May 29, 2002

NCAA Tournament Notes in PDF Format
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NCAA Baseball Championship - Lincoln Regional

Fri. May 31-Sun. June 2

Hawks Field at Haymarket Park - Lincoln, Neb.

* The Week Ahead

UWM makes its second-straight NCAA Tournament appearance by joining Southwest Missouri State, Marist and the host Cornhuskers of Nebraska at the Lincoln Regional. The Panthers open play with Nebraska at 12:05 p.m. CDT Friday.

* Red-Hot Panthers

UWM has been one of the hottest teams in the country down the stretch. The Panthers enter the NCAA Tournament having won 21 of their final 26 games. After starting its season 4-10 - a stretch that was capped by a pair of losses to Nebraska - UWM has gone 32-8. The hot streak can in part be attributed to UWM's work in close games. Over the final 40 games of the season, the Panthers were 8-2 in one-run games and 19-4 in games decided by three runs or less. During the first 14 games of the season, UWM lost five one-run games.

* Record Streak

UWM's loss in game one of its May 11 doubleheader with Youngstown State snapped the Panthers' school-record 13-game winning streak. The streak included eight-straight league wins, seven-straight road wins and three wins over Big 10 foes. The streak included four one-run wins and four other games decided by either two or three runs. Plus, the loss that stopped the streak was by one run.

* My What A May

UWM's school-record winning streak extended through much of the early part of May, giving the Panthers a stellar mark in the fifth month of the year. UWM is 17-4 in May so far. The Panthers were 15-5 in May last year.

* April Wasn't Bad Either

UWM was 15-6 in April and won 12 of its final 15 games in the month. That was also the month where UWM surpassed the .500 mark for good during the season, doing it with a win in game three of its series at Butler. UWM was also 15-6 in April last year.

* 30 Wins Again!

UWM finished the regular season with 36 wins, marking its fifth-straight 30- win season, easily a school-record. The 36 wins are the second-most in school history to last year's 39. Also, UWM's 15 league wins are the second-most in school history.

* Regular Season Honors

A number of Panthers were honored by the Horizon League when their all-league team was announced this past week. John Vanden Berg, Steve Guden and Troy Doering were named to the All-Horizon League First Team while Adam Christ, Quintin Oldenburg and Dave Pudlosky were named to the second team. Christ, Doering, David Michna and Geoff Lefeber were named to the Horizon League All-Newcomer Team.

* Tournament Honors

UWM placed five players on the Horizon League All-Tournament Team. Most Valuable Player Dave Pudlosky was joined on the team by pitchers Quintin Oldenburg and Geoff Lefeber, catcher John Vanden Berg and outfielder Charlie Reschke.

* In The Big Leagues

UWM's four wins in the Horizon League Tournament at Jacobs Field in Cleveland pushed the Panthers to a perfect 6-0 in major league stadiums this season. The Panthers won two games earlier this year at Miller Park in Milwaukee.

* Tournament Success

The Panthers have now won eight-straight games in the league tournament after their four-game sweep through this year's event. UWM also won last year's event in perfect fashion by recording four-straight wins. UWM is 17-9 all-time in the league tournament.

* Dominating The Field

UWM has dominated league opponents in tournament play the last two seasons. This year, the Panthers outscored their opponents 30-9. Last year, the tally was 32-9. Overall, the Panthers have gone 39-12 against league opponents during the past two seasons, with five of those losses coming against UIC and three more of the losses coming against Butler.

* Coming Through In The Clutch

UWM seemed to get hits whenever it counted over the weekend. The Panthers scored 14 of their 30 runs in the Horizon League Tournament after two men were out. All six runs in UWM's third-inning outburst against Butler came with two outs, while all four runs in the third inning against UIC in the title game also came with two outs.

* Pounding The Honorees

UWM put together back-to-back offensive shows against the Horizon League Co-Pitchers of the Year. Thursday against Cleveland State, the Panthers pounded Jerry Long for seven runs and nine hits in five-plus innings. Long had allowed just four runs in 50 innings. A day later, UWM scored six times in the third inning against Butler's John Corcoran en route to an 8-5 win. Corcoran entered the contest with 12 wins and a regular-season ERA below two. The Panthers had lost to each pitcher during the regular season and had combined for just three runs against the pair in 18 innings.

