Pioneers Tabbed For Fifth In WIAC Poll

PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – The University of Wisconsin-Platteville baseball team was picked to finish fifth in the 2025 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) preseason poll that was released on Thursday afternoon.

UW-Whitewater, the NCAA Division III World series runner-up, finished atop the poll followed by UW-La Crosse. Both teams enter the season inside the D3baseball.com Top 25 preseason poll, with the Warhawks ranked as the top team with the Eagles at No. 12.

UW-Stevens Point and UW-Oshkosh were the two next teams in the poll, with the Pioneers right behind in fifth. UW-Stout, UW-Eau Claire, and UW-River Falls rounded out the poll, with the Falcons returning to the conference for the first time since 2002.

Head Coach Chad Harris helms the program for the seventh consecutive season after going 16-21 last season with an 11-13 mark in conference play. His roster returns 25 letterwinners from last year's team, including seven starting position players and a trio of starting pitchers.

Senior Justin Fago headlines the returners after earning WIAC Honorable Mention honors in 2024. Across his two years with the Pioneers, Fago is batting .370 with 30 extra-base hits and 53 RBI. He's been a consistent piece in the UW-Platteville lineup, appearing in all but one game across the two seasons.

Joining Fago in the field will be senior infielder Slate Higa, sophomore infielder Caleb Parker, and senior catcher Brady Katterhagen. Higa posted a .265 batting average across 35 games last season and stole a team-high 11 bases. Parker was the primary shortstop a year ago and hit .357 with 29 runs scored and a team-leading 12 doubles. Katterhagen tied for third on the team with 21 RBI and batted .295 with a .436 slugging percentage.

On the mound, seniors Isaac Bixby and Brady Hoppert return to lead the Pioneers rotation for the upcoming season. Bixby most recently pitched in 2023, and he has started 15 total games for UW-Platteville across his two years with the team. Hoppert was second on the team in innings pitched last season and struck out a career-high 31 batters across his eight starts.

The Pioneers travel to Jacksonville, Illinois, to begin the season on Friday, February 21 against Illinois College. Following the three-game trip, UW-Platteville heads to Lafayette, Indiana to begin March for three more games before heading to MSOE for a weekend road trip. The Pioneers home opener will take place on Sunday, March 23 with a doubleheader against Edgewood.

Conference play starts on the road at UW-Oshkosh on Saturday, March 29. UW-Platteville will welcome in UW-Stevens Point, UW-River Falls, UW-La Crosse, and UW-Eau Claire for home doubleheaders this season, and the WIAC Tournament takes place May 8-10.