March 2, 2010

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team starts March with a busy week, scheduled to play five games. It gets underway with a midweek trip to the Metrodome Wednesday for a 6:35 p.m. contest against the University of Minnesota. Then, on the weekend, the Panthers head to Clarksville, Tenn., for the Austin Peay Invitational. While there, the team will take on the host as well as Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and the University of Dayton.

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Friday's game against APSU has a first pitch scheduled for 3 p.m. Saturday will be a doubleheader against SIUE, with game one starting at 10 a.m. Then, Sunday, the Panthers and Flyers wrap up weekend action with an 11:30 a.m. start. All four games will have live statistics available courtesy of the APSU webpage. Unfortunately, UWM trails in the all-time series against both Minnesota (7-1) and Austin Peay (13-4). This week will also mark the first-ever games against SIUE and Dayton.

The 2010 campaign marks the 46th season of baseball at UWM. It is also the 41st season of varsity play (the program was played at the club level from 1982-1986) and the 20th in the Panthers NCAA Division I era.

QUICK LOOK BACK
The Panthers got off to an 0-4 start against Arkansas State last weekend, but things could have turned out so much better with just a few breaks. Milwaukee actually lost the first two games of the series despite not trailing until the final pitch each time, falling 6-5 in the ninth inning of the season opener and then 4-3 in 10 innings in game one of Saturday's doubleheader. The Red Wolves won the last two games of the series by scores of 11-4 and 8-3.

Senior Dan Buchholz led the offense in the four games with a .375 average (6-for-16) which included four extra-base hits (two home runs) and a .938 slugging percentage. Sophomore Paul Hoenecke was also over .300 at .353 (6-for-17), as was freshman Jonathan Capasso with his .333 clip that included two runs batted in.

On the mound, sophomore Greg Blohowiak and freshman Jordan Guth both turned in 0.00 earned run averages, with Blohowiak striking out two batters in 2/3 of an inning. Freshman Eric Semmelhack also was impressive in his collegiate debut, working seven complete innings in allowing two earned runs and striking out five in a no-decision.

FOR OPENERS
As a northern team that cannot practice outdoors before the start of the season, it is no surprise that Milwaukee does not have a great record in season openers. It is 4-16 in such contests at the Division I level after losing a heartbreaker Feb. 26, 6-5 in the ninth, at Arkansas State.

GOING DEEP
Senior Dan Buchholz showed off his power potential, hitting two home runs against Arkansas State in game two of Saturday's doubleheader. That marked the first multi-homer game for UWM since Tim Patzman and Doug Dekoning both hit two against Chicago State April 7 of last season. It also marked one of the earliest-ever by date, with only Josh Groves two-HR game in the season opener in 2008 (Feb. 22) coming sooner than Buchholz's outing.

SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
The Panthers will have to game plan with the best of them this week, playing four different opponents among the five contests.

The Golden Gophers are led offensively by outfielder Michael Kvasnicka who batted .341 with 48 runs, 10 home runs, 18 doubles and 65 RBI last year. Kvasnicka was named Third-Team All-Big Ten in 2009. Shortstop AJ Pettersen also batted .353 with 65 runs, 45 RBI and eight stolen bases last year. Pettersen was named Second-Team All-Big Ten and First-Team Freshmen All-America in 2009. Minnesota also returns two All-Big Ten pitchers in Seth Rosin and Scott Matyas. Rosin has won his last six decisions dating back to last season, and went 7-1 with a 4.21 ERA with 65 strikeouts in 77.0 innings. Rosin received Second-Team All-Big Ten honors last year. Matyas was 0-1 with a school-record 15 saves, along with a 2.22 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 28.1 innings. He was also named Second-Team All-Big Ten in 2009.

Austin Peay returns all nine positional players from last year's squad that finished 22-30 overall, but will feature a new infield to begin the 2010 campaign. So far the team is 4-2, led by Trey Lucas, who is batting .421 with seven RBI.

When the SIUE baseball team takes the field in 2010, it will embark on year two of the four-year transition process to full NCAA Division I status. After enjoying great success at the Division II level, SIUE Head Coach Gary Collins welcomed the move to Division I and understood that success would not come immediately. The Cougars struggled to a 15-39 record in 2009, while playing a schedule that featured all but three Division I opponents. This year they are 1-5, led by Mitch Matecki and his .391 average at the plate.

Last season Dayton finished with a 38-19 record, while capturing the program's first A-10 regular season championship. It also hit a program-record 77 home runs while leading the conference in batting average (.332).

Dayton has an array of talent coming back this season. Among the returnees are: A-10 Rookie of the Year Cameron Hobson, who set the school record with 83 strikeouts in a season. Right-handed pitcher Burny Mitchem who was 1-0 in three starts before an injury sidelined him for the remainder of the year. Senior second baseman Zach Jacob finished second in the conference in hits and runs. The threatening bats of junior Jimmy Roesinger (.406) and senior Cole Tyrell, the Flyers' leader in home runs (12) and RBI (60) also return for 2010.

