This last week was the biggest turn around I have ever been a part of on a team, and let me tell you, it is just getting started. On Tuesday we started off practice by focusing on the little things in baseball and getting better on focusing on everything. We worked harder that day in practice than any other day by far, and it showed. All week we worked to become the best and play like the best. With motivation from coach, we started to play like champions and it began with our practices. We were ready for conference play.
The first game against Oshkosh went in favor of Oshkosh of 10-8 but we played very well and competed with them, and that fueled the fire for the next game. We ran off in the 5th when we put up a 6 spot and did not look back from there. TJ Wink pitched a great game only allowing 3 and we went on to win 11-3 with great offense and stealer pitching. Paul Schlangen hit two homeruns and Mitch Loegering hit one to give the offense a boost. The third game we started off rough letting up 8 runs in the first two innings and finished falling 13-5. But that defeat didn’t stop us from fighting and playing like we know how too. The final game of the weekend we got the bats going by putting up 7 runs in the 2nd, 7 runs in the 3rd, and another 5 runs in the 4th. That was one of the most exciting games I have been a part of and it seemed like people were scoring on every hit. Everyone contributed on offense in that game, and Alex Lagadin got the win pitching. Senior Captain Paul Schlangen put the exclamation point on the weekend by hitting a monstrous homerun in the 7th to make it 21-5. The split with Oshkosh was nice and felt good, but we know that we can fight even harder and make good things happen down the road. We are 2-2 in conference play right now and will add to that next weekend in Stevens Point. For now, we got another hard week of practice where we will be preparing to fight like champions.
We are Superior
We had a road trip down to Chicago to play North Central University and North Park University in two double headers on March 27th and 28th. We came out strong the first game against North Park winning 4-1 behind winning senior pitcher TJ Wink. Senior Captain Alex Lagadin lifted us up as he hit a solo shot to give us the lead in the 2nd. From there, we scattered 3 more runs and shutting the door in the 9th on Senior Paul Schalngens Homerun to go up 4-1. In the second game, we had the lead of 2-1 till the 9th inning when North Park hit a walk off homerun. We played North Central the next day, and the bats didn’t wake up that day. With a mixture of lack of focus on the mound, to not putting together good at bats, North Central took two from us that day. This was a wakeup call to us and we will never let that happen to us again. We are going to change how we prepare for games and start playing like Champions.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Huwxp6Ct7TA
We are Superior
For spring break we went to Vero Beach Florida, former spring training facility of the Dodgers. As everyone knows here, it’s not warm in Superior in spring so we all couldn’t wait to get there. But, we had a 28 hour ride before we could step out on that green field. On the way down we do our annual bus ride traditions. To start off the trip, the team took coach’s baseball test. To play, you have to pass this test with a 90% or better. The test can be about anything in baseball, but mostly about our team. If you fail, you better study up because you are taking it again. After that, we read our poems that we wrote. Every player writes a poem about our team, players and coaches. They get pretty funny but it’s all in good fun. From there, it’s about 22 more hours till Florida. Once we got there, everyone was relieved to be off that bus. The night before sleeping wasn’t exactly a 5 star hotel, as every player can tell you they didn’t get much sleep. But as soon as we got on the field, we were ready to play some ball in the warm Florida weather. The first game of the week we played against St. Mary’s college, and grinded it out for the 6-4 win with Sean Cummings and Paul Schlangan hitting two solo shots. The next day, we played New England College where the bats came alive. Everyone contributed with hits and scoring runs in the two games as we outscored them 31-6 for the two wins. 14-0 and 17-6. Joe Ahrens hit his first college homerun in the first game, and it was a bomb. All day the pitchers were throwing strikes and getting their job done with an exceptional performance. Nick Bursik threw the first 6 and got his first win of the season, and Chris “Fudge” Ransom came in to close. In the second game, Alex Lagadin started off throwing 4 innings, then Bobby Tyndall came in for two, and Jonny Brattengeier came into close the 7th. We played St. Mary’s again on Wednesday and came out big with the 12-5 win, a much better performance than the first. Freshman Matt Prosek started off the game and pitched very well for his first start. Mike Swanson came out of the pen for two innings of work, followed by sophomore pitcher Andrew Lange to finish things off. The offense worked the bats in the second scoring 8 runs to shut the door early. On Friday, we had a double header vs. Central Iowa. We lost the first game 1-12, but coach challenged us to answer back. We took that to heart and got rolling. We came back with an 8-5 win. Senior TJ Wink took the mound for the win pitching a strong start. Bobby Tyndall came in late to close the door on them. Our trip ended with a game against Scholastica. They are our new bridge rivals and no one wanted to beat them more than us. But we were too tense out there and made rookie mistakes. Dan Lindsey pitched very well doing his job, but we couldn’t get the D working behind him to help him out. We ended up losing 0-9. We learned a lot from this game though. We learned not to be so tense and just be loose and play ball. We won’t be making these mistakes again and was good practice for conference play. It was a good learning experience for everyone. After that, it was all over and we were headed back for Superior. It was a good trip, improving our record to 6-3 and got some good playing time outside on the field. As for now, we are going day by day and focusing on the little things and keep getting better.
