Baseball Preview, Part 4: UW-Milwaukee

Feb. 13, 2007

The 2006 season will be remembered as a very successful one for the UW-Milwaukee baseball team. The Panthers went 32-25, winning 30-plus games for the sixth time in the past nine years en route to recording the most victories since the 2002 season. However, after relying heavily on 10 graduated seniors, the 2007 season lines up to be an interesting one.

Head coach Scott Doffek, who replaced former skipper Jerry Augustine this past off-season after spending 12 years as the assistant head coach, will approach 2007 as any other year.

"The approach is no different," Doffek said. "I think at this point, my role is exactly what it has been. Certainly it will feel different in the dugout without Jerry, but at this point, we just went through a very hard recruiting season and fall practice season and I have been accustomed to doing that for 12 years."

Two key losses are Mike Goetz and Joe Nowicki, two players who were named First Team All-Horizon League in 2006 and went on to play professionally last summer. Goetz was UWM's first All-American, led the nation in average and was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers. In addition, the team graduated players who accounted for over 1,000 plate appearances and over half of the innings (278.2 of 497.0) on the mound.

"It's one thing to lose seniors, but the quality of seniors we lost is going to be next to impossible to replace," Doffek said. "But I don't think that you try and replace those guys individually. You just try and take what you have and build off that."

But all is not lost for UWM, as the team returns five everyday starters - including four who hit .298 or better - and five others who appeared in 25 or more games.

"We do have a good group of core guys that were here and have been around for a year or two with us and have been in the lineup every day," Doffek said. "So, one-thru-nine, we are certainly not going to be starting over. We'll have quite a bit more inexperience in the line-up than we have had, but we have a lot of guys to build off."

INFIELD
The Panthers will be rock-solid up the middle, as both second baseman Jesse Hart and shortstop Grant Berkovitz return after solid sophomore seasons. Hart hit .315 in 55 games, scoring 46 runs while adding 23 extra-base hits and 39 runs batted in. Berkovitz ended the season at .298 with 27 RBI's after having his average as high as .364 in the middle of the year. He battled injury all season but will be healthy in 2007.

"I think those two guys are going to be as good as any in the league," Doffek said. "Grant is coming off a season where he fought injury and could never get into a groove. His potential is limitless and he could really be a special player in the league. Jesse has shown that he is somebody that we can count on in both sides of the field - defensively and at the plate."

Third base will be handled by senior Kyle Silver and sophomore Andy Hetebrueg. Silver hit .252 in his first season as a Panther, warming up as the season progressed. Hetebrueg batted .224 in 27 games, making 12 starts as a freshman. He came through in the clutch, recording 12 runs batted in on 11 hits in 2006.

"Silver had a good fall and we look for him to go above-and-beyond what he did last year and be a team leader on the field," Doffek said. "Andy Hetebrueg is somebody that can be a real significant piece of the puzzle. He is making a push to be a go-to guy for us."

Nowicki's departure leaves a big void at first base. UWM will look to returners and newcomers to fill the hole. Sophomore Josh Groves (.226 in 22 games) and newcomer Shawn Wozniak will battle for playing time.

"Groves was here last year, but had just 31 at-bats," Doffek said. "He is very inexperienced but had a great fall. He does everything we ask of him and is capable of being a very good hitter. We also brought in Wozniak, a big physical kid who can be a presence in the lineup at some point. Those two guys are going to be butting heads for playing time."

Junior transfer Andy Gerhartz will also provide valuable depth for Milwaukee.

"He could potentially be a leadoff guy for us," Doffek said. "He can bounce around the infield and play two or three different spots. He is one of those guys who always seems to be in the right place at the right time."

OUTFIELD
One of the strengths for UWM will be in the outfield, where the Panthers return two of three starters from last year. Both Ross McCoy and Rob Brockel enter their senior seasons with hopes of capping great careers. McCoy was named all-league for the second time last season, finishing among the league leaders with 11 home runs and 48 RBI, while batting .316. Brockel hit .325, and was right behind with seven home runs and 47 runs batted in.

"Ross is potentially the most dominating player in the league: he can run, has power, can hit the ball to the opposite field," Doffek said. "We really need Ross to step up and be a competitive out every game."

"Brockel has the same thing - power the other way. For him, understanding his at-bats better is essential and I am hoping he can be a dominant force in the league."

