Pitcher Joe Lange and centerfielder Ross Bennett earned first team all-WIAC baseball honors

Posted May 14, 2008

UW-Platteville league leaders Ross Bennett and Joe Lange earned first team all-Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference baseball honors, while Mike Flood earned honorable mention status.

Aaron Daniels was named to the inaugural WIAC Sportsmanship team.

Bennett, a senior centerfielder from Mequon (Homestead High School), led the league in stolen bases, with 14 steals in 15 attempts during the 24 conference games. Overall, Bennett hit .322 with 11 doubles, three triples, three home runs and stole 16 bases in 18 attempts. A three-time all-conference and two-time all-Midwest Region selection, he holds almost every Pioneer career hitting record, including games played (158), at-bats (577), hits (195), runs (144), doubles (42), triples (11), home runs (26) and RBIs (135).

Lange, a junior left-handed pitcher from East Dubuque, led the WIAC in strikeouts with 57 in 49 innings. The Pioneer workhorse averaged seven innings per conference start, also leading the league. Twice (against UW-Superior and UW-Oshkosh) he struck out 13 batters, and threw complete-game victories vs. UW-Stout and at UW-La Crosse. Overall, Lange was 3-4 with a 3.45 ERA and a school-record 73 strikeouts in 73 innings pitched.

Flood, a senior from Madison (La Follette) made the transition from catcher to first base after missing all of 2007 with an injury. He earned all-WIAC honors in 2005 and this year hit .257 with eight doubles, four home runs and 29 RBIs overall. Flood hit .276 in conference play and led the Pioneers to a doubleheader sweep of UW-Stout with a three-run home run in the opening 10-0 win and the game-winning hit with two outs in the bottom of the ninth for a 14-13 victory.

Daniels, a junior from Miles, Iowa (East Central), was 3-2 with a 3.97 ERA and three saves during the season. He also set a new Pioneer career mark with six saves.

UW-Platteville was 17-23 under second-year coach Eric Frese, and 9-15 in league play. The Pioneers beat NCAA Division I Northern Iowa, who was coming off wins over Ohio State and Northwestern, 9-4 on March 26.

2008 All-WIAC Baseball Team

First Team

Name, School, Year, Position, Hometown (High School)

Ross Bennett, Platteville, Senior, Centerfield, Mequon (Homestead)

Doug Coe, Stevens Point, Senior, Catcher, Appleton (North)

Tom Corcoran, Whitewater, Sophomore, Designated Hitter/Outfield, Rochester, Minn.

Sean Cummings, Superior, Junior, Secondbase, Superior

Brad Demmin, Oshkosh, Junior, Firstbase, Oshkosh (North)

Adam Dominick, Whitewater, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Waukesha (West)

Jeff Donovan, Whitewater, Sophomore, Firstbase, Wauwatosa (East)

Aaron Dott, Whitewater, Sophomore, Lefthanded Pitcher, Green Lake

Nolan Fadness, Oshkosh, Freshman, Outfield, Eau Claire (Memorial)

Jason Fosler, Oshkosh, Junior, Outfield, DeForest

Storm Gram, La Crosse, Junior, Centerfield, Woodbury, Minn.

Billy Johnson, Whitewater, Senior, Catcher, Kenosha (Tremper)

Kyle Kannenberg, Oshkosh, Sophomore, Secondbase, Oshkosh (West)

Joe Lange, Platteville, Junior, Lefthanded Pitcher, East Dubuque, Ill.

Ben Prather, Whitewater, Senior, Outfield, Chicago, Ill. (James B. Conant)

Jeremy Rubens, Oshkosh, Sophomore, Righthanded Pitcher, New Franken (Luxemburg-Casco)

Brandon Scheidler, Stevens Point, Senior, Outfield, Chippewa Falls (McDonell)

Jordan Stine, Whitewater, Junior, Outfield, Merrill

Jared Surman, Stevens Point, Freshman, Outfield, Kimberly

Mike Thrun, Stevens Point, Senior, Lefthanded Pitcher, Franklin

Kevin Zalnis, Whitewater, Junior, Thirdbase, Woodstock, Ill.

Honorable Mention

Ross Benitz, La Crosse, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Osceola

Justin Bushong, Stevens Point, Senior, Shortstop, Rhinelander

Ryan Demmin, Oshkosh, Sophomore, Lefthanded Pitcher, Oshkosh (North)

Mike Flood, Platteville, Senior, Firstbase, Madison (LaFollette)

Brad Frank, Stevens Point, Senior, Firstbase, Slinger

Curt Hendricks, Oshkosh, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, De Pere

Derek Hiroskey, Oshkosh, Freshman, Catcher, Kimberly

Joey Hostrawser, Superior, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, White Bear Lake, Minn.

Travis Kempf, Stevens Point, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Kewaskum

Ben Kuhlmann, Whitewater, Sophomore, Secondbase, Minneapolis, Minn. (Southwest)

Brandon O’Connell, Stout, Freshman, Secondbase, Elk Mound

Dusty Otto, La Crosse, Senior, Shortstop, Beaver Dam

Eric Paul, Stout, Senior, Outfield, Wisconsin Rapids (Lincoln)

Justin Saufley, Superior, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Worthington, Minn.

Mike Schmidt, La Crosse, Senior, Firstbase/Designated Hitter, Menomonie

Tim Schneider, Stout, Senior, Centerfield, West Salem (Onalaska Lutheran)

All-Sportsmanship Team

Pete Berg, Oshkosh, Junior, Outfield, Janesville (Craig)

Aaron Daniels, Platteville, Junior, Righthanded Pitcher, Miles, Iowa (East Central)

Travis Kempf, Stevens Point, Senior, Righthanded Pitcher, Kewaskum

Ben Kuhlmann, Whitewater, Sophomore, Shortstop, Minneapolis, Minn. (Southwest)

Paul Schlangen, Superior, Sophomore, Outfield, Rice, Minn.

Mike Schmidt, La Crosse, Senior, Firstbase/Designated Hitter, Menomonie

Mike White, Stout, Senior, Shortstop, Rochester, Minn. (Marshall)

Position Player of the Year: Doug Coe of Stevens Point

Pitcher of the Year: Adam Dominick of Whitewater

Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete: Ben Prather of Whitewater

Coach of the Year: John Vodenlich of Whitewater