This weekend we will be going to Chicago to play 2 double headers Saturday and Sunday. These are our last non conference games before we go down to Oshkosh April 10th.
We Are Superior
The Yellowjackets started off their season playing two games down at the Metrodome against Mcalaster College. On the bus ride down you could feel the excitement along with the jitters from the players, but once we stepped out on the field, everyone went into game mode and it was business time. Although the first game didn’t go as we would like, we got our game together going into the second and came out strong. Senior pitcher Alex Lagadin started on the bump and pitched a solid 4 innings. Sophomore Mike Swanson came out of the bullpen to pitch the 4th and 5th, and then Junior Dan Lindsey came to clean out the last two innings. The pitchers combined to only let up 2 hits and no runs. Our offense also came around this game getting some key hits to string together some quality runs for our first of many wins of the season.
The Metrodome trip is always a fun experience and a good way to start off the season. It gave us some things to work on before Florida, and also to build on. All in all, a good way to start the Yellowjacket season off. Check outhe video: http://www.youtube.com/user/UWSuperiorBaseball1?feature=mhw4#p/a/u/0/qLghHkq1_wU
We Are Superior
We had our annual fundraiser the last two weeks selling gold cards to the community. Each player on the team was required to sell 20 of them. Sean Cummings and Coach made a bet that if Sean could sell 40 of them, Coach would shave his head. No one sold 40 last year so Coach didn’t think that he could do it. Well Sean went to work and within the first couple days had 35 sold. Coach was getting really nervous. But before he could really realize what was going on, Sean sold 40, and Coach was in the chair getting his hair buzzed off. Coach’s wife wasn’t the happiest, but it was for a good cause and for the baseball team so she let it slide. It took some time for Coach to get used too but I think everyone agrees that it’s a good look for him. Enjoy the video, we all did!
Along with Sean selling 40, the whole team sold over 9000 cards shattering our goal for this year. This was a great opportunity for us and we grabbed it and allowing ourselves to be able to finance our needs this year. We would like to thank everyone who has supported our program.
Check out the coach getting his haircut! http://www.youtube.com/user/UWSuperiorBaseball1#p/a/u/0/Ki8EKD-1XiY
We are Superior!
The Yellowjacket Pitchers are working very hard. Most of the pitchers are PO's, or pitcher only, but some are also two way players. We have begun our season with functional skill specific strengthening drills. This year the Yellowjackets are developing a new level of pitcher, making them more atheltic then they ever have been. As a pitcher myself, I can tell you that we have worked harder then ever, and I love every second of it. My arm has never felt better when we throw, and I know the same goes for other guys out there. On the other side of the gym, the catchers are working their tails off as well. We can't give enough credit to Coach Garromone and the catchers for all the hard work they put in. We are doing what we have never done before, and we are going to accomplish what we never have before. This week, we start off practice with everyone and the excitement for the season could not be higher.
Please check out our Weekly Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BiMZm74XPs
The Yellowjackets are on their way to getting ready for the upcoming 2010 baseball season. With the first team practice rapidly approaching, the Yellowjacket players are doing everything possible to be ready for the season from lifting weights, to hitting in the shed like senior captain Paul Schlangen. This years team is lead by all senior captains: Paul Schlangen (outfielder), Sean Cummings (infielder), Brett Olson (catcher), and Alex Lagadin (outfielder, pitcher). High expectations have been set by the Yellowjackets this year, going into one of the most talented teams that Schlangen and Cummings have played on.
P.S. Our Goal is to keep this updated weekly and throughout the season. Sophmores Shaun Marshall and Mike Swanson will be providing the updates.
