Baseball Preview: Stout to host third ranked Warhawks Saturday, Sunday

 UW-Whitewater Live Stats | UW-Whitewater Live Video

THIS WEEK'S GAMES: After a split Wednesday, the Blue Devils (17-18, 5-15 WIAC) host UW-Whitewater (26-7, 14-6 WIAC) in the final games of the season for the Blue Devils. Stout split with UW-Superior Wednesday, while the Warhawks dropped two home games to UW-Stevens Point their last time out. Sunday will also be Senior Day as the Blue Devils recognize seniors Sam Arnott, Kasey Kruse, Jake Lunow, Nick Nalbach, Charlie Meyer, Adam Widder, Jack Schneider and four-year team manager Mike Dykema.

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 Devils return 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

PITCHING STAFF:  Hayden Bowe (4-3 W-L, 2.21 ERA, 69.1 IP, 30K) leads the WIAC in innings pitched and is fourth in ERA. Austin Booher (1-2 W-L, 3.93 ERA, 18.1 IP, 5K) is second in the league in appearances with 14 and is second in the WIAC in saves with four.  Zach Carlson (4-5 W-L, 4.78 ERA, 52.2 IP, 30 K), Drew Worth (4-3 W-L, 5.14 ERA, 42.0 IP, 27K), Patrick Gullickson (2-2, 3.44 ERA, 34.0 IP, 15K) and Kellen Pearson (2-2, 7.36 ERA, 18.2 IP, 10K) have started the majority of the games this season

HITTING THE BALL: Shortstop Nick Nalbach is having his best collegiate season as a starter, hitting .364 (47-129) and is leading the team in RBI with 29. Nalbach has 10 doubles, two triples and a home run, along with five stolen bases. Hunter Dicus is hitting .352 (31-88) in his first season with the Blue Devils. Ryan Conner is hitting .290 (19-65). Jack Schneider is hitting .282 (40-142) with 19 RBI. Brady Burzynski is hitting .275 (33-120) with 14 RBI and 21 stolen bases. Charlie Meyer has 21 RBI. | 2015 Statistics

UW-STOUT LAST TIME OUT:The Blue Devils dropped a 14-inning, 3-2 contest Wednesday in Superior, then came back a 7-inning, 11-1, win over the Yelllowjackets. Jack Schneider was 3-for-5 with five RBI in the second game. | Game Story and Statistics

THIEVERY: Brady Burzynski started off the season with 15 consecutive stolen bases and is currently 21-of-25. Burzynski has stolen more than one base in five games and stole three bases against Hamline University on March 10.  Burzynski recently moved ahead of Andy Koehler (1997) and is tied with Rick Angell (1996) and Tate Cummins (1998) for most stolen bases in a single season. All-American Brad O'Connell holds the school record for most stolen bases in a single season with 26 in 2000.  Burzynski currently has 34 career stolen bases, placing him 11th on the UW-Stout all-time stolen base list. Tate Cummins (1997-99) holds the school record with 44.

WHERE DID HE COME FROM?:   After not making the roster the last two seasons, Josh Halling worked his way into a starting role for the Blue Devils in right field. Halling saw no action in the first game of the season, came in as a pinch hitter in the second game to collect a hit and score a run, and started 15 games. On the season, Halling hit .352 (19-54) with four doubles, two triples, one home run and five RBI. Halling has two stolen bases, including one theft of home. But Halling was lost for the season due to illness.

UW-WHITEWATER BASEBALL: The Warhawks are currently ranked third in the latest ABCA Division III coaches poll and are currently in second place in the WIAC . UW-La Crosse has completed their conference schedule and are on top of the league with a 17-7 WIAC record. The Warhawks come into Menomonie with a 14-6 conference schedule. Because the Warhawks and the Eagles have split their regular season games, in order to overtake the Eagles, Whitewater must sweep all four games from the Blue Devils. But two teams below the Warhawks in the standings are within striking distance of Whitewater. Whitewater and Stevens Point have split this year and the Pointers are 12-8 in the league play, as are the surprising UW-Platteville Pioneers. Whitewater won three of four games over Platteville this season. UW-Oshkosh (10-10) is four games behind Whitewater, but the Warhawks hold the tie-breaker with the Titans by virture of winning three of four.

Casey Power and Steve Chamberlain are at the top of the conference list for batting average, with Power hitting at .411 (51-124) with a team-best 36 RBI and is second on the squad in home runs with four. Chamberlain is hitting .409 (38-93) with 19 RBI. Both have eight stolen bases, and the Warhawks aren't afraid to apply pressure through base stealing. Mikole Pierce has 14 stolen basses, Kyle Haen 13, Daytona Bryden 12 and  Mike Mierow 10. The Warhawks are second behind UW-Oshkosh in stolen bases with 83. Pierce is hitting .390 (46-118) with 35 RBI. Bryden is hitting .356 (36-101), Nick Kuhlmann .352 (25-71) and Mierow .308 (36-117). Mierow and Haen each have 21 RBI. Colin Grove (7-1 W-L, 1.93 ERA, 60.2 IP, 39 K), Lake Bachar (4-1, 2.29, 35.1, 34K), Curtis Morgan (6-0, 4.28, 48.1, 29K) and Heath Renz (1-1, 4.50, 24.0, 29K)  have started the majority of the games on the hill. Mike Nompleggi (3-0, 3.60, 20.0, 18K, 10 appearances) has three saves, while Andrew Lowe (0-1, 0.90, 10.0, 14K) and John Olejnickzak (2-1, 2.25, 28.0, 20K, 12 appearances) have two. | 2015 Whitewater Statistics

LAST TIME STOUT AND WARHAWKS MET: The Warhawks won three of five games last year, including a 15-14, 10-inning win in the opening round of the WIAC tournament. At the conference tournament,  the Blue Devils pounded out a season-high 23 hits, but lost the 10-inning game when the Warhawks' Mike Mierow hit an RBI single with no outs and runners on second and third to give Whitewater the win. |  Games Summary and Statistics

2015 TEAM CAPTAINS: Team captains for the 2015 season are Kasey Kruse, Charlie Meyer and Adam Widder

AWARDS AND HONORS: In four games against nationally ranked UW-Stevens Point, Josh Halling batted .429 (6-14) with three runs batted in, hitting two doubles and a home run and was named the UW-Stout/Northwestern Mutual Athlete of the Week...Hayden Bowe was the UW-Stout/Northwestern Mutual Athlete of the Week after going 2-0 over his first three starts and struck out 13.

COACHES: Toby Gardenhire, (66-88) is in his fourth season with UW-Stout. Gardenhire coached the Blue Devils to a 20-21 record in 2014. In the fall, 2013, Gardenhire played for Germany in the World Baseball Classic. Gardenhire received his bachelor's degree from the University of Illinois in community health in 2005.  UW-Whitewater: John Vodenlich (457-175-1 overall, 428-135-1 Whitewater) is in his 12th season with the Warhawks, his 12th overall.

2014 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. | 2014 Statistics

DOWN THE ROAD: The season concludes.