Sports

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team advances to the Regional Final in Adrian, Michigan with a walk-off win against Washington University in St. Louis on Saturday evening.

Dominik McVay (Mineral Point, Wis./Mineral Point) sent Darryl Jackson (Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King) into score on a walk-off RBI double in the bottom of the 11th to give the Warhawks the 4-3 win in a defensive battle. Between the two teams, there were seven double plays throughout the game

Throughout the first two innings, both teams were able to get runners on, but the defense on both sides kept the runs off the board. The Warhawks finally broke through in the bottom of the third. Adam Cootway (DePere, Wis./Fox Valley Lutheran) hit a two-RBI, with Danny Hopper (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) cleaning him up with a RBI single. 

The Warhawk defense and pitching protected the 3-run lead until the 6th inning. WashU loaded up the bases, scoring a two-RBI double with one out. The Warhawks got out of the inning with a double play to maintain their advantage.

Heading into the ninth, the Warhawks were still up 3-2 with Logan Eisenbarth (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) getting the call to pitch the final three outs. The Bears only needed one swing, tying the game up with a solo home run in the top of the 9th. 

The game headed into extra-innings, with both teams not allowing a single base-runner for 12 straight outs. 

In the bottom of the 11th, Darryl Jackson (Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King) drew a five-pitch walk to become the first base runner. That was all the Warhawks needed, with Dominik McVay (Mineral Point, Wis./Mineral Point) sending a double over the right fielder’s head that allowed Jackson to score the winning run.

Eisenbarth earned his second win in as many days, improving to 7-0 on the season. Eisenbarth allowed the tying run but then pitched 2.2 innings of hit-less baseball in extra innings. 

The Warhawks will advance to the regional final, taking on the winner in the Saturday night-cap of Adrian and WashU. First pitch is scheduled for 10 AM (CDT) in Adrian. The game will be streamed on ncaa.com.

Cleveland, OH — The UW-Whitewater softball team topped host Case Western Reserve 7-6 in an eight inning thriller Friday to advance to the Regional Championship game. The Warhawks’ opponent for the title game will be determined upon completion of Friday’s slate of games.  [The Warhawks will be playing Case Western Reserve again on Saturday at 10 a.m. They will play Case again at 12:30 p.m. “if necessary,” which appears to be if the Warhawks lose the 10 a.m. game.] It should be possible to watch the game(s) here.

UWW showcased grit and determination in the complete team win over the Spartans. However, the start to the game was one no fans of either team saw coming. After a three-up, three-down top of the first for the Warhawks (UWW was the home team via coin flip), the bottom of the frame showcased UW-Whitewater’s discipline at the plate against a rise ball pitcher. Five Warhawks reached on free passes – four by walk and one via hit-by-pitch. Meanwhile, Dani Peshia (Newark, Ill./Newark Community) singled to center field for the lone hit of the inning. All together three Warhawks touched home in the first for the 3-0 lead and before the inning was complete, UWW had chased the Spartans’ ace from the circle. 

Case Western Reserve struck back, taking advantage of the tight zone and scoring two runs with the help of four walks in the top of the second to narrow the gap to 3-2. After 1.5 innings, nine free passes had been issued and the teams had just one hit combined while five runs had been tallied. 

The Spartans captured their first, and only lead of the game, in the top of the third. Two singles, an error, a walk and a stolen base set up and plated the pair of runs for CWRU. The lead was short-lived as the Warhawks had an immediate response. 

In the bottom of the third, Grace Wickman (Wausaukee, Wis./Peshtigo) led off with a walk. With two outs, Claire Kohnle (Tisch Mills, Wis./Kewaunee) watched four straight balls and headed down to first and Wickman advanced into scoring position. Taylor Koehler (Wauconda, Ill./Wauconda) was tapped for the pinch hit. The powerful lefty sent a blast to the wall in right center for a two-RBI double. Kaitlyn Weidemann (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) followed with a hit that fell in the Bermuda Triangle just inside the foul line in shallow right field. The base knock allowed Koehler to book it around third and slide safely into home for the 6-4 UWW lead. 

The Spartans threatened in the top of the next inning with a speedy runner on when Kohnle made arguably the greatest catch of the season for UWW. A deep fly ball had the left fielder sprinting back toward the warning track. On the run, Kohnle reached up for an over-the-shoulder catch and as the ball hit her glove, she hit the wall. The ball was jarred loose but Kohnle used her free hand to reign it in before hitting the ground. Kohnle held up the ball as the umpires signaled for a catch to end the inning. 