* M-V-P ... M-V-P

Dave Pudlosky put a cap on a tremendous second half of the season by being named the Horizon League Tournament's Most Valuable Player. He set a tournament record by collecting 10 hits in 14 at bats for a .714 batting average. Overall, he has pushed his batting average from a mid-season low of .118 to a season-high of .350 entering the post-season by hitting safely in 28 of his last 34 games. He hit .352 in league contests with a team-high 23 RBIs. During UWM's 32-8 run over the last 40 games of the season, Pudlosky is hitting .429 with 36 of his 41 RBIs.

* New Face, Strong Arm

Geoff Lefeber could easily have been named the Horizon League Tournament MVP after his efforts over the weekend. He claimed two wins, including the title-game victory over UIC, while working 17 innings and posting a 1.59 ERA. After working eight innings in the tournament-opening win over Cleveland State, Lefeber came back Sunday to throw 116 pitches in a complete-game effort over the Flames. His final pitch struck out the league's regular season MVP, Curtis Granderson. On the season, the transfer from UW-La Crosse has a perfect 6-0 mark and a 1.97 ERA. Lefeber has led the Horizon League in ERA through much of the late season and has ranked in the top 20 nationally for the last few weeks.

* Freeze Saving The Day

Senior Matt Freisleben has put together the best single-season by a UWM reliever in school history. Freisleben has collected a school-record 15 saves and last week was ranked third nationally in saves this year. He broke his own record for single-season appearances by pitching in 35 games and has now pitched in 113 career games. He has 18 career saves, the second-best mark in school history.

* 'Q' Up The Record

Quintin Oldenburg added to his school-record totals for wins and strikeouts in tossing a complete-game five-hit shutout in UWM's Saturday win over UIC in the Horizon League Tournament. In fact, Oldenburg, who allowed just one run and six hits to the Flames during a complete-game effort on the final weekend of the regular season, allowed just one runner to proceed as far as third base. Oldenburg officially became the career leader in victories and strikeouts while tossing a school-record 10 shutout innings as UWM collected a 1-0 win over Detroit on May 4. The senior right-hander allowed just six hits and did not walk a batter while striking out nine. He was named the Horizon League Pitcher of the Week for his work. He now has 233 career strikeouts and 26 career wins.

* Dandy Vandy Tops The List

Senior John Vanden Berg has easily been the top offensive performer for the Panthers this season, spending much of the early season flirting with the .500 mark before settling in around .400 for the year. Vanden Berg had eight hits in 16 at bats during the Horizon League Tournament. He also collected a home run at Jacobs Field in UWM's first game against Cleveland State. It was his second home run of the year in a major league ballpark after hitting one at Miller Park earlier this year. He leads UWM in batting average, home runs and RBIs and has recorded 21 multi-hit games and 14 multi-RBI games.

* Doering Does It

Troy Doering has made a huge impact on the Panther offense since moving into the leadoff spot earlier this season. The junior transfer has reached base safely in 33-straight games, collecting a hit in 28 of those games. He has upped his season average to .298 heading into the NCAA Tournament. He leads the team with 17 stolen bases - the fifth-most in a single season in UWM history. Eleven of those stolen bases came in league games. He also has 32 walks which calculates to a .407 on-base percentage. Doering has been in the leadoff spot for 39 games and UWM has a 28-11 mark in those games.

* Career Day For Charlie

Freshman Charlie Reschke has found a regular place in the Panther batting order and his work over the weekend earned him a spot on the Horizon League's All-Tournament team. He went 8-for-14 in four games, including a home run. He also drove in a team-high seven runs and posted a 1.000 slugging percentage thanks in part to three doubles. His season batting average is now up to .319. He has made 46 appearances, including 37 starts, splitting his time between the infield and outfield.

* Christ Gets Hot

Senior transfer Adam Christ did have his nine-game hitting streak snapped during the Horizon League Tournament, but he hit .353 during tournament play to push his overall average up to .297. He was named to the All-Horizon League second team after transferring from Iowa State this past season.

