Sports

Ground Rule Doubles Highlight Latest Whippet Baseball Game

Article Submitted by Michael Hookstead
Whitewater High School Head Baseball Coach
mhookstead@wwusd.org
Photos Courtesy of Bob Mischka

The Whippet Varsity Baseball Team suffered a 12-4 loss to Big Foot on Thursday, May 20. 

The team started off slow but they battled hard for the entire game. The offensive highlights came in the 5th inning when Jacob Heritage and Marc Jones both had ground rule doubles. 

  • Jacob Heritage
  • Marc Jones

The Whippets will be back in action this Friday when they travel to Brodhead.

Ryan Callahan named UW-Whitewater director of intercollegiate athletics

Ryan Callahan waves.

Chancellor Dwight C. Watson announced the appointment of Ryan Callahan as the next director of intercollegiate athletics at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

“Ryan was selected because of his experiences as a former Warhawk athlete, coach and budget manager,” said Watson. “He was endorsed 100% percent by all of the coaches and athletic personnel. His commitment to UW-Whitewater was evident in his interviews as he focused on students’ academic and athletic excellence. He wants them to be champions in the classroom and in the various athletic venues.”

Callahan has served as interim director of athletics since May 2019, following the departure of former Athletic Director Todd Garzarelli, after serving as assistant director for two years. As interim director, he has managed a budget of approximately $5 million while guiding the department’s coaches and staff in the marketing, promotion and advancement of championship-caliber athletic programs. Projects that were planned or took place under his tenure include the building of the new tennis locker room and expansion project ($300,000), the Perkins Stadium turf replacement project, starting in May of 2021 ($979,000), and securing a $500,000 gift for women’s athletics and wrestling from an individual donor. Critically, Callahan also led the athletic department and recreational sports through the COVID-19 pandemic, working with each group and partners across campus to ensure the safety and well-being of staff and students as facilities were re-opened.

Callahan will assume the role of athletic director on July 1, 2021.

“I am humbled and honored to lead Warhawk Athletics,” said Callahan. “We have some of the best staff and student-athletes, and I am eager to continue our Powered By Tradition mantra.”

Callahan, who earned a BSE in elementary/middle school education and a minor in coaching in 2004 and an M.S. in curriculum and instruction in 2009, pitched for the Warhawk baseball team from 2001 and 2004 and went on to play for the San Francisco Giants and the Minnesota Twins. He was inducted into the Warhawk Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019. He lives in Janesville with his family.

Watson thanked Greg Cook, interim provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, and Brenda Volk, head coach of the UW-Whitewater softball program, for their able leadership of the search and screen committee.

Track Hosts Second Triangular, Athletes Finding Their Best Events

Article Submitted by Mark Maas
Whitewater High School Head Track Coach
mmaas@wwusd.org
Photos Courtesy of Bob Mischka

We were very happy with the way the Whippets competed Tuesday night, May 18, in the rain. We had season bests in a lot of events. Right now we are doing a lot of experimenting, trying to put kids in different events to find their strengths.

Crystal Chan

We found a hurdler tonight for the girls. Crystal Chan has only been doing the hurdles for a few days, and she won the 300’s and took second in the high hurdles. She is just figuring it out.

Avery Caputo took nearly 11 seconds off his time in the 400 wheelchair race.  

We also had a lot of personal bests in the sprints. That was great to see.

The pieces of the puzzle are starting to take shape. Our kids are working hard and staying focused on end of the year goals.

  • Brock Grosinske
  • Catherine Skindingsrude
  • Cooper Hammond

UW-W Football Reveals 2021 Schedule

By Chris Lindeke
Assistant Athletic Director, Strategic Communications and Branding
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

UW-Whitewater Football Reveals 2021 Schedule

2021 UW-Whitewater Football Schedule

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater football team has announced its 2021 schedule, which kicks off Saturday, Sept. 4, at Perkins Stadium against Carthage.

