Baseball | 5/6/2026 4:16:00 PM

2026 WIAC Baseball Championship

La Crosse, Wis. - The University of Wisconsin-La Crosse baseball team (30-10) faces UW-Eau Claire (21-19) in the 2026 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Tournament (presented by Culver's) on Thursday, May 7. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at UW-Whitewater's Prucha Field at Jim Miller Stadium. 
 
WIAC CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY

• UWL is appearing in the WIAC Tournament for the 23rd time in the 27 years of the league tournament, with a 30-33 all-time record. 
• UWL has advanced to the WIAC Championship game in eight of the past 12 tournaments, winning the title in 2012, 2016 and 2023
• The Eagles went 0-2 at the 2025 WIAC Tournament losing game one to UW-Oshkosh 15-2 and UW-Whitewater 6-5 in an elimination game. 

THE BASICS

• Game time: 3:00 pm
• Location: Prucha Field at Jim Miller Stadium, Whitewater, Wis.
• Regular Season Match-ups between UW-Eau Claire and UW-La Crosse: These two teams played a four game series on April 19 and 20 in Eau Claire, Wis. The Eagles won the series 3-1 as they won 5-1, 7-4 and 5-3 before falling 3-2 in the final game. 
• Tournament Bracket/Seeds: The top four teams qualify for the WIAC tournament with the top seed earning the right to host. UW-Whitewater won the regular season title by going 28-0 in WIAC play.   
  • Game 1--UW-River Falls (#4) at UW-Whitewater (#1), 12:00 p.m.  (Live Video) (Live Stats)
  • Game 2--UW-Eau Claire (#3) vs. UW-La Crosse (#2), 3:00 p.m.  (Live Video) (Live Stats)
  • Complete Tournament schedule here
• WIAC Tournament Champion: The winner of the WIAC Tournament earns an automatic bid to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Championships with the opening round Regional on May 15-17. 

FROM THE DIAMOND

• As a team, the Eagles enter the tournament hitting .304 which ranks third in the WIAC. Individually, Brady Burrill leads the way with a .362 batting average which includes 12 doubles, three triples and six home runs. He is also second on the team in stolen bases with 21. Chris Calico and Sam Viniard are both hitting .340 on the year with Calico having a team high 52 hits and 30 walks. Calico also leads the team with a WIAC best 26 stolen bases. 
• UWL's pitching staff has compiled a 3.03 earned run average (ERA) this season with three complete games and five shutouts. The Eagles are holding opponents to a .226 batting average while recording 342 strikeouts in 344.0 innings. Owen Deprez (7-1), AJ Curtis (4-3) and Chayce Osterhaus (4-0) have been the top aces for the Eagles so far this season. Deprez leads the Eagles with a 2.67 ERA in 57.1 innings pitched with a WIAC high 64 strikeouts. Curtis has thrown a WIAC high 60.2 innings and has two complete games to go along with a 3.12 ERA and opponents batting avearage of .196. Austin Olla (3-1) has been the top option out of the bullpen for the Eegles with a 1.27 ERA in 35.1 innings and a team high four saves. Logan Zickert (1-2) has also been a top reliever for the Eagles with 11 appearances, 38.0 innings and two saves.

HEAD COACH CHRIS SCHWARZ

• Schwarz is in his 22nd season and has an overall record of 564-351-2 (.615). 
• The winningest coach in school history, Schwarz has led the Eagles to eight appearances in the NCAA Division III Championships (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2023, 2024, 2025). Schwarz also ranks third on the WIAC all-time wins list for coaches. 
• The Eagles have also advanced to the NCAA World Series three times (2015, 2016, 2023) including a national runner-up finish in 2015 under Schwarz leadership.