Baseball Preview, Part 5: Milwaukee

Feb. 18, 2008

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee baseball team will have some unanswered questions heading into the 2008 season. After reaching the semifinals of the Horizon League Championship last year, the biggest will be dealing with the loss of another talented senior class. But, second-year head coach Scott Doffek feels that his team will be ready to use the 2007 campaign as a building block for 2008.

"We lost some quality guys, but we have a lot of the core guys back who are a year older," Doffek said. "Plus, we are really excited about the people we brought in. We have some players who have been around for a while and are more entrenched in the program and will hopefully take the ball and run with it."

The Panthers lost four players from the 2007 roster that earned Second Team All-Horizon league honors. Included in that list is Ross McCoy, who went on to play professionally last summer for the Utica Brewmasters in the New York State League and then with the Lincoln Saltdogs of the American Association. He earned second team All-League honors for the third time in his career in 2007 and established new UWM career marks for games played, at bats and doubles, while also finishing second in career hits and total bases.

"Ross was a mainstay here for five years and was a huge part of the program," Doffek said. "He was like a coach on and off the field and was a quality player. I don't know that you can replace that, but you just try to put together the pieces and hopefully some of your younger guys grow into players like Ross."

Doffek went through some ups and downs in his first season as the head coach last year, finishing with a 25-32 record, including a 16-14 mark in league play. His squad did record at least 25 wins for the 10th time in the past 11 seasons, with those 25 victories breaking the program mark for wins by first-year head coach, which had been 21.

After a slow start where the team played series against nationally-ranked Arkansas and Kentucky and also against eventual NCAA-Tournament participant Austin Peay, the Panthers righted the ship to go 23-15 the rest of the regular season. After posting two postseason victories, they had their season come to a heartbreaking close in extra innings of the semifinals at the Horizon League Tournament.

Another question for Milwaukee will be the starting pitching, with Robert Michalkiewicz (14 starts), Dan Luczak (14) and Mike Rauwerdink (12) - a trio that accounted for 40 starts out of the 57 games played in 2007 - all having moved on.

"We brought in some newcomers to the pitching staff that should come in and get big innings," Doffek said. "We also have some returning guys we expect to step up. Like any team, we're only going as far as our pitching will take us."

All is not lost for the UWM offense, as it returns seven players who started at least half of the games in 2007 from a roster that batted .303 as a team. Included in that list are senior Jesse Hart and junior Josh Groves, who each earned First Team All-Horizon League honors last season. Groves led the team with his .396 batting average, ranking sixth in the Horizon League. Hart was second at a .360 clip, which was 10th in the League.

"The goal for us is to win a conference championship," Doffek said. "I feel like we were just a step away last year. We were probably the hottest team heading into the league tournament and played well before falling a little short on depth. When you are capable of doing the little things day in and day out and understand the importance of those things, your program is ready to win. That is what we strive for every day."

Infield
The Panthers have a lot of experience returning in the infield. In addition to Hart and Groves, juniors Andy Hetebrueg and Shawn Wozniak both saw extended action in the infield, as did sophomore Wes Munson.

Hart (.360, 30 runs, 20 RBI) has been the every day second basemen most of his career and will look to go out on a high note. He was the 14th-toughest player to strike out at the NCAA D-I level last season and has three successful years in a UWM uniform behind him. He is on pace to establish career marks in at-bats, hits and doubles and will look to become the first Panther to bat over .300 in each season of a four-year career.

"Hart is one of the top players in the League," Doffek said. "Barring an injury, he should end up with more hits than anyone in the history of the program. He is going to give you competitive at-bats, he knows the game, is a good base-runner and a solid defender. He has been very steady for us."

Groves earned his postseason honors as a utility player, having made starts at third base, first base, catcher and designated hitter while not making an error in the field in 156 chances. His 21 doubles were second-best in school history and helped him rank seventh in the NCAA in doubles per game. He got hotter as the season wound down, batting .458 (49-for-107) from April 1 through the end of the season.

"Groves really came on as a hitter last year," Doffek said. "He was a catcher-turned-third baseman who we took a flyer on at third and he did very well. With a year under his belt, he should be even more comfortable over there. Hopefully Josh can take some of that momentum from last year and carry it over."

Hetebrueg (22 starts at 1B) hit .302 and set career-highs in all categories last year but will concentrate on the pitching side of things this year. Wozniak (34 starts at 1B) hit .248 with four home runs and 22 runs batted in.

"Wozniak showed flashes of doing what he can do last year, which is left-handed power and plate discipline," Doffek said. "Hetebrueg is going to pitch, primarily, but we will also throw him in at first base or DH on occasion. Then we brought in Ben Long who can catch and play first and is someone we expect to be in the middle of our lineup at some point."

Munson (.239 in 30 games/18 starts) will also hope to step into a starting spot after filling in last season. Newcomers Andy Gerhartz, Cole Kraft and Casey Lyman will also be looking for playing time.

"Munson will take over at shortstop," Doffek said. "He filled in last year when Grant Berkovitz was injured and should feel more comfortable with a year of work behind him. He should be able to step in and take over that role. Gerhartz is a tough-nosed type of kid that we can bounce around the infield. He is the type of player that can get under your skin. He is ultra-competitive and his style of play is infectious. Kraft has a lot of talent and has been a three-sport kid all along. He is now focusing on one sport and has been fun to work with. He has a good understanding of things and a good left-handed bat. I think he has a chance to be a special player as he continues here. Casey is another left-handed stick. He is a hard-working kid with a competitive nature."

