Second-year head coach Jeremy Jirschele was enthusiastic when talking about the 2017 UW-Stevens Point baseball team. A nice mix of returning players with solid additions to the team project for a bright outlook in 2017.
Arms Race
Junior Cole Erickson (Deerfield, Wis./Deerfield) spearheads a solid pitching rotation after the Deerfield, Wis., native earned first-team All-WIAC honors in 2016. He went 2-2 in eight starts with a 2.35 ERA, the third-best in the league a year ago. Erickson struck out 41 in 61.1 innings pitched with three complete games.
Derek Kawlewski (Stevens Point, Wis./Pacelli) returns to his hometown of Stevens Point after travels that took him to playing a season at the University of Rhode Island. In 2015, he made nine appearances for the Rams and went 1-2 with 13 strikeouts.
Beau Zeihen (Portage, Wis./Portage) and Nathan Mulzer (Neenah, Wis./Neenah) join the staff with the potential to be in the starting rotation. Both have post-high school experience and have looked good in the preseason. Junior Ben Miller (Union Grove, Wis./Union Grove) is back in the mix after missing last season with injury.
"It shows well for our pitching staff and our bullpen to where we are going to be pretty deep," said Jirschele. "It is a good problem to have with your pitching staff when you have a number of guys who can start for your team on a given day."
In the bullpen, junior Drew Spaeth (Stratford, Wis./Stratford) returns after picking up one of the Pointers' five saves last season. He made 14 appearances in relief with a 3.34 ERA with 17 strikeouts.
Behind the Dish
Sophomore Kyle Mrozinski (Ashwaubenon, Wis./Ashwaubenon) looks to see a majority of the playing time behind the plate. He started 29 games in 2016 and threw out 17 potential base stealers. At the plate, Mrozinski hit a home run among four extra-base hits and drew 15 walks.
Nolan Matson (Neillsville, Wis./Neillsville) and Weston Nelson (Sheboygan, Wis./North) enter the fray at catcher as well. Matson transferred to UWSP and Nelson makes the position switch from pitcher to catcher.
Tending to the Infield
Senior Clint Rose (Watertown, Wis./Watertown) is back at second base after a strong season in 2016. He hit .299 with a team-high 26 bases on balls. He started all 42 games a year ago.
Sophomore William Iloncaie (East Troy, Wis./East Troy) moves back to his natural position at shortstop after playing at third base his first season at UWSP. He started 38 games, drove in nine and legged out one of UWSP's five triple last season.
The corner infield spots will be up for competition early. True freshman Tommy Duddleston (Chicago, Ill./De La Salle Institute) has embraced a change from the middle infield to the hot corner. Jirschele likes the UWSP quarterback as the frontrunner at third.
Waupaca-native John Popham (Waupaca, Wis./Waupaca ) looks to take the reins at first base as a true freshman. "These guys are all understanding and working hard to do what is best for the team and best for the Pointers to be successful," continued Jirschele.
Patrolling the Greenery
Senior Tyler Thomka (Muskego, Wis./Muskego) is set to patrol centerfield for the Pointers in 2017. He started 19 games a season ago batting .282 in 33 games with 15 hits and seven RBI. "Defensively, I don't know that there is a better outfielder in the conference," boasted Jirschele.
Fellow senior Ben Gerber (Stoughton, Wis./Stoughton) has locked down right field after hitting .291 in 29 starts last year. He led UWSP with 16 stolen bases in 16 chances. Gerber drove home 18 runs and scored 20 others on the season.
Over in left field, UWSP will rely on Ryan Stanicek (Loves Park, Ill./Boylan Catholic), who started 19 games as a freshman in 2016. He hit .269 on the season and drove in six runs.
The Pointers head to Minneapolis to face St, Thomas in a season-opening twinbill on Tuesday (Feb. 28) at U.S. Bank Stadium. First pitch is slated for 10:30 a.m.