PRESEASON NATIONAL SHOWINGS
Rivals.com predicted the Panthers to finish third in the league standings, following Wright State and UIC. The site also picked a preseason all-conference squad that included senior Tim Patzman and junior Doug Dekoning.

Collegebaseballinsider.com did not project an order of finish, but did select the Raiders as the team to beat. The website polled the league head coaches and came up with the following spots where UWM was represented:

~The best defensive outfielder is: Doug Dekoning, Milwaukee
~The three best pure hitters are: Casey McGrew, Wright State; Tim Patzman, Milwaukee; Quentin Cate, Wright State
~The three biggest power threats are: Quentin Cate, Wright State; Casey McGrew, Wright State; Tim Patzman, Milwaukee

The website CollegeBaseballToday.com projected Wright State as the favorite and Milwaukee and UIC as "contenders". It lists seniors Ben Long and Tim Patzman, juniors Doug Dekoning and Cole Kraft and sophomores Paul Hoenecke and Cameron Amsrud as all-conference candidates.

START THE COUNTDOWNS
Two historic victories should be within reach this spring, as the Panthers will enter the 2010 season 23 wins away from 500 at the NCAA Division I level as a program, currently sitting with 477 at the D-I level. Also, Scott Doffek starts the campaign 22 wins away from No. 100 as the UWM head coach.

2009 REWIND
Milwaukee recorded 25-plus wins for the 12th time in the past 13 years in 2009, a season in which head coach Scott Doffek was named Horizon League Coach of the Year after leading the Panthers to a second-place finish in the league standings.

Doffek's team had a league-high four first team all-league selections a year ago and set a school record by going 14-1 at home. That established new standards for home-game winning percentage (.933) and also with a 13-game home winning streak that will carry over into 2010. He has won 78 games in his first three seasons, a school record, after already establishing marks for most victories by a first-year head coach (25) and most after his first two seasons (50). He was rewarded with a new three-year contract following the season.

LET'S HIT THE ROAD...
The Panthers will be busy waiting for the snow to melt and Henry Aaron Field to be ready for them to play in Milwaukee. While that happens, they will be playing 20-straight road games to open the 2010 slate. That will seem easier compared to other seasons, as the record for longest season-opening road trip was set at 30 games in 2008.

The Panthers will travel over 6,300 miles over the course of the first five weeks of the season via plane or bus, visiting five different states (Arkansas twice, Minnesota, Tennessee, Kansas and Illinois twice) before playing their home opener March 30 against Parkside.

HOME SWEET HOME
The Panthers took the phrase "home field advantage" to a new level in 2009. In 15 games at "The Hank" and at Miller Park, Milwaukee went 14-1 and sported a .363 batting average and 2.98 ERA as a team (Note: UWM did lose a make-up game at Cleveland State in May as the `home' team). Seven regular starters batted over .300 and four were at .404 or higher. Senior Tim Patzman (.490) led the way with an impressive 25-for-51 showing, hitting six home runs and driving in 20 runs in the 15 games. Josh Groves (.429) was next, recording a .491 on-base percentage and scoring 15 runs. Third on the list was sophomore Paul Hoenecke, (.423), who batted 22-for-52 and knocked in 20 runs and scored 15 times. Shawn Wozniak (.404) was also over .400, going 19-for-47 and scoring 16 times with 14 RBI. UWM hit 19 home runs compared to just two for it's opponents. On the mound, the staff compiled a sparkling 2.98 ERA. Brad Lusti (2.88 ERA, 21 K's in 25.0 IP) and Andy Hetebrueg (2.74 ERA, 21 K's in 32.0 IP) were both 2-0 in three home starts.

JUMP RIGHT IN
Junior Doug Dekoning carried a 16-game hitting streak into the new campaign. He hit safely in the first two games in 2010 to extend it to 18 - a personal-best. Dekoning went 28-for-75 (.373) in that stretch. The 18-game streak marks the longest for UWM since Nick Wichser had a 24-game streak at the end of the 2008 campaign.

After four games in 2010, senior Dan Buchholz, junior Cole Kraft and sophomore Paul Hoenecke have all hit safely in each, with Kraft on a five-game streak after hitting safely in the 2009 finale.

DOESN'T YOUR ARM GET SORE?
Sophomore Cameron Amsrud will look to improve on a successful first year in a UWM uniform. He went 5-1 with a 4.94 ERA in 33 games as a freshman, with those 33 appearances finishing second in the Horizon League. That was quite a bit of work for a freshman, setting a record for the most-ever by a first-year pitcher in program history (previous record was 26). He worked 31.0 innings, striking out 21 batters and limiting opponents to a .257 average - the lowest on the squad of those with more than 20 innings pitched.

