Baseball

JACKSONVILLE, Ill. — The University of Chicago baseball team rallied for four runs in the fifth inning Saturday to take the lead and went on to an 8-3 nonconference victory over Lawrence University.

Chicago (1-0) grabbed a 5-2 lead after five innings and then added three more runs in the sixth to take control.

Nicholas Toomey went 3-for-5 and drove in three runs for Chicago. Brenton Villasenor allowed two runs over five innings to get the win.

Kyle Duex made the start for Lawrence and allowed eight runs, only three earned, in 5.2 innings and took the loss.

Ryan Krob delivered the key blow in the fifth inning with a three-run double to put Chicago up 4-2. He later scored on a ground out for a 5-2 edge.

Toomey then belted a two-run double to key a three-run sixth inning as the Maroons grabbed an 8-2 edge.

The Vikings grabbed a 2-1 lead with single runs in the third and fourth. Rudy Mueller-Schrader reached on an infield single in the third and later scored on Reno Zemrak’s ground out. The Vikings manufactured a run in the fourth when Matt Holliday reached on an error and later scored on Mueller-Schrader’s sacrifice fly.

Box score

APPLETON, Wis. — Don’t be fooled by the Lawrence University baseball roster and its 20 players. While the contingent is small, these Vikings are talented, versatile and can really swing the lumber.

The Vikings return seven position starters and four experienced pitchers from a season ago. Lawrence opens its season with four games this weekend on the turf in Jacksonville, Ill.

“We’re athletic and we can hit,” said Lawrence coach Jason Anderson, who was quick to praise his team’s attitude and work ethic. “Our leadership from our captains (Brandon Klar, Kyle Duex, Travis Weber) has been unbelievable. We’re in great shape. We’re focused. We’re excited to be at the ballpark. Frankly, this is one of the more fun groups I’ve coached, and we haven’t played a game yet.”

Lawrence returners are paced by junior Matt Holliday and sophomore Nolan Spencer, both 2016 All-Midwest Conference selections. Holliday, who will start at first when he’s not pitching, hit .412 last season with seven doubles, a triple, two homers and 17 runs batted in. He also went 4-1 on the hill with a 3.56 earned run average.

“Holliday has a chance to be one of the best hitters ever here,” Anderson said. “I expect him to keep doing his thing. He looks the same, if not better, going into this season.”

Spencer hit a team-high .413 last season with three doubles, two triples, 21 runs scored, 15 RBIs and 16 stolen bases while playing shortstop. He was the first Lawrence freshman to lead the team in hitting and bat .400 since Chris LeFever hit .400 in 1990.

Other starters back from a team that hit .302 last season are catcher Travis Weber (.336 BA, 24 RBIs), outfielder/pitcher Zach Rabideau (.337, 13 RBIs), center fielder Andrew Lauber (.331, 29 RBIs), utility man Anthony Ortiz (.243, 11 RBIs) and second baseman Brandon Klar (.216). Add to the mix junior first baseman Cole Erickson (.284, 14 RBIs), who started 20 games a season ago.

“This team can hit, for sure,” Anderson said. “We’re pretty athletic. We will be able to run the bases pretty well. We’ll see if we can make the routine play and lower the number of walks we give up.”

In that group of starters, only Klar is a senior.

“We are very experienced even though we are very young. The majority of guys who are going to play are juniors and sophomores,” Anderson said.

Spencer and Lauber were sensational as rookies, and Anderson believes this group of freshmen is just as gifted. Catchers Tony Caputa, Ethan Jones and Patrick McDonnell, first baseman Rudy Mueller-Schrader, infielder Mike Brady and utility man Reno Zemrak are all freshmen who could have an immediate impact.

“This could be one of the most talented freshmen classes I’ve had,” Anderson said.

The pitching staff is led by Holliday and juniors Kyle Duex, who had a breakout season in 2016, Rabideau and Craig Batchelor. Duex, who won a pair of games last season, is strictly a pitcher this spring after catching in his first two seasons.

Brady and another newcomer, Brad Olson, will vie for starting roles, and rookies Caputa and Jones figure to be key contributors in the bullpen.

“Even though we only have 20 guys on the roster, we have 14 pitchers,” Anderson said.

APPLETON, Wis. — The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Baseball Championship will end its spectacular two-decade run in the Fox Cities following the 2018 tournament, hosts of the event announced on Thursday (Oct. 20).

A change in scheduling by the NCAA and the unavailability of a host facility starting with the 2019 championship has forced the partnership of Lawrence University, the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh and the Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau to bow out as hosts and prevent the three entities from bidding for future hosting opportunities.

“The Division III baseball championship will undergo a major structural change in 2019 and mirror a format that is currently used at the Division I and II levels of baseball and all levels of softball,” said UW-Oshkosh Sports Information Director Kennan Timm, co-chair of the event’s local organizing committee.

The championship, which currently runs over a five- to six-day period that begins the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, is being pushed back one week into June to accommodate another round of games (Super Regionals).