The Warhawks will play six home games and four away games this fall. Information on renewing and purchasing season tickets and parking will be announced after July 1. Fan protocols, including tailgating policies, will be released in the weeks leading up to the start of the season.

UW-W’s three-game non-conference slate begins against Carthage, which competes in the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin and finished with a 4-6 record in 2019. The Firebirds defeated North Park (Ill.) and Millikin (Ill.) during the spring season. UW-Whitewater will recognize its 2021 senior class prior to kickoff.

The Warhawks travel to Salisbury (Md.) for a non-conference game on Sept. 11. The Sea Gulls reached the quarterfinals of the NCAA Division III Playoffs in 2019 after earning the New Jersey Athletic Conference championship. They defeated Wesley and Christopher Newport in contests this past spring.

UW-Whitewater closes the non-conference schedule Sept. 18 by hosting Berry (Ga.), a 2019 NCAA qualifier out of the Southern Athletic Association. The Vikings finished 9-2 that season and were unbeaten in four 2021 spring games.

Following a bye week, the Warhawks begin the WIAC schedule Oct. 2 at home against UW-Stout for Alumni Day at Perkins Stadium. The team hosts UW-Platteville one week later during UW-W’s annual Family Fest.

After road trips to UW-Oshkosh (Oct. 16) and UW-River Falls (Oct. 23), UW-Whitewater returns to Perkins Stadium Oct. 30 for Homecoming 2021 and Hall of Fame Day against UW-Eau Claire. The Warhawks welcome UW-La Crosse to Whitewater one week later for Shriners Day and Military Appreciation Day.

UW-W closes the regular season Nov. 13 at UW-Stevens Point.

The Warhawks posted a 13-2 record in 2019, claiming a share of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference with a 6-1 league mark and finishing as national runner-up after reaching the Stagg Bowl (NCAA Division III national championship game) for the 10th time in program history.

Whippets Claim #4 Spot on Packers Plays of the Month

Article Submitted by Jason Bleck
Whitewater High School Head Football Coach
jbleck@wwusd.org

Great throw, great catch, great blocking, great play to be a part of! Check it out! Play #4 of the Packers High School Plays of the Month for April belongs to the Whippets!

Huge shoutout to the best NFL team out there, the Green Bay Packers, for their $500 donation to our football team for making the Top 5 plays of the month!  

This was actually a pretty extensive selection process. Of all the plays that were submitted, they narrowed it down to 10, where then a panel of 20 Packers employees voted on their favorites, and the Top 5 plays that received the most votes made the cut! I’m very proud of our team for such an awesome play!

No. 3 UW-Whitewater Baseball Closes Regular Season With Road Win

By Chris Lindeke
Assistant Athletic Director, Strategic Communications and Branding
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Sunday, May 16, 2021

No. 3 UW-Whitewater Baseball Closes Regular Season With Road Win

Box Score

The No. 3 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team capped the 2021 regular season Sunday afternoon with a 7-6 victory in 13 innings at UW-Oshkosh in a non-conference game.

The Warhawks (34-5 overall), who clinched a share of the WIAC regular season championship on Saturday with two wins against UW-Eau Claire, will start the postseason Friday at 10 a.m. with a game against the highest remaining seed following Wednesday’s play-in games.

Catcher Ryan Norton posted the go-ahead hit with two outs in the top of the 13th inning Sunday, plating first baseman Donovan Brandl with a single to right field.

Pitcher Ben Muscatello earned his first win of the year by tossing the final three innings, pitching around a leadoff base hit in the bottom of the 13th to cap the contest.

UW-Whitewater took the early lead on a sacrifice fly by right fielder Jacob DeMeyer and a two-out, two-run double down the right field line by left fielder Matt Korman.

The Titans (20-18) got on the board with one run in the fourth before the Warhawks plated two more in the top of the sixth on two-out, RBI hits from Korman and Brandl.

