Joe Lange delivers against La Crosse

Posted April 21, 2009

UW-Platteville's Joe Lange earned the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week Award after his iron-man performances.

Lange, a senior from East Dubuque, Ill., threw two complete games and saved another in a span of five days. After taking a 3-1 loss to UW-La Crosse on April 15, in which he gave up two earned runs, struck out 11 and walked none, Lange came back to pitch in back-to-back wins at UW-Oshkosh. He pitched a perfect 2.2 innings, striking out two, to preserve a 16-10 win over the Titans on April 18 for his first career save. Lange returned to the mound on April 19 to throw a complete-game shutout, the first time the Titans have been blanked this season. Lange scattered six hits over nine innings, yielding just three hits over the final seven frames. Lange struck out a season-high 12 batters and moved into seventh place on the WIAC career strikeout list with 230.

In 20.2 innings during the week, Lange compiled a 0.87 ERA with 25 strikeouts and just one walk.

He joins teammates Steve Bomkamp, Justin Jacobson, and Wil Osmanski as having won WIAC awards this season.

The Pioneers, 16-14 overall and 8-8 in the WIAC, play a doubleheader at first-place and 24th-ranked UW-Whitewater Wednesday at 1 p.m. The Warhawks are 18-9 overall and 10-6 in league play. Just two games separate first through fifth place, with the top four teams making the conference tournament.

Updated WIAC Standings (through 4/19)