There are only 9 days left to sign up for Whitewater Club Baseball! Come be a part of a great program and be exposed to some top competition. Please follow the link to sign up:
Come out on July 24th-25th, and try out for the Whitewater Baseball Club. No experience is needed. The grade for tryouts is based on what grade you are going into this upcoming school year.
Tryout Dates: Wednesday July 24th: 2nd-4th Grade/ 5pm-7pm Thursday July 25th: 5th-8th Grade/ 5pm-7pm Tuesday July 30th: make up date for all ages/ 5pm-6pm
Location: Whitewater High School Baseball & Softball Field
This club is created to help expose youth baseball players to next level competition. The number of teams will be determined by number of players that tryout and their ages. In order to have an opportunity to earn a roster spot on one of these teams you must tryout. If you are unable to make these dates but would like to tryout, please contact coach Hookstead. Only 14 players are allowed per team maximum. If your son makes one of the teams, there is a $350 charge. With this you will receive a jersey, pants, hat, and training that would start in January.
Please contact Coach Michael Hookstead with any questions: mhookstead@wwusd.org (262)893-3580
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Department of Intercollegiate Athletics has announced its 59th Hall of Fame Class.
Former student-athletes Amy Gahl-Sweeney ’09, Suzanne Gersich Huss ’09, Tiffany Morton ’09, Beth Proeber ’06, Jace Rindahl ’10, Jeff Schebler ’10, Cassie Uttech Schroeder ’05, Ricky Spicer, Bob Stone and Bob Wickman will be inducted. Longtime UW-Whitewater Head Men’s Basketball Coach Pat Miller will be inducted under the category of staff/coach, and Warhawk supporter Ray Jacobsen will be inducted for his distinguished service to the institution.
All 12 individuals will be recognized for their contributions to Warhawk Athletics as part of the UW-Whitewater football team’s game against UW-River Falls on Saturday, November 2, at 1 p.m. Inductees will be part of the Homecoming Parade, which begins at 10 a.m., will be honored at halftime of the football game and at the annual Hall of Fame Banquet, which begins following the contest at 4:30 p.m. at the University Center’s Hamilton Room.
More information on the Hall of Fame Banquet, including registration, will be posted in August.
City of Whitewater Parks and Recreation is super excited to partner with Reese Brantmeier to offer a youth summer tennis program to the community. The tennis program starts on July 6th and will run each Saturday until August 3rd at the Whitewater High School tennis courts. There are three different age groups that will have drills and activities tailored to their needs. Age groups include 3-8 year old’s, 9-12 year old’s, and 13-18 year old’s. [Cost is $50 for residents, $62.50 for non-residents.]
Reese Brantmeier is a graduate of Whitewater High School and is continuing to pursue her passion for tennis by playing division 1 college level tennis for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Reese has had many accomplishments in her career, and is also aiming to grow interest in tennis in her hometown community. She has started the Reese Brantmeier Project to help restore two community tennis courts in the city of Whitewater. For more information you can visit her website https://www.reesebrantmeierproject.com
About Whitewater Parks and Recreation: Whitewater Parks and Recreation is committed to providing diverse recreational opportunities for individuals of all ages and abilities in the Whitewater community. Through innovative programming and collaborative partnerships, we strive to promote physical activity, social interaction, and overall well-being.
The Whippet City Mile will once again be run this year fifteen minutes prior to the start of the 4th of July Parade. The race course follows right along the parade route with the starting line located by the corner of Highland and Prince Streets. On-site registration will be available, but runners are encouraged to preregister. Registration forms may be found on the 4th of July website. [Please note that the race is on Thursday. The form erroneously references Tuesday.]
Anyone interested in helping at the on-site registration area or at the finish line should contact Mark Maas at: 970-306-2828. Please leave a message.
Editor’s note: This announcement was submitted by Mark Maas.
