DB
Daytona Bryden
  • Class of 2018
  • Davis, IL

Bryden, UW-Whitewater Baseball Begin NCAA Tournament Wednesday

2016 May 18

Daytona Bryden, a native of Rockton, IL, and graduate of Hononegah High School, is a member of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team, which has earned an at-large berth to the 2016 NCAA Division III Tournament and will compete this week in the NCAA Regional at GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Ill., hosted by Webster (Mo.) University.

The Warhawks (29-14) open the week against Westminster (Mo.) on Wednesday at 12 p.m. All regional games will be broadcast live locally on KOOL 106.5 FM WKCH or online at 940wfaw.com.

Bryden, a sophomore at UW-Whitewater, is majoring in marketing.

UW-Whitewater, which is ranked 14th in the D3baseball.com/National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Top 25 and 24th in the American Baseball Coaches Association/Collegiate Baseball NCAA Division III Poll, is making its ninth straight NCAA Tournament appearance and 20th overall after picking up one of 16 at-large bids in the 56-team field. The team reached the tournament as a Pool "C" qualifier. The Warhawks finished 2-2 last weekend to finish as runner-up at the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Championship, falling Sunday in the tournament title game against UW-La Crosse.

UW-Whitewater has reached the NCAA Tournament 12 times in the last 14 years and 11 times in 13 season under head coach John Vodenlich. The team has qualified for the championship round five times with Vodenlich at the helm, including national championship performances in 2005 and 2014.

Regional Opponents

No. 2 seed Wartburg College (Iowa)

Ranking: No. 19 (D3baseball.com), No. 16 (ABCA)

Record/Qualification: 33-11, Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Conference at-large (Pool "C")

Warhawks vs. Wartburg all time: 1-1 (last meeting - UWW 8, WC 3 on 5/17/09)

No. 3 Augustana College (Ill.)

Ranking: Receiving Votes (D3baseball.com), No. 28 (ABCA)

Record/Qualification: 30-12, College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin champion

Warhawks vs. Augustana all time: 0-2

No. 4 Washington University-St. Louis

Ranking: Receiving Votes (ABCA)

Record/Qualification: 31-16, University Athletic Association at-large (Pool "C")

Warhawks vs. Wash U. all time: 4-0 (last meeting - UWW 3, WASHU 0 on 5/15/16)

No. 5 Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (Ind.)

Ranking: Receiving Votes (D3baseball.com, ABCA)

Record/Qualification: 29-11, Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference champion

Warhawks vs. Rose-Hulman all time: 0-1 (last meeting - RHIT 3, UWW 1 on 3/27/04)

No. 6 Westminster College (Mo.) - Game 1 opponent

Ranking: NR

Record/Qualification: 28-13, St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champion

Warhawks vs. Westminster all time: 0-1 (last meeting - WC 4, UWW 3 in May 2001)

Regional Schedule (first two days only; Friday and Saturday TBD)

Wednesday, May 18 - Game 1: Westminster (Mo.) vs. UW-Whitewater, 12 p.m.; Game 2: Rose-Hulman (Ind.) vs. Wartburg (Iowa), 3:30 p.m.; Game 3: Washington-St. Louis vs. Augustana (Ill.), 7 p.m.

Thursday, May 19 - Game 4: Loser Game #1 vs. Loser Game #2, 12 p.m.; Game 5: Winner Game #1 vs. Loser Game #3, 3:30 p.m.; Game 6: Winner Game #2 vs. Winner Game #3, 7 p.m.

Last Time Out - UW-La Crosse 14, UW-Whitewater 5

In the WIAC Tournament championship game on Sunday, the Eagles tallied eight unanswered runs in the first and second innings combined to take a commanding, early lead. Sophomore centerfielder Daytona Bryden (Rockton, IL/Hononegah) finished 4-for-5 at the plate with one run scored and one run batted in, and sophomore first baseman Blake Fleischman (Germantown, Wis./Germantown) and freshman third baseman Cal Aldridge (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) tallied two hits apiece and each hit a home run. Freshman left fielder Matt Wary (Elk Grove, Ill./Elk Grove) also homered for the Warhawks. For the weekend, UW-Whitewater finished with a 2-2 record for their second straight runner-up finish in the tournament.

UW-Whitewater NCAA Tournament History

The Warhawks will appear in their ninth straight NCAA Tournament and 20th in program history. UW-Whitewater has appeared in the Division III Championship round seven times, claiming national championships in 2005 and 2014. Under head coach John Vodenlich, the Warhawks are 47-17 in NCAA Tournament play, good for a .734 winning percentage. During the five years the team reached the NCAA Division III Championship round, it did not drop a game in regional play. UW-Whitewater posted a perfect 8-0 run en route to its 2014 national title.

