Pioneer Baseball opens conference play

Platteville, Wis.- The University of Wisconsin-Platteville Baseball team is off to a 4-2 start after sweeping UW-Eau Claire and splitting with UW-La Crosse. Head Coach Chad Harris and the Pioneers will open conference play this week.

Week in review

The Pioneers went 3-1 during the week of March 22-28. The Pioneers picked up a non-conference sweep at UW-Eau Claire on March 25. This was the first game in over 25 years between the schools. UW-Eau Claire reinstated baseball as a varsity sport after dropping the program in 1995.

The Pioneers split a non-conference doubleheader with UW-La Crosse on March 27. The Pioneers handed the Eagles their first loss of the season behind a strong pitching performance from freshman Sam Hernandez. The Eagles would rally late to win game two.

Week ahead

The Pioneers will welcome Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference affiliated member Finlandia to Kendall Murray Field on Friday, April 2 and Saturday, April 3 for a pair of conference doubleheaders. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m. both days.

The Pioneers come into the week hitting .276, led by junior Jonathan Kelso's .609 average. Freshman Austin Pullara is batting .429 in seven at bats, and freshman Mitchell McLaughlin is at .417 in 12 at bats. McLaughlin and freshman Grant Mullins are tied for the team lead with six RBIs. Mullins is batting .318 on the season and leads the Pioneers with two home runs and has the only Pioneer triple of the season. Sophomore Andrew Zakula (.375) and junior Garrett Gillund (.333) round out the top six hitters for the Pioneers.

After a slow start on the mound, the Pioneer pitching staff lowered the team ERA to 5.12.  Hernandez and freshman Sam Arnold both took no-hitters into the sixth inning in their most recent starts. Hernandez leads the Pioneers with 10 innings pitched, while Arnold has a 1.50 ERA. Junior Nate Jennings has the lone save of the season and leads the Pioneers with two wins in relief.

Track and Field hosted first outdoor track meet in two years

The Pioneer Track and Field outdoor teams returned to action in nearly two years at the Platteville Early Bird Meet on March 27. The Pioneers hosted Loras College, University of Dubuque and St. Scholastica.

"This is the earliest we ever hosted an outdoor meet at this facility," Head Coach Chris Rotzenberg said. "This was the first college outdoor track meet for some and for most it has been two years since they competed outside. It was a great opportunity for people to put down their initial performance for the outdoor season."

The Pioneers will travel to UW-Whitewater on Friday, April 2 for the Rex Foster Twilight. Field events will start at 2 p.m. and running events at 3 p.m. The Pioneers return to the UW-Platteville Track Complex on Saturday, April 10 for the UW-Platteville Invitational.

Softball to take short pause before WIAC play

The Pioneer softball team finished an eight game non-conference schedule with a 4-4 record. The Pioneers will have the next 10 days off before welcoming UW-Oshkosh to the UW-Platteville Softball Complex on Tuesday, April 6. The WIAC built in the 10 day pause before conference play to catch any COVID-19 outbreaks amongst conference teams and isolate the spread.

Last Week

The Pioneers were swept by number 16 Milwaukee School of Engineering. The Raiders pushed two runs across in the bottom of the seventh to win game one 4-3 and blanked the Pioneers in game two for a 5-0 win.

Head Coach Rebecca Lowe and the Pioneers would drop its fourth game in a row when Coe College broke a 3-3 tie in the bottom of the seventh to win 4-3, but bounced back to win the night cap 8-4 behind senior Shannon Gaul's 4-for-4 night and four RBIs to get the split.

To wind up the six-game week in three states, the Pioneers traveled to Minnesota where they broke out the brooms on their way to an impressive sweep of Saint Mary's 12-3 in game one and 14-0 in game two.  Gaul continued to swing a hot bat, hitting her second and third home run of the season.

Week ahead

The Pioneers are on a 10-day conference wide pause before the WIAC schedule starts Tuesday, April 6.

To follow all the Pioneer action this spring, visit www.Letsgopioneers.com where you can find links for live stats, postgame recaps, and links for the contests that are live streamed.