New feature...Check out the Video of the Week: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6_yFZPmS-s
We just played Platteville on Thursday and Friday before Easter. We played much better baseball in that series but where we did well just a week before, we fell short in. We lost 2-1 in 11 innings in the first game. We had plenty of chances to score runs but we didn't capitalize and come through in the clutch. Justin Saufley went 10+ innings without giving up a run and deserved to win. In the second game, we did win 2-0 but failed to execute with runners on base. It shouldn't have been as close as it was. The third and fourth games of the series were pretty much the same story, losing 3-0 and 5-4 in 10 innings. There were chances to score but we didn't take control of the game like you have to do if you want to be a winning baseball team. We have to hit with guys on base, period. Hopefully we find it before our next series versus Whitewater. If we can get good pitching, good hitting, and good defense together we can turn our season around.
Monday brought on the first challenge of our trip as we faced Westminster College (PA) in a doubleheader. We won 12-2. TJ Wink got the start in game one and shut down the Titan offense, going 6 innings giving up 2 runs on 6 hits with 3 strikeouts. Chris Ransom finished the game with a perfect 7th, striking out one. We hit the ball well, collecting 12 runs on 12 hits. Five 'Jackets had 2 RBI including Mitch Loegering and Paul Schlangen, who finished with 2 hits each. Jerrod Jossart also collected his first career hit and RBI with a double to the left center gap in the 6th inning.
The second game of the day went just as well as the first. Justin Saufley pitched a complete game shutout, scattering 7 hits with 5 strikeouts. While we had just 8 hits ourselves, we capitalized on 11 walks and a HBP to score 11 runs. Rhett Williamson had a big day at the plate with 3 RBI while Mike Labelle had 2 doubles. All in all it was a pretty good day for us.
Tuesday was to be more of a challenge for us as we faced Centenary College (NJ) in another doubleheader. We owned game one, and went on to win 9-3. There were more firsts for a few of us as Blake Danielson earned his first win as a 'Jacket and pitched very well. Joe Ahrens collected his first and second collegiate hits with two singles ripped just inside the third base line. Alex Lagadin also hit his first homerun as a 'Jacket as he hit a 2-run bomb to left field. We hit the ball well and put pressure on the defense and were able to capitalize on opportunities.
The second game would not go as well as we dropped game two 6-2. They had one good inning and scored 6 runs with two outs. We couldn't get our offense going and only had 3 hits. Nick Bursik made his collegiate debut and pitched well.
Other firsts, included Jimi Zawacki and Codie Chesney getting there first hits as yelllowjackets against Westminster and Joe Stark had his first collegiate RBI's.
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We look forward to your support as we look to make the conference tournament this season!
We had a quick turnaround (one practice) and then another game this morning against Loras College, from Dubuque, Iowa. Today’s game definitely could have turned out better. We took a 2-0 lead into the 6th inning our defense found it difficult to make the routine plays. We never recovered from our fielding blunders and lost 5-3. TJ Wink had a win-deserving-performance on the hill, allowing one hit, two runs (0 earned) while striking out 3.
We’ve got a ways to go before conference starts, and time to learn from games like these. We’ll be working on pulling together as a team before Florida, and hopefully we’ll be prepared enough to win all of our games in the Sunshine State.
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On a lighter note, we look forward to seeing some fresh faces at the Metrodome next Wednesday when we play Hamline at 11:45am. Take care and God Bless.
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Well, after two and a half weeks of practice, our legs are tired and our bodies are aching, but we're still enthusiastically working towards our goals. We've been taking our pre-game infields with a little added twist. For every error we make, we have to run an inning. An inning is a sprint the width of a tennis court. For instance, for eight innings, we will run 8 sprints back and forth and then take a break. Then we run seven, then six, then five, etc. The innings are meant to add game-like pressure to our infields so that when a pressure situation comes around in a game we'll be ready for it. We just recieved our new workout plans for weeks 18 and 19 of our lifting program. This phase of the progrum focuses on strength to help us get as strong as possible before the season starts. After this phase, we'll enter a maintenance phase to help us keep our strength throughout the season. It's getting tough to fit practice, our lifts, and homework into our already busy schedules, but that's the life of a collegiate athlete.
This spring, coach is also teaching us a different style of hitting than he has the past two years. This form of hitting is what every single MLB player uses and is what enables Vlad or Sorianoto drop bombs on pitches 6 inches BELOW the plate. Yeah, he's good. Already there has been considerable improvement in the quality of our swings. Hopefully this new approach leads to better AB's and more run production than last year. We have the next two days off so this should help us recover and bring better focus to practice on Friday.
