The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater club baseball team competed in the second-annual Duel in the Dells Sept. 26-27, hosted by the Woodside Sports Complex in Mauston. The team finished 1-1-1 in three pool games, narrowly missing out on the playoffs.
The team opened the tournament with a 7-2 loss against UW-Madison’s DI club team, before bouncing back and defeating the Milwaukee School of Engineering 13-2. The Warhawks owned a 9-2 lead against Winona State University entering the final inning of the game, but ended up tying with Warriors 9-9.
Despite the sour ending to the tournament, the purpose was not the results. The purpose was to build team chemistry, evaluate options entering conference play, and just have a fun time.
“I was pretty happy with what we saw,” club president Tabor Conrad said. “With this tournament, we wanted to get everyone some playing time, kind of see what we have as a full team.”
Just like in most intercollegiate athletics across the country, early season tournaments allow teams to play non-conference opponents that they will not play again during the regular season. Conrad, who is in his first year as president of club baseball, wanted to take advantage of this opportunity.
“Just playing in this type of tournament style, I think all the guys really enjoy it,” Conrad said. “That’s what we all join club baseball for.”
Conrad and his vice president, Ben Mallow, having a good grasp of potential starters and assigning players defensive positions is another reason for competing in this tournament. Understanding the roster is crucial entering conference play; the games that count toward postseason eligibility.
“We get to see all the new guys, see how they play, and get some swings in for returning guys,” said Mallow, who finished the tournament with a team-high three RBIs. “We can get ready for next week when we start our conference series against Marquette.”
Freshman Logan Brabant stood out the most on offense, hitting 3-for-7 with two walks and an OPS of 1.117. Defensively, sophomore Reed Ratay pitched a team-high three innings, allowing one earned run with two strikeouts.
Behind all of the logistics and behind-the-scenes work came a fun experience for the Warhawks. While the tournament was held in Mauston, a town 20 miles northwest of Wisconsin Dells, the team still stayed at Quality Inn & Suites in the heart of the city. The Dells is one of the most-visited cities in Wisconsin, bringing in over 5 million visitors in 2024. Being in the city was a bonus that came with the tournament.
“We found a cheaper option 25 minutes away from the fields, and honestly, it was kind of nice,” Conrad said. “We were able to be around the Dells area. It’s very cool there, to go to some cool places.”
While there were no organized team-wide extracurricular activities, primarily because of the small amount of time they had there, players still found ways to make the most of their trip. Some of the athletes spent Friday evening mini golfing, while others ordered high-quality milkshakes from several locations around the city.
Partaking in these extracurricular activities, along with competing in three games in two days, helps build essential team chemistry. According to Mallow, he can already tell that this team blends together remarkably well.
“This is our first weekend as a whole team, pretty much, and everyone gets along,” Mallow said.
In the MSOE game, sophomore pitcher David Maertz lined up at third base coach, which energized the entire team from the beginning. From the end of the first inning, the bats came alive, and the dugout livened.
“You could see them, one after one, just the energy,” Conrad said. “People were really feeling that, especially up to hit. I love seeing that.”
While the Warhawks put up some good fights nearly two hours away from home, competing in the Dual in the Dells gave the team multiple benefits entering the regular season. The team opens conference play against Marquette University Oct. 4-5.
