In just five short weeks, our squad will be back at Joannes for our Fan Fest Scrimmage, but many of our guys are still going strong with their college teams right now. Here’s another look at some recent standout performers, with our second edition of the Alumni Update.
- UW-Stevens Point outfielder Trent Van Ess was named the WIAC’s Player of the Week on April 11th, after a huge series against UW-La Crosse, where he hit .588, racking up ten hits, including a pair of home runs and three doubles. Through 25 games this season, Van Ess is batting .296/.400/.500 with five home runs.
- Marian left-hander Jonah Landowski also picked up some hardware recently, winning back-to-back NACC Pitcher of the Week awards on April 11th and April 18th. In six starts this season, Landowski has a record of 3-1 with a 3.12 ERA with 38 strikeouts over 34.2 innings of work. He’s also hitting .264 with three home runs in 72 at-bats for the Sabres.
- Also at Marian, infielder James Bornick set a new school record with six hits in a game against Aurora on April 10th. In 23 games this year, Bornick is batting .366 with eight doubles and nine stolen bases, while teammate Andrew Schroeder sits right behind him with a .339 average, and his three home runs are tied with Landowski for the team lead.
- At Division 1 Belmont University, right-hander Jett Thielke continues to excel as a late-innings reliever. The junior from Bay Port has made 16 relief appearances thus far, going 5-1 with a 3.95 ERA, while continuing to put up big strikeout numbers, punching out 33 batters over 27.1 innings of work.
- Lipscomb catcher Jake Berg has hit safely in seven of his last eight games, including four multi-hit games, boosting his average 61 points in the process.
- First baseman Jacob Lacy continues to swing a hot bat for UW-Eau Claire despite limited opportunities. The left-handed hitting Lacy is currently batting .304 through 11 games with the Blugolds.
- Concordia-St.Paul infielder Jaden Warner keeps raking for the Golden Bears, raising his average to .339, with a team-leading 12 doubles and an OPS of .905 through 33 games.
- At William Penn University in Iowa, right-hander Bret Whiffen turned in his longest outing of the spring, going 4.1 innings his last time out on April 14th. The right-handed hurler has made seven relief appearances for the Statesmen so far this season and is currently sporting a 3.18 ERA.
- Outfielder Peyton Seebacher has established himself as a key contributor as a freshman at McHenry County College, hitting .366 with eight extra-base hits, a K/BB ratio of nearly 1:1, and an OPS of .954.
- Infielder Matt Perry is hitting .308 with an on-base percentage of .500 through his first seven games at St. Cloud Tech, and has also made three relief appearances for the Cyclones.
- At Lakeland College, catcher Lane Sobieski has appeared in all 23 games for the Muskies, and currently sits second on the team with a .359 average. His brother, Landon Sobieski has also seen increased playing time, hitting .250 in 11 games.
- Infielder Bennett Frazer has appeared in 23 of UW-Whitewater’s 24 games, hitting .274 with three triples, while teammate Eli Frank has made seven relief appearances thus far, striking out 20 batters over 16.1 innings.
- Finally, at UW-La Crosse, young left-hander Owen Deprez has started five of the seven games he’s pitched in as a freshman, going 3-1 with a 4.76 ERA. The southpaw has 35 K’s over 28.1 innings, and tossed two scoreless frames his last time out on April 19th.