In its first season in the National Club Baseball Association, the University of Wisconsin club baseball team claimed its first Western Lakes Conference title with five straight wins over Marquette this past weekend. Wisconsin claimed the title by compiling a 13-2 conference record while playing to a 17-7 mark overall. The team has been on quite a roll recently, winning its last seven straight games.
With the title, the Badgers have earned a spot in the NCBA regional tournament this weekend. Wisconsin will play host to Iowa State, winners of the Central Plains Conference, in a best-of-three game series. The winner will advance to the NCBA World Series held in Brandenton, Fla., May 14-18.
Friday’s game is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Warner Park on Madison’s east side. The Badgers will start staff ace Sam O’Connor, whoh as earned a record of 3-2 on the season to go along with a 2.44 ERA. Saturday’s first game will start at 3 p.m. and the second will follow if necessary. Right-hander Pete Dering is the scheduled starter for Saturday’s first game. Dering has compiled a record of 2-1, coupled with a commanding ERA of 0.67. Admission is free to every game the team plays this weekend.
Earlier this season, the Badgers traveled to Miami over their spring break, where they played in a tournament with the notable JUCO team of Miami-Dade Community College as well as New York University of the NCBA’s New Penn Conference. The Badgers lost both games to Miami-Dade but swept NYU, outscoring the Bobcats 36-16 in the doubleheader.
UW graduate Jeff Booth has coached the team all season. Booth was an infielder on the team in 2002. The club team players are all UW students. Each player pays annual dues while taking part in fundraising activities to pay for uniforms, travel, field rental and equipment.
UW students Brian Carlson and Eric Wolosek founded the club baseball team in the spring of 1999. The team began play in the spring of 2000 and went on to win the Wisconsin-Illinois Baseball Conference Tournament title that season.
The University of Wisconsin Athletic Board voted to drop the university’s varsity baseball squad in 1991. Since its inception, the club team has provided UW students with their only opportunity to play organized competitive baseball.