“The alteration,” Timm said, “prohibits the use of Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium for the eight-team finals as the tournament’s schedule is not compatible with the Timber Rattlers’ schedule and the facility’s prior commitments.”

Wisconsin Timber Rattlers President Rob Zerjav said hosting the NCAA Division III Championship into early and mid-June forces the Timber Rattlers to possibly be on the road for an extended period of time.

The Division III championship first came to Appleton in 2000 through the efforts of several people, including Timm, former UW-Oshkosh Director of Athletics Allen Ackerman, former UW-Oshkosh head baseball coach Tom Lechnir, Mike Birling of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers, Kevin Doyle of The Appleton Post-Crescent, Larry Trucco of the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel, and Jay Olson and Valerie Wylie of the Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau.

“Hosting the NCAA Division III Baseball Championships in the Fox Cities has been a tremendous honor,” said Matt Ten Haken, Director of Sports Marketing for the Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau and co-chair of the Local Organizing Committee. “This event has put our community on the map nationally as a baseball hotbed. We look forward to hosting two more great championships in 2017 and 2018 and then hosting other prestigious events in the years to come.”

In what has been an outstanding partnership of public and private colleges, Lawrence University became a co-host of the championship in 2003, and the Fox Cities Convention and Visitors Bureau became another host partner in 2008.

The three hosts have combined to make this one of the finest championships in all of NCAA Division III. Beginning with the efforts of the local organizing committee, the event continually added new pieces to improve the experience for student-athletes and fans.

“Over our 17 years of hosting, we have helped shape this championship event,” said Christyn Abaray, Lawrence University Director of Athletics and co-chair of the Local Organizing Committee. “We are extremely proud of our community – all of the organizations, companies and volunteers who make the championship as meaningful as it is. While a change of venue for the championship provides another great opportunity for Division III baseball, we are sad to see the event leave the Fox Cities.”

With support coming from local sponsors, including the J. J. Keller Foundation, Bergstrom Corporation, Radisson Paper Valley Hotel, Panther Baseball and The Appleton Post-Crescent, praise for the experience in Appleton is a common yearly occurrence.

Included in that experience is the use of the superlative practice facility at Appleton Legion Post 38 with legendary baseball man Don Hawkins interacting with visiting teams and grooming the field named in his honor.

The efforts of numerous local committee members, both former and present, have also made the event grow in prestige and popularity. The considerable contributions of former Local Organizing Committee chairs Gary Kilgas and Mike Szkodzinski; team hosts Dean Moede, Kathy Sagehorn and Mark Shropshire; Korey Krueger of Panther Baseball; Nancy Hollis and Jay Schumerth of the Radisson Paper Valley Hotel; Zerjav and Aaron Hahn of the Wisconsin Timber Rattlers enhanced the championship tremendously.

All of these factors have made the phrase “The Road to Appleton” part of the Division III baseball lexicon.

“We have thoroughly enjoyed our relationship with the NCAA as host of the Division III Baseball Championship since 2000,” Abaray said. “It is a productive partnership in which we’ve been able to provide a quality and memorable experience for the participating student-athletes, coaches and patrons, all while showcasing what the Fox Cities have to offer.”

Appleton is the fifth location to host the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship, and its 19-year run is by far the longest. Marietta, Ohio, hosted the first 10 championships, followed by Bristol, Conn. (two years) and Battle Creek, Mich., and Salem, Va., hosted for five years apiece. The 19-year run will be the fourth-longest tenure of an NCAA championship at one site. The Division I Baseball Championship has been in Omaha, Neb., since 1950, the Division I Softball Championship has been contested in Oklahoma City, Okla., since 1990 and the Division III football championship game (the Stagg Bowl) has been in Salem, Va., since 1993.

Fox Cities Stadium has seen the most well-attended game and finals in Division III baseball history. In 2003, the finals record of 29,543 and single-game mark of 3,868 (UW-Oshkosh vs. Chapman University) were set. Over the past 17 championships held in Appleton, 55 different schools have made an appearance at Fox Cities Stadium. The most frequent visitor is the State University of New York at Cortland, which has played in Appleton 10 times and won the title in 2015. Marietta College has won the most titles in Appleton by taking the crown three times (2006, 2011, 2012).

“We are all proud of what we have accomplished the past 17 years and look forward to embracing the championship with great enthusiasm in 2017 and 2018,” Timm said. “Our goal has always been to provide an extremely positive championship experience, an ever-lasting memory, and a favorable impression of the Fox Valley and the state of Wisconsin to our visitors.”

APPLETON, Wis. — The Lawrence University baseball Alumni Game has been moved to a 10:30 a.m. start on Saturday at Whiting Field.

The Alumni Game is part of a day of Fall Festival activities on the Lawrence campus. Two other alumni games will played as well on Saturday. The volleyball team has its Alumni Game at 9 a.m., and the softball team takes the field for its game at 11 a.m.

The Lawrence volleyball team opens the varsity competition on Saturday with a 1 p.m. Midwest Conference match with Ripon College. Football kicks off the Hall of Fame Game at 5 p.m. vs. St. Norbert College on Ron Roberts Field at the Banta Bowl.