* Series Success

UWM saw an impressive streak come to a close when UIC took three of four games from the Panthers to close out the regular season. UWM had avoided losing a league series since May of 1999, when Cleveland State won three of four games over the Panthers. The streak included 15 series, totaling 10 series wins and five series splits.

* The Men In The Middle

Middle relief has played a key role in the success of the Panther pitching staff during the regular season and, though the troops were rarely called in during the league tournament, the overall numbers remain strong. Freshman Ben Stanczyk worked a scoreless inning in the league tournament to lower his season ERA to 1.69 in 13 appearances. Cory Kleeba, meanwhile, was never called upon to pitch in the tournament but has been stellar in long relief all year long. Kleeba's season ERA stands at 3.40 in 18 appearances and he has claimed three wins.

* Mound Mastery

Runs have been hard to come by for UWM opponents this season. The Panthers have their season ERA at 4.11, on pace to smash the school record mark of 4.73 set last year. Panther pitchers have also thrown five shutouts and 17 other times UWM pitchers have allowed three or fewer runs. In regular season league games the ERA was 3.90.

* Home Cooking

UWM set another school record by winning 16 games at home this season. The Panthers are 42-9 at home over the last three seasons.

* Getting Used To Home

UWM was able to equal its most extensive home schedule in school history this season despite difficult weather throughout much of the spring. UWM played a total of 20 home games - including two at Miller Park - equaling the most home games the Panthers have ever played. UWM played 20 home games in 1997.

* Hitting Streaks Of Note

Two Panthers put together double-figure hitting streaks this season, as John Vanden Berg and David Michna each hit safely in 10 consecutive games. Dave Pudlosky hit safely in nine-straight contests.

* Rain, Rain Go Away

For the first time since the 2000 season, UWM had a league game postponed by rain. The last time prior to May 12 at Youngstown State was in April of 2000 when a four-game series at Butler was shortened to a two-game series. The streak of regular-season league games for UWM without a rainout had hit 55 games.

* Other Weather Troubles

Along with the league contest at Youngstown State, UWM had to cancel four others games due to the weather. The Panthers' three-game series at Creighton and single game with Nebraska-Omaha was wiped out due to a March snowstorm. A single game with Concordia (Wis.) also got taken off the schedule when the Falcons had a league conflict caused by bad weather earlier in the season.

* Dolan Did It

Making his first start and just fifth appearance of the season April 28 against Cleveland State, redshirt freshman Ryan Dolan made the most of his opportunity. Dolan went 4-for-5, driving in four runs and scoring two more. The four hits surpassed the three total hits he had on the season entering the contest. Dolan finished the regular season with seven hits in 20 at bats.

* Pitrof Pounding The Ball

Jeff Pitrof responded much of the season when his name was placed on the Panther lineup card. The backup catcher cracked a grand slam and drove in five runs in UWM's 15-2 win April 28 over Cleveland State. Pitrof was 6-for-13 with nine RBIs that week.

* Back-To-Back From Bushong

Aaron Bushong put together back-to-back complete game efforts for the Panthers in league play during the middle of the season, shutting down Butler and Cleveland State in contests during April. He allowed just three runs and 10 hits in his 14 innings of work during those two contests. He also went the distance in an 11-4 win over Rider in March.

* Tough Against Detroit

The four-game sweep of Detroit extended a lengthy streak of wins by UWM over the Titans. The Panthers haven't lost to Detroit since April 10, 1999, a streak of 16 games.

* Run Shortage

UWM didn't put too many dents in the Bulldog Park scoreboard during the weekend series at Butler April 19-21. The Panthers scored just nine runs - the fewest UWM has ever scored in a four-game league series.

* No Sweeping Successes

UWM wound up splitting two doubleheaders at home but kept alive a streak of avoiding home doubleheader sweeps. The Panthers haven't been swept at home in a doubleheader since the 1998 season. UW-Parkside was the last team to sweep a pair from UWM at home, doing it in 1998. The last league foe to accomplish the feat was Detroit in 1997.

* The Comeback Kids

UWM brought back memories of some of its greatest wins last season with a pair of comeback wins against Wright State to open the league season. The Panthers won the second game of the Saturday doubleheader, 6-5, on the strength of a four-run seventh inning. Then, UWM won Sunday's series finale with a three-run eighth inning to overcome a 4-2 deficit.

