STEVENS POINT—Head Baseball Coach
Pat Bloom has announced a group of 13 student-athletes who intend to continue their baseball careers at UW-Stevens Point. Twelve freshmen and one transfer will join a veteran team and a program that has enjoyed much success the past five years.
The Pointers are coming off a season in which they captured a share of the regular season conference championship for the first time since 2002 while also claiming its fifth consecutive conference tournament championship. Recipients of an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament for the fifth straight year, the Pointers went 2-2 in the Midwest Regional, losing twice to eventual national champion St. Thomas.
Leading the way in the class of 2009 is catcher/infielder Sean Gerber (Stoughton). Boasting a .483 batting average in his final season with the Vikings, Gerber scored 30 runs and smacked seven home runs. He was a three-time all conference player and a WBCA All-Star. His legion team advanced to the AA State Tournament in Kimberly, where Gerber blasted three home runs in four games on his way to being named to the All-Tournament team.
Another Madison-area native joining the Pointers this fall is infielder Aaron Nelson (Oregon). As a stellar student-athlete for the Panthers, Nelson was a two-time all-conference selection who hit .426 his senior season, earning him an appearance in the WBCA All-Star Game.
Adding defensive versatility and speed to the class of 2009 is infielder Dan Douglas (East Troy). A switch-hitter, Douglas boasted a .436 batting average and stole 14 bases his senior season with the Trojans. He was named first-team all conference three times in his high school career, which was capped by appearances in both the WBCA and Legion- All Star games.
On the mound, Jacob Herbst (Park Falls) went 8-3 in his final season with the Cardinals, posting a 1.33 ERA in 58 innings while recording 101 strikeouts. He was named 3rd team All-State and was Conference Co-Player of the Year, earning him a place with Gerber and Nelson as a WBCA All-Star. Another right-hander, Nate Anschutz (Sturgeon Bay), was named Bay Conference Player of the Year after posting at 1.24 earned run average with 90 strikeouts in 51 innings pitched in his senior campaign with the Clippers.
This past weekend, Nate joined future teammates Dan Douglas, Justin Moroder and Luke Cismoski in the American Legion State All Star Game played at Miller Park in Milwaukee.
Pitchers Jack Archie (Milwaukee/Marquette) and Cam Seidl (Appleton/Fox Valley Lutheran) both bring championship experience to the pitching rotation. Archie posted 71 strikeouts in 59 innings in leading his team to consecutive top-two finishes in the WIAA Summer State Tournament. Meanwhile, Seidl tossed a three-hit shutout in the sectional finals to lead the Foxes to an appearance in the WIAA Division 2 Spring State Tournament last June.
The lone junior college transfer in the class of 2009 is infielder Travis Tuschen (Sun Prairie/MATC). Tuschen posted a .971 fielding percentage last season at MATC on his way to earning all-conference accolades for the Wolfpack. A standout at Sun Prairie High School, Tuschen helped lead the Cardinals to back-to-back state titles in 2005 and 2006.
Other incoming freshmen in the Pointer class of 2009 include infielder Justin Moroder (Stevens Point/SPASH), outfielder J.J. Blaschke (La Crosse/Central), catcher Shaun Lena (Sussex/Hamilton), and pitchers Luke Cismoski (Hortonville) and Nate Friday (Whitefish Bay/Dominican).
The Pointers begin their fall practice schedule on Monday, September 7th, with their annual Fall Classic doubleheader set for Saturday, October 3rd at University Field starting at 1:00pm.