The 6-4 advantage for UW-Whitewater held until the top of the seventh. The Spartans were down to their last out when a double plated two and then the CWRU defense held to send the game into extras. 

Case Western’s leadoff reached on a miscue and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, but Josie Hammen (Combined Locks, Wis./Kimberly) got out of the jam with a fly out and a pop out to bring up the Warhawk bats. 

Emma Giese (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail) battled for a walk on a full count to open the bottom of the eighth and the speedy Belle Lapacek (Downers Grove, Ill./South) took over on the basepaths. Wickman laid down a perfectly placed bunt for the sacrifice to move Lapacek into scoring position. Peshia tagged a rocket to center field that caromed off the jumping centerfielder’s glove. Lapacek had to wait to make sure the ball was down and was held up at third as Peshia legged out the double. Auburn Roberson (South Elgin, Ill./St. Charles North) connected on the very next pitch with a liner to center for the walkoff single. 

All in all, the teams combined for 14 hits and 17 walks. Peshia was 3-5 at the dish while Roberson tallied two RBI. 

Rhiann Dick (Palatine, Ill./Palatine) and Brooke Hock (Green Bay, Wis./Preble) combined for the first six innings of work in the circle. Hammen came in for the final two innings to register the win and move to 17-2 on the day. 

Adrian, Mich. – The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team survived Adrian College in the opening game of the NCAA DIII Regional Tournament. 

The Warhawks got off to a slow start offensively, recording only one hit the first time through the order. 

Adrian went the first two innings without allowing a single Warhawk base runner. The momentum of shutting out UWW carried into an RBI double for the Bulldogs to open up the scoring in the top of the 3rd. 

The Warhawks recorded their first hit in the bottom of the third, as Jackson hit a single. A double play ended the inning though, keeping the advantage on Adrian’s side.

The Warhawks were held without a runner again in the fourth, but the Warhawks finally added a run to the board with Sam Paden (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) hitting a sacrifice fly to tie the game. With two outs, Darryl Jackson (Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King) hit his two-run home run to left field, putting the Warhawks up 3-1 and sparking some life into the batting.

Adrian tied the game back in the 6th and kept the top of the Warhawk order off the base path. Logan Eisenbarth (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) did his work on the mound, not allowing Adrian to expand on their hitting momentum. 

The Warhawks grabbed the lead after Andy Thies (Tallahassee, Fla./Lawton Chiles) led off the bottom of the 7th with a solo home run. Thies’s home run started a 7th inning rally, scoring four runs for the Warhawks. Paden put another sacrifice fly in play, with Darryl Jackson (Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King) and Dominik McVay (Mineral Point, Wis./Mineral Point) hitting back-to-back RBI doubles to put the Warhawks up 7-3.

Another three-up-three-down inning for Eisenbarth allowed another rally for the Warhawks in the eighth. Eli Frank (Bayport, Wis./Bay Port) hit an RBI single to give the Warhawks a five run lead. 

Heading into the ninth, Adrian kept their chances alive by loading up the bases. But Brady Malkow (Brodhead, Wis./Brodhead) grabbed the last three outs of the inning, securing the win for the Warhawks & getting his first save of the season. 

On the mound, Logan Eisenbarth (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) was credited with the win, going 2.2 innings without allowing a single hit. Malkow got the save with only one hit in the last inning while striking out one.

The Warhawks will face WashU tomorrow for the second game of the Regional tournament. First pitch is set for 1:30 PM (CDT) in Adrian, Michigan.  The livestream may be viewed here.

Cleveland, OH — The UW-Whitewater softball team opened the 2025 NCAA Regional hosted by Case Western in spectacular fashion Thursday. Josie Hammen (Combined Locks, Wis./Kimberly) tossed the first no-hitter in NCAA play in league history as the Warhawks topped Penn College of Technology 5-0. 

The day didn’t start off as planned as a rainstorm popped up in the middle of warmups causing a delay. The Warhawks headed to a locker room to wait out the next two hours before heading back to field to re-warmup. The delay didn’t seem to have an impact as the Warhawks took an early lead and Hammen shutdown the Wildcats. 

JJ Jakosalem (Buffalo Grove, Ill./Buffalo Grove) took one for the team to lead off the bottom of the third. Kaitlyn Weidemann (Gurnee, Ill./Warren Township) laid down a nifty bunt and legged out the infield single followed by a walk from Bella Eggert (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North) to load the bases. Kiarra Kostroski (Fort Atkinson, Wis./Fort Atkinson) put the ball in play and forced a miscue to push the first run across. Emma Giese (Kenosha, Wis./Indian Trail) found the 5-6 hole beating the diving shortstop for a RBI single. Grace Wickman (Wausaukee, Wis./Peshtigo) scored another on a grounder before Dani Peshia (Newark, Ill./Newark Community) tagged a ball up the middle. The second baseman made a diving stop but Peshia got the infield single and an RBI for a 4-0 lead. Auburn Roberson (South Elgin, Ill./St. Charles North) plated the final run of the inning, and the game, on a grounder that the shortstop made a diving play on. Despite the great defensive effort, Giese was able to score from third and give UWW a 5-0 advantage.

