Pioneer Baseball - 2000 Season Review
posted 5/15/00Larsen, Ryan earn all-WIAC honors
UW-Platteville's Wes Larsen, who ended the 2000 baseball season with a 21-game hitting streak, earned first team all-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference honors, while Pioneer teammate Kory Ryan was an honorable mention selection.
Larsen, a junior third baseman from Arena (River Valley High School), hit safely in all but one of the Pioneers' 26 Northern games. He hit .350 overall and tied a school record with 41 RBIs (runs batted in). His six home runs were the second-highest total in Pioneer history and the most at UW-Platteville in 15 years. Larsen hit .417 in WIAC games. His current 21-game hitting streak is believed to be a school record, although no official records exist for that category.
Ryan, a senior outfielder from Lodi, led the team with a .360 batting average and tied Matt Hoff for the team lead with 9 doubles. He had three hits in a game on five different occasions during the year, including both games of a doubleheader sweep of Beloit College on May 3. Ryan had three doubles in the first game and one in the second that day.
The Pioneers finished 13-23 overall, 13-13 in Northern games and 4-10 in the WIAC.
Complete all-conference listing.posted 5/6/00
Pioneers drop 2 in La Crosse
UW-La Crosse rallied to defeat UW-Platteville 5-4 as the Pioneers ended their season at 13-23 overall and 4-10 in the WIAC.
The Eagles' Casey Bablitch crashed a three-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning, giving UWL the lead for good. The Eagles also won the first contest 6-1.
Andy Vogt and Kory Ryan hit doubles, and Wes Larsen had an RBI single as the Pioneers took a 3-0 lead in the third. Larsen's RBI was his 41st of the year, tying Jeff Swalve's 1995 school record. The Eagles, however, scored one in the fourth and took the lead on Bablitch's home run.
Larsen and Ryan each had two hits, while Jason Weiker threw seven strong innings, giving up four earned runs.
The Pioneers were held to five hits in the opener, including a pair by Larsen, in the opener.
posted 5/5/00Pioneers split with Falcons
UW-Platteville scored six runs in the top of the ninth inning to beat host UW-River Falls 14-8 Friday. The Falcons beat the Pioneers 5-0 in the nightcap to split the WIAC baseball doubleheader.
The Pioneers strung together seven hits in the ninth, including a rwo-run single by Scott Babcock to break the 8-8 tie. Wes Larsen also had a two-run hit in the inning.
UWP had 16 hits in the contest, including three by Babcock and fellow freshman Quinn Schultz, and two each by Kris Agnew, Larsen, Olson and Andy Vogt. Mike Finnegan earned his third pitching win of the season.
The Pioneers were held to four hits in the second game, falling to 13-21 overall and 4-8 in the WIAC. They close the season with two games at UW-La Crosse Saturday.
posted 5/3/00Pioneers sweep Beloit
UW-Platteville doubled its fun against Beloit College Wednesday, beating the Buccaneers 8-7 and 10-3 in the final home baseball doubleheader of the year.
The Pioneers rallied with five runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to pull out game one, then three of the first four batters doubled and scored to begin game two's rout.
Designated hitter Matt Hoff chased Beloit ace Ben Everson out of the first game with a two-run single in the seventh inning, cutting the Bucs' lead to 7-5. Wes Larsen greeted reliever Chris Staley with an RBI single. Kory Ryan's third double of the game made the score 7-6. With the bases loaded, Dennis Klubertanz walked, forcing in the tying run with two outs. Pinch-hitter Scott Booth rapped a single back up the middle to score Larsen with the winning run.
Ryan's three doubles highlighted the Pioneers' 11-hit attack. He doubled and scored on Chris Olson singles in both the fourth and sixth innings.
Justin Ley earned the win in relief of Justin Hahn, who threw 6.2 innings. Only three of the Bucs' seven runs against Hahn were earned, as four UWP errors led to a 5-0 Beloit lead after three innings.
The Pioneers made sure they started better in the second game, as Kris Agnew, Hoff and Larsen all doubled and scored in the first inning. Larsen's double extended his hitting streak to 17 games.
Andy Vogt hit a two-run double in the fourth inning, and Scott Babcock followed with a three-run home run to give the Pioneers a commanding 10-1 lead. UWP, who has four conference games this weekend at UW-River Falls and UW-La Crosse, used five pitchers. Freshman Nate Ramsdell, who faced just seven batters in two scoreless innings, earned his first collegiate victory.
Ryan contined his hot hitting in the second game with a 3x3 game, including another double, while Larsen and Babcock each had two hits.