* Big On The Big 10

UWM went 3-1 against Big 10 teams this season after its doubleheader sweep of Iowa May 7. The Panthers have beaten Iowa four-straight times and also beat Northwestern.

* Not So Big On The Big 12

UWM went 0-6 against Big 12 schools this season, losing three times to Kanas, twice to Nebraska and once to Kansas State. The Kansas and Nebraska contests were road games while the Kansas State game was played at the Homestead Challenge.

* Florida Fun

UWM continues to experience great success at the Homestead Challenge. The Panthers were 4-2 in the Challenge this year after a perfect 8-0 mark last season. UWM's offense always seems to enjoy the warm Florida air, as the Panthers have scored 154 runs in their 14 contests in Florida in the last two years. UWM hit .323 in six Challenge games this year.

* A Miller Moment

UWM took full advantage of its first chance to play at Miller Park, hanging on for a 5-4 win over Bradley in the first game before routing the Braves, 20-7, in the second game. John Vanden Berg, son of Brewers groundskeeper Gary Vanden Berg, cracked a tape-measure three-run home run to left to highlight the day. The April 24 doubleheader also included the largest crowd ever to witness the Panthers play baseball in Milwaukee as 1,056 fans attended.

* Player Of The Week Honorees

UWM has had three players honored as the Horizon League Player of the Week earlier this year. Dave Pudlosky was the most recent honoree, winning the award after collecting 10 hits in 20 at bats in a week that saw the Panthers go 5-1. Steve Guden won the award the week before after collecting 11 hits in 20 at bats during a six-game span that saw the Panthers go 4-2. John Vanden Berg won the award in March after hitting .588 with 10 hits in four games. Quintin Oldenburg and Geoff Lefeber were each named Horizon League Pitchers of the Week during the season as well.

* Tough Early Season

Sure enough, UWM's return to Wisconsin meant more success on the field. The Panthers battled through the most difficult non-conference schedule in school history during February and March. UWM dropped a pair of games to Nebraska to wind up the difficult stretch in early April. The Cornhuskers made the College World Series a season ago. UWM also faced defending national champion Miami (Fla.) and Northern Iowa, which qualified for the NCAA Tournament last year. UWM also played six games against Big 12 schools.

* Fresh Faces

The lineup UWM fielded in its season opener with Kansas in February included newcomers in five of the nine spots in the batting order, and the trend of using newcomers has continued throughout the early season. Ben Beno, a transfer from UW-Oshkosh, was in center field while Adam Christ, a transfer from Iowa State, was at shortstop. Newcomers David Michna, P.J. Cannon and Troy Doering were also in the starting lineup. Plus, the starting pitcher in each half of the doubleheader with Kansas on day two of the series was new to the Panther program. In total, the roster includes 18 players that did not play for UWM last year.

* Picked To Win

UWM was picked to win the 2002 Horizon League championship. They received four first-place votes and 34 total points in voting conducted among league coaches. UIC received two first-place votes and was picked to finish second. UWM was also picked to win the league crown in a number of publications.

* Panther Background

UWM won the regular season and tournament titles in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference last season, claiming its second berth in the NCAA Tournament. UWM finished the season 39-18, setting a new school record for wins. The Panthers were eliminated from NCAA Tournament play by Notre Dame and UC-Santa Barbara.

* Returning With Honors

A handful of Panthers honored by the league last season are back this year. Senior Quintin Oldenburg is the reigning League Pitcher of the Year, while John Vanden Berg was the League Co-Newcomer of the Year. Oldenburg was on the all-league first team while Steve Guden joined Vanden Berg on the second team and the all-newcomer team.

* Tough To Replace

The newcomers on this year's roster have plenty of big shoes to fill. In total, the players lost to graduation from last year's roster combined for 39 home runs and 301 RBIs, while on the mound the group recorded an 18-7 mark with four saves.

* Up Next

The winner of the Lincoln Regional faces the winner of the Winston-Salem Regional in a three-game super regional next weekend. The winner of that goes on to the College World Series.