The top of the fourth saw the lone Wildcat batter reach on a walk. Hammen threw to just one over the minimum, one batter away from the perfect game. 

The no-hitter is the first of Hammen’s collegiate career, the first seven-inning no-hitter for UW-Whitewater since 2017, and the first no-hitter by any WIAC pitcher in the NCAA tournament in conference history. 

The Warhawks advance to face Case Western Reserve, which beat Lebanon Valley 10-2 in five innings on Thursday. and Lebanon Valley tomorrow (Friday) at 10 AM CDT. All games of the Cleveland regional can be viewed live on NCAA Champs Pass. 

MADISON, Wis.–University of Wisconsin-Whitewater’s Matt Scolan has been named the recipient of the 2025 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Baseball Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete Award.
 
A senior from Downers Grove, Ill. (South), Scolan is majoring in finance and sustains a 3.81 grade point average. He was selected the 2024 NCAA Division III Baseball Academic All-America® of the Year, selected by the College Sports Communicators. Scolan is a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll and been recognized on UW-Whitewater’s Dean’s List numerous semesters. He was a UW-Whitewater Chancellor Scholar Athlete this year.
 
Scolan was tabbed the WIAC Kwik Trip Position Player of the Year this season and received the award for the second consecutive year. He is a three-time All-WIAC first team selection helped UW-Whitewater win four conference titles and three tournament championships in his career. Scolan received All-America First Team honors a year ago from the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and D3baseball.com. He is a two-time ABCA All-Region honoree, claiming third team recognition in 2023 and first team accolades in 2024.
 
Scolan owns the conference career record in runs scored, and holds the program record for career at-bats, hits, and home runs. In 2024, he set single-season program marks with 228 at-bats, 81 runs scored, 92 hits and 78 RBI.
 
Scolan has provided community service at Helping Hand in Illinois. 
 
Also nominated for this year’s scholar-athlete award were: UW-La Crosse’s Tucker Bouche (Sr., Oconto Falls, Wis./Oconto Falls); UW-Oshkosh’s Mason Kirchberg (Sr., DeForest, Wis. /DeForest); UW-Platteville’s Brady Hoppert (Sr., New Berlin, Wis./Martin Luther); UW-Stevens Point’s Colton Martell (Sr., Sussex, Wis./Hamilton); and UW-Stout’s Justin Sedin (Sr., Poplar, Wis./Northwestern).
 
The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is named after Max Sparger, who served as commissioner of the Wisconsin State University Conference for 22 years from 1971-93. He oversaw the transition of the conference from NAIA to full NCAA membership. Sparger arrived at UW-Stout in 1959 and served the institution in a variety of capacities, including an assistant football and basketball coach, head wrestling coach and head football coach. He served as UW-Stout’s athletics director from 1969-71 and was inducted into the WIAC Hall of Fame in 2012.
 
In order to be nominated for the scholar-athlete award, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.50 grade point average. In addition, he must be in his last year of competition, or on schedule to graduate this academic year, and have competed for a minimum of two years. The award is based on academic achievements, athletics accomplishments and involvement in other campus activities, organizations and community service projects.

Editor’s note: Source – WIAC website

Update 5/14/25 @ 11 p.m.: UW-W Women’s Softball has its first game in the championship on Thursday, May 15 at 10 a.m. CDT. They play Penn College and livestream may be found here.

The Warhawk softball team, will make its third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Division III Softball Tournament starting Thursday, May 15, in Cleveland, Ohio.

UW-Whitewater (35-6 overall) will make its 25th appearance in the national tournament as an NCAA Division III member. The team takes on Penn College in its first game on Thursday, May 15, at 10 a.m. Central Time at the four-team Cleveland regional, which is being hosted by Case Western Reserve University.

The Warhawks claimed an at-large bid to the tournament after winning the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship for the third time in the last five years. UW-Whitewater reached the semifinals of the conference tournament last week in Whitewater.

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater club softball team earned the 2025 National Club Softball Association Division II national championship — the program’s second consecutive title — after winning the World Series last weekend in Cranberry, Pennsylvania.

