Baseball Preview: Another trip south for Blue Devils, this time to Whitewater

at UW-Whitewater: Live Stats | Live Video

THIS WEEK'S GAMES: UW-Stout (10-5, 5-3 WIAC) were scheduled to host UW-La Crosse April 10, but those games been postponed to Tuesday, April 16 at 1 p.m. Stout was scheduled to venture into the land of the St. Paul Saints when they were to play Hamline University at CHS Field in St. Paul, April 11, but that game has been postponed to April 29. Stout is scheduled to be at UW-Whitewater (12-6, 5-1 WIAC), Saturday, April 13 and Sunday, April 14.  

BLUE DEVIL PREVIEW: UW-Stout's seven WIAC wins a year ago were the most since accumulating 10 victories during the 2014 campaign. The Blue Devils bring back eight starting position players from last season's group, including Jordan Wilson, who led the squad with a .327 batting average, 12 doubles, 34 RBI and 23 runs scored. Jack Donahue had a team-high 60.0 innings pitched, while Brad Rindfleisch was second with a 2.91 earned run average and 33 strikeouts. Stout will return starters at every position except right field. Six seniors - all-conference outfielder Jordan Wilson, catcher Tim Bott, infielder Jared Jarvensivu and pitchers Brad Rindfleisch, Casey Ryan and Jack Donahue - provide a solid group of leaders. | Complete Season Preview. | 2019 Statistics


UW-STOUT LAST TIME OUT:The Blue Devils swept Finlandia University, 9-0, 6-1, 11-1, 11-1. Blue Devil pitchers recorded 42 strikeouts over the weekend.  | Finlandia Day One Game Story and Stats | Finlandia Day Two Game Story and Stats


BLUE DEVIL OFFENSE: Junior first baseman Kasey Bass has been wielding a solid bat this season and, after going 8-of-13 with four RBI against Finlandia University, increased to .415, going 25-for-55 with a team-high 12 RBI and 12 runs scored. Bass has clubbed out eight doubles and two home runs and has a slugging percentage of .709. Bass has also drawn a team-high eight walks and has a team-best on-base percentage of .545. Bass has had at least one hit in 14-of-15 games and has reached base in every game so far this season. Bass is currently second in the WIAC in batting average. Jordan Wilson and Jared Jarvensivu have matched Bass with two home runs. Wilson took advantage of Finlandia to increase his batting average, going 8-of-15, to jump his average to .403. Wilson has six doubles and has a slugging percentage of .597. Wilson has stolen six bases. On the national scene, Bass is currently 27th in batting average, 18th in doubles per game, averaging 0.53, and is 26th nationally in on-base percentage.

BLUE DEVIL PITCHING: Jack Donahue (2-1) leads the WIAC with an ERA of 1.24. The senior has 23 strikeouts over 29.0 innings pitched. Brad Rindfleisch (2-1) is eighth in the league in ERA (3.38) and his 29 strikeouts are ranked seventh in the league over 18.2 innings pitched. Jace Baumann (1-0) has tossed eight innings, all in relief, and has registered 12 Ks, five more than his entire 2018 total of seven when he made seven appearances with 13.2 innings pitched. Baumann earned his first career win in a 2-1 win over UW-Platteville.  Aaron Plotzky (2-1) has made three starts, going 2-1 with nine strikeouts. Cody Urban has made two appearances and is 2-1 with one start. Urban has recorded 14 strikeouts. The Blue Devils have utilized 14 pitchers so far this season. Blue Devil pitchers have recorded 121 strikeouts after 15 games, almost two-thirds of all of last year's 196 total strikeouts. Blue Devil pitchers racked up 42 strikeouts over Finlandia. As a team, the Blue Devil pitching staff is posting an ERA of 3.30, second only to Whitewater. 

WIAC PRESEASON POLL: UW-Stout is picked to finish fifth in the WIAC, according to a preseason poll conducted by the conference. UW-Whitewater was picked to win the conference, followed by UW-Oshkosh, UW-La Crosse, UW-Stevens Point, UW-Stout, UW-Platteville and WIAC newcomer Finlandia University. | Complete WIAC Preview

JARVI GOES YARD: Coming into the season, UW-Stout senior captain Jared Jarvensivu had not hit a collegiate home run. Now, Jarvensivu is tied for the team lead in home runs with two, launched his first collegiate home run when he led off the third inning and sent the ball over the left field fence against Millikin University, March 25, then hit his second round-tripper against Finlandia University, April 6. 


UW-WHITEWATER: The Warhawks currently are on top of the WIAC and are ranked 25th in the latest ABCA Top 25 poll. The Warhawks lead the conference in both team batting average (.310) and team earned run average (3.25). Cal Aldridge returns after leading the conference in batting average and has upped his 2018 mark nine percentage points and is hitting .460 (29-63). Aldridge tops the conference in home runs and has six doubles, along with  a team-high 19 RBI. Aldridge is third nationally in home runs per game (0.39) and fourth in slugging percentage (.887). Aldridge ranks in the top 50 in batting average (22nd), runs per game (1.33, 38th), total home runs (7, 12th), and on-base percentage (.563, 18th). Nick Santoro is hitting .342 (26-76). The Warhawks are 7-1 over their last eight games. Matt O'Sullivan (2-2) has a ERA of 1.99 with 27 strikeouts, Westin Muir (2-0) at an ERA of 2.01 with 27 strikeouts and Michael Kaska (2-2) with an ERA of 2.53 and a league-best 45 strikeouts. 