READY TO GO
Sophomore Paul Hoenecke stepped right in as a freshman last season, earning Horizon League All-Newcomer Team honors after batting .286 with 30 runs batted in. He appeared in 50 games, with his 46 starts the most for a UWM freshman since Ross McCoy made 50 back in 2004.

BASEBALL SEASON ALREADY
The February 26th start to the season is one of the latest in recent years. The last time a UWM team started later was in 2004 when Milwaukee opened the campaign at Kansas on March 5. Three of the four earliest starts to the season have taken place in the past five seasons.

1. 2006: February 10
2. 1999: February 13
3. 2007: February 16
4. 2009: February 20
5. 2003 & 1998 (tie): February 21

PRESEASON POLL
The Panthers were picked third in the 2010 Horizon League preseason baseball poll. The Panthers, picked third for the fourth-straight season, will look to improve on their second-place finish from a year ago. Wright State was the unanimous choice for the top spot after going 33-30 last season. It was also the Horizon League Tournament champion in 2009 and returns four all-league performers. The Raiders received six first place votes and 36 points.

UIC comes in second (31 points) and received the other first place vote. The Flames won their eighth-consecutive regular season title in 2009 before getting knocked off by WSU in the tournament championship. UWM sits just behind in third with 24 points after going 28-27 overall last year and taking second place in the regular season standings.

1. Wright State (6) - 36 points
2. UIC (1) - 31 points
3. Milwaukee - 24 points
4. Valparaiso - 22 points
5. Youngstown State - 15 points
6. Cleveland State - 12 points
7. Butler - 7 points

SUMMER "JOBS"
Thirteen members of the team spent the summer in different leagues around the country this past summer.

Junior Doug Dekoning and senior Nate Caldwell played for the Riverhead Tomcats this summer, one of six teams in Hamptons Collegiate Baseball. The HCB is a wood-bat summer baseball league located in the Hamptons in New York and part of the Atlantic Collegiate Baseball League. The team went 22-19 overall, with Dekoning playing and starting in 33 games. He scored 15 runs and recorded 26 hits, five doubles and three home runs. He drove in 14 while also going a perfect 8-for-8 in stolen bases. Caldwell appeared in six games, making three starts. He went 3-1 with one save, striking out 17 batters in 22.1 innings of work.

Juniors Chad Pierce and Cole Kraft were members of the Fauquier Gators, playing in the Valley Baseball League in Virginia. The team finished 21-23, with Pierce finishing second on the team with his .299 batting average. In 27 games - 24 starts - he scored 11 runs, had 20 hits and drove in 13. Kraft batted .209 in 25 games, making 20 starts. He had 14 hits and scored seven times, knocking in seven runs and stealing five bases.

Senior Ben Long and sophomore Paul Hoenecke and Cameron Amsrud all played for different teams in the Northwoods League this summer, with Long earning South Division All-Star honors. Splitting time between the Madison Mallards and Wausau Woodchucks, Long batted .272 in 52 games, driving in 30 runs and his six home runs finished fifth in the league. Hoenecke was a member of the Green Bay Bullfrogs, batting .285 in 51 games. He drove in 25 runs on 47 hits, adding 10 doubles, two home runs and 16 runs scored. Amsrud was on the roster of the Mallards, seeing just 9.1 innings on the mound. He did strike out six in that time and also recorded a save.

Seniors Dan Buchholz and Jordan Herbert spent their summer in Newark, Ohio, helping the Licking County Settlers of the Great Lakes Summer Collegiate League to a 22-13 record. Buchholz had a banner season, earning First Team All-GLSCL honors after batting .313 in 31 games. He made 28 starts, threw out almost 40% of would-be base stealers while scoring 18 times, knocking in 19 runs and recording a .424 on-base percentage. Herbert saw action in four games, striking out four in 5.1 innings while allowing an opponent average of just .211.

Seniors Tim Patzman and Gabe Marshall and sophomore Greg Blohowiak all played for the Sheboygan A's in the Wisconsin State League, helping the team to a 33-23 overall record. Patzman continued his stellar play, leading the team with a .372 batting average, 48 runs, 77 hits, 37 RBI, 21 doubles, four triples and five home runs. He played in a team-high 52 games and also went 6-for-7 in stolen bases. Marshall saw action on the diamond and at the plate, going 2-4 in seven games, striking out 24 batters in 31.1 innings of work. He also hit .235 in 81 at bats on the season. Blohowiak was 3-4 on the season, striking out 50 batters in 57.2 innings of action over 11 appearances. He also batted .375 when called on in 24 at bats on the year.

ON TAP
Following the busy week, Milwaukee is off until next weekend, traveling to Fayetteville, Ark., to take on nationally-ranked Arkansas. The Panthers and Razorbacks begin a three-game set Friday at 3 p.m.