Baseball | 2/18/2026 2:05:00 PM

Madison, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse baseball team is picked to finish third in the 2026 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) standings in a preseason poll conducted by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. The preseason poll was announced by the conference office Wednesday.

A LOOK INTO THE WIAC

• Preseason Poll Results: UW-Whitewater is picked to win the WIAC after winning the regular season tile in 2025 while UW-Oshkosh is predicted to finish second. Following UWL in the polls was UW-Platteville, UW-Stevens Point, UW-River Falls, UW-Stout, and UW-Eau Claire. 
• 2025 Season: UW-Whitewater won the regular-season conference championship and tournament title last season to earn the WIAC's automatic bid to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III National Championships. UWL made its ninth appearance in the NCAA III Championships by earning an at large bid. UW-Whitewater won their NCAA Regional; however, UW-La Crosse lost in the finals of their NCAA Regional. The Warhawks would go on to win the 2025 NCAA III World Series. 
• 2025 ALL-WIAC Honors Returning: Earning First Team honors for the Eagles was Chase Osterhaus while AJ Curtis earned Honorable Mention honors. Curtis was also named the 2025 WIAC Kwik Trip Newcomer of the Year.   
• 2026 Preseason Top-25 Poll: UWL is ranked 15th on the American Baseball Coaches Association DIII Preseason Top-25 poll while they are 23rd on the D3baseball.com Preseason Top-25 while UW-Whitewater is atop both rankings.  

 
FROM THE BATTERS BOX

• The Eagles offense hit .327 as a team but will lose seven of their top hitters from a season ago. Luke Walton came on hot at the end of 2025 and finished the season hitting .442 and finished with 23 hits including six doubles and a home run. 
• UWL also returns Emiliano Ramos and Calvin Hargrove who were regular contributors for the Eagles offense. Ramos finished the season hitting .325 while Hargrove hit .302. 
• As a team, the Eagles offense finished the 2025 season with 67 home runs, 395 runs scored and 365 runs batted in.

   
FROM THE MOUND

• As a team, the Eagles pitching staff recorded a 3.97 earned run average (ERA) in 388 innings of work while allowing a .260 opponents batting average. UWL had three hurlers throw more than 50 innings while having three earn five or more wins. 
• Osterhaus returns as the top pitcher from a season ago as he finished 8-1 in 10 appearances. Osterhaus led the Eagles in innings pitched (62.2), ERA (3.16), wins (8) and walks allowed (six) while he was third on the team in strikeouts (51) 
• Owen Deprez finished the season with a 6-1 record in 10 appearances including eight starts. Deprez pitched 45.0 innings and led the Eagles with 60 strikeouts while holding opponents to a .202 batting average. 
• In his first season with the Eagles, Curtis made 10 appearances including eight starts and finished 4-2. He was second on the team in ERA (3.83) while finishing third on the team in innings pitched (56.1).

FROM THE DUGOUT

• Head Coach Chris Schwarz is in his 22nd season leading the program, compiling an overall record of 534-341-2 (.610) and 307-185 (.624) in WIAC play. Schwarz is the winningest coach in school history and ranks fourth all-time in the WIAC.
• During his time on the bench, Schwarz has been named the Kwik Trip WIAC Coach of the Year four times (2006, 2012, 2016, 2023) including last time occurring in 2023. He has also been selected the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Region Coach of the Year three times (2015, 2016, 2023). 
• Under his guidance, the Eagles have won two WIAC regular season titles (2012, 2016) and three WIAC tournament championships (2012, 2016, 2023). They have made eight appearances in the NCAA III tournament (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2023, 2024, 2025) and advanced to the NCAA III College World Series three times (2015, 2016, 2023).