“Sheer disappointment” is how 22nd-year head coach John Vodenlich would describe the UW-Whitewater baseball team’s feelings on June 6, 2024.
Despite defeating Birmingham-Southern College, often called “the team that didn’t exist,” and knocking out No. 2 seed Salve Regina University, they could not hide their dismay after losing to Misericordia University in the final round of the 2024 Division III Championship Series.
“In the short term, that’s what we were feeling most,” Vodenlich said.
Eight months later, the disappointment has turned into hunger. A natural progression, as described by Vodenlich, but a progression that stands crucial for the preseason No. 1 Warhawks’ 2025 season.
“I think there are some guys that have used this as a major motivation to what we plan on doing this year,” Vodenlich said. “I think it’s naturally already in our players.”
A significant chunk of the optimism comes from most of the 2024 roster returning for the 2025 season. 28 of the 35 athletes from last season’s roster are returning this year. The three biggest departures include infielder Bennett Frazer and pitcher Cade Berendt, who both graduated, and pitcher Michael Hilker Jr, who transferred to Division I University of Arizona.
“Working so hard together, we are so confident in our abilities and trusting each other on making plays,” senior infielder and pitcher Eli Frank said. “We put in work, being as dedicated as we possibly could. Maximize the season’s opportunity.”
Frank, who is one of three Warhawks named to a D3baseball.com 2025 Preseason All-America team, headlines an impactful infield, both offensively and defensively. The team loses Frazer, who started 110 games primarily at second base and shortstop, but returns everyone else.
To the right of Frank is junior second baseman Andy Thies, who earned Preseason second-team All-America honors because of his bat. Last season, he hit .371 with two triples, 15 home runs and 71 RBIs. All of this contributed to a slugging percentage of .657, the third-best on the roster.
“Andy is a hardworking young man,” Vodenlich said. “He has power and instinct. Andy is a threat at the plate every time he steps in there, because he could hit it 500 feet.”
Frazer will likely be replaced at shortstop by senior Darryl Jackson. With 44 career starts in three seasons, his fielding impact has improved every collegiate season.
Rounding out the infield at third base is junior Danny Hopper. Just like Frank, he has seen notable success on offense, defense and on the mound. This group of infielders brings a strong combination of experience, power and versatility to the lineup.
“We know the infield, the wall that we have there,” Frank said. “That kind of camaraderie and just jelling together, that is a big strength.”
Moving farther from the plate, the starting group of outfielders has an advantage over the infield: they do not lose a single starter from last year’s squad.
Matt Scolan headlines the outfield, as the senior left fielder is the other Preseason first-team All-American selection after posting a .404/.493/.746 slash line with 18 home runs and 78 RBIs. He is the only returning Warhawk named to the D3baseball.com 2024 All-America first team.
“There’s times that it feels like I have to prove myself,” Scolan said. “But I feel it gives me the confidence to play free. With the year I had last year, that helped me a lot in terms of feeling good about myself. I can play confident, I can play fast and not worry about failure as much.”
While the starting outfield is impressive defensively, combining for only seven errors and a fielding percentage of 97.5%, Scolan points out the offensive firepower that makes up that group.
On the opposite side of the field, senior Sam Paden is a contact hitter who struck out only 23 times in 2024, third lowest among qualified hitters on the team. Paden also started all 56 games he played in for the Warhawks, missing just one game.
Junior Dominik McVay, who primarily plays in center field, slashed .310/.367/.508 during his 2024 campaign. Even the outfield depth features strong hitters, as sophomore Wyatt Hansen had an OPS of .933 in 2024, senior Alex Najera started 13 games hitting .313 and sophomore Hudson Turner took a significant step forward this offseason.
“All of us hit the ball extremely well and extremely often,” Scolan said. “I’m super excited to see us take another leap. I feel like we’re only going to get better and better.”
On top of the depth, potentially the most important offensive hitter in the outfield is senior Adam Cootway. The 2023 WIAC Position Player of the Year spent a majority of his 2024 season as a designated hitter, a season in which he missed nearly two months due to a hand injury.
Now fully healthy, he brings back a dominant skillset that Vodenlich describes as special.
“He continues to get better because of his work ethic, but also because he’s healthy,” Vodenlich said. “Cootway is such a special player that people don’t want to pitch to him. I’m excited to have him healthy.”
While promise and optimism also surround the pitching rotation this offseason, the group also fields more questions than any other positional group. Hilker, who earned the 2024 WIAC Pitcher of the Year honor, and Berendt leave behind 168 innings pitched from last season. The two aces combined for a 2.95 ERA, a 0.99 WHIP and a win-loss record of 16-4.
“You don’t often replace a guy like the graduating senior Cade Berendt, but we’re not gonna try to fill that in,” Vodenlich said.
Instead of elevating a bullpen pitcher to a starting spot, Vodenlich suggests using an aggregate of relievers to make up the innings. It is hard to guarantee extra innings for positional players like Frank and Hopper, but expect juniors Cade Hansen, Logan Eisenbarth and Sava Dupor to log more innings.
Several incoming transfers may also compete for a starting position with the Warhawks. Freshman Jack Taczy is a DI transfer from the University of Evansville, junior Brandon Brust comes from DIII Lawrence University, and freshmen George Hansen and Ryne Willard spent last year at NJCAA schools Ellsworth Community College and College of DuPage, respectively.
“You can really pick all the names out of a hat that we have on staff,” Frank said. “Everyone has been so good to step up in that role and take a starting spot at any point.”
Two rotational pitchers from last season’s roster remain on the team nonetheless. Senior Max Huseboe started 11 of his 16 appearances, pitching a 4.68 ERA, 1.24 WHIP and a 6-3 record.
Sophomore Jack Hagen started 10 games for the Warhawks last season, putting together a campaign worthy of the 2024 WIAC Newcomer of the Year award. With a 3.45 ERA and 1.11 WHIP as a freshman, he will likely take over as the team’s No. 1 option on the mound.
“We have some guys coming in, but I’m also excited about the guys that we had last year that are going to take a big step up and do more for us,” Vodenlich said.
Sophomore Aaron Holland, who started 49 games last season, will be catching pitches for the Warhawks this season. Following an impressive freshman campaign, registering a .325 batting average at the plate and a .990 fielding percentage behind it, he brings another young piece for Vodenlich and company to be excited about this season.
The 2024 Warhawk baseball team tied a program record with 45 wins in a single season. With the returning experience, offensive firepower, defensive stars and coaching staff, that record is obtainable as long as the team has a great mindset.
“Our mindset right now is to embrace the target,” Vodenlich said. “Sure, there’s always going to be people going after us. That’s been the case for 20 years, and this is no different.”
