Madison, Wis. – University of Wisconsin-La Crosse junior right-handed pitcher Joel Effertz of Ladysmith (H.S.) has been named the 2013 All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) First Team in a vote by the league coaches.  Senior outfielders Brooks Braga of Middleton (H.S.) and Adam Cordova of Merrill (H.S.), senior shortstop Garrett Novinski of Middleton (H.S.) and senior right-handed pitcher Tim Verthein of La Crescent, Minn. (H.S.) have been selected to the All-WIAC Honorable Mention Team.

Cordova was also selected the 2013 Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete of the Year and named to the All-WIAC Sportsmanship Team.

In his first season at UW-L, Effertz finished 5-4 with a 2.87 earned run average in 2013. His five victories and 2.87 ERA both rank second on the team. Effertz recorded a team-leading 11 starts and 60 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .245 batting average. He was second on the team in innings (69.0), tied for second in complete-games (3) and appearances (12). 

Effertz earned a 4-1 victory over second-ranked the University of St. Thomas (Minn.) March 10 in his first appearance of the season. He went 6.0 innings, allowing two hits and one unearned run with seven strikeouts. Effertz earned the victory over The College of St. Scholastica (Minn.) March 28, going 7.0 innings, allowing one hit and one earned run while striking out nine. 

He also recorded victories over UW-Oshkosh, UW-Platteville and UW-Stout. Versus UW-Platteville April 21, Effertz recorded a season-high 12 strikeouts with one walk. He pitched 7.0 innings, allowing one earned run. Effertz pitched complete-games in his last two appearances of the season versus nationally-ranked UW-Stevens Point. He allowed one earned run in 9.0 innings with nine strikeouts against the Pointers May 11 at the WIAC Tournament. 

Prior to coming to UW-L, Effertz attended the University of Virginia in 2012, appearing in nine games with two starts. 

Braga earned his third career All-WIAC honor. He was named to the 2012 All-WIAC First Team and to the 2011 honorable mention squad. Braga played in 38 games this year with 37 starts while hitting .336 overall. He led UW-L in triples (5), finished second in stolen bases (7) and tied for second in runs (34) and walks (22). Braga's five triples is tied for second in single-season school history. 

He finished third on the team in total bases (73), tied for third in home runs (3) and RBI (23), fourth in at-bats (140) and hits (47) and fifth in doubles (7). Braga recorded a .985 fielding percentage with one error and two assists in 68 total chances.

Braga had 15 multi-hit contests this season (second on team) and ended the season on an eight-game hitting streak. He had a hit in 28 of 38 games.

Braga ranks second in school history in home runs (25) and walks (87) and tied for second in triples (10). He is also tied for third in career runs (129), sixth in hits (174), seventh in RBI (114), eighth in at-bats (498) and tied for ninth in stolen bases (34). Braga finished with a career batting average of .349, 11th in school history, while playing in 143 games, including 142 starts.

Cordova earned his third career all-conference honor this season. He was named to the 2012 All-WIAC Honorable Mention Team and to the 2011 first team. Cordova started all 42 contests this season, leading the Eagles in home runs (5) and RBI (44) while hitting .321. He tied for the team lead in doubles (17) while finishing second in at-bats (159) and hits (51). Cordova tied for second with Braga in walks (22) while also tying for fourth in runs (29).

His 17 doubles is tied for fourth in single-season school history while his 44 RBI this year is sixth-most.

Cordova played in 155 career games for the Eagles with 146 starts while finishing with a .309 batting average. He ranks second in school history in doubles (49), fourth in at-bats (550), fifth in RBI (118), seventh in hits (170) and eighth in runs (112). He is also tied for 11th in career home runs (14). 

He led UW-L with 11 multi-RBI games this season while ranking third on the squad with 13 multi-hit contests. Cordova had at least one hit in 30 of 42 games overall.

Currently enrolled as a graduate student in physical therapy with a 3.72 grade point average, Cordova became the eighth player in school history to earn the Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete Award. He compiled a 3.84 undergraduate grade point average. Cordova was also named to this year's WIAC All-Sportsmanship Team, selected for individuals that displayed exemplary sportsmanship throughout the season.

Novinski earned his first career all-conference recognition after playing in 41 games this season with 40 starts. He hit .314 overall while leading UW-L in stolen bases (12) and sacrifice hits (11). Novinski was third on the team in doubles (10), tied for third in home runs (3) and RBI (23) and fourth in total bases (65). He tied for fourth in at-bats (140) and runs (29) while finishing fifth in hits (44).

Novinski played two years at UW-L after transferring from Madison College (Wis.). He played in 79 games for UW-L with 74 starts. Novinski had 71 hits and scored 47 runs in his two seasons with the Eagles while recording 38 RBI and 18 stolen bases.

He recorded 10 multi-hit games and finished the year with a seven-game hitting streak. Novinski had at least one hit in 32 games.

Verthein earned his third career All-WIAC selection after being named to the 2011 and 2012 first team. He finished 4-6 this season with a 3.86 earned run average. Verthein led the Eagles in complete-games (4) and innings (72.1) while holding opponents to a .257 batting average. He was second on the team in strikeouts (53) and starts (10) while finishing tied for second in appearances (12). 

He struck out a season-high seven in four different contests, including in a complete-game 6-0 shutout victory at third-ranked UW-Whitewater May 11 in the WIAC Tournament. Verthein went 9.0 innings, allowing two hits versus the Warhawks. He also earned wins over Augsburg College (Minn.), UW-Superior and UW-Stout this year.

Versus Augsburg, Verthein went 7.0 innings, allowing five hits and one earned run and seven strikeouts. He allowed one earned run in 6.0 innings versus UW-Superior and picked up the win in relief against UW-Stout, going 4.1 innings, allowing one hit with four strikeouts. 

Verthein ends his career as UW-L's all-time leader in innings pitched (235.0) while ranking third in appearances (49) and strikeouts (169). He is tied for fifth in career victories (15).

UW-L finished 21-21 overall and 10-13 in the WIAC this season. The Eagles advanced to the league's tournament championship game.