July 26, 1999

MILWAUKEE - An already talented UWM baseball team has added six recruits for the 2000 season, it was announced today. The six signees will join a Panther team that lost only one senior from the 1999 NCAA Tournament team that upset No. 1 Rice in May. "We are very excited about the mixture of youth and experience we have coming in," said Assistant Head Coach Scott Doffek. "We have added some quality junior college transfers who will offer experience to an already veteran team. We have also landed four talented freshmen who will give us immediate depth and a solid foundation to build on for years to come. "More importantly we have added six quality individuals," Doffek said. "They have already made a commitment to excellence both in the class room and on the field." Eric Goerdt and Scott Gillitzer are transfer students from Madison Area Technical College, which advanced to the Junior College World Series in 1999. Goerdt is a 6-foot-6 right handed pitcher/outfielder originally from Mt. Iron, Minn. "Eric joins the team with experience on the mound and at the plate," said Doffek. "He has the potential to excel at this level and beyond." Gillitzer is a 6-foot-2 middle infielder. He is originally from Prairie du Chien, Wis. "Scott is a solid middle infielder with good actions, and he brings another quality left-handed bat to the lineup," said Doffek. Rob Erickson is an incoming 6-foot-2 pitcher from Marientte, Wis. "Rob is another versatile athlete who has a live, loose are with a 90+ m.p.h. fastball," Doffek said. "He has also shown solid offensive tools." Casey Bablitch is a 5-foot-8 middle infielder from La Crosse, Wis. "Casey was one of the most highly-touted infielders in the state," said Doffek. "He will offer a good glove and a solid arm up the middle. Plus, he has shown good pop at the plate." Ryan Fladvid is a 5-foot-10 right-handed pitcher from Hartford, Wis. "Ryan has good arm action and is mechanically sound," Doffek said. "With a year-round commitment to strength and conditioning, he will give us much-needed pitching depth." Dave Pudlosky is a 6-foot-3 first baseman/outfielder who bats left-handed. He is from Waukesha, Wis. "Dave is a big strong kid who has the potential to hit for power and average," said Doffek. "Finding left-handed power hitters is very difficult, and we are excited to have him."