Whitewater is the choice to win the 2019 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) baseball title based on a preseason poll conducted by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. The Warhawks have collected 18 regular-season conference championships in their history and added five tournament titles. UW-Whitewater entered the 2019 campaign ranked second in the D3baseball.com/National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) Preseason Top 25 and bring back Cal Aldridge, who topped the league with 19 doubles and 15 home runs, while finishing second with a .451 batting average, 69 hits, 53 runs scored and 52 RBI.  Michael Kaska is the reigning WIAC Pitcher of the Year after leading the conference with a 1.41 earned run average and placing second with nine victories. He added 55 strikeouts in 63.2 innings pitched and opponents batted .221 against him. The Warhawks have won at least 30 games in 14 of 15 seasons under head coach John Vodenlich and made NCAA appearances 11 consecutive years.. | 2019 Statistics

THE WARHAWKS LAST TIME OUT:  The Warhawks defeated UW-Platteville, 9-1, 10-3, April 9. Whitewater is scheduled to host St. Norbert College, April 11, but that game has been postponed. In Game 1 against Platteville, Whitewater broke open a close game late with two runs in the eighth inning and four more in the ninth.  Senior Jim Perkins tallied his first win as a Warhawk, allowing only one run over six innings while striking out four. In the second game, Whitewater pounced for three runs in the first, three in the second and three in the fourth. Aldridge registered two hits, three runs scored and one RBI, Santoro contributed two hits, two runs and one RBI, and Moroder finished with two hits and one RBI.  |  UW-Platteville Game Story and Statistics

LAST TIME STOUT AND WHITEWATER MET: The Warhawks took all four games last season. It was a chilly day with temperatures in the mid to high 20s and low 30s as UW-Stout opened the conference portion of the 2018 season at third-ranked UW-Whitewater Saturday. The Warhawks won both contests, 14-4, 11-1, on Prucha Field at Miller Stadium.. | April 7 Story and Statistics | UW-Stout held off third-ranked UW-Whitewater for most of the opener, but the Warhawks bats came alive late in the game, then carried that into the second game of the WIAC doubleheader, downing the Blue Devils, 6-0, 11-4, in the pair of nine innings games Sunday at Prucha Field at Miller Park. | April 8, 2018 Story and Statistics |





2019 TEAM CAPTAINS: Team captains for the 2019 season are seniors Jared Jarvensivu, Jordan Wilson, Jack Donahue and junior Ben Vanhove. Jarvensivu and Wilson are team captains for the second consecutive year..

AWARDS AND HONORS: 2019: Kasey Bass was selected as the UW-Stout/Toppers Athlete of the Week after hitting .615 over four games against Finlandia University...Jordan Wilson was selected as the WIAC athlete of the week after driving in six runs in a sweep over Principia College...2018: Jordan Wilson was a first team all-WIAC selection. Brad Rindfleisch, Kasey Bass, Jon Krueger, and Ben Vanhove were honorable mention selections...Jordan Wilson was the WIAC athlete of the week after his performance against UW-Platteville to close out the season...Brad Rindfleisch was selected the UW-Stout/Toppers Pizza Athlete of the Week, April 17, after throwing eight innings and allowing only one run in an eventual 14-inning loss to UW-Stevens Point, April 11.


COACHES: Ben Kincaid (30-59) is in his third year as the Blue Devils' head coach, following two years as a Blue Devil assistant coach where he worked primarily with the pitchers. Kincaid played collegiately at at Minnesota State University-Mankato, where he was a four year letter winner, playing in 149 games. He finished with a .339 batting average, 38 doubles (5th on MSU's career list), six home runs and 140 runs batted in (6th on MSU's career list). As a righthanded pitcher he sported a 14-8 record with a 3.45 earned run average and had 148 strikeouts in 172 innings pitched. Kincaid was named to the All-Central Region team three times in his career. An Eau Claire native, Kincaide played for the local Eau Claire Express. UW-Whitewater:  John Vodenlich  (569-213-1 (overall) / 540-173-1 (WW) is in his 16th season at the helm of the UW-Whitewater baseball program and his 18th overall. He has taken the Warhawks to heights unreached prior to his arrival on campus. While the Whitewater program has had longstanding success, Vodenlich has set a new standard, turning the Warhawks into a NCAA Division III college baseball power. During Vodenlich's 14 seasons as head coach, the Warhawks have won 10 WIAC championships, qualified for the NCAA Championships 12 times and appeared in the NCAA Division III College World Series six times, including winning the 2014 and 2005 NCAA Division III National Championships.

2018 BLUE DEVILS: Stout finished the 2018 season at 10-27 overall, 7-16 in the WIAC. | 2018 Statistics

DOWN THE ROAD: The Blue Devils are scheduled to travel to UW-La Crosse, Tuesday, April 16, but will be the home team, then travel to UW-Oshkosh, Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20.