UW-W tacked on one more in the seventh on a sacrifice fly from second baseman Sam Vomhof before UW-Oshkosh rallied to tie the game with three in the seventh and two in the eighth.

Connor Moroder started the game on the mound for the Warhawks, allowing one run and striking out six over five innings of work. Trey Bretl, Jim Jarecki and Matt O’Sullivan all pitched in relief before Muscatello entered the game to start the bottom of the 11th.

UW-Whitewater will host all games played Friday-Sunday in next week’s WIAC Championship, which is presented by Culver’s.

Warhawk Softball Falls in WIAC Championship Game

By Chris Lindeke
Assistant Athletic Director, Strategic Communications and Branding
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Box Score

WIAC Championship Web Page

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team finished as runner-up in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship Presented by Culver’s with a 4-0 setback at UW-Oshkosh in the third game of a best-of-three series to decide the tournament title.

The Warhawks (29-10 overall) won Saturday’s second game by a 9-0 score in six innings to force Sunday’s contest. UW-W was the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament after sharing the regular season championship with the Titans (24-11).

On Sunday, UW-Whitewater matched UW-Oshkosh with six hits, but was unable to string together a rally after falling behind 2-0 through two innings.

First baseman Kaleigh O’Brien and outfielder Taylor Briehl led the offense with two hits apiece. Outfielder Vera Pflugradt and designated player Sophia Kinjerski each tallied one hit.

Starting pitcher Kate Cleveland took the loss, dropping to 9-4 on the year. Mallory Hollatz, Rhiann Dick and Marissa Adams all pitched in relief.

The NCAA Selection Show is slated for Monday at 12 p.m. on NCAA.com. The Warhawks were first in the most recent NCAA Great Lakes Region rankings.

Warhawk Softball Splits First Two of WIAC Championship Series

By Chris Lindeke
Assistant Athletic Director, Strategic Communications and Branding
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Saturday, May 15, 2021

Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater softball team forced a third and decisive game in the final series of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship Presented by Culver’s Saturday with a 9-0 victory in six innings at UW-Oshkosh.

After a 2-1 setback in the opener, the Warhawks (29-9 overall) posted 14 hits and held the Titans’ offense to two hits in the nightcap.

Catcher Nikki Mikosz led the offense with three hits, including a two-run homer. Outfielder Vera Pflugradt posted two hits, including a home, two runs scored and two runs batted in, and right fielder Taylor Briehl plated a pair of runs.

Third baseman Meg Cohrs tallied two hits, one run scored and one RBI, and shortstop Meghan Dunning recorded one hit and two runs scored. Left fielder Krista Sbarra finished 2-for-3 with one run scored, and first baseman Kaleigh O’Brien plated one run.

Mallory Hollatz pitched all six innings for UW-Whitewater, striking out three to improve to 4-0 for the year. She ran into trouble in the top of the fourth when the Titans (23-11) had runners at second and third with one out and the bases loaded with two outs, but induced a flyout to end the frame.

In the opener, UW-Oshkosh scored on a UW-W error in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead, but Mikosz plated Pflugradt with one out in the sixth to tie the game at 1-1.

The game went to extra innings after neither team pushed a run across in the seventh.

In the eighth, the Warhawks left two runners on base, and UW-Oskhosh scored on a two-out double to snap UW-W’s 12-game winning streak entering the day.

Pitcher Rhiann Dick took the tough luck loss, falling to 7-5 on the season. She struck out three batters and scattered five hits over 7 2/3 innings.

Sunday’s game is scheduled to begin at 12 p.m. in Oshkosh.

No. 3 UW-W Baseball Clinches WIAC Regular Season Title

By Chris Lindeke
Assistant Athletic Director, Strategic Communications and Branding
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score

The No. 3 ranked University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team secured a share of the program’s fourth straight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship and 20th in program history Saturday with back-to-back, run-rule wins over UW-Eau Claire at Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium.

