Aug. 26, 2009

MILWAUKEE - Fifteen former and current University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball players spent the summer on the diamond, playing at various levels across the nation. Panther alums Joe Nowicki and Ross McCoy played at the professional level, while 13 players spent time in a mixture of summer college leagues. That group included: Doug Dekoning, Nate Caldwell, Chad Pierce, Cole Kraft, Ben Long, Paul Hoenecke, Cameron Amsrud, Dan Buchholz, Jordan Herbert, Tim Patzman, Gabe Marshall, Zach Hoch and Greg Blohowiak.

Nowicki was a member of the Bowie Baysox this summer, the Class AA affiliate of the Baltimore Orioles. He hit .221 in 51 games, scoring 18 runs and driving in 25 while also belting five home runs.

McCoy heads into the final month of the regular season with the Fronteir League's Rockford Riverhawks, with the team currently 40-43 overall. He is batting .290 in 73 games and has driven in 41 runs on 73 hits, including 17 doubles and five home runs. He has also scored 37 runs on the season.

Dekoning and 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.

Pierce and 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.

Long, Hoenecke and 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.

Buchholz and 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.

Patzman, Marshall, Hoch and 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. Hoch appeared in 12 games, going 3-2 with one save. He fanned 39 batters in 34.0 innings. 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.