Bachar Drawing Attention of Pro Scouts

After being named the No. 100 college prospect on Baseball America's College Top 100 Draft Prospects list and the No. 1 prospect in the Northwoods League by the same publication, sophomore right-hander Lake Bachar (Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) has pitched in front of professional scouts during all of his starts in 2016. A projected top-five round pick in this June's draft, Bachar enters NCAA Tournament play with a 6-5 record and a 2.84 earned run average. He leads the team with 69 2/3 innings pitched and 81 strikeouts against just five walks. The 2015 D3baseball.com Midwest Region Rookie of the Year, Bachar is also a two-time all-conference punter for the UW-Whitewater football team. He kicked three field goals in the Warhawks' 43-34 victory over Mount Union (Ohio) in the 2014 Stagg Bowl (national championship game).

Pitching Staff Carrying the Torch for Warhawks

In addition to Bachar's success in 2016, several other Warhawks are enjoying strong years on the mound, leading to the staff's strong earned run average (currently 3.01), which has ranked among the nation's top 10 for a majority of the season. Senior RHP Curtis Morgan (Green Lake/Green Lake) currently leads the team with a 2.12 earned run average (1.62 in WIAC games) and is 5-2 in 12 appearances, all starts. He ranks second on the team in both innings pitched (63 2/3) and strikeouts (50). Morgan was named WIAC Pitcher of the Week for April 18-24 after tossing seven shutout innings in a 1-0 victory over UW-Oshkosh on April 24. Junior righty Mike Nompleggi (Oconto Falls/Oconto Falls) enters the NCAA Tournament with a 2-2 record and a 2.15 ERA in 54 1/3 innings spanning nine appearances. He is holding opponents to a team-best .217 batting average and has 38 strikeouts. Nompleggi tallied three outings of eight or more innings, including a complete-game, 7-1 triumph over UW-Oshkosh on April 23. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the staff in 2016, junior left-hander Ankur Shah (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North) is currently 5-2 (4-1 WIAC) with a 2.59 ERA. In 48 2/3 innings, he is holding opponents to a .246 batting average. Shah garnered WIAC Pitcher of the Week accolades for the week of March 21-27 after pitching eight shutout innings in a 2-0 win over then-No. 5 Southern Maine on March 25. Sophomore RHP Heath Renz (Jefferson, Wis./Jefferson) also boasts a strong record (6-0) and ERA (2.42) in 17 appearances, including 15 out of the bullpen. Sophomore right-hander Austin Jones (Wauwatosa, Wis./West) has been a stalwart at the back end of the bullpen with a team-high four saves.

Nine Warhawks Tabbed All-WIAC

Nine Warhawks were named All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for their performances during the 2016 season. Senior pitcher Curtis Morgan (Green Lake/Green Lake), junior pitchers Mike Nompleggi (Oconto Falls/Oconto Falls), Ankur Shah (St. Charles, Ill./St. Charles North), sophomore infielder Blake Fleischman (Germantown, Wis./Germantown) and freshman infielder Cal Aldridge (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) were named to the first team. Senior catcher Dane Burman (Milton, Wis./Milton), junior second baseman Steve Chamberlain (Rockford, IL/Guilford), sophomore pitchers Lake Bachar(Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North) and Austin Jones (Wauwatosa, Wis./West) were selected honorable mention. Morgan is now a three-time, first-team All-WIAC honoree, while Chamberlain and Bachar were each first team selections in 2015.

Aldridge, Fleischman Enjoying Standout First Seasons as Warhawks

Two new additions to the 2016 lineup - freshman third baseman Cal Aldridge (Crystal Lake, Ill./Prairie Ridge) and sophomore first baseman Blake Fleischman (Germantown, Wis./Germantown) - are making big contributions to the UW-Whitewater offense. A two-time WIAC Position Player of the Week in 2016, Aldridge has emerged as one of UW-Whitewater's most consistent hitters. In 43 games (all starts), Aldridge leads the team in runs scored (30), home runs (6), RBI (33) and slugging percentage (.578). He also ranks second in batting average (.396) and doubles (8). In his first year with the Warhawks, Fleischman ranks second on the team with 29 runs batted in and fourth with a .349 batting average. He was named WIAC Position Player of the Week for May 2-8 after hitting 11-for-23 (.478) with a home run, four runs scored and four RBI over a six-game span.

Diekvoss Named Chancellor's Scholar-Athlete

Senior outfielder Trent Diekvoss (Beaver Dam/Beaver Dam) was one of 42 Warhawk senior student-athletes named UW-Whitewater Chancellor's Scholar-Athletes by Chancellor Beverly Kopper and the Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Diekvoss carries a cumulative grade point average of 3.73 and is majoring in finance and information technology. He has been on the Dean's List for seven semesters and was on the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll in 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15. Diekvoss was a member of three WIAC championship teams, three NCAA Tournament qualifiers and the 2014 national championship team. He is a member of the Association of Information Technology on campus.