Between games, the Pioneers saluted their seven seniors: Tony Mitchell and Aaron Mack, who both played in game two; Jason Piddington, who made his league-leading 12th pitching appearance; pitcher David Lobenstein, who singled in his first collegiate at-bat while pinch-hitting in game two; Klubertanz, Vogt and Ryan.
posted 4/29/00Warhawks rally to top Pioneers
UW-Whitewater rallied from a fifth-inning deficit by stringing together 11 runs in the next three innings to beat visiting UW-Platteville 13-4 in the second game of a WIAC doubleheader Saturday.
The Warhawks beat the Pioneers 9-2 in the opener and moved into a first-place tie with UW-Oshkosh, who got beat twice by UW-Stevens Point Saturday.
Wes Larsen led the Pioneers with four hits on the day, including his sixth home run. That is the second most HRs in school history, behind Keith Ringleberg, who hit seven in 1985.
Ray Lauersdorf had a pair of hits in the second game, while Chris Olson and Andy Vogt each had two in the opener.
The Pioneers, now 10-20 overall and 3-7 in the WIAC, close their home season Wednesday with two games against Beloit College. First pitch at Kendall Murray Field is set for 1 p.m.
posted 4/28/00Pointers beat Pioneers twice
UW-Stevens Point beat visiting UW-Platteville twice in a Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference baseball doubleheader Friday.
The Pointers rode the arm of Troy Bielmeier, ranked second in NCAA Division III in ERA, to a 7-0 shutout in the first game. A 13-run third inning, including Rob Govek's grand slam, highlighted the Pointers' 18-5 victory in the second game.
UWSP passed the Pioneers in the league standings, moving up to fourth place at 4-4 in the WIAC and 21-10 overall. The Pioneers fell to 10-18, 3-5.
The Pioneers play another league doubleheader Saturday at UW-Whitewater, beginning at noon.
posted 4/22/00Pioneers, Yellowjackets split
UW-Platteville split a baseball doubleheader with UW-Superior Saturday, giving the Pioneers three wins in their four-game homestand over the weekend.
The Pioneers won the more conventional first game 5-4 in 2 hours and 25 minutes, while the Yellowjackets took the wild nightcap 17-14 in 3 hours and 44 minutes.
UW-Platteville rallied to win the opener, scoring twice in the bottom of the eighth. The Pioneers tied the score at 4-4 on a Yellowjacket throwing error, then went ahead when Wes Larsen singled home Kris Agnew. Catcher Kurt Tardy made the defensive play of the game to end the contest. With runners on first and second and two outs in the ninth, Tardy stopped a low pitch and then threw the runner out at second who had taken a few steps off the bag. The pickoff ended the game and made a winner of Jason Piddington, who threw two innings in relief of starter David Lobenstein.
The unusual end to game one was a preview of the wackiness in the second game. The teams combined for 31 runs, 33 hits and 11 errors. Fifteen different players had at least one hit, led by the Pioneers' Quinn Schultz, who had four, and Tardy and Chris Olson with three each. Agnew and Andy Vogt each had two hits in the opener.
The Pioneers are now 10-16 overall, 9-6 in northern games and 3-3 in WIAC play.
posted 4/21/00UWP sweeps Blue Devils
UW-Platteville swept a home doubleheader from UW-Stout Friday afternoon, 10-4 and 8-0, evening the Pioneers' league record at 2-2.
Kory Ryan smacked a three-run home run in the bottom of the fifth inning of game one, giving the Pioneers the lead for good at 7-4. Chris Olson's two-run single in the eighth inning helped seal the victory.
Mike Finnegan went the distance, allowing just five hits and one walk. The freshman improved to 2-4 on the year.
Justin Hahn and Jason Weiker combined for the shutout in game two. Hahn went the first six innings, and Weiker worked out of a bases-loaded, no-out situation in the seventh inning and the Pioneers ahead 4-0.
Wes Larsen's two-run single helped stake the Pioneers to the 4-0 lead. After Weiker worked out of the jam in the seventh, the Pioneers exlpoded for three runs in the bottom of the seventh and one more in the eighth.
Ryan had five hits in the doubleheader to lead the UWP attack, while Kris Agnew and Andy Vogt each had three hits in the opener and one in the nightcap. Chris Olson extended his hitting streak to 13 games.
The Pioneers are now 9-15 overall, including 9-5 in northern games. They play host to UW-Superior Saturday at noon.
The Blue Devils, who travel to UW-Whitewater Saturday, are 12-11-1.
posted 4/16/00Pioneers split with Kohawks
UW-Platteville and Coe College split a baseball doubleheader, played in 40-degree temperatures and brisk wins in Marion, Iowa, Sunday.
The Pioneers' Kory Ryan and Wes Larsen each had a pair of hits and three RBIs, leading UWP to an 11-9 win in the first game. The Kohawks captured the rain-shortened nightcap 15-12, scoring five runs in the bottom of the fifth before the game was ended.