It's that time again. The smell of fresh cut grass and the sound of cleats in the dugout is just around the corner. By just around the corner I mean just after a month in our luxurious field house. Guys are getting excited about hittin' the field and the prospect of finishing in the top four is planting itself in our minds. Practice officially starts on Super Bowl Sunday (GO CARDINALS!). Not being able to watch the game is the first of some needed sacrifices that will prepare us to finish where we want to. Practices unofficially started on the 22nd of January; we started captain's practices at 6am. Away from the field house, classes are well under way and everyone is getting back into the swing of things. Outside of school guys are hittin' the ice and reeling in monster eel pouts. Sean Cummings is doing the eel pout catching (coach Olin also claims to have caught one), while Justin Saufley, Casey Morsette, Joe Stark and Brendan Willis are merely practicing staying warm. To be honest, those guys are catching some things. Mostly colds, though. Catcher Brett Olson reports some good fishing back towards Eau Claire. He caught a few 30-inch Northern Pike and a 38-inch Muskie. Other than those fish tales, not much else has been announced.
We're looking forward to our first game but from now until then it will be one foot in front of the other and one day at a time. Big things don't happen like that. It takes hard work and doing a lot of little things right to make some magic happen. So as we embark upon another leg of of the joyous journey that is NCAA Baseball, we intend to pull a Houdini "switcheroo", if you will, and finish in the running for the playoffs.
Our Player Profile for this edition of the Jacket blog is on Junior outfield transfer Jimi "Cheeeese" Zawacki. (Pronounced Zah-whack-ee)
Jimi is from Osseo, Wisconsin and first learned to ride a bike when he was three.
Birthday: November, 13 1987 (born on Friday!) Has a twin brother named Joe
Favorite Gatorade Flavor: Grape
Favorite Sport to watch other than baseball: Football
Biggest Baseball moment: Senior year of high school, helping Osseo-Fairchild to its first state tournament appearance
Favorite MLB team: Milwaukee Brewers
Favorite Player: Chipper Jones
Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Cotton Candy
Favorite Food: Pizza "for shizzle"
Favorite position to play other than outfield: Shortstop
Favorite Movie: Summer Catch
If I wasn't playing college baseball I'd... “be going to school at UW-Madison to get season tickets to cheer on the Badgers. (Jump around!)”
Anything you'd like to add about this upcoming season or anything baseball related?
“I really look forward to a great year an reaching our goal of finishing in the top four. Coming as a transfer, everyone has been really accepting. I have already built a lot of friendships and I look forward to helping the team out. We're lucky to have such a great facility to spend our off time in; hitting in the cages and so forth.”
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What do you like best about being a Yellowjacket baseball player?
“The thing I like most about being a yellowjacket baseball player is being able to compete. Competition has always been something I have always liked and competing whether it is on the practice field or in a game is what I like the best.”
Your favorite ice cream?
“Probably Oreo ice cream from DQ”
What is your favorite/ least favorite hitting drill?
“My favorite would have to say BP, and my least favorite hitting drill is probably something to do with the XLR8 balls.”
Conditioning drill?
“I would have to say probably medicine ball drills, they involve the least amount of running!”
What do you like to do when you have a break from class or studying?
“Either watching TV or sleeping!”
What's it like to be an international student?
“It honestly feels the same, the odd joke gets thrown around but I don't mind them, I just throw a few back. But really being from Canada feels a lot similar to being here, it's not far from home so I feel pretty comfortable being here.”
Do you like the way the program is heading? Explain.
“This is only my second year here and I have already seen so much more improvement from last year. The work ethic and the attitude that we can win from both the returning players and even the newcomers makes it feel like this is only a start to something good. I think this program is heading in the right direction and from here on out its only going to get better. “
Au revoir!
I'm in the woods or on the water whenever time permits. I especially love to bow hunt and ice fish. Other hobbies of mine include coin collecting, playing guitar, watching baseball and weightlifting. Even though we live in a metro area with over 200,000 people we are only 20 minutes from some of the best hunting and fishing locations in the Midwest.
Last year was a big step in the right direction for the our baseball program. I'm very excited for the season and am ready to prove that UWS baseball can win in the WIAC. As Paul said, the reason we write this blog is to help recruits, family, and community members get a taste of what it's like being a Yellowjacket and a college baseball player. We will have lots of stories to share with all of you, especially as we get into our season. I hope you enjoy the blog!