The Warhawks (33-5 overall, 24-4 WIAC), who have earned the No. 2 seed in next week’s WIAC Championship, defeated the Blugolds 12-2 in seven innings in the opener before posting a 14-4 victory in Game 2 in eight innings.

Between games, UW-Whitewater recognized seniors Nick Santoro, Connor Spear, Jason Abatto, Taylor White, Connor Moroder, Ben Wilkins, Tucker Criswell, Jim Jarecki, Matt O’Sullivan and Director of Baseball Operations Ryan Hogan, who all graduated from the institution Saturday.

The Warhawks scored in all six of their at-bats during the first game, including a five-run third inning that included a three-run homer by left fielder Matt Korman.

First baseman Donovan Brandl finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored, while right fielder Jacob DeMeyer collected two hits, one walk, one run scored and two runs batted in. Korman plated four runs.

Criswell and Santoro tallied two hits and one run scored apiece. White homered and posted two hits, one walk, two runs scored and one RBI. Catcher Ryan Norton reached base twice with one hit and one walk and scored two runs, and second baseman Sam Vomhof registered one hit, one walk, one run scored and one RBI.

Starting pitcher Connor Spear struck out five batters over six innings of work to improve to 5-0 on the year. Ben Muscatello tossed a perfect seventh in relief.

In the nightcap, the two teams combined to leave 20 runners on base.

UW-Whitewater scored three in the bottom of the first to take an early advantage thanks to a two-run triple by White and an RBI infield single by Korman, but the Blugolds (5-33, 5-23) drew to within one after plating a pair in the top of the third.

Vomhof and Criswell hit back-to-back triples to open the third, with Criswell coming around to score on a passed ball. In the fourth, DeMeyer smashed a two-run double to left and White added a run-scoring single to right.

UW-Eau Claire threatened again in the sixth with two runs in and the bases loaded, but reliever Max Huseboe pitched out of the jam as UW-W held a 9-4 lead.

In the sixth, first baseman Ben Wilkins knocked a two-run double to left center, and Norton plated Wilkins on a squeeze bunt to make it 12-4.

The Warhawks tallied once in the seventh on a Criswell sacrifice fly, and pinch hitter Connor Moroder ended the game in the eighth by run rule on a single to deep right with the bases loaded.

Brandl (6-1) pitched five innings, scattering five hits and allowing two runs with a pair of strikeouts. Huseboe pitched the sixth, and Kade Lancour added two scoreless frames in relief.

UW-Whitewater concludes the regular season Sunday with a non-conference game at UW-Oshkosh. First pitch is slated for 1 p.m.

UW-Whitewater Golf Finishes 12th at NCAA Championship

By Chris Lindeke
Assistant Athletic Director, Strategic Communications and Branding
University of Wisconsin-Whitewater

Friday, May 14, 2021

UW-Whitewater Golf Finishes 12th at NCAA Championship

Results

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater golf team wrapped up its 2021 season Friday by placing 12th at the 72-hole NCAA Division III Women’s Golf Championship at Forest Akers Golf Course in Lansing, Mich.

The Warhawks moved up one spot on the fourth of four days at the national tournament, recording their best team score of the week to finish with a 1,312 (325-330-336-321), only 10 strokes shy of a top-10 finish.

UW-W also placed 12th at the 2018 national tournament and finished 13th in its most recent appearance in 2019.

Ashton Sinak led the Warhawks with a 322 (82-77-84-79), good for a tie for 31st out of 131 players in the field. Kristin Bowe also submitted a sub-80 score on the final day to place 34th overall with a 323 (83-82-82-76).

CheyAnn Knudsen tied for 65th with her score of 335 (80-87-85-83), and Kelly Storti posted a 344 (92-84-85-83) to finish 78th.

Lily Sheppard carded a 359 (80-99-93-87) to place 80th overall.

Bowe, Knudsen and Storti wrap up their careers after helping UW-Whitewater win four consecutive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships and reach the NCAA Championship three straight times.