The University of Wisconsin Whitewater baseball team is your Varsity Journal Men’s Team of the Month. The Warhawks of Whitewater have become the team to beat in the talented WIAC, achieving a national Division 3 ranking in the top 10.
The Warhawks, like many other area schools traveled south to start the season, heading for a matchup with 19th-ranked Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas. Although they split their first series with Trinity, they twice won by double digits against the Tigers, including a 21-2 victory.
After starting the season in San Antonio, they made a quick spring break stop in Florida, where they won seven of their eight games against top Division 3 schools.
Since getting back to the Midwest, the Warhawks have been nearly perfect, only dropping one game in March, and one in April.
They have kept their foot on the gas at the plate, averaging over 10 runs scored per game, and a team batting average of .345. Junior Frank Eli has been at the helm of the team’s success offensively, slashing an outlandish .477/.524/.830 and leading the team in hits, RBI, doubles, triples, and homers on the season. Eli has been no slouch on the mound either, as the two-way player has 20 innings of pitching under his belt, throwing well enough for a 3.16 ERA.
Other standouts for the Warhawks have been juniors Matt Scolan and Daryl Jackson, and sophomore Danny Hopper. All three players have been batting north of .350 throughout the 2024 campaign.
The ace for this Whitewater squad has been sophomore RHP Michael Hilker Jr. The Yorkville, Illinois product has been shoving this season, leading the team with a 1.32 ERA and 41 strikeouts through 27.1 innings. Along with Hilker, all five members of the Warhawks starting rotation have an ERA under four, which has kept this squad in the driver’s seat of the WIAC.
After recently achieving his 700th career NCAA victory, head coach John Vodenlich holds the title of the winningest coach in Warhawk history. He is nowhere close to finished though as he and his crew of assistant coaches have their eyes set on leading the conference in what would be Vodenlich’s 15th WIAC first-place finish. Vodenlich is assisted by Zach Bayreuther, Peyton Schneider, Armando Hernandez, Tom Klawitter, and Mark Fuller.
Their road to another first-place finish won’t be easy with teams like UW-La Crosse, and UW-Stevens Point close behind. But so far, the Warhawks have done many things right to solidify themselves as one of the nation’s top D3 programs.
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