Senior Ben Vizvary looks to build upon his NCAA South Regional performance in which he hit .438 and a team-high six RBIs as he starts on the other side of the infield at first base. Up the middle, All-UAA Second Teamer senior Dylan Eisner and sophomore Nick Chambers return as Emory's double-play combo. Junior Chris Young will begin the year as the man behind the plate. Young made 31 starts in 2015 and had a .981 fielding percentage.
Senior David Coble is back to man centerfield as is junior Wilson Morgan. Coble led the team with 23 stolen bases, adding a .278 batting average and .983 fielding percentage. Morgan appeared in 37 games, making 26 starts and will be looked upon to fill the void left by the graduation departures of Brett Lake and Wes Peacock. Morgan owned a team-high .373 batting average to go along with five doubles, seven stolen bases and 29 RBIs. The introduction of two highly-regarded newcomers, Jackson Grayson and Alec Granger, will also be looked upon to fill the outfield holes.
The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team is slotted as the No. 9 team in the nation in the 2016 D3baseball.com/National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason Top 25.
The Warhawks didn't budge from their final 2015 ranking, earning 372 points from voters, 24 short of eighth-ranked Birmingham Southern and two ahead of No. 10 Frostburg (Mass.) St.
Last season, UW-Whitewater won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference regular season championship for the third consecutive season and 16th overall. The team reached the NCAA Division III Tournament Regional and finished with a 35-11 record, including an 18-6 mark in conference play.
Junior third baseman Steve Chamberlain and sophomore outfielder Daytona Bryden lead returning as starters in the field. Chamberlain, a second team All-Midwest Region selection by both D3baseball.com and the American Baseball Coaches Association in 2015, led the team with a .389 batting average to go along with 10 doubles and 30 RBIs. Bryden hit .356 with 19 RBIs and a team-high 20 stolen bases.
Three of the team's top four starting pitchers are also slated to return in this spring. Senior right-hander Curtis Morgan, an ABCA second team all-region pick, finished 8-0 in 13 appearances last season with 38 strikeouts. Junior righty Mike Nompleggi finished 5-1 with a 2.72 earned run average and allowed opponents to hit just .222 last year.
Sophomore RHP Lake Bachar, Baseball America's No. 100 professional prospect in college baseball and the 2015 D3baseball.com Midwest Region Rookie of the Year, is set to return. He posted a 7-1 record with a 2.24 ERA and 46 strikeouts last spring.
Seven-time WIAC Coach of the Year John Vodenlich enters his 13th season at the helm of the program. He has led the Warhawks to nine conference championships, 11 NCAA Tournament appearances and five trips to the Division III World Series, including national titles in 2005 and 2014.
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#11
Wisc.-
Whitewater
Courtesy of uwwsports.com
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