Chris Schwarz begins his second year as the UW-La Crosse Athletic Alumni Relations Coordinator in 2017-18. He also starts his 14th season as head baseball coach for the Eagles.
He led the Eagles to their third straight National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Midwest Regional Championship game in 2017. UWL finished 31-19 overall in 2017, marking its fourth 30-win season in school history, including third straight. The Eagles made back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship in 2015 and 2016.
UWL made its first ever appearance in the NCAA III Championship in 2015 in Appleton, Wisconsin, advancing to the best-of-three championship series and a runner-up national finish. The Eagles finished third in the final 2015 American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA)/Collegiate Baseball and D3baseball.com Polls. UWL made its second straight appearance in the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship in 2016. The Eagles were fourth in the final 2016 ABCA/Collegiate Baseball and D3baseball.com Polls.
The Eagles made their fifth appearance in the last six years in the NCAA Division III Championship in 2017. UWL won back-to-back NCAA III Midwest Regional titles at La Crosse's Copeland Park in 2015 and 2016. The Eagles went 4-0 at the 2016 NCAA III Midwest Regional and 5-1 in 2015.
Named the 2016 ABCA/Diamond Midwest Regional Coach of the Year for the second straight season, Schwarz led UWL to 39-10 overall and 18-2 mark in the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC), winning its 14th regular-season conference title in school history. He was also selected the 2016 D3baseball.com All-Midwest Region Coach of the Year for the third time in his career (2012, 2015, 2016).
UWL set single-season school records for wins (39), runs (452), hits (648), doubles (125), triples (25), RBI (396), batting average (.370) and slugging percentage (.527) in 2016. The pitching staff set school a record for strikeouts (368) while recording the second-most innings (404.1) in school history. The Eagles' six shutouts in 2016 tied for the second-most in school history while its .248 opponents batting average was the lowest since a .237 average in 1999.
Selected the 2015 ABCA and D3baseball.com Midwest Region Coach of the Year, Schwarz became UWL’s career leader in coaching victories with a 6-0 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson University-Florham (N.J.) March 18, 2015. The winningest coach in school history with a 320-236-1 (.575) record in 13 years at UWL, Schwarz has been named the WIAC Coach of the Year for the three times (2006, 2012, 2016) in his career. He earned his 300th career win in the Eagles' 5-0 victory at UW-Oshkosh April 13, 2017. Schwarz ranks seventh in WIAC history in wins.
The Eagles set single-season school records for wins (36), games (52), at-bats (1,797), hits (577), doubles (105), triples (21) and total sacrifices (71) in 2015. The pitching staff tied a school record saves (10) while setting a mark in innings (448.1). UWL’s 3.65 earned run average ranked fifth in single-season school history and was its lowest since compiling a 3.04 ERA in 1999. The Eagles went 36-16 overall and 17-7 in the WIAC in 2015, finishing third in the final ABCA/Collegiate Baseball and D3baseball.com Top-25 Polls.
UWL is 187-95 (.663) overall and 93-40 (.699) in the WIAC the last six seasons under Schwarz.
The Eagles have earned 75 All-WIAC awards under Schwarz, including 41 first team selections. At least four players have been named to the all-conference first team four straight seasons and in five of the last six years. Eight players, Justin Anderson, Caleb Boushley, Alex Brown, Alex Cordova, Nate Heili, Carter Hoffman, Troy Kenkel and Taylor Kohlwey, were selected to the 2016 all-conference first team.
UWL became the first school in WIAC history to earn the coach, position (Kohlwey) and pitcher (Boushley) of the year awards in the same season in 2016. Anderson, Boushley and Kohlwey each earned NCAA III All-America accolades in 2016, including Kohlwey who received the ABCA/Rawlings Gold Bat Award for the National Player of the Year.
Kohlwey was selected in the 21st Round of the 2016 Major League Baseball Draft by the San Diego Padres. Boushley, named to the 2017 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division III All-America Second Team and 2017 D3baseball.com All-America Second Team, was picked in the 33rd of the 2017 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres.
Pitcher Joel Effertz was taken in the 28th Round of the 2013 MLB Draft by the Miami Marlins.
In 2014, UWL finished 26-18 overall and 16-7 in the WIAC while advancing to the conference tournament championship game for the third straight season. The Eagles also qualified for the NCAA III Midwest Regional.
UWL set single-season school records for runs (400), hits (548), average (.348), RBI (354), doubles (100), triples (20) and total sacrifices (59). The 2014 squad also obtained the program's highest fielding percentage in 15 years (.963).
UWL finished 34-11 overall and 21-2 in the WIAC in 2012, setting single-season school records for overall and league victories. The Eagles won their first WIAC title since 2000 and first outright conference championship since 1978.
The team won its second (2000) WIAC Tournament title in school history with a 9-1 victory over UW-Whitewater in 2012, earning an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Championships. UWL made its first-ever appearance in the national tournament in 1998.
Schwarz was named the 2012 WIAC and D3baseball.com Midwest Region Coach of the Year. He was also named the 2012 Wisconsin Baseball Coaches Association (WBCA) Coach of the Year. It marked the second time he earned the WIAC and WBCA honors after leading UWL to a 22-19 overall and 15-9 conference record in 2006.
The Eagles finished 21-21 overall and 10-13 in the WIAC in 2013 under Schwarz, advancing to the conference tournament championship game.
Schwarz earned his bachelor’s (2002) and master’s (2004) degrees from UWL. He was a four-year baseball letter winner for the Eagles and named to the 2002 All-WIAC Team after pitching in a school record 19 games. He went 2-1 with a 4.32 earned run average and had a team-leading seven saves in 2002, tied for second-most in single-season school history.
Schwarz is second in career saves at UWL with 10. A member of two WIAC Championship teams (1998, 2000), Schwarz was an Eagles’ team captain in 2002.
He also earned three letters with the UWL football team and was a member of the conference champion squad in 1999. Schwarz was named to the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll in 2001 and 2002.
Schwarz and his family reside in Westby.
