BF
Blake Fleischman
  • chemistry
  • Germantown, WI

UW-Whitewater's Fleischman Named All-Conference in Baseball

2016 May 18

Blake Fleischman, a native of Germantown, WI, and member of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team, was one of nine Warhawks tabbed All-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for their performances during the 2016 season.

Senior pitcher Curtis Morgan (Green Lake, Wis./Green Lake), junior pitchers Mike Nompleggi (Oconto Falls, Wis./Oconto Falls), Ankur Shah (St. Charles, Ill./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, Ill./Guilford), sophomore pitchers Lake Bachar (Wheaton, Ill./North) and Austin Jones (Wauwatosa, Wis./West) were selected honorable mention.

All nine helped the Warhawks reach the NCAA Division III Tournament for the ninth straight season and 20th overall. UW-Whitewater (29-14 overall) begins play as the top seed at the Sauget, Illinois Regional Wednesday at noon against Westminster (Mo.).

Now a three-time, first-team all-conference honoree, Morgan 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.

Nompleggi 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.

Shah 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 April 25.

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.

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).

A first year starter, Burman became one of the league's top defensive catchers. He is fielding .988 for the year with just three errors in 39 games played, including 36 starts. At the plate, he has six doubles, three home runs and 17 RBI, and is batting .269 in conference games only.

Chamberlain, a 2015 first team selection, enters the NCAAs with a .358 batting average, good for third on the team, to go along with 25 runs scored, six doubles and 18 RBI. He ranks second on the team in walks (16) and third in stolen bases (11).

Bachar, also a first team pick a year ago, is currently 6-5 with a 2.84 ERA in 12 appearances, including 11 starts. He leads the Warhawks in innings pitched (69 2/3) and strikeouts (81), and is holding opponents to a .231 batting average, good for second on the team.

Jones was named all-conference as a utility player. He leads the team with four saves in eight appearances, which cover 7 1/3 innings pitched. Offensively, Jones leads the team with nine doubles and is batting .274 with three homers, 26 RBI and 14 stolen bases.

Junior infielder Jordan Kuczynski (Germantown, Wis./Germantown) represented UW-Whitewater on the WIAC All-Sportsmanship Team.

Fleischman is majoring in biology at UW-Whitewater.