The UW-Whitewater baseball team went into their April 10 doubleheader against UW-Oshkosh with zero top-25 matchups on their resume. While the Warhawks remained as the only undefeated team in Division III, a lack of top-notch opponents sparked questions.
Fortunately for the Warhawks, they got to battle test themselves at home. From April 10-13, the team went 4-2 in six cumulative games against UW-Oshkosh (RV) and No. 8 UW-La Crosse.
The doubleheader against the Titans kicked off the home stretch, where they split the two games. In game one, senior outfielder Matt Scolan hit 5-for-5, and senior pitcher Max Huseboe allowed one earned run in 5.2 innings en route to a 9-2 Warhawk win.
Scolan’s fifth hit, a career high, came from a bunt in the eighth inning which was his idea.
“They had a shift on me, and the third baseman was playing pretty far over towards the shortstop, so I thought if I could get a bunt on the third baseline, I’d have a good chance to get a hit out of it,” Scolan said.
He finished the home stretch hitting 13-for-24 with three extra base hits, three walks and three RBIs. His season splits are now up to .438/.514/.775.
While the bats stayed alive in game two of the series, the runs failed to pile up and the Warhawks dropped their first game of the season 3-6. A strategy game on the mound because of the lingering UW-La Crosse series, sophomore pitcher Jack Hagen threw 7.1 innings despite second-and-fourth inning struggles.
“I thought if we had taken him out, he would have already been used up for the weekend,” head coach John Vodenlich said. “I wanted him to compete, and I knew that he would continue to compete until I yanked him out of the game.”
Sophomore catcher Aaron Holland led the way offensively, batting 3-for-5 as the leadoff hitter. The team stayed in the game until the ninth inning, where two Titan runs sealed the deal.
The loss turned into a losing streak for the Warhawks, as they dropped game one of their four-game series against UW-La Crosse 1-12 April 12. The Warhawks registered a season-low six hits and one run along with allowing a season-high 14 hits and 12 runs.
The Eagles were all over junior pitcher Cade Hansen, who pitched a career-high seven earned runs in just two innings pitched. Offensively, Holland was the only Warhawk to register multiple hits, one of those being a solo home run line driven to left field.
“I stay as confident as I can up there and not let circumstances that I can’t control dictate what goes on in my at bat,” said Holland, who leads the team in slugging percentage. “Just hunting specific zones and having confidence up there.”
As expected, losing a game in run-rule fashion may be disheartening. Despite the anger and frustration, the Warhawks recovered in game two of the series, defeating the Eagles 8-3.
“We stepped up after a really disappointing loss,” Vodenlich said. “We got some good pitching on the mound from [Ben] Lee, George [Hansen] came in and did it. When we’re good on the bump, we’re pretty good as a team.”
Even offensively, everyone in the Warhawks’ starting lineup got on base at least once in this game, including Scolan and senior designated hitter Adam Cootway, who was walked three times to extend his team lead to 18.
“You don’t go up there to get walked, but it’s a compliment from the other pitchers that they don’t really want to throw to you,” Cootway said.
The wins continued to pile up April 13, as the Warhawks took game three of the La Crosse series 12-6. The Warhawks flipped the script from game one, going for a season-high 24 hits with six Warhawks registering at least three hits.
“We pride ourselves from one to nine,” Vodenlich said. “Everyone in our lineup can do good things.”
The Warhawks capitalized off 30 mph wind gusts blowing out toward left field, hitting three home runs in the fourth inning. Those three homers were their only extra base hits all game.
The bats cooled off in the final game of the homestretch, but strong pitching performances from Huseboe and sophomore Brady Malkow kept the Warhawks in front 4-2. Huseboe finished the home stretch with 181 pitches in 11.2 innings played, allowing 14 hits, one walk and two earned runs, while striking out 13 batters.
“I’m never the guy to go up there and just be able to pump fastballs by guys,” Huseboe said. “But if I hit those spots, I can throw anything at them at all times.”
Following the home stretch, the Warhawks lead the nation in batting average and are top 10 in earned run average. Going into Sunday’s matchups, only UW-W and UW-LC were ranked top 10 in both categories.
After six straight home games, the Warhawks will now play 11 straight away games, beginning with the make-up game against Saint Xavier University (Ill.) April 16. The team is back at home May 2-3, where they will face UW-Platteville in a four-game series.
