship. After a 12-3 loss against UW-La Crosse in the second game of the tournament, the Warhawks recovered with an 8-1 triumph over UW-Stevens Point that started an 11-game win streak through the national title game. UW-Whitewater defeated UW-La Crosse in consecutive games to win its fourth WIAC Tournament championship, then tallied eight straight wins in the NCAA Tournament, including a 7-0 triumph over Emory (Ga.) in the national title game.
 
Early Win Streak Keys UW-Whitewater's 2015 Regular Season
Following a 9-3 setback against Rowan (N.J.) in the team's third game of the season, the Warhawks rattled off 15 straight wins from March 21-April 11. UW-Whitewater hit .329 while holding opponents to a .234 batting average and holding a 109-36 scoring advantage during the streak, which included doubleheader sweeps over perennial regional contenders St. Thomas (Minn.) and St. Scholastica (Minn.).
 
Vodenlich Becomes School's All-Time Wins Leader
During the team's 15-game win streak, head coach John Vodenlich became the program's all-time leader in wins. With the Warhawks' 8-0 triumph over UW-Oshkosh in Game 1 of a doubleheader on April 7, Vodenlich earned his 417th victory at UW-Whitewater to pass Jim Miller (1987-2003) for the most wins as head coach. A former student-athlete and graduate of UW-Whitewater, Vodenlich, who is in his 12th season at the helm of the program, entered the season with the best win percentage among coaches in team history. He began the season ranked 10th among active Division III coaches in win percentage (minimum five years as a Division III head coach) and 16th all-time (minimum 10 years).
 
Warhawks Claim Third Straight WIAC Regular Season Championship
UW-Whitewater needed at least three wins in its four-game series at UW-Stout last weekend to clinch at least a share of the conference regular season title. The team did one better, sweeping the Blue Devils on back-to-back days to take the championship outright and earn hosting privileges for the 2015 WIAC Championship tournament. The Warhawks have now won 16 league titles, including 11 since 2000.
 
UW-Whitewater Records Eighth Straight 30-Win Season
With last Sunday's victory at UW-Stout, the Warhawks clinched the program's eighth consecutive season of 30 or more wins. UW-Whitewater has averaged over 36 victories per season under head coach John Vodenlich, including a school record 45 in 2005. During the 2000s, the Warhawks tallied the 11th-most wins in Division III.
 
Mierow Named UW-Whitewater Male Student-Athlete of the Year
Senior catcher Mike Mierow (Brookfield/Central) was named the UW-Whitewater Male Student-Athlete of the Year at the Campus Awards Program last Sunday. Mierow, a three-year starter and four-year member of the team, was named first team all-league and second team all-region a season ago, helping lead UW-Whitewater to the WIAC regular season and tournament titles and the program's second-ever national championship. A two-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll, Mierow is majoring in finance. A 2015 captain, he has helped lead the Warhawks to their third straight conference regular season title. Mierow is one of the nation's best defensive catchers. He has thrown out 11-of-23 base runners trying to steal and has picked off two more.
 
Chamberlain Red Hot Heading Into Postseason
Sophomore third baseman Steve Chamberlain (Rockford, IL/Guilford) has been one of the league's top hitters over the past month. He is currently riding a 19-game hitting streak, the longest on the team this season, and has reached base in 25 straight contests. Chamberlain, who enters the weekend leading the conference with a .427 batting average, has 14 multi-hit games, including a pair of four-hit performances. He was selected WIAC Position Player of the Week during the week of April 20-26 after batting .625 (10-for-16) with 10 runs scored, five RBIs and four walks in helping lead UW-Whitewater to four wins during the week.
 
Warhawks Ranked in Region, National Polls
UW-Whitewater was ranked No. 1 in the Midwest Region in the most recent NCAA Division III Regional Rankings, released April 30. The Warhawks were followed, in order, by UW-La Crosse, UW-Stevens Point, Bethel (Minn.), St. John's (Minn.) and Concordia-Moorhead (Minn.). UW-Whitewater was slotted third in the latest American Baseball Coaches Association/Collegiate Baseball and D3baseball.com Top 25 polls. The Warhawks received one first-place vote from D3baseball.com. The team was the preseason favorite in both polls.
 
UW-Whitewater Retires Jersey of Jim Miller
The Warhawks retired the jersey of former coach Jim Miller on April 26 as part of their "Return of the Champions" alumni event. Head coach John Vodenlich announced the retirement of the No. 30 jersey of Miller, who was at the helm of the program from 1987-2003. The jersey was unveiled under the right field scoreboard next to the No. 20 of former Warhawk pitcher Bob Wickman (1988-90), a two-time MLB All-Star who pitched professionally from 1992-2007. A three-time conference Coach of the Year, Miller led UW-Whitewater to three league championships and seven NCAA Division III Tournament appearances, including a fifth-place national finish in 1989. His 416 career wins with the Warhawks were the most in program history until Vodenlich passed the mark earlier this season. Miller was inducted into the Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2003 and the UW-Whitewater Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007. He remains involved in the department of intercollegiate athletics as a special assistant to the director.
 
Scouting UW-Oshkosh (25-15)
The Warhawks took three of the four games played against the Titans this season, all in Oshkosh … UW-Oshkosh has appeared in 16 of the 18 WIAC Baseball Tournaments. The Titans won the event in 1998 and played in the title game six other times … after losing eight of its first 10 league games, UW-Oshkosh won 12 of its next 14 to qualify for the WIAC Tournament as the fourth seed … freshmen position players Andy Brahier (first base), John Eagan (outfield), Jack Paulson (shortstop) and Noah Polcyn (second base) have all started at least 35 games for the Titans this season … UW-Oshkosh's top four hitters this season are all freshmen. Cooper Lang leads the quartet with a .486 average while Andy Brahier follows at .406, John Eagan at .395 and Logan Reckert at 382 … freshman Jesse Sustachek leads UW-Oshkosh with five pitching victories this season, while juniors Peter Jewell, Ben Messenger and Adam Rude follow with four each … UW-Oshkosh has stolen a school-record 93 bases this season, including 23 by John Eagan and 17 by Jack Paulson … since its inaugural collegiate baseball season in 1956, UW-Oshkosh has compiled a 1,398-566-4 record … a pitcher at UW-Whitewater from 2002-05, UW-Oshkosh head coach Kevin Tomasiewicz is the WIAC's career leader with 35 victories. He was named the Most Valuable Player at the 2005 NCAA Division III World Series, an event won by the Warhawks.