Rockford Native Chamberlain Named All-WIAC Baseball at UW-Whitewater

2015 May 13

Steve Chamberlain, a member of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team, is one of seven All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selections on the 2015 Warhawks.

Head coach John Vodenlich was named the league's Coach of the Year for the third straight season.

Senior shortstop Mikole Pierce (De Pere, Wis./De Pere) was named first team all-conference for the third time in his career, while senior catcher Mike Mierow (Brookfield, Wis./Central) and junior pitcher Curtis Morgan (Green Lake, Wis./Green Lake) earned first team all-league for a second straight season.

Senior first baseman Casey Power (Ontario, Canada/Belle River) is also a second time honoree. He was tabbed honorable mention in 2014.

First-time selections include senior pitcher Colin Grove (Beloit, Wis./Memorial), sophomore third baseman Steve Chamberlain (Rockford, Ill./Guilford) and freshman pitcher Lake Bachar(Wheaton, Ill./Wheaton North).

Vodenlich, who is in his 12th season at the helm of the program, has earned Coach of the Year seven times, the most in WIAC history. Earlier this season, he became the program's all-time coaching wins leader, passing three-time conference Coach of the Year Jim Miller (1987-2003).

A two-time national coach of the year, Vodenlich helped guide the Warhawks (33-9) to their third straight WIAC regular season championship in 2015. UW-Whitewater also qualified for the NCAA Division III Tournament for the eighth consecutive season.

Pierce, a 2014 All-American and the WIAC Co-Position Player of the Year, ranks among the top five in the league in batting average (.390), runs scored (43), runs batted in (45), doubles (15), triples (3), home runs (9), total bases (108), stolen bases (16) and walks (28). He leads the WIAC in slugging percentage (.701).

Earlier this month, Pierce was tabbed Academic All-District by the College Sports Information Directors of America, and will be eligible for selection to the organization's Academic All-America team.

Mierow, a second team all-region pick in 2014, has solidified his reputation as one of the conference's best defensive catchers. He has committed only three errors, has a .990 fielding percentage and has thrown out 13-of-28 runners (46.4 percent) of runners attempting to steal.

Last week, Mierow was named UW-Whitewater's Male Student-Athlete of the Year. He enters tomorrow's NCAA opener against Ripon with a .273 batting average, eight doubles and 10 stolen bases.

Power, a third team all-region honoree a season ago, has provided consistency in the middle of the order for the Warhawks in 2015. He ranks fifth in the conference in RBIs (42) and on-base percentage (.463) and is batting .377, good for fourth on the team.

Power also provides one of the surest gloves on the team, committing just one error for the season at first base.

Chamberlain has broken out as an offensive force in the league. He leads the WIAC in both batting average (.422) and on-base percentage (.490), and is eighth in the league in slugging percentage (.531). Chamberlain was named WIAC Position Player of the Week for the week of April 20-26 after finishing 10-for-16 at the plate with 10 runs scored during a 4-0 week for UW-Whitewater.

Grove, Morgan and Bachar spearhead the Warhawks' pitching staff, which boasts an earned run average of 3.60. Grove and Morgan are tied for the league lead in wins with eight apiece.

Grove (8-2) is tied for the conference lead with a 2.26 ERA and ranks among WIAC leaders in innings pitched (75 2/3), strikeouts (49), games started (11), shutouts (1), complete games (4) and opposing batting average (.225). He was a two-time WIAC Pitcher of the Week honoree in 2015.

Morgan (8-0) ranks 10th in the conference in innings pitched (59 2/3) and is tied for seventh in games started (10). He enters NCAA play with a 4.68 ERA and 36 strikeouts. Morgan was named second team all-region by the American Baseball Coaches Association a year ago.

Bachar (6-1) is fifth in the league in ERA (2.63) and has allowed opponents to hit just .240, good for sixth in the WIAC. He is also among the conference's top six in wins and strikeouts (42).

Senior outfielder Kyle Haen (Madison, Wis./Edgewood) is the team's representative on the All-Sportsmanship team for the second straight season.

Chamberlain is majoring in Accounting at UW-Whitewater.