The Pioneers are now 7-15 on the season. They play host to two conference doubleaders this weekend. UW-Stout plays two nine-inning games Friday at Kendall Murray Field, beginning at 1 p.m. UW-Superior is here Saturday at noon.
posted 4/15/00Pioneers throw major scare into Titans
UW-Platteville scored three runs in the bottom of the ninth and had the bases loaded with one out, but UW-Oshkosh turned Quinn Schultz's hot smash into a 4-6-3 double play, enabling the eighth-ranked Titans to escape Kendall Murray Field with an 11-9 baseball victory Saturday.
The Titans, who lead the country in both hitting and runs scored, pounded out a 16-4 victory in the opener, the first Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest of the year.
Kris Agnew started the Pioneers' ninth-inning rally with an infield single. Dave Kerrigan then reached on an error, and Matt Hoff's double made the score 11-7. With one out, Kory Ryan, Chris Olson and Scott Babcock hit consecutive singles, making the score 11-9 and loading the bases. Schultz, who hit a three-run home run earlier in the game, hit a rocket, but to the Titan second baseman, who started the game-ending double play.
The Pioneers banged out 15 hits against UWO's Brian Herzog, who came into the game with a 1.00 ERA. Schultz' deep home run gave the Pioneers a 4-2 lead in the fourth inning. After Oshkosh rallied for an 8-4 lead, Wes Larsen unloaded his fifth home run of the year, cutting the lead to 8-6. The Titans answered with a three-run seventh inning, making the score 11-6.
UW-Oshkosh improved to 14-2 overall and won its 1,000th game. In 45 years, the Titans are 1,000-342-3. The Pioneers fell to 6-14 on the year.
Hoff, Ryan and Olson all had three hits in the second contest, while Babcock and Schultz had two apiece. Ryan had two more hits in the first game, including a two-run home run.
posted 4/12/00Lobenstein earns WIAC honors
David Lobenstein earned the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference pitcher of the week award.
Lobenstein, a junior from Spring Green (River Valley High School), pitched UW-Platteville to a 2-1 victory over Viterbo on Thursday. He went the distance, limiting the 19-12 V-Hawks to five hits and one walk while striking out five. The run Viterbo scored was an unearned run.
posted 4/6/00Excitement abounds in home opener
Two-out bases-loaded hits in the seventh inning decided both games of UW-Platteville's baseball home opener Thursday afternoon.
Viterbo's Travis Peterson hit a ground ball in the hole between shortstop and third base to score two in a 4-3 win in the first game. The Pioneers' Kurt Tardy returned the favor in the second game, with an infield single score Chris Olson for a 2-1 victory.
The doubleheader split left Viterbo with a 19-13 record and UW-Platteville with a 6-12 mark. The Pioneers are 6-2 in northern games.
Olson led off the seventh inning in game two with a triple to right center field. After two intentional walks and two outs, Tardy grounded the ball to the left side and beat the throw from the shortstop for the win.
Pitcher David Lobenstein earned his second straight victory, allowing just five hits and one walk while striking out five. Mike Finnegan pitched 6.1 strong innings in the opener, giving up only one earned run. Jason Piddington relieved in the seventh with the bases loaded and one out. He induced the first batter to pop out, then got Peterson to ground the ball, but the ball found its way to the hole.
Olson doubled home two runs in the second inning. He finished with two hits, as did Kris Agnew and Wes Larsen.
posted 3/28/00Larsen, Finnegan earn WIAC honors
Two UW-Platteville baseball players earned Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Week honors for their performances in leading the Pioneers to the title at the Dubuque Baseball Classic.
Wes Larsen, a junior third baseman from Arena, Wis. (River Valley High School) led UW-Platteville to a 5-1 in the tournament. He hit a three-run home in Friday's second game vs. Loras, extending a 4-3 Pioneer lead to 7-3. It was just one of three HRs Larsen belted over the weekend. He was 6 of 20 with 5 runs scored, two doubles, three HRs, 11 RBIs and 17 total bases for an .850 slugging percentage.
Mike Finnegan, a freshman from Madison (East High School) pitched UW-Platteville to a 13-1 victory over the University of Dubuque during the Dubuque Baseball Classic. He scattered four hits, walked no one and struck out five. In six innings, he faced just 21 batters and threw 51 strikes in 72 pitches.
The Pioneers recorded their first five-game winning streak since 1994.
posted 3/26/00UWP takes Dubuque Classic title
Freshman pinch-hitter Chris Olson smashed a two-out, two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh, lifting UW-Platteville to a 13-11 victory over Clarke College and the championship of the Dubuque Baseball Classic.
The Pioneers, who won Sunday's first game 7-2 vs. Clarke, finished 5-1 in the tournament. Loras and Viterbo were 4-2, Edgewood 3-3 and both Clarke and the University of Dubuque 1-5.
