WIAC Baseball Championship (presented by Culver's)
La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse baseball team (28-9) faces UW-Whitewater (28-11) in the 2023 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Championship (presented by Culver's) on Thursday, May 11. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at UW-Stevens Point's Zimmermann Field. Top-seeded UW-Stevens Point (29-9) hosts fourth-seeded UW-Oshkosh (24-13) Thursday at 12 p.m.
The losers of Thursday's opening two games will play in an elimination game Friday, May 12 at 10 a.m while the winners of the first two games will play Friday at 1 p.m. The tournament, which follows a double-elimination format, continues Saturday, May 13. The tournament winner earns the league's automatic bid to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championships.
UWL has won 10 of its last 13 games entering the league tournament. Earlier this season, the Eagles swept a four-game series with the Warhawks. It marked the second time in school history UWL won all four games with the UW-Whitewater with the last time coming on April 21-22, 2012. The Eagles took both games by the scores of 6-4 and 8-2 on April 22 followed by 8-2 and 6-5 win on April 23.
The Eagles are 8-5 at home this year, 14-2 on the road and 6-2 on a neutral site. UWL finished 18-6 in WIAC play while UW-Whitewater was 15-9.
UWL has advanced to the WIAC Championship game in six of the past nine tournaments, winning the title in La Crosse in 2012 and 2016. The Eagles fell to UW-Stevens Point in 2013 and to UW-Whitewater in 2014, 2017 and 2019 in the championship game. The tournament was not held in 2018 and 2020. UWL is appearing in the WIAC Championship for the 20th time in the 24 years of the league tournament, with a 25-29 all-time record. Along with the title in 2012 and 2016, the Eagles captured the WIAC Championship in 2000.
The Eagles and Warhawks are meeting for the 25th time in tournament history. UWL is 14-10 against UW-Whitewater in the WIAC Championships.
Mac Born is hitting .400 this season.
Chris Schwarz is 455-310-2 (.593) in his 19th year as UWL's head coach. The winningest coach in school history, Schwarz has led the Eagles to five appearances in the NCAA Division III Championships. UWL made back-to-back appearances in the NCAA III Baseball Championship in 2015 and 2016, advancing to the best-of-three championship series and a runner-up national finish in 2015. He earned his 400th career victory with UWL's 5-4 walk-off win over UW-Oshkosh on May 12, 2020.
UWL enters the league championships hitting .324 while averaging 7.6 runs per game.
Mac Born is hitting .400 while starting all 37 games and leading UWL in hits (58), rbi (45), walks (17) and sacrifice flies (3). He is second in home runs (8).
Ty Hamilton has played in 36 games (starting 35) and is second on the team with a .367 batting average, doubles (9) and hits (58). Lead-off hitter,
Jack Moran, is third on the team in batting at .363 while leading the team in runs (36) and starts (37) starts this year.
UWL has compiled a 4.22 team earned run average this season with four complete games and three shutouts. The Eagles are holding opponents to a .239 batting average while recording 286 strikeouts in 317.2 innings. Three pitchers have recorded a team-high five wins this year including
Isaiah Katz,
Tyler Schmitt and
Owen Deprez.
Isaiah Katz is 5-0 this season with a 3.05 ERA.
Tucker Bouche and and
Owen Anderson each have three victories. In a team-best 13 appearances,
Caleb Matl leads the Eagles with five saves and a team best 1.69 ERA.
Katz is 5-0 on the year with a 3.05 ERA while holding opponents to a .270 batting average in a team-high 56.0 innings of work. Deprez is 5-1 and has a team-high 49 strikeouts in 46.0 innings.
Tyler Schmitt is 5-2 with a 3.06 ERA and recorded the eighth no-hitter in school history against UW-Platteville on April 3. Schmitt has pitched 47.0 innings and held opponents to a .198 batting average.