Outfield
One of the biggest strengths for UWM last season was the outfield. In addition to McCoy making starts in the outfield in all 57 games, the graduated Rob Brockel was an everyday starter in the outfield as well and also earned second team all-league honors. That leaves Milwaukee with one other outfield position, which will be manned again by senior Nick Wichser.

Wichser (.302, 5 HR, 32 RBI) ended the season on a tear, hitting safely in each of the final 16 games. He batted .388 (26-for-67) in that stretch to end the season at .302 overall and will be looked at for his leadership after starting 52 games in the outfield last year.

"We are counting on Nick for a little bit of everything," Doffek said. "He is a fifth-year guy who knows what to expect around the league. He certainly will be an everyday guy. Hopefully he can get off to a start that he finished on. Once he got in the swing of things last year after coming off the injury [he redshirted the 2006 season], he really took off and is capable of big things."

Seniors Troy Vesling (.253, 1 HR, 18 RBI in 39 games) and John Sarcia (.200, 5 RBI in 25 games) will battle for playing time, as will sophomore Tim Patzman, who played in just 10 games last year before suffering an injury and redshirting the season. Adding to the outfield mix will be junior transfer Johann Andes (an All-American at MATC last season) and freshmen Doug Dekoning and Sam Sivilotti.

"Center field is a tricky situation," Doffek said. "I think we will be going with a true freshman for the first time since I have been here in Doug Dekoning. John Sarcia and Sam Sivilotti will also be battling for playing time there as well. Troy Vesling will be a corner outfielder and a DH. He took a huge step in the last six months and will be a guy that will be reckoned with."

That leaves the right field spot, one that Patzman and Andes will battle for as the season begins.

"Timmy has had a hard time staying healthy. He looked solid all fall and has really shown promise in the batter's box," Doffek said. "Johann is a JUCO guy that has had a lot of success at that level. He has a good left-handed stick and a plus-arm."

Catcher
Milwaukee had three different players start behind the plate in 2007 and all three return. In addition to Groves (20 starts), sophomores Shaun Wegner (.277, 1 HR, 13 RBI) and Dan Buchholz (medical redshirt after 11 games in 2007) will be battling for playing time. In addition to that trio, junior transfer Ben Long and redshirt freshman Ricky Babcock make this position Milwaukee's deepest.

"Buchholz is coming off Tommy John surgery, so he won't be catching until later in the year," Doffek said. "But he will have an opportunity to fight for the DH spot. We have said since he got here that he probably has more tools in the batting box than anyone and could legitimately be one of the bigger power guys in the lineup and League.

"Groves will be the everyday third baseman and catch only on occasion. Wegner had a great freshman season behind the plate and, with a year under his belt at the plate, will take another step there. Ben Long offensively has pro tools. He is a rangy kid with opposite-field power."

Pitching
Doffek will need returning players to step up for the staff, as UWM returns less than half of the innings pitched (226.1 of 477.1) from the 2007 roster. Michalkiewicz was the staff ace last season, earning Second Team All-Horizon League honors after going 6-4 with a 4.03 ERA, including a League-best four complete games and two shutouts.

"Our staff is unproven but I believe that we have some really good arms," UWM pitching coach Cory Bigler said. "If we can get those arms to mature a bit and get some positive experience early then we will be okay. As far as the staff ace, I think we have four or five guys fighting for three spots which is a positive because we will have some great competition."

Hetebrueg (left) threw the most innings of any returnee, working 38.2 frames while going 2-3 in 10 games, making five starts. Junior Tim Hoy (1-3 in 29.0 IP) will look to assume a spot in the rotation. He had the second-lowest earned run average on the squad last year and limited the opposition to a .248 average while striking out 21.

"Hetebrueg will pitch about 90 percent of the time after being a 50-50 guy in the past," Bigler said. "This will help his mentality as well as his approach to the game. I really see Tim Hoy making a big step. He is finally 100% healthy. He knows who he is and I look for big things out of him."

Seniors Ben McClarey (1-0, 4.91 ERA), Adam Ferrell (1-2, 29.0 IP) and Matt Holzheuter (18.1 IP in 14 games) and sophomore Zach Hoch (1-0, 14 games) will add needed depth to the staff.

"McClarey has an opportunity to get some innings as a savvy lefty," Bigler said. "Holzheuter has a power arm and has the chance to be the best guy on our staff. Ferrell should be a steady influence and can play different roles for us. He is very versatile which is important to us. Hoch is a guy who needs to allow himself to be successful - he has the stuff to do it."

Junior Jordan Herbert (4-0 record in 17 games) looks to take over the closer role in 2008. He did save one game last year while striking out 31 batters in 23.2 innings - the highest K/IP ratio on the squad. He was tough on the opposition all season, limiting opponents to a .188 batting average.

"Closer is his role to lose," Bigler said. "I think he will be `that guy' all year long. He had a good summer figuring out his delivery. As that process goes forward, I think he can become one of the premier closers in the league - he has that kind of ability."

Newcomers will play a huge role for the pitching staff: juniors Craig Meier, Brad Lusti and Jeff Gordon and freshmen Brett Proud and Cuyler Franzke will all look to make an impact.

"Meier is the hardest worker on the staff and will play a vital role," Bigler said. "Lusti is a polished guy coming in - we knew what we were getting and are happy to have someone of his talent on the team. Gordon is coming off some arm issues, but should be at the top end of the rotation. Proud and Franzke just need some experience and seasoning, but could be good set-up men for us."

With the pieces in place, the answers will come soon enough. The Panthers open the 2008 season in Florida, taking part in Jacksonville University's tournament Feb. 22-24. They open against the hosts Feb. 22 at 3 p.m. CST.

Story provided by UWM Office of Sports Information