Other candidates for starting jobs include juniors Nick Wichser, John Sarcia and Troy Vesling, sophomore Tim Patzman and freshman Sam Sivilotti. Wichser was a medical redshirt last season, but hit .262 in 42 games in 2005 and is fully healthy after two seasons where he battled injury. Patzman made seven starts in 29 games, Vesling was also a redshirt and Sarcia played a vital role off the bench last season, batting .286 while seeing action in 26 games. Sivilotti looks to make an impression after a stellar all-state career at Nicolet and a very good fall.

"Wichser could be a middle-of-the-order guy for us," Doffek said. "He is potentially one of the best hitters we have. He has great vision at the plate and is ultra-competitive. He is finally healthy and we really look for him to do good things. I absolutely love working with Nick - he is a real gamer."

"Vesling has made a big-time push. You will see him in the outfield and you will see him DH-ing," Doffek said. "Patzman has had a tough time staying healthy. Offensively, he could be one of the best we have. He just has to get comfortable in the batter's box. Sarcia is a situational guy for us - whether running or someone who is needed to put the ball in play, move a runner, and just give us some added depth in the outfield. Sivilotti is probably the most talented kid we brought in - running speed, power, good arm, he has all of the tools you look for. We will have five or six guys out there and it will be a good fight."

CATCHER
UWM lost a senior starter from behind the plate, so it will be young this year. Sophomore Dan Buchholz had a nice freshman season, earning Horizon League All-Newcomer Team honors after batting .278 in 27 games, making 19 starts. In addition, redshirt freshman Shaun Wegner will be looking to push for playing time as well.

"Buchholz has shown the potential to be a dominate force in the league," Doffek said. "It will be a matter of him learning on the fly and matching his potential with accomplishment. But, at the same time, we also have Shaun Wegner, who we redshirted last year. He had a great fall and will be pushing Danny all the way. I look for Shaun to play a significant part."

PITCHING
The Panthers battle the same problems on the mound, having graduated many key parts of last year's staff.

"It's always difficult to replace experience," UWM pitching coach Cory Bigler said. "We have guys with some ability, but they don't have much experience. I would say that is our biggest challenge as a staff."

Two regular starting pitchers set to return are seniors Mike Rauwerdink (4-4, 50 K's, .272 opp avg., 5.37 ERA) and Robert Michalkiewicz (2-6, 29 K's, 6.35 ERA). They will be relied on heavily for their leadership and experience.

"Robert and Mike need to take their game to the next level and lead this staff if we are going to successfully fill the void left by last year's seniors," Bigler said.

The rest of the pitching staff is comprised of three returners and 10 newcomers.

"I believe the most important component of this year's staff is the competition from within," Bigler said. "Nobody has a hold of a starting spot in the rotation and that competition will make everybody better."

Returners include seniors Kelby Mack (3-2, 2 saves) and Tom Zimmerman (2-0 in 10 games) and sophomore Tim Hoy (0-1 in 12 games). Mack will be looked at in longer situations this year as either a starter or middle reliever, while Hoy will have a chance to crack the starting rotation and will be a very important part of the bullpen as one of the only lefties.

Zimmerman will be called upon in the late innings, something the Panthers will be in need of after losing all-time saves leader Jed Dolske to graduation last year.

"My goal for Zimmerman is to get him into as many games as possible," Bigler said. "He has a very resilient arm."

The newcomers are made up of two groups when you consider a few are UWM redshirts from a season ago.

"Phil Kabat and Zach Hoch have made great strides," Bigler said. "I am really pleased with not only how they competed in the fall but worked over the summer. "

Six transfers will look to make an impact. Adam Ferrell comes to Milwaukee from Ridgewater College, where he was a junior college All-American. Matt Holzheuter was at MATC after a redshirt season at Kentucky while Ben McClarey played at the College of DuPage.

"Ferrell has experience at the junior college level and was a top guy," Bigler said. "We think that he can step right in - that was what we brought him in for. Holzheuter is coming off Tommy John surgery but has a great arm. McClarey is a lefty who has some valuable experience at the junior college level."

The other three transfers joined the UWM pitching staff at second semester. Dan Luczak spent three years at the University of South Carolina, Jordan Herbert comes to the Panthers from Miami (Ohio) University and Brandon Duffy pitched for MATC the past two years.

"Dan is coming off an exceptional summer in the Northwoods League and will compete for a spot in the starting rotation," Bigler said. "Jordan has a tremendous upside with plus arm strength and will compete for important innings while Brandon brings flexibility with the potential to start or close."

Lastly, true freshmen Tim Krowsky and Brett Proud round out the staff, but both will be working off injuries and will need to get healthy to make a difference.

Story provided by UW-Milwaukee Office of Sports Information