Over the summer, the UW-Whitewater baseball team took home the program’s third national championship, securing the deal with a 21-5 win over Messiah University June 4.
The Warhawks entered the postseason as the No. 3 ranked team in the d3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25 poll, only behind Johns Hopkins University (Maryland) and Denison University (Ohio). As the postseason progressed, it was clear that this team had a chip on their shoulders.
They opened the postseason by sweeping the regional round, defeating Adrian College (Michigan) 8-6, going toe-to-toe with Washington University (Missouri) before winning 4-3 in 11 innings, and securing the crown with a 4-1 win over Adrian.
After controversially not hosting the regional round, they hosted a familiar foe at Prucha Field in super regionals: UW-Oshkosh. The rivals split the first two games of the series, 14-1 and 2-5, setting up a win-or-go-home game three. In that game, junior pitcher Logan Eisenbarth and sophomore pitcher Jack Hagen shut out the Titans 10-0 to advance to the Division III College World Series.
Seeded No. 3 in the tournament, the Warhawks faced Trinity University (Texas) to open the tournament. After a rain-impacted 7-3 win, they faced Denison, the first team they faced in the postseason ranked higher than them. A four-run third inning set the tone for the Warhawks, giving Denison their first strike in an 11-4 win.
A win in their next game against Rowan University (New Jersey) would mean a birth to the Championship Series. Despite being down 2-3 entering the bottom of the fifth inning, the team had a powerful back half of the game, eventually winning the matchup 17-4. The top three hitters, sophomore catcher Aaron Holland, senior outfielder Matt Scolan and senior designated hitter Adam Cootway, combined for 10 hits.
The next day, the Warhawks met their opponent in the Championship Series: Messiah University. A Cinderella story up to that point, they entered the postseason unranked yet defeated several ranked opponents.
In game one, junior pitcher Ben Lee took control on the mound, allowing one run in seven innings to Messiah. In that seventh inning, the Warhawks scored nine runs en route to an 18-3 win.
One more win would clinch the trophy for the Warhawks, sending their ace Cade Hansen to the bump. It may not have mattered who they sent out at pitcher, as the team hit 19 balls, walked six batters, and scored 21 runs to secure a 21-5 win. The national championship trophy belonged to UW-W.
Since the end of the season, four pitchers have transferred out of the program to DI schools. Hansen will spend his senior season at Baylor University (Texas), Eisenbarth transferred to Florida Gulf Coast University, Hagen left for Butler University (Indiana), and sophomore George Hansen will move to Michigan, transferring to Oakland University.
Following their stellar postseason performance, the team held a celebratory parade around UW-Whitewater’s campus and a reception at Prucha Field. Below are some photos from that celebration.
