Baseball Preview: Stout makes one final WIAC trip to Superior today

UW-Superior Live Stats | UW-Superior Live Video

THIS WEEK'S GAMES: The Blue Devils (16-17, 4-14 WIAC) will return to UW-Superior (5-28, 1-17 WIAC), Wednesday, April 29 at 1 p.m, then will host third ranked UW-Whitewater (25-4, 13-3 WIAC), Saturday, May 2 at 12 p.m. and Sunday, May 3 at noon, for the final games of the season.

LAST WEEK: The Blue Devils went 2-4 last week in conference play. The Blue Devils split at UW-Superior, losing the first, 5-0, but coming back for a 1-0 win, April 22. Stout went 1-3 against UW-Oshkosh, April 25-26, winning the first game, 5-2, but dropping the next three, 10-5, 4-2, 8-5.

THE 2015 BLUE DEVILS: UW-Stout returns three of its top-four hitters from last season's squad that reached the WIAC tournament for the first time since 2007 and had the most WIAC wins since 2007. Senior Jack Schneider set a program single-season record with 17 doubles and produced a .346 batting average, while junior Brady Burzynski led the Blue Devils with a .356 batting average. Sophomore Zach Carlson pitched a team-high 61.0 innings a season ago and was sixth in the conference with a 3.54 earned run average. The Blue Devilsreturn their starting catcher, second baseman, shortstop, third baseman and centerfielder, along with a good portion of their starting pitching rotation. Experience the Blue Devils have this year, with 17 returners. | 2015 Statistics

UW-SUPERIOR BASEBALL: UW-Superior had 17 wins a season ago for first-year head coach Nick Bursik, who posted the highest first-year victory total in program archives.  Junior Matt Vold is the leading returning hitter after batting .350 a year ago.  Junior Damian Wiblin is the top returner on the mound after accumulating 52.2 innings pitched, 38 strikeouts and a 5.81 earned run average a season ago.  The Yellowjackets played their first games at home at Ted Whereatt Field this past weekend for the first true home games since 2012. The Yellowjacket athletic program is leaving the WIAC after this year and will join the UMAC.  | 2015 Yellowjacket Statistics

LAST TIME STOUT AND SUPERIOR MET: The teams split last Wednesday, with the Yellowjackets taking a 5-0 series opening win, but Stout took the second game, 1-0. | Game Summary and Statistics