Olson's home run was one of five the Pioneers ripped in the second game. Freshman shortstop Scott Babcock went deep twice, accumulating 4 RBIs in the process. Wes Larsen and Quinn Schultz also homered for UWP.
The five long balls made a winner of senior reliever Jason Piddington, who pitched the final three innings and did not allow an earned run. The Crusaders pushed across three unearned runs in the top of the seventh to forge an 11-10 lead, setting the stage for Olson's game-winning shot.
Olson also homered in the first game Sunday, part of a 10-hit barrage. Olson, Kris Agnew, Kurt Tardy and Matt Hoff all had a pair of hits. That was more than enough to back the pitching of Jason Weiker, who scattered 5 hits and allowed just 2 runs in the 7-2 victory.
The Pioneers have won 5 games in a row for the first time since 1994. They are now off until April 6, when they open the home season with a doubleheader against Viterbo at 1 p.m. at Kendall Murray Field.
Game One Boxscore Game Two Boxscore posted 3/25/00Pioneers sweep Dubuque
UW-Platteville raliled with four runs in the sixth inning to beat Dubuque 9-8 and complete a sweep of the host Spartans Saturday.
The Pioneers piled up six extra-base hits and routed UD 13-1 in the opener.
Wes Larsen tied the second game in the sixth with a two-out home run, and pinch-hitter Dennis Klubertanz ripped a two-out double to score Kory Ryan with the go-ahead run. Aaron Mack, who came on in relief in the third inning, held the Spartans to one single in the seventh and earned his first Pioneer victory.
The Pioneers are now 3-11 on the year and play Clarke College in the final round of the Dubuque Classic Sunday at Farley Field, west of Dubuque.
Freshman Mike Finnegan threw a complete game victory in the opener, allowing just four hits and a first-inning run. The Pioneers pounded out 11 hits, including three by Kris Agnew, two by Andy Vogt and Matt Hoff and a towring home run by Ryan.
In the nightcap, freshman Scott Babcock's two hits paced a 10-hit attack.
Game One Boxscore Game Two Boxscore posted 3/24/00Pioneers earn first victory
David Lobenstein pitched a complete game, and Wes Larsen unloaded a three-run home run in the fifth inning, leading the UW-Platteville baseball team to its first win of the year, 8-3 at Loras Friday.
The Duhawks edged the Pioneers 9-8 in the first game of the Dubuque Classic.
The Pioneers, who lost all 10 of their games on the Florida trip, play at the University of Dubuque Saturday and at Clarke College Sunday. Both doubleheaders begin at 1 p.m.
Lobenstein scattered six hits and one walk in picking up the first UWP victory. His sweeping hooks kept the Duhawks off-balance all afternoon, as Loras fell to 9-6 on the year.
The Pioneers staked Lobenstein to a 4-0 lead. Matt Hoff had an RBI single in the first, and Mike Bents knocked in a run in the second with a single. Kris Agnew also executed a perfect squeeze bunt int he seocnd to score Dave Kerrigan.
After Loras cut the lead to 4-3, Larsen gave the Pioneers breathing room with a deep shot to the left-center power alley to put the game away.
Quinn Schultz hit a two-run home run in the opener to pace the Pioneers, but the Duhawks rallied with a run in the bottom of the seventh to record the victory.
Game One Boxscore Game Two Boxscore posted 3/16/00Pioneers drop extra-inning game
Wins in Florida are hard to come by for the UW-Platteville baseball team, which lost an eight-inning 4-3 game to Heidelberg (Ohio) Wednesday in Panama City.
The Pioneers also fell 5-1 to Avila (Mo.), dropping to 0-7 on their spring trip.
Justin Hahn went the first seven innings against Heidelberg but took the loss in the eighth. He and reliever Aaron Mack allowed just five hits during the game. Freshman Chris Olson had a double to highlight the offensive attack.
Pioneer pitchers Justin Ley, Jason Piddington and Jason Weiker also held Avila to five hits, but the UW-Platteville offense was held to four. One of those hits was Matt Hoff's double. UWP committed seven errors on the day.
The Pioneers will look to break through today (Thursday) against Dana (Neb.), whom they play in a doubleheader.
posted 3/15/00Pioneers have rough start in Florida
The UW-Platteville baseball team has run into some of the top teams in the country while opening the season in Florida, and the result is an 0-5 start for the Pioneers.
The Pioneers began Saturday with an 18-8 loss to Wayne State, Mich., an NCAA Division II school. On Sunday, the nation's top-ranked Division III team, Marietta, no-hit UWP 14-1. Marietta improved to 15-1 with the win. Later that afternoon, 1999 World Series participant Carthage topped the Pioneers 10-5.
On Monday, Heidelberg beat the Pioneers in a double-header, 5-1 and 8-3.
The Pioneers have games Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before returning to Platteville.