Whitewater Youth Baseball Tryouts for the 2025 season will be July 24 and 25! Don’t miss out on the opportunity to be a part of the growing youth baseball program. This is not affiliated with the Park and Rec.
MADISON, Wis.–Three Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference track & field standouts have secured spots in the 2024 U.S. Olympic Track & Field Trials.
University of Wisconsin-La Crosse’s Sam Blaskowski and UW-Oshkosh’s Davian Willems will compete in the 100-meter dash, while UW-Whitewater’s Shelvin Garrett II will participate in the triple jump.
Blaskowski and Willems are the only NCAA Division III individuals of the 34 declared competitors in the event. Both student-athletes qualified for the trials at the UW-La Crosse Eagle Open on May 10. Blaskowski had a time of 10.09 seconds, while Willems posted a time of 10.14 seconds.
Garrett II is one of two NCAA Division III student-athletes participating in the triple jump. He had a leap of 52-4 3/4 (15.97m) at the NCAA Division III Indoor Track & Field Championships on March 9 to qualify for the trials.
The trials will take place June 21-30 at historic Hayward Field on the campus of the University of Oregon and will be available to watch live on NBC, Peacock and USA.
6th-8th grade tackle football and 4th/5th grade hybrid football registration is open. Please visit the Whitewater Parks and Recreation website to register. Click here, then go to Youth Sports / Football.
The Beloit Sky Carp will be hosting John Vodenlich Day Sunday, June 23 at ABC Supply Stadium in Beloit. The day celebrates the accomplishments of Warhawk Head Baseball Coach John Vodenlich and the success of the 2024 UW-Whitewater baseball team.
Join us in celebrating Coach Vodenlich’s 700th win, induction into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and tying the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference record for career wins, as well as the Warhawks’ phenomenal 2024 campaign that featured WIAC regular season and tournament titles, NCAA regional and super regional championships and a run to the national championship series. Purchase tickets here!
The Beloit Sky Carp and UW-Whitewater will recognize the fantastic accomplishments of Coach Vodenlich and Warhawk Baseball at their game against the Lansing Lugnuts on June 23. First pitch is slated for 1:05 p.m.
Coach Vodenlich and members of the 2024 squad will be on site with the national runner-up trophy. Coach Vodenlich set to throw out the ceremonial first pitch.
Andy Thies and Sam Paden celebrate after Thies’ homerun in game one (Credit: Ryan Coleman, d3photography)
UW-Whitewater team photo taken at the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship (Credit: NCAA)
By Angela Kelm| Asst. Athletic Director for Sports Information
Eastlake, Ohio – The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater wrapped up the 2024 campaign as the NCAA Division III runners-up after splitting a doubleheader with Misericordia Thursday afternoon in Eastlake, Ohio. The Warhawks forced a decisive third game in the NCAA Division III Championship Series with a high-scoring 16-10 win in game one. Misericordia came back to defeat the Warhawks in game two 10-5.
Championship Thursday was an offensive onslaught – UW-Whitewater was firing on all cylinders in game one while the Cougars took over early in game two. The Warhawks blasted 19 hits including 5 homeruns in the opener. Misericordia outhit UWW 14-11 in game two.
Michael Hilker Jr. got the ball in the first game of the day and the offense had his back from the get-go. Aaron Holland tagged the second ball he saw in the bottom of the first for a 1-0 lead. The Cougars came back to knot the game 1-1 in the top of the second, but the UWW offense was just getting started.
The Warhawks quieted a raucous Cougar fan base with a five-run second. The bottom of the frame saw a pair of RBI singles plate three runs before Eli Frank blistered a two-run blast to give UWW a 6-1 advantage. One of those singles was a hard shot into the right center gap by Matt Scolan. He recorded his 74th RBI of the season on that hit, breaking the UW-Whitewater program record for runs batted in during a season.
Andy Thies registered back-to-back jacks in his next two at bats. His first of the game came on the first pitch of his third inning at bat. In the fifth, he laced a no-doubter that easily cleared a 20-foot-high billboard behind the right center wall to extend the margin to 8-1.
