Whitewater Baseball is finally getting back to baseball
WHITEWATER, Wis. (BVM) — On Feb. 17, the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) announced that spring sports would be having their seasons. The announcement came almost a year after spring sports were shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.聽
For UW-Whitewater鈥檚 baseball team, it was the announcement it had been waiting for, but it still doesn鈥檛 feel real yet.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very excited,” Warhawks head coach John Vodenlich said. 鈥� I mean we think it鈥檚 going to happen but I think it will really make an impact when that first pitch is thrown.鈥�
The Warhawks were ranked in the top 20 in the nation at the DIII level with a 2-1 record before last season ended and enter this season ranked fourth by .
A big part of that preseason ranking are the four all-conference players from a 2019 season that saw the Warhawks go 35-12 as they won both the WIAC regular season and tournament championship on their way to the NCAA tournament.
鈥淲e have a core group of young men that have been in our program so they understand our expectations and how we go about our business,鈥� Vodenlich said.
Pitchers Westin Muir, Matt O鈥橲ullivan and Connor Spear as well as Nick Santoro are all proven entities on a Warhawks team that looks to continue its dominance over the WIAC. But what Vodenlich is excited about is the players that he was expecting to step up last season.
鈥淚n almost every athletic career there comes a season that puts an athlete on the map so to speak,鈥� Vodenlich said. 鈥淥ne of the disappointments of last year was that there were a number of players that didn鈥檛 get on the map even though I knew they were going to.鈥�
Players like junior catcher Ryan Norton, who was going to be the starting catcher last year, and senior Connor Moroder, who had been dealing with injuries up until last season, are looking for their moment after losing it last year.聽
It鈥檚 their moment to shine and they鈥檙e ready for it along with freshmen who have come in with a professionalism that is matching the older guys on the team.
鈥淚 like how we are going about our business,鈥� Vodenlich said. 鈥淚 like the talent, I like the effort and I like the attitude that they鈥檙e bringing each day.鈥�
An important part of practice has been preparing for a new wrinkle that will be apparent once the season starts.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited about the randomness,鈥� Vodenlich said. 鈥淏ecause the instinctual quality baseball player should come out on top on that.鈥�
In a world where analytics has taken over most sports and especially baseball, there is no recent film of the Warhawks or any of their opponents. Everyone is entering the season not really knowing what to expect out of the competition.
鈥淭hat as an older coach excites me because what you鈥檙e going to have to do is you鈥檙e going to have to be able to make an assessment,鈥� Vodenlich said. 鈥淏oth on your team and your opponent now, watching the game.鈥澛�
Vodenlich is confident in his ability to adjust in the moment and knows his players are ready to take on the challenge. In large because of the culture that has been set up in Whitewater.聽
The players, the coaching and Vodenlich himself have created an atmosphere where they have dominated the WIAC as well as been a national power. They know what is expected of them and everyone wants to live up to that.
As the Warhawks enter the 2021 season, it鈥檚 finally starting to feel as normal as the feelings that always come up as the season starts to return. And although the time in between playing has been longer than normal, everything else is the same, including the Warhawks stance on what success is to them.聽
鈥淔or us success, our success is related to two factors: our ability and the opportunities we get,鈥� Vodenlich said. 鈥淚f we play up to our abilities and we take advantage of all the opportunities that are presented to us I鈥檓 going to view that as a success.鈥�
