TD
Trent Diekvoss
  • finance
  • Class of 2016
  • Beaver Dam, Wis.

Beaver Dam Native Diekvoss Set to Begin Season for UW-Whitewater Baseball

2015 Mar 18

Trent Diekvoss, a Finance and Information Technology major at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, will begin the 2015 season as a member of the school's baseball team this Thursday as the Warhawks take on Bridgewater State (Mass.) in Orlando, Fla.

Diekvoss is a native of Beaver Dam, WI, and a graduate of Beaver Dam High School.

See below for the complete 2015 season preview of the UW-Whitewater baseball team.

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team enters the 2015 season with a strong veteran core and a talented underclass, and both should help the program compete for a conference title and a third national championship.

The Warhawks enter the campaign as the preseason favorite to win their third consecutive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championship. The team is ranked No. 1 in the nation by D3baseball.com, the American Baseball Coaches Association and Collegiate Baseball News.

UW-Whitewater roared through the postseason a year ago to win its second-ever NCAA Division Division III national championship.

After claiming their second straight WIAC championship, the Warhawks recovered from a loss in their second game of the conference tournament to win 11 straight games, including four at the Division III World Series. UW-Whitewater wrapped up the title with a 7-0 triumph over Emory (Ga.) in the championship contest.

The Warhawks enter the 2015 season with nine seniors on their roster, including seven starting position players. Seniors Trey Cannon (Palatine, IL/Palatine), Mike Mierow (Brookfield/Central) and Matt Roberts (Manitowoc/Roncalli) will serve as captains.

UW-Whitewater opens the season this Thursday against Framingham (Mass.) State, the first contest of the program's eight-day, nine-game spring break trip to the Orlando, Fla., area. Highlights of the trip include a game against No. 23 Rowan (N.J.) on March 20 and a doubleheader against second-ranked St. Thomas (Minn.), a fellow 2014 World Series qualifier, on March 25.

The Warhawks open the home portion of their schedule March 30 against St. Scholastica (Minn.). The team starts the WIAC season on April 2-3 with a four-game set against UW-Superior.

UW-Whitewater visits No. 10 UW-Stevens Point for doubleheaders on April 21 and April 29. The Warhawks will hold a "Return of the Champions" Day on April 25 at Prucha Field at James B. Miller Stadium during the team's doubleheader against UW-Platteville. The event is open to all UW-Whitewater baseball alumni, family and friends.

See below for a position-by-position breakdown of the 2015 UW-Whitewater baseball team.

Infield

All five of the Warhawks' projected starters on the infield return with starting experience.

Senior shortstop Mikole Pierce (DePere/DePere) highlights the group. A first team All-America selection by the ABCA and the WIAC Co-Position Player of the Year in 2014, Pierce led the team and ranked among conference and national leaders in batting average (.435), slugging percentage (.705), hits (84), runs scored (62), runs batted in (64), triples (8), home runs (9) and stolen bases (16). The D3baseball.com Midwest Region Player of the Year led all of NCAA Division III with 136 total bases.

Mierow enters his fourth year as a starter at catcher. He was named second team all-region and first team All-WIAC after hitting .346 with eight doubles, 32 RBIs and 15 stolen bases, good for second on the team. Mierow committed just two errors in 2014 and fielded .993, the best among all infielders.

Senior first baseman Casey Power (Ontario, Canada/Belle River) returns for his second season as a starter. An all-region and all-conference honoree last year, Power hit .345 with 16 doubles, five home runs and 52 RBIs. He saved some of his best performances for the World Series, earning All-Tournament team accolades after finishing 8-for-17 (.471) with two home runs, six runs and five RBIs over the four-game set.

Seniors Nick Kuhlmann (Minneapolis, MN/Minneapolis Southwest) and Adam Gregory (Edgerton/Edgerton) also return with starting experience on the infield. A second baseman, Kuhlmann tallied 42 runs scored, 30 RBIs and 14 stolen bases and was one of five players on the team to start all 51 games. Gregory looks to take over full time at third base after making 26 starts a season ago, hitting .308 with eight doubles and 22 RBIs last season.

Others infielders include: Dane Burman (Milton, Wis./Milton), Jr.; Trent Diekvoss (Beaver Dam/Beaver Dam), Jr.; David Engel (Mound, Minn./Westonka), Jr.; Dylan Bersch (Pulaski/Pulaski), So.; Steve Chamberlain (Rockford, IL/Guilford), So.; Hayden Fenner (Ripon/Ripon), So.; Jordan Kuczynski (Germantown/Germantown), So.; John Olejniczak (Valparaiso, IN/Valparaiso), So.; Heath Renz (Jefferson, Wis./Jefferson), Fr.; Kevin White (Chicago, Ill./St. Laurence), Fr.

Outfield

Cannon and fellow senior Kyle Haen (Madison/Edgewood) return with starting experience in the outfield.

Cannon made 47 starts primarily in left field in 2014. He recorded a .303 batting average with 12 doubles, 36 runs scored and 30 RBIs, and didn't commit an error. During the NCAA Tournament, Cannon totaled nine hits and five RBIs.

Haen made 33 starts a season ago and projects to take over full time in center field. He hit .317 with four home runs and registered an on-base percentage of .466 thanks to 21 walks and 15 instances where he was hit by a pitch.

Others outfielders include: Trent Diekvoss (Beaver Dam/Beaver Dam), Jr.; Alex Hallenbeck (Burlington, Wis./Burlington), Jr.; Raul Anaya Jr. (Des Plaines, Ill./Maine West), Jr.; Daytona Bryden (Rockton, IL/Hononegah), Fr.; Will Helbing (Waunakee, Wis./Waunakee), Fr.; Kyle Jones (Kenosha, Wis./Tremper), Fr.; Aaron Markley (Joliet, Ill./Joliet Catholic Academy), Fr.; Kevin White (Chicago, Ill./St. Laurence), Fr.

Pitching

Senior Colin Grove (Beloit/Memorial) and sophomore Austin Jones (Milwaukee, Wis./Wauwatosa West), who tied for the team lead with 19 appearances in 2014, and junior Curtis Morgan (Green Lake/Green Lake) return to lead the Warhawks' pitching staff.

Morgan, a right-hander, garnered second team ABCA All-Midwest Region and first team All-WIAC accolades after making 14 appearances, including 11 starts, and posting a 3.81 earned run average with 42 strikeouts in 78.0 innings pitched, good for second on the team. He finished with a 6-1 record.

Jones and Grove were the team's top two relievers a season ago. Jones, a righty, registered a 6-1 mark with three saves in 39.2 innings, allowing opponents to hit just .199. Grove, a left-hander, finished 5-0 with a 2.33 ERA in 38.2 innings and struck out 37 batters.

Roberts returns to the staff after being sidelined by a shoulder injury last year. The right-hander compiled a 6-1 record in 14 appearances (10 starts) with a 4.12 ERA in 2013, and pitched 74.1 innings that season.

Sophomore lefty Donnie Manke (Lodi/Lodi) returns to the staff after making nine relief appearances in 2014. He tallied a 1-0 record in 10 innings.

Senior RHP Andrew Lowe (Whiting, IN/Whiting), sophomore RHP Matt Langlie (Mundelein, IL/Mundelein), sophomore RHP Mike Nompleggi (Oconto Falls/Oconto Falls) and sophomore LHP John Olejnicak also return with at least four games experience, primarily in relief. Nompleggi made one start in 2014, while Olejnicak's ERA of 4.15 is the lowest of the group.

Others pitchers include: Austin Finn (Oconomowoc/Kettle Moraine), So., RHP; Ankur Shah (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North), So., LHP; Lake Bachar (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North), Fr., RHP;Sam Heilenbach (Western Springs, Ill./Lyons Township), Fr., RHP; Heath Renz (Jefferson, Wis./Jefferson), Fr., RHP; John Sprayberry (Slinger, Wis./Slinger), Fr., RHP