APPLETON, Wis. — Lawrence University baseball standouts Matt Holliday and Nolan Spencer have been selected for the All-Midwest Conference team in a vote of league coaches.

Holliday (Hong Kong/International) and Spencer (Elmhurst, Ill./York) were both chosen for the North Division team.

Holliday, a sophomore, was chosen for the team for the second consecutive year. An infielder and pitcher, Holliday hit .412 on the season with seven doubles, one triple, two homers and 17 runs batted in in 27 games. He missed the final nine games of the season due to injury. Holliday also posted a 4-1 record with 3.56 earned run average in 30.1 innings. He struck out 12 and walked 10.

In conference play, Holliday hit .410 with two doubles a homer and five runs batted in. He went 2-0 on the mound with a 3.38 earned run average.

Spencer put together an impressive rookie season while starting every game at shortstop with the exception of five games missed due to injury.

Spencer hit a team-high .413 on the season with three doubles, two triples, 21 runs scored, 15 RBIs and 16 stolen bases. Spencer is the first Lawrence freshman to lead the team in hitting and bat .400 since Chris LeFever hit .400 in 1990.

In conference play, Spencer hit .379 with one double, scored seven runs and seven driven in. He also was a standout at shortstop and posted a .962 fielding percentage in league play.

This marks the second consecutive season Lawrence has had a freshman receive all-conference honors with Holliday making the North Division team in 2015. Lawrence is the only team in the league to have a first-year player honored the past two seasons.

Lawrence finished with an 11-25 overall record and finished fifth in the North Division.

WAUKESHA, Wis. — The Lawrence University baseball team went into Saturday’s final Midwest Conference doubleheader of the season knowing it was desperately short on pitching.

Enter Kyle Duex.

The sophomore threw the first 13 innings of the day, and Lawrence rallied for a split with the Pioneers. Carroll (17-19, 6-10 MWC) won the opener 3-2, and the Vikings took the nightcap 11-8 at Frame Park.

Duex went the distance in the first game and allowed just one earned run on seven hits but lost the pitcher’s duel to Carroll’s Carl Formento.

Lawrence got a run in the third on Dan Rothbauer’s run-scoring double, added a run on Cole Erickson’s RBI double in the eighth but couldn’t push across the tying run in the ninth.

Rothbauer finished 3-for-4, and Nolan Spencer was 3-for-5 for the Vikings (11-25, 5-11). Erickson and Travis Weber with both 2-for-4 with a double, and Dante Reese collected a pair of hits.

Duex started the second game and allowed seven hits and four runs over five innings. He exited with the Vikings ahead 6-4, but Carroll rallied for two runs in the eighth to take an 8-7 lead.

Weber led off the ninth with a solo homer to tie it at 8-8. Brandon Klar drew a walk and scored on Zach Rabideau’s single for a 9-8 edge. After Carl Olsen singled, Erickson tripled to score two and put Lawrence up 11-8.

Rabideau, who entered in relief in the sixth, worked around a hit batsman in the ninth to secure the win. Rabideau also went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs.

Olsen was 3-for-3 with a double and scored four runs, and Spencer went 3-for-6. Both Erickson and Weber finished 2-for-4.

Game one box score

Game two box score

APPLETON, Wis. — The Carroll University baseball team collected 31 hits and benefited from 22 walks to sweep a Midwest Conference doubleheader from Lawrence University on Friday at Whiting Field.

Carroll won the opener 21-9 in seven innings and rallied to win 18-8 in eight innings in the nightcap.

In the first game, Carroll (16-18, 5-9 MWC) pounded out 19 hits against three Lawrence pitchers. Hunter Frey went 3-for-5 with two home runs and drove in six to pace the Pioneers.

Alex Morland went 5.2 innings and allowed four runs in five hits to pick up the win. Dan Rothbauer started and went 3.1 innings and took the loss for Lawrence (10-24, 4-10).

Carroll led 6-0 when it broke the wide open with six runs in the fifth, five more in the sixth and four in the seventh.

Travis Weber went 2-for-4 with two doubles and drove in two runs for the Vikings, and Anthony Ortiz also collected a pair of hits.

In the second game, Lawrence built a 6-1 lead through four innings when the Carroll offense caught fire. The Pioneers, who turned a triple play with the bases loaded to end the Lawrence fourth, scored three in the fifth and three in the sixth to grab a 7-6 lead.

Lawrence battled back to take an 8-7 lead in the bottom of the sixth, but Carroll scored six times in the seventh and five more times in the eighth. Brady Durni went 3-for-3, scored three runs and drove in four for Carroll.

Andrew Lauber went 3-for-4 with a double, and Weber was 2-for-4 with a double and three runs batted in for the Vikings. Nolan Spencer collected a pair of hits and scored two runs, and Brandon Klar reached base four times and scored four runs.

Danny Arden worked one inning in relief to get the win. Craig Batchelor also worked one inning and allowed six runs, all unearned, to take the loss.

Game one box score

Game two box score