Scolan got in on the long ball action later in the fifth with a three-run four-bagger. UWW added a single run on a groundout in the bottom of the sixth to make it 12-1.
Misericordia chipped away, plating three in the seventh and four in the eighth, mostly off of base knocks, to cut the lead to 12-8.
The Warhawk offense continued to surge and responded in the bottom of the eighth to give UW-Whitewater a cushion heading into the ninth. Dominick McVay plated the first run on a single through the right side. Two batters later, Holland tallied another base hit with a RBI single to right field. Scolan sent a deep fly ball to center for a sacrifice fly in the next at bat to push the lead back to eight, 16-8.
The Cougars were able to bring in two in the ninth, but the Warhawks got out of the jam to force a decisive third game in the best-of-three series.
Thies led the potent offensive effort with a 4-for-4 game at the plate adding four runs scored and a pair of RBI on his two solo homers. Scolan was 4-5 at the dish with a game-high six runs batted in.
Hilker Jr. claimed the win on the mound fanning five while allowing four runs in six innings of work. He capped the 2024 campaign with a 9-2 record. Relievers Sava Dupor, Ethan Wickman, Logan Eisenbarth and Jack Hagen combined to finish out the game for UWW.
Game two was a much different story with a rare 1-2-3 inning against the Warhawk offense sparking the Misericordia faithful in the stands. In the bottom of the first frame, the Cougars capitalized on early free bases before the bats heated up to the tune of seven runs on six hits including four doubles.
Misericordia added two more in the third courtesy of a pair of hits and a UWW miscue for a 9-0 advantage.
UW-Whitewater got on the board in the top of the fourth. Frank opened the inning with a single through the left side. Adam Cootway made it back-to-back base hits with a single to third. Following a fielder’s choice, Thies continued his phenomenal day at the plate with a double to right center that brought in UWW’s first run. Sam Paden plated the second run of the frame on a groundout in the next at bat.
The Cougars pushed their advantage back to eight with a single run in the bottom of the fifth. A leadoff single was followed by a sacrifice bunt and a pair of balks for the score.
The Warhawks cut the margin to five with three runs in the eighth. Cootway and Danny Hopper both scored on throwing errors by the Cougar catcher. Thies came around to score on Paden’s double down the right field line to make the score 10-5.
Cootway bolstered the offense in game two, going 3-for-4 at the plate with a run scored. Thies ended his day perfect in the batter’s box adding 2-for-2 in game two to his 4-for-4 in game one.
Cade Berendt suffered the loss to move to 7-2 on the season. Jack Hagen, Max Huseboe, Dupor and Hopper saw time on the mound in relief in the championship game.
Five Warhawks represented UW-Whitewater on the 2024 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship All-Tournament Team. Bennett Frazer, Hopper, Paden, Scolan and Cootway combined for 59 hits including 5 doubles, 1 triple and 7 homeruns. The five added 33 combined runs and 36 runs batted in over the course of the eight-game championship.
The nation’s top offense was on full display at the 2024 championship as the Warhawks belted 95 hits including 29 that went for extra bases. UW-Whitewater blasted 15 homeruns including two five-homer games – both are second-most in championship history. UWW’s seven homeruns in the final three-game series including the five-homer outing in Thursday’s opener are both championship series records.
The 2024 Warhawks tied the program record for wins in a season with a 45-12 record. UW-Whitewater also set program single season records in games played, hits, runs batted in, runs, total bases and strikeouts. The squad won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season title for the 22nd time in program history, the league tournament title for 8th time and were NCAA Division III Regional and Super Regional champions this season.
With the victory in game one, Head Coach John Vodenlich tied the WIAC record for most wins with 728. Coach Vodenlich holds an overall record of 728-229-1 in 21 seasons at the helm for UW-Whitewater.
