After ending the 2017 baseball season ranked 15th in the nation with a 36-9 record, the UW-Whitewater baseball team have reason to have high expectations for their upcoming season. However, head coach, John Vodenlich, doesn’t want to set any crazy expectations for his team for the 2018 season.

“We’re not trying to set any artificial limitations for the season,” Vodenlich said. “Every sport at Whitewater has potential and goals for winning a national championship. However, we’re focused on day to day goals like getting better each day.”

One thing that  Vodenlich is excited about is the amount of talent that the team will return to the diamond this year. The Warhawks will return six of their nine starting players for their upcoming season, with three of the players being seniors.

The Warhawks also return their top two pitchers to their rotation.

Along with having key players return, Vodenlich is excited about landing many transfer students, mostly sophomores.

“We’re very happy about continuing to build for the future,” Vodenlich said. “I’m very excited about the transfers that are coming to the program.”

The Warhawks will have steep competition to deal with in conference play. One team that finished their 2017 season in the top 25 was UW-La-Crosse at 19th.

Along with the Eagles, Vodenlich knows that there will be more competition than just one team. “Oshkosh has always been main competition for us,” Vodenlich said. “Stevens Point is also tough competition.”

The Warhawks will start their season off at the Russmatt Central Florida Invitational on March 22, 2018.

Conference play will begin in April with games against Illinois Tech, UW-Stout, and UW-Oshkosh. Coach Vodenlich is having a good time with the players and expects that to carry into the season. “It’s easy to get sidetracked with such a long season, but we just have to stay focused on day to day goals. I’m excited for that.”