The Warhawks topped High Point University on Sunday, May 11, by a 5-1 score in the World Series final to clinch back-to-back championships and the second title in program history.

UW-Whitewater finished 3-0 in pool play before winning consecutive games in bracket play to capture the championship. The team qualified for the World Series after winning the NCSA Division II District IV Regional in Elkhart, Indiana, topping Northern Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, St. Thomas, and Michigan Tech to punch its ticket to Pennsylvania.

UW-Whitewater is home to more than 30 individual club sport programs. Warhawk teams have combined to earn 32 national championships in the university’s history. For more information on club sports at UW-Whitewater, visit uww.edu/rec-sports/club-sports.

The 2025 NCAA DIII baseball championship saw its 64-team field revealed via a selection show on May 12 on NCAA.com. The tournament begins May 16 with the regional round and concludes June 5 at Classic Auto Group Park in Eastlake, Ohio. 

In 2025, the tournament will feature 64 teams competing across 16 regional brackets, each consisting of four teams in a double-elimination format.

Misericordia came out on top in the 2024 NCAA DIII baseball championship, defeating Wisconsin-Whitewater for the title.

The regionals will be played May 16-18. The bracket is not reproducing well. UW-W is playing at Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan. The other teams playing there are WashU and Ohio Northern.

11-inning Thriller in Game 1 swings momentum into Game 2 for an 11-4 win

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team secured their 9th tournament title in program history with a win over UW-Oshkosh in the 2025 WIAC Baseball Championship. After forcing a decisive game two in an 11-inning thriller, the Warhawks kept the momentum in their favor to cruise to an 11-4 win to claim the crown. 

The Warhawks batted first in game one, coming out of the elimination side of the WIAC Tournament bracket. Aaron Holland (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) led off the inning with a single, and scored the first run with the help of a few errors by the Titan defense.

UW-Oshkosh took the lead with a 2-RBI double in the bottom of the second, and kept the Warhawks from rounding in the next two frames. The third and fourth innings both ended with a “double” play, a 643 and then strike-them-out-throw-them-out.

UW-Oshkosh extended their lead in the 5th, hitting a solo shot to take a 3-1 lead. But Andy Thies (Tallahassee, Fla./Lawton Chiles) answered back to cut the lead back to one with his own solo jack in the top of the 7th. 

The Warhawk defense and pitching kept working through the Titan order to keep the game close, it finally paid off with Sam Paden (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) hitting the tying single in the top of the 9th with two outs.

In the bottom of the 9th, UW-Oshkosh had runners in scoring position with one out, but Brandon Brust (The Woodlands, Tex./The Woodlands) got the Warhawks out of the jam, with a swinging strikeout and a weak pop-up. 

Both teams were held without a run in the first extra inning. The Warhawks were thrown out at home, to keep the game tied at 3-a-piece.

The Warhawks broke the tie in the top of the 11th, with Paden scoring two on a single. Dominik McVay (Mineral Point, Wis./Mineral Point) added an insurance run with two outs to put the Warhawks up 6-3.

Logan Eisenbarth (Barrington, Ill./Barrington) secured the save grabbing a quick two outs. The Titans managed two bases runners, but were stranded after a pop up to end the game.

In game two, the Warhawks switched back to the home team and a three-up-three-down sent the Warhawks to the bottom of the first quickly. UWW loaded up the bags, but the Titans ended the inning without a run.

The Warhawks took the first lead of the game with an Adam Cootway (DePere, Wis./Fox Valley Lutheran) solo home run in the bottom of the third. The Warhawk defense kept UW-Oshkosh in check as well, not allowing more than one base runner through six innings. 

A rally in the bottom of the 6th kept swinging the Warhawks forward. The Warhawks scored six runs, all coming from two-RBI doubles from Holland, Eli Frank (Bayport, Wis./Bay Port), and then Cootway to put the Warhawks up 7-0.

UW-Oshkosh ended the shutout in the seventh, with two out singles to score two runners. 

The Warhawks answered back quickly though, Darryl Jackson (Milwaukee, Wis./Rufus King) scored from first with help from a single by Dominik McVay (Mineral Point, Wis./Mineral Point) and an error in the outfield. Aaron Holland (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) hit another homer to break the double digit mark on the scoreboard. 

Jack Hagen (San Clemente, Cal./San Clemente) finished the last three innings on the mound for the save, with George Hansen (Superior, Wis./Superior) earning the win after pitching the first six innings. 

The NCAA Selection show is scheduled for Monday, May 12th. The Warhawks will find out their placement in the NCAA Tournament during the selection show.