Pioneers battling Mother Nature as spring sports heat up

Platteville, Wis.- The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Pioneer spring athletes find themselves competing against Mother Nature to compete on the field. The Pioneer track and field program held its first outdoor track meet in the snow, while softball and baseball have moved locations and battled the cold to get contests in.

Snow and cold could not stop Orr and VanHout from school record, compete at UW-La Crosse next

Despite the snow and cold temperatures, senior Gwen Orr continued to lower her school record in the 100-meter dash. Orr won the UW-Platteville Opener in 12.20. She would also win the 200-meter dash in 25.17 seconds.

Lizzie Andrews (triple jump), Shannon Wulf (long jump), Grace Elvert (javelin) and Grace Daehling (javelin) all hit personal bests.

Fresh off an All-American indoor season, Cade VanHout broke the school record in the 100-meter dash in 10.49 seconds with a wind reading of 4.5 mph. VanHout also won the 200-meter dash in a personal best 21.74 seconds.

Owen Miller (long jump) and Jarrod Vis (pole vault) set personal bests.

UW-Platteville Open recap and photos

The Pioneers will travel to UW-La Crosse for the Ashton May Invitational on Saturday, April 9.

Chris Rotzenberg is in his 10th year at UW-Platteville as the director of track and field.

Baseball splits with UW-La Crosse, scheduled to travel to Edgewood and host Finlandia

The Pioneer baseball team picked up its first two WIAC victories in a sweep over UW-La Crosse on April 2. Behind Isaac Bixby's strong 8 1/3 innings in his first college start, the Pioneers defeated the Eagles 7-4. It was Bixby's first career start and win. Sam Hernandez recorded the final two outs for his first save of the year. Ross Krist, Jonathan Kelso and Wyatt Molitor paced the offensive with two hits apiece.

The Pioneers overcame a 5-1 deficit in game two to win 7-6. Nate Jennings picked up the win in relief, allowing one run on four hits in four innings. Brady Hoppert threw a perfect ninth inning, recording two strike outs for his first save of the season. Wyatt Molitor collected four hits to pace the Pioneer offense.

The Eagles swept the Pioneers on April 3, winning game one 15-4 and the nightcap 11-9. Krist lead the Pioneers offensively in game one with three hits and three runs batted in. Kelso collected three hits in the nightcap to lead the Pioneers offensively.

The Pioneers were swept in a pair of doubleheaders to open the week by UW-Stout. Originally scheduled to be played at Kendall Murray Field on the UW-Platteville campus, field conditions forced the dates and location to be moved to Mauston, Wisconsin.

UW-Stout Game one and two recap

UW-Stout Game three and four recap 

UW-La Crosse game one and two recap   

UW-La Crosse game three and four recap

The Pioneers (4-10, 2-6 WIAC) will travel to Edgewood (9-6) and host Finlandia (3-13, 0-6 WIAC) at Kendall Murray Field. The Eagles and Pioneers are scheduled for one nine inning contest on Wednesday, April 6, with first pitch at 6 p.m.

Finlandia is scheduled to visit Kendal Murray Field for a pair of WIAC doubleheaders on Saturday, April 9 and Sunday, April 10. First pitch for both doubleheaders is scheduled for noon. 

The Pioneers are hitting .297 as a team. Kelso is hitting .400 on the year, while Krist leads the team with three homeruns. 

The Pioneers enter the week with an 8.27 earned run average. Bixby leads the pitching staff with a 1.93 earned run average in 18 2/3 innings. He also leads the team with 17 strike outs.

Chad Harris is in his fourth season at UW-Platteville. He has a record of 42-60. 

Softball drops pair to St. Ambrose, host UW-Whitewater to open WIAC play 

The Pioneer softball team was swept in a non-conference doubleheader by St. Ambrose on March 29. The Fighting Bees won game one 5-2 and held off a Pioneer rally in the seventh for an 8-7 win in the nightcap.

The Pioneers out hit St. Ambrose, collecting 25 hits on the day. Rachel Plautz's three hit game paced the Pioneers in game one, while Claire Bakkesuten collected four hits in game two.

St. Ambrose recap

The Pioneers (8-10, 0-0 WIAC) are scheduled to welcome UW-Whitewater (7-7, 0-0 WIAC) to the Softball Complex on Wednesday, April 6 for a doubleheader. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m.

UW-Eau Claire is scheduled to visit on Sunday, April 10 for a doubleheader. First pitch against the Blugolds is set for noon. 

The Pioneers are hitting .340 as a team, led by Plautz's .485 average. Bakkestuen leads the Pioneers with four homeruns and 21 runs batted in. 

The Pioneers have a 4.40 team earned run average. Bakkestuen leads the Pioneers in the circle with a 3.55 earned run average. She has picked up three wins, tied with Jordan Johnson's three wins for team best.

Becca (Lowe) Runde is in her third year as head coach. She has a career record of 27-29. 

Golf opens at V-Hawk Invitational, preparing to host first-ever home event

The Pioneer women's golf team opened the spring portion of their season at the V-Hawk Invitational on April 3. The two-day event was reduced to one day, due to weather. Markie Ash led the Pioneers with an 81, tying for 14^th place.

The Pioneers will travel to Bristol, Wisconsin, for the Firebird Spring Invitational hosted by Carthage on Saturday, April 9 and Sunday, April 10. Following the Firebird Spring Invitational, the Pioneers will host the Pioneer Invitational on Saturday, April 23 and Sunday, April 24. The Pioneer Invitational will be the first meet the Pioneers host at the Platteville Country Club. 

Mark Evetovich is in his first season as head coach of the Pioneer women's golf team.

To follow the Pioneers all season, visit www.Letsgopioneers.com for links for live stats, postgame recaps and links for the contests that are live streamed. Follow the official social media accounts of Pioneer Athletics on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.